How to Choose the Right ERP Software

With Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, you can integrate and automate many functions, applications, and services, as well as streamline processes, and lower operating costs. All of this leads to a positive impact on your bottom line, but only if you choose the right ERP software for you. There is no universal “best” ERP software. Every industry and business has different needs, and it is wise to seek out a personalized solution based on your individual requirements.

Ask yourself, what challenges do you want your ERP software to solve? What are the limitations of your current system that need to be overcome? What features will give you an advantage in your sector?

Don’t make the mistake of Nero and risk it all on the roll of a dice — the more you know about your own priorities, the better equipped you will be to approach providers. You don’t want salespersons to give you the magical–mystery tour and try to define your requirements for you.

Consult management and key stakeholders, as well as team members who will interact with the ERP software and ask for their inputs and opinions throughout the selection process. It is crucial that everybody is on board to find the right solution.

Functionality is the most important component of your new ERP software. It must meet your needs and provide full functionality across all aspects of your business so that the new system can be integrated and applied profitably.

You should also consider an ERP software’s compatibility with your existing systems and applications. It may be the case that you need to reconfigure or decommission existing applications in order to not duplicate software or create conflicting processes, but ideally, you want the new system to work well with the old so that you can save time and resources during the transition.

Now that you know what you are looking for, it is time to analyze vendors and their software. Take plenty of time during this process to find what you need, and always be willing to test drive products. ERP News has information on our website about many of the top ERP vendors, so feel free to browse and find out more.

Make a short list of vendors that seem suitable for your industry and your business’ needs. Your list should include no more than five in total.

Next, approach the vendors and ask for live software demos. They may have set demos that you can use, but for the best results, you should ask for specific workflow demos to get a feel for the product in the way that you will actually use it. Use each demo for a set amount of time, and then meet with your team to discuss the good and bad. Compare the quality of each ERP software and its effect on your business.

Think also of the price. Remember that you will need a significant budget for the initial implementation of your new system, including the price of the software, maintenance and licensing, training and support, and later you may need to expand it. You should discuss these costs with the provider to get an overview of the total.

Finally, ask the vendors for business references from companies that are similar to yours who have used the ERP software. Send them emails asking them to talk you through the products to get some first–hand feedback. When all the ERP software systems tested and the price considered, you can make an informed decision as to which ERP software is best for your business. After the implementation, you should test the new system and compare the long–term benefits with the initial costs.

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Technology issues in IT and Telecoms identified as contributor to the UK's productivity gap

New research released from Managed 24/7 has revealed that the average employee in IT and Telecoms who uses IT loses more than 20 minutes per day of productive time due to technology issues.

A critical new report released todaay by Managed 24/7, a leading managed IT services business, reports the impact of poor IT to the UK’s workforce productivity. It is widely accepted that the UK is facing a productivity crisis and this report outlines, for the first time, how much of this loss is caused by poor IT systems and support. The report suggests that IT failure could cost UK PLC £35 billion per year* if the average amount of time lost was applied to all full-time workers, the equivalent of the entire population of Birmingham and Milton Keynes not working all year.

The average employee in the GB IT and Telecoms sector who uses IT and has wasted any time on IT issues, wastes 20.62 minutes per day due to IT issues. Ironically IT and telecoms are the worst affected sectors for the impact of IT issues on customer relationships, with 35% of respondents saying they have received IT-related complaints from customers, compared to 24% on average for all sectors polled.

The top five issues experienced by IT users in the GB IT and Telecoms sector in the last year:

• Failures in connection (61%)
• Slow running systems / equipment (60%)
• Outdated kit or software (37%)
• Poorly installed new systems and/ or equipment. (21%)
• A system crash lasting more than a few hours

In addition to the underlying costs in term of productivity and the bottom line, the report also found that amongst employees who use IT at work:

• 32% believe that their workplace IT systems are damaging their ability to do a good job, a rate which rises to 37% for firms with more than 500 employees
• 44% believe that IT problems directly cost their business time and money
• 40% agree that they had better IT systems at home than at work
• 24% who have experienced IT issues said they have caused customers to complain, a proportion that rises to 30% in firms with 500 or more employees

John Pepper, CEO and Founder of Managed 24/7, said: “The UK is facing a productivity crisis. The UK currently ranks seventh in the G7 and 17th in the G20 for productivity per person, and fixing our outdated and poorly managed IT systems and support should play a significant role in closing this gap, especially in the UK IT and Telecoms sector.

“It takes a German worker four days to produce what his or her UK counterpart does in five and this crisis is resulting in the UK lagging well behind other developed nations. In light of recent outages such as at British Airways and the NHS, it is time for the UK to address our IT issues to ensure we aren’t left behind by our more technically adept neighbours.”

When issues do occur, more than a third (34%) of IT users do not feel that they receive sufficient IT support. This is more marked for very large organisations (500 or more employee firms where 36% of staff feeling dissatisfied). Large companies (those with more than 500 employees) have the worst record for resolving IT issues, with 15% of respondents finding it typically takes more than a day for issues to be resolved.

Staff are therefore inclined to attempt to fix issues on their own, with 27% of respondents saying they are most likely to sort IT issues themselves, with men more likely to sort out their own issues (34%), than women (20%).

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,015 private sector employees (under senior management). Fieldwork was undertaken between 14th and 21st March 2017. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of GB businesses by size (i.e. number of employees).

* Average UK loss per year per employee is £1,499 (based on an average hourly rate of £12.92 and the loss of 116 hours a year – source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2016 provisional results.

With 23.34m people working full-time in the UK the potential total cost to the economy is £34,993,662,000 – or £35bn per annum.

(Source: ONS, Statistical Bulletin, UK Labour Market, March 2017). Calculations are conducted by Mobas.

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New K3 Syspro partner portal provides insight to help businesses make the best software buying choices

A new partner portal has been launched by K3 Syspro to help customers of the tech company review products and suppliers before they enquire to buy. The portal will also allow K3 to share information and best practice for that particular software ecosystem.

The aim is to build stronger, more transparent relationships between K3 and its resellers, referrers and those whose products are fully adopted. The main partner portal will also provide news as well as reviews on products and give partners the opportunity to discuss training on new software like document management systems.

Darren Edwards, Product Adoption Manager at K3 Syspro, said our partner relationships are important to the company and the portal is one way of ensuring these relationships are maintained.

Mr Edwards said: “The aim is to build stronger relationships and make this a two-way street. There are times when we are all busy and don’t get chance to have that all important personal contact. The portal allows us to share information and insights into specific software solutions.

“Some of the information may be about case studies so we can all see what has worked and what hasn’t. It may be around pricing. Whatever it is, that information is important.”

He said the portal reinforces K3 Syspro’s commitment to its software partners and allows customers to see which providers and products the company would recommend. The new partner portal https://www.k3syspro.com/our-solution/partner-products/ lets people investigate their options and puts the review and buying decision with the customer.

Mr Edwards said: “Software is no longer a hard sell commodity. Instead people want to shop around and investigate the options and what will work best for them. They want to do all of this well before talking to sales people. Much better they make their mind up in their own time than under pressure from a sales person who has an agenda to sell, sell, sell.”

The product segment contains all of K3’s recommended partner products so buyers can be sure they will add value and integrate to SYSPRO ERP. For each partner product there is a short summary, product webinar and a direct link to the partner website where they can see case studies.

K3 Syspro is always looking for new strategic partners in this age of digital transformation, and as the manufacturing world continues to demand its software solutions as discreet, purpose built apps that can be linked to SYSPROs Core ERP System.

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How to output CUTTER command to the CL-file

When G-Post processes the NCL file it converts all lines that start with $$ into REMARK commands.  So the $$ -> CUTTER / 10.00000,  etc.  gets changed to REMARK-> CUTTER / 10.00000.  You can capture the REMARK statements in the FIL file and identify the CUTTER data, then extract the cutter diameter.  It will be text so if you need it as a real number (scalar) you can convert it.  Here is some sample FIL code you can add to your existing FIL file that will do this: 

CIMFIL/ON,REMARK

  REMTXT=TEXT/CLW        $$ GET THE REMARK TEXT STRING

  REMTXT=TEXT/OMIT,REMTXT,1      $$ REMOVE THE TRAILING BLANK SPACES

  CUTF=INDXF(REMTXT,(TEXT/’CUTTER / ‘))       $$ LOOK FOR THE “CUTTER / ” STRING

  IF(CUTF .GT. 0)THEN

    NCH=CANF(REMTXT,1)       $$ GET THE NUMBER OF CHARACTERS LEFT IN THE STRING

    CDTXT=TEXT/RANGE,REMTXT,14,NCH       $$ PARSE OUT THE CUTTER DIAMETER VALUE

    CD=SCALF(CDTXT)        $$ CONVERT THE TEXT INTO A SCALAR

  ENDIF

CIMFIL/OFF

Fred Nemecek

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Pipol partners with leading UK Microsoft Dynamics partner, Technology Management

Pipol welcomes fast-growing, UK-based software and business process consultancy firm Technology Management to the thriving Pipol Alliance.

With over 160 offices in more than 70 countries, Pipol is the largest international provider of consulting and implementation services based on Microsoft Dynamics business software. Pipol provides a single point of contact to support clients at every stage of their Microsoft Dynamics implementation and draws on a committed alliance of more than 60 leading Microsoft Dynamics Partners.

Having top-quality access to the UK market is essential within the customer segment in which Pipol works, so Technology Management is a natural fit for the Pipol Alliance.

“The UK market is critical for our international customer base,” says Morten Søger, Group Director Channel & Alliances at Pipol. “In our strategic analysis of how to take this fundamental market to new heights, we were delighted to be approached by Technology Management for a strategic partnership discussion, and even more delighted to welcome them on board.”

Technology Management is a leading Microsoft Dynamics gold-certified partner, with an impressive customer track record — both within and outside the UK, focusing primarily on manufacturing and distribution organizations. And, their corporate values are in line with Pipol’s; they are fully committed to their customers’ successes and have deep experience working with committed long-term partnerships.

In addition, Technology Management was recently named one of the UK’s Best Workplaces (in the mid-size company category). The ever-expanding midlands-based UK firm has doubled in size over the last 3 years, now employing nearly 100 people. This year, they’ll be celebrating their 25-year anniversary.

James Crowter, Managing Director of Technology Management says, “This partnership is an important component in our continued growth plans. We already work with companies that trade worldwide and can easily source and access consulting and technology from anywhere the world. The Pipol Alliance means we can support our clients wherever they operate – and provides a key point of differentiation from our competition”.

James concludes, “Pipol is in fact already collaborating with Technology Management, working jointly on a project with a well-respected international customer. We very much look forward to expanded collaboration in the years ahead”.

ABOUT TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

Founded in 1992, Technology Management helps small and medium sized manufacturing and distribution companies ‘drive forward’ through the delivery of better business process and digital transformation based on Microsoft Dynamics business software and Office 365.

The company has a wealth of experience implementing business software solutions and the technical infrastructure to support them – on customers’ own premises and in the cloud.  Based in the Midlands, they support clients across the UK and further afield.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Claire Rose
Marketing Manager
claire.rose@tecman.co.uk

About Pipol

Pipol is a global provider of Microsoft Dynamics solutions and services, specializing in creating value for international organizations. When you work with Pipol, you tap into the knowledge and experience of a global organization made up of the leading Microsoft certified professionals working locally in more than 70+ countries. The Pipol product portfolio consists of Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and over 70 proven industry-specific solutions. Pipol offers international organizations the largest range of implementation and consulting services based on Microsoft Dynamics in the world. Pipol’s services are built on best practices from thousands of live cases in a variety of industries across the globe.

Contact Information:

Morten Søger
Group Director Channel & Alliances, Pipol
morten.soeger@pipol.com

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UK businesses should trust local sourcing to combat political unrest, says Crimson & Co

Olivia Xu, Consultant at Crimson & Co, the end-to-end supply chain consultancy, comments on the current political climate and how it’s time to trust local sourcing.

Following the chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Mike Hawes’, keynote calling for the government to negotiate a Brexit deal to avoid the British automotive industry collapsing, supply chain consultancy Crimson & Co states that businesses should trust local sourcing.

Olivia Xu, Consultant at Crimson & Co comments: “Localised sourcing in the UK automotive industry offers five primary benefits for procurement. It minimises risk, increases speed and agility, boosts the ability to innovate, and creates cost savings. Although it’s clear that local sourcing will bring great supply chain benefits, businesses will also need to take a strategic procurement view, as well as bringing down costs to unlock the full potential of local sourcing. On the other hand, in cases where significant cost savings can be made, businesses should still consider other countries for sourcing.”

Following Hawes keynote address, Olivia Xu continues, “the wider the geographic span of a supply chain, the more exposed it is to risk. Every time procurement chooses a supplier in a new geographic region or country, it increases the number of variables involved in the supply chain. Each new currency you have to procure services or products it adds another element that is vulnerable to fluctuation. Each new country your supply chain sources from expands the likelihood that geopolitical issues could affect your production – something we are seeing a lot of in the current political climate. Sourcing locally lessens the risk of this by reducing variables and allowing for a greater understanding of your home market.”

Mike Hawes continues in his speech, “this uncertainty cannot be allowed to drag on – and drag British industry down with it, nor will we be satisfied with vague talk of a ‘transition’ or ‘implementation’ period.” He concludes “Instead, we need a clear interim arrangement – an arrangement enabling ‘business as usual’ from day one.”

Crimson & Co states that, along with tackling the uncertainty issues around the supply chain and the single market post-Brexit, localisation of sourcing can also bring many other benefits:

“An expansive international supply chain can also have a significant impact on the speed and agility with which an organisation can act. Having a supply chain drawn out between different countries and time zones adds another layer of complication to the process of coordinating activity. This can make it more difficult when you do have to react to risk or adverse conditions. It can also make it more challenging to be proactive about altering operations or innovating – for example, in driving new product development (NPD) or transitioning to industry 4.0. By contrast, localised sourcing allows you to be more nimble, as it’s easier to ensure that everyone moves together.”

Xu concludes: “Taking end-to-end cost into account is vital when developing an effective supply chain, and this goes beyond the raw cost of services and/or materials. There are many other cost considerations to working with distant suppliers – resource has to be dedicated to managing the extra complications of working across borders and coordinating the global supply chain. Sometimes, from a holistic supply chain perspective it actually works out cheaper to procure locally, even when the raw cost of goods or services looks initially to be more expensive. It’s therefore vital that organisations look at procurement and the supply chain from a wider strategic perspective, rather than focusing exclusively on the tactical details.”

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Helix machining

hi,

Can any one suggest how I can machine Helix groove using 3D machining , currently I am using a 10 dia ball nose

where the tool life is very less . I would like to use a 8 dia ball nose endmill and do 3d machining.

Kindly suggest which sequence will be best suitable for this operation.

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FinancialForce is faster than a speeding bullet – Flash News in Community Live 2017

FinancialForce dropped several bombshells in FinancialForce Community Live 2017 in Las Vegas this week.

FinancialForce’s new CEO Tod Nielsen and CMO, Fred Studer introduced the latest release of the industry-leading Professional Services Automation (PSA) application and demonstrated how it will light the way for the companies in the new services economy. In addition, a new strategic HCM partnership with ADP, a leading global provider of human capital management (HCM) solutions, was announced that will bring best-in-class payroll and HCM capabilities to its cloud ERP suite and client base.

FinancialForce will also offer new features to its ERP customers using Salesforce Einstein technologies and Einstein’s Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning capabilities.

FinancialForce Reveals Strategy for the New Services Economy with Customers at FinancialForce Community Live

FinancialForce, the leading cloud ERP provider for the new services economy, today revealed its vision for the next generation of service-focused business applications. Customers saw firsthand how FinancialForce would help them navigate the emerging services economy landscape, as well as the critical role cloud ERP will play to help create and support agile business models, strategically align resources, and optimize business outcomes with predictive insights.

The vision was presented by FinancialForce CEO, Tod Nielsen and CMO, Fred Studer on stage at FinancialForce Community Live – the company’s annual user conference in Las Vegas.

In addition, FinancialForce announced a new strategic HCM partnership with ADP, key product updates to FinancialForce PSA and expanded use of Salesforce Einstein Analytics. The news included:

• FinancialForce Customers Driving the Tools Required to Succeed in the Services Economy with latest PSA Release
• FinancialForce Bets on Predictive Analytics for Next Generation of Insights and Reporting
• FinancialForce Partners with ADP to Deliver Best-in-Class Human Capital Management Solutions

“Speed is the new currency in the modern global economy, in which businesses are increasingly retooling to deliver services,” said Tod Nielsen, CEO of FinancialForce. “Our flexible and agile ERP solutions accelerate innovation and enable organizations to quickly adapt to trends in the market and emerging business models. Today’s announcements validate FinancialForce as the leading services ERP platform, and we’ll continue to work closely with customers and partners to shape the next generation of ERP solutions for the Services Economy and beyond.”

“The pace of change in business across the globe today is relentless, and it’s challenging companies in unforeseen ways. Our goal is to help our customers be as prepared as possible to take advantage of the tremendous opportunity the new services economy holds for them,” said Fred Studer, CMO of FinancialForce. “As this fundamental shift takes place, businesses have to be able to assess situations in real-time, act swiftly, and evolve with the customer in center view to thrive.”

About FinancialForce
FinancialForce is the leading cloud ERP for the new services economy. The #1 ERP native to the Salesforce platform, FinancialForce unifies data across the enterprise in real-time, enabling companies to rapidly evolve their business models with customers at the center. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, FinancialForce is backed by Salesforce Ventures, Technology Crossover Ventures, Advent International, and UNIT4. For more information, visit www.financialforce.com.

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How to use your sales experience for a new career

If you have experience in sales and think that it might be time to change careers, then you might want to consider other jobs that can utilize your skills. The sales market is currently excelling, and there are many jobs out there that will suit the particular qualities you would have. Some jobs might surprise you when you think about the skills they are looking for, but they can lead to some significant opportunities. Why not consider some of these sales jobs that can help you reach your full potential.

Financial Services Sales Agents

Jobs in the financial services have always been considered a highly prestigious job. Though you might know them as financial advisers, they are there to help people invest their hard-earned money carefully.

With the job comes much responsibility as you are looking after a significant amount of money on behalf of your clients. However, a precise knowledge of the trending markets means they are always able to give the best advice they can.

Luxury Item Sales Professional

If you like the idea of earning a commission then maybe a job in luxury retail is more appropriate for you. The clients you will be dealing with are usually wealthy and will want you to help them buy their yachts, cars, or other expensive items.

The companies that typically employ luxury retail sales people are looking for extremely competent individuals who have the ability to land million dollar deals. You could also be entitled to awesome perks from your employers including impressive discounts.

Business Broker

With many baby boomers now reaching retirement age, there is much scope for a business broker to assist them with the selling of their businesses. You would be there to help mediate the deal for your clients to make sure they get the best result possible. You are also the right person for those who are looking to acquire a new company so that you would have a sound knowledge of the market.

You would not have to start from scratch either. You can become part of a business broker franchise such as Transworld Business Advisors and take advantage of their experience and brand reputation.

Senior Management

Many people in sales are finding the role of CEO a good alternative. They discover the knowledge of the constantly changing sales market to be a real asset for someone of senior management. Companies also value a CEO with adaptability, people skills, and getting the best from their employees which many individuals with a sales background will have.

Senior management is also one of the top earning jobs with some big corporations willing to pay millions to their top boss.

You might not realize it, but the world of sales has dimensions you would not think possible. There are so many positions that a person with sales skills could jump into with no problems. If you are thinking about a change of career, look beyond your usual job types and see what else is possible.

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EEF Chief Executive receives CBE for services to industry

EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation has announced that its Chief Executive, Terry Scuoler, has been made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s birthday honours.

Mr Scuoler, Chief Executive of EEF, said: “I am enormously proud to receive this honour, particularly as the citation is for services to manufacturing and engineering. It is an enormous privilege to represent manufacturing in the UK, which remains core to the country’s economic success.”

Mr Scuoler has served EEF as Chief Executive for more than seven years. He also represents the UK’s interests in Europe as chairman of the European manufacturers’ group CEEMET and was a strong supporter of the Better Together campaign in the Scottish Referendum.

He has worked with successive administrations and businesses to help create a positive environment for manufacturing in Britain.

Earlier in his career Mr Scuoler worked with BAe Systems before becoming chief executive of Ferranti Technologies, based in Oldham.

 

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New turning tools from Sandvik requires lead in radius for area turning.

Area turning parameter contains the LEAD_RADIUS option in the entry exit list but it can not be used except for the profile motion.

LEAD_RADIUS

The radius of the tangential circular movement of the tool when leading in or out. Used when creating Lead In and Lead Out Tool Motions, and in Build Cut for Profile turning. The default is 0.

****************************************************************

Sandvik has developed a method for a reverse turning concept (Prime Turning). See article Modern Machine Shop June 2017 page 71 for complete details. Using this concept the tool must lead in using an angle approach and radius value very much like milling allows. Each roughing pass in the area turning must include this lead radius. 

Creo Area Turning can be used for Prime Turning if the lead_radius option is added to each pass. Different feed rates will have to be applied to the lead_radius for this tooling and Area Turning has this option by using the APPROACH_FEED parameter.

Currently MasterCam has developed this strategy in concert with Sandvik. PTC must follow suit or be left behind by other Cad/Cam vendors.

 

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Here’s how 5G will revolutionize the Internet of Things

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Aruba fundamentally redefines enterprise core switching for mobile, cloud and IoT demands

Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, has announced a new enterprise core and aggregation switch and the industry’s most advanced operating system, ArubaOS-CX, designed for modern mobility, cloud, and IoT requirements.

Taking a leap beyond today’s antiquated switching platforms, the Aruba 8400 Core Switch Series and ArubaOS-CX are purpose-built for emerging mobile-cloud business applications and changing traffic patterns that are being driven by the massive flood of data sources and growth in IoT.

Gartner estimates that by 2020, there will be 20.4 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices connected to enterprise networks 1. Despite this rapidly changing technology and business landscape, network core switches have seen very little design and software innovation over the past few decades. Organisations are rapidly moving to mobile and cloudbased networks to accommodate these new applications and “things.” However, incumbent core switch technology has not kept up with the resulting surge in network traffic, the added complexity of the environment, and the increasing need for visibility, insights, and quick remediation.

The Aruba 8400 Switch Series delivers a breakthrough in campus core and aggregation, extending intelligence from the edge to the core and allowing CIOs to derive better business outcomes from their networks. While the Aruba 8400 provides the carrier-class availability and performance that organisations need in a core switch, the innovation goes beyond table stakes to address the need for immediate visibility, greater security, better insights into troubleshooting, and easier automation, giving enterprises true business agility as they move to mobile-first, cloud, and IoT-enabled businesses.

¹ Gartner, Forecast Analysis: Internet of Things — Endpoints, Worldwide, 2016 Update, 10 February 2017

Bringing Intelligence to the Network Core: ArubaOS-CX

Setting it apart from other core aggregation switches on the market, the Aruba 8400’s most unique innovation is the new ArubaOS-CX, a modern software foundation that is a departure from today’s static, inflexible operating system design. ArubaOS-CX acts as the brains of the switch to automate and simplify many critical and complex network tasks. Key benefits of the new operating system for IT include:

• Automated Visibility for Early Detection: The innovative Aruba Network Analytics Engine allows IT professionals to easily monitor network, system, application, and security-related activities with simple rules-based monitoring and automatic correlation of network activities. This engine comes with a native time-series database combined with event correlation to enable operators to instantly detect problems, analyze trends to quickly gain insight, and predict or avoid issues that often lead to scale, security, and performance bottlenecks.

• Faster Resolution with Network Insights: With legacy switches, IT must not only troubleshoot problems after the fact, but also remediate problems using traditional tools such as CLI and SNMP, which can be time-consuming and expensive to the business. The Aruba 8400 can provide immediate resolution via its programmability and its intelligent policy-based integration with network monitoring, performance, and security management tools.

• Programmability Simplified to Help IT Scale: The Aruba 8400 is fully programmable with a built-in Python interpreter and RESTbased APIs for every function. This allows for easy integration and ongoing flexibility with infrastructure and applications, including the Aruba Mobile First Platform, for end-to-end network monitoring, detection, troubleshooting, and closed-loop remediation of network performance or security-related issues.

Built for Scalability and High Availability from the Ground up

Although the Aruba 8400’s intelligence and programmable software make the solution unique, the switch is also designed from the ground up with the performance, reliability, and scalability of today’s modern networks in mind. The Aruba 8400’s fully extensible fabric design enables seamless upgrades so enterprises can scale as their bandwidth needs increase. The Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) with two chassis scales up to 512 10GbE, 128 40Gbe or 96 100 Gigabit Ethernet ports.

Improved Visibility, Insights, and Remediation Deliver Agility for Better Business Outcomes

With the Aruba 8400’s unique ArubaOS-CX software, IT can finally derive better business insights and remediation, and therefore outcomes, from their network infrastructure, demonstrating increased value for the organization. By gaining early visibility and insights into network connectivity and traffic patterns, and using network analytics and policy to predict and resolve problems before they result in significant network downtime, organizations can save valuable time and resources while greatly reducing costs. These benefits can be extended further with Aruba AirWave Network Management and the ClearPass Policy Manager, both of which can be easily integrated with the Aruba 8400.

In addition to the Aruba 8400 Switch Series and ArubaOS-CX, Aruba continues to innovate on the campus edge with the Aruba 2930M Switch Series. The 2930M Switch Series is optimized for wireless LAN and IoT integration with unified security, PoE+ power, flexibility of on-premises Aruba AirWave or cloud-based Aruba Central management, and industry-leading performance for campus, branch, and SMB networks. New software innovations include policy-based dynamic micro segmentation for unified functionality and policy enforcement between wired and wireless, as well as support of the new IEEE 802.3bz standard for multi-gigabit Ethernet.

The new Aruba 8400 Core Switch Series is one of the intelligent edge innovations that Aruba unveiled this week at HPE Discover. Aruba also introduced its asset tracking solution, which expands upon the company’s location services and mobile engagement portfolio to allow organizations – particularly those in retail and healthcare – to track critical assets, saving time and resources, as well as cutting costs. Both the Aruba 8400 Core Switch Series and the Aruba asset tracking solution are part of a broader set of HPE solutions announced at Discover.

Availability

The Aruba 8400 Core Switch Series and the Aruba 2930M Switch Series are available now.

Customer Quote

“In K-12 districts like ours, greater network automation and programmability means less need for us to devote time and valuable resources to maintenance and management,” said Thomas Brawley, Director of Technology Services for Tomball Independent School District in Texas, which operates 20 K-12 schools in the area. “With the new Aruba 8400 core switch’s monitoring and analytics capabilities, we can automate troubleshooting to resolve issues quickly and ensure a reliable, secure network experience for our users. The Aruba 8400 allows us to reduce manual ‘touches’, so our IT team can focus on other critical activities.”

Partner Quotes

“As a leading IT solutions provider, we are always looking for ways to expand our offerings to better architect and deliver solutions and services that best support our clients’ goals,” said Chris Saso, CTO, Dasher Technologies, Inc. “To address the demands put on the network by IoT and enterprise apps, the Aruba 8400 core switch will allow IT staff to better support its users by enabling automation of configuration while speeding up network troubleshooting with its Network Analytics Engine. IT will free up time for strategic tasks such as accelerating the digitization of their business.”

Serving more than 1,000 clients in a dozen different industries, Matrix Integration is focused on helping clients achieve their goals through the use of technology. “As we continue to respond to our clients’ evolving IoT, mobile and cloud requirements, the new Aruba 8400 core switch with ArubaOS-CX will provide enterprises a flexible and modern solution to secure expanding mobile, cloud and IoT requirements with programmability to automate manual tasks that currently drain valuable resources,” said James Aldridge, VP of Technology, Matrix Integration. “We see the Aruba switching and software advancements as a strategic continuation that will benefit our clients.”

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Telecom companies push for better standards, policy for IoT play

How to cope with data intensive IoT applications

The revision of ISO 22000 on food management moves one step further

Revision is ongoing for ISO 22000 on food safety management systems, which has just reached the Draft International Standard (DIS) stage. The revised standard will incorporate a new core structure as well as recognised key elements to ensure food safety at every step of the food chain.

The ISO 22000 revision aims to consolidate the most recent issues surrounding food safety to suit the current landscape of the food sector. It is a very comprehensive process and the working group revising the standard has covered several extensive concepts. The experts met three times in 2016 and processed 1 800 comments from a variety of global stakeholders representing a broad range of positions. Now, their main task is to translate the revised concepts included in the standard and communicate these to the users in a clear and concise manner that makes ISO 22000 easier to understand and implement for organizations of all sizes, in every aspect of the food chain.

The new version of ISO 22000 will contain a number of minor alterations that have been introduced to increase the readability and clarity of the standard, as well as some substantial changes that are more structural in nature. The main highlights are as follows:

• The new version will adopt ISO’s new High-Level Structure (HLS), which is the common framework for all management systems standards. This common structure makes it easier for businesses to integrate more than one management system into their processes at a given time.
• The revised standard will provide a new understanding of the notion of “risk”. Risk is a vital concept for food businesses and the standard will distinguish between risk at the operational level (through the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point approach, or HACCP) and risk at the strategic level of the management system (business risk) with its ability to embrace opportunities in order to reach a business’s specific goals.
• The standard will clarify the distinction between two Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycles. The first applies to the management system as a whole while the second, embedded within it, addresses the operations described in Clause 8, which simultaneously covers the principles of HACCP defined by the Codex Alimentarius.

The revised version of ISO 22000 is expected to be published by June 2018.

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A closer look at Industry 4.0

By Arno Ham, Chief Product Officer, Sana Commerce.

Industry 4.0 or the Fourth Industrial Revolution has been tabled as a radical change ahead for the manufacturing and production sectors. It’ll be brought through the integration of the Internet of Things, cloud computing, data integration and other ‘game changing’ technological developments as the new ‘beating heart’ within production and manufacturing systems.

So much so that it’s being termed ‘the next revolution in industrialisation’. The idea is that all of the individual processes that factory machines currently perform in silos will be merged in the cloud, meaning the workflow, upkeep, and management of each machine or series of machines can be done remotely. And of course ultimately it could mean machines doing work currently undertaken by people.

Within a manufacturing system Industry 4.0 relies on Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) – in other words software-enabled machines that, in addition to computing power, have embedded sensors and actuators that can self-diagnose and make decisions based on their state.

Three highlighted benefits of Industry 4.0 are:

• Productivity – integrating machines and software will make it possible to complete more intelligent manufacturing processes without the need for human intervention
• Profitability – because the systems are communicating and deciding appropriate actions and responses, resources, time required to manufacture, and the costly waste created in the process, should reduce.
• Personalisation – incorporating technologies such as 3D printing into the sector could enable personalised products to be manufactured much more easily and widely.

Q: Are your customers thinking about Industry 4.0 today?
A: In some sense yes but in others, no. When we ask our manufacturing customers what questions keep them awake at night invariably the common answers are “how can we increase sales?”, “how can we get more repeat customers?” and “how can we find new ways of keeping up with the competition?” This would suggest that their prime focus is on the external market, not internally on how they can join machines, systems and processes together.

However, the various tenets of Industry 4.0 all ultimately relate back to achieving these external goals. Improving productivity means manufacturers can serve customers better and increase loyalty; increasing profitability enables them to be more price competitive thus selling more to more customers; and product personalisation gives them an entirely new competitive edge. So actually, Industry 4.0 is right in their sights, but they possibly haven’t realised its connection to their external goals quite yet.

The reality is however that the average manufacturer is still grappling with some of the basics needed to realise Industry 4.0. As our e-commerce systems ‘feed’ off a manufacturer’s core ERP, we see first-hand how many are still at this fundamental stage of development. Many are moving their core data off disparate systems, spreadsheets and paper and onto a single enterprise platform in the cloud; this is a foundation stone for Industry 4.0 and this is the stage many organisations are still at today.

Q: From an e-commerce provider’s perspective what do you see as your likely first steps into Industry 4.0 with customers, and what might the longer term look like?

A: Firstly it’s really important that manufacturers don’t separate internal and external facing business operations. While Industry 4.0 might focus heavily on internal changes, integration with the outward facing systems of the organisation is vital if productivity, profitability and personalisation benefits are going to be translated into increased sales.

How might that look relatively soon? Let’s think about how sensors are being embedded into products and how the Internet of Things could drive aftermarket sales. A commercial coffee machine manufacturer could introduce sensor technology that automatically places replacement parts or new capsules in the customer’s e-commerce basket. A supplier of mattresses and beds to hotel chains that promise a comfortable night’s sleep could include sensors that trigger a re-purchase after a specific number of sleeps or level of wear and tear. These are real examples that we are seeing customers think about today.

In the future it’s likely that we’ll see much fuller and more complex ‘machine to machine to machine’ interactions that involve the entire design, production, sales and delivery process. For example, a customer wants to configure a product to specification. If they could do this through an enhanced webstore that included a customisation module (just like how people customise their characters in computer games), this webstore or the ERP system it was using could then talk directly to the 3D printer or even the machines required to do the work. Once the product was ready the ERP could then talk to a drone or driverless vehicle-based logistics system to get the product to the customer on time. We’re probably talking five years before we see this happening, but early adopters are playing with Proof of Concept already. In my view IoT across the full supply chain is an imaginative future but not realistic yet.

The eventual benefits could be much bigger. It’s not just about making the purchase to manufacture to delivery process as effective as possible, there’s also the power of the data being collected by joining all of these systems in the cloud. Purchasing trends and patterns drawn from e-commerce and ERP activity could feed into how machines work and what they do. They could automatically switch production to more seasonal product lines for example, or even predict what customers are going to buy in order to kick start just in time manufacturing processes so that a personalised product is rolling off the production line, precisely as the customer orders it.

We may even see production machines driving new product sales through e-commerce based recommendations. Let’s say one customer orders a specially configured product which is 3D printed. Machine to machine analysis may determine which other customers could benefit from the same product, instructing the e-commerce platform to recommend it to them. In this way machines and systems are using artificial intelligence to create more sales from new product lines. e-commerce intelligence will become increasingly vital as machines start to understand customer behaviours within Industry 4.0.

Q: What do you think will be the barriers to success around industry 4.0?
A: Technology readiness is a critical factor. Manufacturing is a diverse sector, both in terms of size of company and also the types of products being produced, which vary massively. As a result there are some manufacturers who are very technically advanced but others to much lesser degrees. Until the basics are in place such as a standardised ERP as a single data source and a cloud IT strategy, machine to machine, and machine to human interactions are going to be limited.

As with any new area the industry needs to skill up. With Industry 4.0 data will become the manufacturer’s new currency and they must have people with the data science capability needed to make sense of it all. That’s a big skills shift and while we’re seeing more evidence of teaching in this area it will take a while before these skills are embedded and valued by manufacturers.

Then there are regulation, security and privacy concerns. Completely new ways of working will need to be regulated to ensure that they don’t flout privacy rules for example, especially if more and more data is being shared between different systems. What are the data use and protection rules in these scenarios? Cloud, 3D printing, sensor technology. These things and more are the seeds for Industry 4.0 but the conditions for growth still need determining.

The final challenge is culture; the issue of potentially replacing people with machines that do the working and thinking. What will the legalities of mass workforce replacement be if it happens? Will these people be re-employed in a different way? In some sectors people will still be highly essential within production processes and we could well find ourselves operating alongside ‘machine workers’. What will be the rules and regulations that surround working collaboratively with machines and how will people respond to this new type of ‘colleague’? This is all to be determined.

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5 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software Systems You Should Consider

If your business is growing and you want to automate some of the back-office tasks that take a lot of time, implementing a good ERP software system will help you do that. The problem in purchasing such software is that there are many features to consider and certain software can prove to be unreliable. If you are on the lookout for new ERP software, you may want to consider the following systems to help you on your way.

1.         Oracle

Oracle is one of the most popular systems out there thanks to its reliability and feature-rich platform. Oracle has been an established business for over 30 years so you can be certain you’re going to get a credible experience that works wonders. One of the main negatives when it comes to the Oracle ERP software is that it is expensive, but it is the price you pay for good software that is flexible and has deep software functionality.

2.         SAP

SAP should be considered purely because it’s a very popular platform and provides services to more than 35,000 customers in more than 120 countries worldwide. SAP claim they are the #1 ERP market share leader and it’s not surprising thanks to their experience and the software’s ability to provide solutions to several industries. Again, SAP is another expensive solution, but it does provide NetWeaver, SQL, and many other features for businesses.

3.         Microsoft

Of course, Microsoft is the biggest competitor in many markets and they help more than 83,000 ERP customers. With multiple solutions, SQL and MS technology – Microsoft are high on the list of go-to companies for a reliable ERP experience. Whether you run a small marketing firm that offers a verifying email address service or you are the owner of a large recruitment agency, the Microsoft ERP software system could help you grow.

4.         Epicor

Epicor isn’t one of the names that stand out in the ERP industry, but it is a name that can be trusted thanks to the 20,000 customers they have on file. The software provides MS, SQL, and SOA technology, which gives you a variety of options when it comes to automating different back office tasks. The huge benefit of considering Epicor as your ERP partner is that they offer a cost-effective product when compared with the likes of SAP and Oracle.

5.         Infor

Another large ERP company is Infor, the third largest ERP maker in the world that caters to more than 70,000 customers. With strong process manufacturing capabilities, distribution, and many other features, Infor is a top solution for smaller businesses looking to grow. Infor is very much on the same pay scale as Epicor so it’s one worth considering if your business is growing.

There are plenty of ERP software systems on the market and many of them can provide a good all-round service, however, you should consider the above five before you look at others, as they are some of the most popular services on the market.

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The under used benefits of cloud ERP software

The top six signs that your business needs ERP software

How to shop for ERP

SAP S/4HANA ERP platform options expand but raise deployment questions

widely applicable and best manufacturing software

Confirm archive of widely applicable and best manufacturing software

Archiving expires a poll and removes it from the active polls list.

To restore an archived poll, edit the poll, change the dates as desired, and save the poll.

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Fujitsu, SAP expand partnership to AI, IoT

SAP’s Leonardo IoT Platform Incorporates Machine Learning, Analytics

Secrets Revealed: SAP Offers Powerful Software for Your Small Business

How to insert a machine for 5-axis milling

Hello forum!

I am trying to step up my game with Creo now that i’m getting the hang of 3-axis milling.

I’ve seen in several video’s that they use a function called “machine play” which kind of looks like NC check but with a moving milling machine.. I’ve searched high and low but couldn’t fine that button in my creo setup and i could not find a guide online for uploading and setting up the machine.

Could you guys help me out with this one?

Kind regards!

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Is Cloud a Viable ERP Deployment Option for Medtech Companies?

Industries turn to digital twin technology, IoT to boost profits

8 reasons why you should move your ERP system to the cloud

The Digital Innovation system for rapid, scalable transformation

Exporting CL Data for Grbl

Hello,

I am seeking assistance in configuring Creo to export CNC code compatible

with the Grbl language.  I have attached two documents which define the

machine specifications and a summary of the Grbl language.

This effort will facilitate the lesson creation for Mechanical Engineering students

to export solid model geometry to a small CNC machine.

Any assistance with this effort will be very appreciated.’

Thanks for your help!

Regards,

   Bill Chambers

Additional links:

   1)  Configuring Grbl v0.9 · grbl/grbl Wiki · GitHub

   2)  G Code Overview

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More businesses to manage data on hybrid cloud

Gartner reports that half of all enterprise content will be machine authored, as well as managed on hybrid cloud systems by 2018.

File synchronisation and sharing also are expected be a standard embedded Enterprise Content Management (ECM) business function, while over one-fifth of all businesses will be managing content from multiple organisations^[1]. These realities emphasise the urgent need for businesses to update and future-proof processes by investing in systems that allow content to be smoothly integrated and easily accessed online, in order to remain competitive.

Across financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, legal and retail industries, the demand for ECM and Business Process Management (BPM) systems ) to be personalised and hyper-connected is rapidly increasing – magnified by the continuous rise in e-commerce and an increasingly agile workplace and consumer. Millennials are expected to make up 50 percent of the global workforce in less than three years^[2], making seamless, hassle-free accessibility a key requirement forcing companies to reconsider current strategies and tools.

Legacy ECM systems, on which many businesses still operate, are unable to integrate structured content and unstructured data, creating significant issues for companies across sectors, including loss of data and inefficient processes. In addition, businesses are facing the pressing challenges of rising data center costs and increased security demand, as regulated companies want to maintain steadfast control of critical files while also avoiding the stress of massive data centers.

Adam Storch, Micro Strategies’ Vice President of Business Solutions, comments: “Finding a content management platform that fits your business instead of changing it is key. This can be enabled by a modern core system that meets the needs of the company’s vision, but does not impact the customers’ system of records – which is increasingly being achieved with hybrid solutions. As the use of software as a Service (SaaS)-based ECM gains traction, businesses atop the trend are investing in virtual private clouds to better safeguard critical business data and reduce costs, with many companies to follow in their footsteps.

The cloud’s ability to bring external stakeholders into internal business processes much more easily tackles a major pain-point for businesses today. Despite popular belief, sharing data and content with business partners is both secure and compliant, which is imperative for heavily regulated industries such as financial services and healthcare.

Storch continues: The digital workplace, an increasing trend toward mobility, and the influx of data require software systems that support information security and regulatory needs, are growing pressures in today’s increasingly connected business climate. A hybrid solution allows sensitive data to be maintained behind enterprise firewalls in traditional in-house systems, while keeping other data on the cloud. Businesses harnessing their data management solutions on a hybrid cloud model are reaping the benefits of the seamless exchange of information between the public cloud and in-house systems, providing the best of both worlds for data security and remote accessibility.”

^[1]http://www.glocalvalue.it/public/Hyland-OnBase-Gartner-Reprint-ECM.pdf

^[2]https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-dttl-2014-millennial-survey-report.pdf

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IT and business compete for the Digital Transformation crown, finds CIF research

IT directors believe that cloud adoption in their organisation is driven principally by their IT function as part of a technology strategy, rather than the need for change driven by business decision makers. This is according to the latest research from the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF).

Overall cloud adoption in the UK now stands at 88%, with 67% of users expecting to increase their adoption of cloud services over the coming year. However, CIF conducted a detailed analysis comparing perceptions of cloud adoption and Digital Transformation projects between IT decision makers (ITDM) and their counterparts within business (BDM).

While 73% of ITDMs believe that cloud is being driven by their department as a technology strategy, only 48% of business leaders believe this to be the case. In contrast, almost half (49%) of BDMs say that it is driven by the business considering Digital Transformation, compared to only 26% of ITDMs.

Alex Hilton CEO, CIF, stated: “We were keen to analyse the views of both the IT and business decision makers within the enterprise to see if there are competing perceptions on who owns and drives Digital Transformation projects. The results did not disappoint. There appears to be a glaring disconnect between the IT department and others in the ‘C’ suite. One key statistic stands out: IT decision makers are more likely to think the head of IT/CIO is driving the migration to the cloud and implementing Digital Transformation projects by 47% to 26% of BDMs. Whereas the BDMs themselves are more likely to say it is driven by the CEO – 37% against 27% of ITDMs.”

Conducted in February 2017, the research, polled 250 IT and business decision-makers in large enterprises, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and public sector organisations. Other key findings include:

• BDMs thought achieving the business objective of improving service levels of IT was more difficult than surveyed ITDMs did. Overall 60% of BDM respondents said that it was an achieved objective, but 39% reported it was difficult, compared to 54% of ITDM respondents who said it was an objective, and 22% who said it was difficult to achieve

• ITDMs are more likely than surveyed BDMs to report that replacing legacy IT technologies either has/or are driving investment initiatives in cloud within their organisation (42% of ITDM respondents compared to 29% of BDM respondents)

• ITDM respondents are most likely to report faster access to technology as a tangible benefit to using cloud (44% of ITDM respondents compared to 39% of BDM respondents). Whereas surveyed BDMs are most likely to report cost savings over on-premise solutions (46% of BDM respondents compared to 36% of ITDM respondents)

• The majority (53%) of surveyed BDMs say that utilising cloud services has given their organisation a competitive advantage, whereas only 44% of surveyed ITDMs think this is the case

• BDMs predict bigger cost savings from use of cloud services than surveyed ITDMs, particularly in five years’ time (BDM respondents estimate an average cost saving of 35.18% compared to the ITDM respondent average estimate of 25.98% in five years’ time)

• ITDMs are much more likely than surveyed BDMs to think that cloud adoption in their organisation is driven principally by the IT function as a technological strategy (73% of ITDM respondents compared to 48% of BDM respondents). While almost half (49%) of surveyed BDMs say that it is driven by the business considering digital transformation (compared to only a quarter (26%) of surveyed ITDMs)

• ITDM respondents are less likely than BDM respondents to think that their organisation’s digital strategy is completely clear (18% of surveyed ITDMs think this, compared to 33% of surveyed BDMs)

Alex Hilton added: “An organisation can purchase, deploy and manage IT and cloud successfully without detailed understanding of its future direction but without business strategy in the right format and at the right level of detail, there is a risk that the organisation may shape and steer its technology in such a way as to prevent future alignment.

“Aligning IT with business strategy is nothing new. Organisations, which have struggled to use IT to achieve business objectives, are often due to differences in departmental goals and culture, or a mutual ignorance of each other’s methods resulting in ineffectual products and systems, which fail to provide an effective return on investment. These findings are critical therefore to our understanding of the institutional and organisational challenges confronted by many in both the IT department and the wider business. Perceptions and expectations are widely different and those enterprises looking to deliver Digital Transformation projects effectively need address this disconnect head on,” concluded Alex.

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Global Shop Solutions simplifies and optimises manufacturing with Cloud ERP

Global Shop Solutions, an international producer of ERP software for the manufacturing industry, has announced its continual efforts to promote efficiencies on the shop floor with top performance through the use of Cloud ERP.

Designed to eliminate the need of on-premise servers and the costly IT support they demand, Global Shop Solutions’ cloud-based ERP software was specifically created with manufacturing customers in mind. Customers are now offered the same robust ERP software experience, but with increased accessibility, speed, and security. With the reduced need for focusing on hardware and software, customers can now spend more time focusing on the job at hand and pushing forward their business knowing their data is safe and secure.

“Continuous innovation is the name of the game. I’m immensely proud of our team identifying new ways to simplify manufacturing for our customers. Cloud ERP is just one of the many ways we continue to transform ERP for the industry and our customers,” says Global Shop Solutions CEO Dusty Alexander.

With Cloud ERP, customers can experience the power of Global Shop Solutions ERP software for manufacturers in the Amazon Web Service cloud. Accessibility, security and faster system response harmonise to guarantee an uptime of 99.95%.

Manufacturers can continue to deliver a quality part on-time every time with nearly 30 applications available from quote-to-cash as if they were using the on-premise deployment method that Global Shop Solutions customers have been using for 40 years. With a customer-centric frame of mind, Global Shop Solutions’ Cloud ERP is completely customisable to the needs of any manufacturing business.

“Global Shop Solutions is always a step ahead of us. We’re always trying to catch up with all of their innovations and updates,” says Quality Director Emilio Ortega, Global Shop Solutions customer Solar Spring and Wire Forms.

When utilising Cloud ERP, Global Shop Solutions handles all updates and maintenance in-house, giving customers the most up-to-date version operating at top speed. Maintenance-free software and speed is paired with quick and simple automatic cloudbased data backups so files and data are never lost.

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Pyramid Analytics ranks as Overall Leader in Customer Experience and Vendor Credibility in 2017 Dresner Wisdom of Crowds Business Intelligence Market Study

Pyramid Analytics, the global provider of enterprise business intelligence (BI) software, has been recognised as an overall leader in Customer Experience and Vendor Credibility by Dresner Advisory Services’ flagship BI market report, the 2017 Wisdom of Crowds Business Intelligence Market Study.

This is the third consecutive year the company has earned placement in the report. Pyramid earned improvement in every category, as compared with 2016 results. These categories include sales, value, product, technical support, consulting and integrity. The company also received a perfect recommend score from its customers.

“We are pleased to be consistently recognized as a leader in one of the most comprehensive industry reports on business intelligence,” said Omri Kohl, Pyramid Analytics co-founder and CEO. “Being an overall leader reflects our strong commitment to our customers, who rely on our platform to help them make critical, data-driven decisions using a collaborative, agile and secure BI system they can trust.”

Pyramid Analytics also was recognized for its collaborative BI capabilities and governed data discovery features in the 2017 Collective Insights Market Study from Dresner Advisory Services.

In the 2017 Wisdom of Crowds Business Intelligence Market Study, Pyramid Analytics was ranked against 26 vendors based on Dresner’s trademark 33-criteria evaluation model that compares each vendor’s performance to their previous year’s performance and to the average for all vendors.

“Businesses use the Wisdom of Crowds Business Intelligence Market Study, now in its eighth year, as an objective source of industry research to understand how their peers leverage and invest in BI and related technologies,” said Howard Dresner, founder and chief research officer of Dresner Advisory Services. “We congratulate Pyramid Analytics once again for their strong performance in this year’s study.”

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Why are businesses still in the dark about their data?

By Paul Evans, Managing Director at Redstor.

Among the vast amount of challenges that modern IT teams have to deal with on a daily basis, the risks posed by unstructured data can be critical. As well as opening environments up to the threat of data breach, organisations could be missing out on valuable insights by not knowing what data they have and where it sits. Despite the use of expensive management applications, unstructured data is a minefield of an organisations most-critical information and most obsolete, invaluable data.

• Unstructured data refers to data that is not stored or contained in a database or a different type of data structure.

Data in the dark

A lack of understanding of the data within a business can stem from and be caused by many factors. As businesses grow and expand so does their data, and the policies in place to ensure control, and protect, may become outdated, unsuitable or improperly enforced.

Data becomes harder to track over time. In the modern business, data (files, folders) are in constant use and are continually being shared and collaborated on by third parties. This decentralisation of data starts to contribute to the lack of control systems administrators have when it comes to knowing what data they have and where it sits.

To avoid growing pains and keep up with growing demand and the need to achieve more with less, more quickly, IT teams need to implement solutions and technologies that will complement existing systems. It is more likely however, that solutions will be implemented as a “quick fix” or without long-term data management strategies being established. This can often result in systems becoming overly complex and cause administrative challenges.

The speed at which data is growing is a contributing factor in many of these challenges and the overriding risk is reduced security and a higher chance of data breach occurring. Under the Data Protection Act (DPA), data breaches can currently be penalised with a fine of up to £500,000; when the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect in May 2018 this figure could be up to €20 million or 4% of global revenues.

With algorithms and artificial intelligence quickly changing the way businesses see their data and extract value from it, having a lack of understanding into the data in your environment is costing businesses money. Algorithms may be costly and technically challenging but businesses of any size can gain insight from understanding customer data and buying patterns.

Nike recently benefitted from Instagram’s use of algorithms; using the Snapchat platform Nike had 66,000 views on digital content, with Instagram’s algorithm backed stories the same content reach 800,000 views in its first 24-hours. That’s over 10X more viewers. (source: http://bit.ly/2nTfntV)

How to improve visibility of data

For an organisation to gain more visibility of data, unstructured or structured alike, it is important to decide on policies and procedures that can be implemented and that will continue to work in the long-term. Centralising data, implementing policies and consolidating solutions can help to give an organisation insight but if the output of the new insight isn’t utilised or kept properly it can just as easily add to the problem, it’s more data at the end of the day.

Identify and Locate

The first step in improving the visibility of data on a network is to identify and locate what data there is. By identifying what data has the highest value first, you can prioritise how to protect it, after you have located it on your network that is.

Identifying risk

Identifying the different types of data on your network and locating them gives you an opportunity to start structuring unstructured data. Doing this should shed a light on some of the possible security risks and ways that data could be lost or accessed by an unauthorised person.

Monitor and control access

Once data has been identified, located and structured you can begin to implement processes to monitor and control users who have access to sensitive data. This may act as a deterrent to any disgruntled employees planning to steal data and will give an overview of who is accessing data and for what purpose.

Automate

The processes outlined are susceptible to human error but fortunately automation is on hand to help. By implementing data tools, you can efficiently audit the data on your network and quickly prioritise where you begin protecting and securing all of your data. Implementing policy-driven data management regimes will give your business valuable insight and reduce the threat of data breach.

Shining a light on data

Following these new processes will quickly give your organisation more insight into the data in your network and some of the value that can be extracted from it. It will be easier to take value from cleaner, more structured data and there will be efficiency gains from the processes put in place to save time. Combining these aspects will allow you to cut down on the amount of redundant data on primary storage, saving money while benefitting from increased revenues off the back of data insights.

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How to get Fixture offset value by using FIL?

Hello Programmer,

I met a problem of FIL that I need to get “Fixture offset” value by using FIL, I can’t find the number code of “Fixture offset” in the Gpost. Can you teach me how to compile FIL to get “fixture offset value?  thanks!!

Have a good day!!

Mark Rao

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Australia-based Empired – absolute front-runner on Dynamics 365 –joins the ever-growing Pipol Alliance

“We’re delighted to welcome market leader Empired to the Pipol Partner Alliance.” Pipol

All Pipol Partners, seek only leading, committed Dynamics partners who add superior value to Pipol international clients. The addition of Empired is a perfect fit, having demonstrated exceptional levels of capability, innovation, and core competent expertise in Microsoft’s platforms.

Empired is a market leader and front runner on Dynamics 365 in Australia and New Zealand. They specialize in the design, development, and integration of business knowledge, information technology and creativity. Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience, Empired excels at providing technology solutions, and delivering value through innovation, and above average growth.

They partner with government and corporate customers internationally to deliver complex solutions and critical services that transform clients’ businesses. Empired is dedicated to investing in, and addressing the customer segment for, international business.  Lucia Gamarra, General Manager, Dynamics Solutions at Empired says, “The Empired and Pipol Partnership simplifies business transformation for global Customers. Specifically designed to deliver a global strategy through local delivery leveraging the cloud with Microsoft Dynamics 365.”

In its early years, Empired was known for infrastructure consulting, architecture, project and managed services. More recently they have diversified their solution capabilities and expanded into applications development, consulting, and business and productivity solutions (through a combination of organic growth and key acquisitions). Empired has been recognised as a Deloitte Technology Fast 50 leader for the past 2 years and has received many other accolades from Microsoft and other organisations.

Collaboration with Empired
“We are confident that Empired brings demonstrated value to the Alliance,” says Morten Søger, Group Director Channel & Alliances at Pipol. “We know this first-hand, as Pipol is already collaborating with Empired on two of our international customers — Rentokil and Phoenix Mecano. We are very excited about now taking our partnership to a new proactive level.”

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Pipol welcomes WBI ‒ the Slovakian market leader for Microsoft Dynamics (ERP) ‒ to the Partner Alliance

Founded in Slovakia in 1996, WBI is the market leader in Slovakia for Microsoft Dynamics (ERP), developing and implementing unique solutions that are built on the broad portfolio of Microsoft products (NAV, AX, CRM, SharePoint, Office 365, and more). They consult and deliver implementation projects, and support operation of complex, interconnected solutions.

Morten Søger, Group Director Channel & Alliances at Pipol explains, “The Pipol Partner Alliance was seeking quality coverage in this geography, and WBI has a strong Dynamics resource pool and a localization package in place. Together, we look forward to collaborating on business opportunities with international clients. In fact, we are already working with WBI on a new lead, and are very pleased to welcome WBI into our Alliance.”

Headquartered in Bratislava, Slovakia, they have two additional offices in Slovakia and another in the Czech Republic where they have an increasing presence. They are the only company that provides localization of Microsoft Dynamics NAV into Slovak language and legislation, and they implement IT solutions and systems abroad. A Microsoft Gold Certified partner, that draws on more than 20 years of experience ‒with great results and satisfied clients.

“We consider Pipol as a strong and successful global partner, which can boost our wide local experiences and best practices in favour of international companies. We look forward to new interesting projects.” says Dita Sirotová, Sales and Marketing Director at WBI.

By: Sara-Clare Pherson

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