Posts Tagged ‘industry’
martedì, aprile 17th, 2012
From customer and employee information to product lists and supplier profiles, organizations depend on master data to carry out crucial tasks across many lines of business. The accuracy of this data, therefore, is paramount to a company’s efficiency, compliance, and its bottom line. But gaining a single view of master data is easier said than done.
Whenever a new system is integrated, after a merger for example, master data must be added, matched up, and consolidated into the existing system. Even within one company, some data, such as customer information, is often used by several lines of business. If there are even slight variations in the data – using Mike instead of Michael or Inc instead of Co – the system ends up with multiple, inconsistent versions of the same record, making business process efficiency and tasks like reporting and analytics impossible. On top of these challenges, new technology trends, including cloud computing, big data, and social media, present other obstacles.
Companies that deploy their business applications in the cloud face the same difficulties in cleansing and consolidating data as their on-premise peers, but they have the added complication of bridging their data to the on-premise world. The increase in big data and social media data, on the other hand, offers organizations the chance to create much richer customer profiles by linking up social media information with master data. However, if the business system contains duplicate customer records, companies won’t experience all the benefits of integrating that additional data.
The answer to these problems is master data management (MDM). Based on a set of policies for data creation, replication, aggregation, reconciliation, and consolidation, MDM technology enables businesses processes to adhere to rules, ensuring continuous data quality.. For many leading organizations, this discipline forms the foundation for information governance programs. SAP currently offers two ways for companies to manage their master data: the SAP Master Data Governance application and the SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management (SAP NetWeaver MDM) component.
Soon, companies will also have a third option for master data management. The planned innovation, project code name SAP Master Data Services, will support high velocity integration of master data for scenarios such as Customer Data Integration. SAP Master Data Services will be powered by SAP HANA, and will also embed SAP Data Services and Information Steward. The first release will focus on Customer Data Integration, allowing organizations to enrich their customer data across on-premise data as well as cloud-based data and social media data. It is planned for release in the second half of 2012.
On the following pages, we’ll give you an overview of the new offering and take a look at the innovations planned for SAP’s existing solutions for master data management.
Tags: application, approach, Business, cloud, Company, component, creation, customer, data, efficiency, Enterprise, example, governance, industry, Information, innovation, Integration, line, Management, master, MDM, merger, NetWeaver, portfolio, process, release, Software @en, supplier, System, Technology @en
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giovedì, marzo 15th, 2012
Recently, the World Economic Forum declared Big Data an economic asset, in the manner of currency or gold; less than a year ago, the McKinsey Global Institute published a report over one hundred pages long on Big Data; and in July, the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research will hold a workshop on the topic. Suffice it to say, Big Data is here to stay.
Whether you’re a large enterprise in the manufacturing industry or a non-profit organization in the public health sector, one thing is clear: Big Data is going to transform the way you work, if it hasn’t already. But why is that? And why now? In this article, we examine the factors contributing to the creation of massive amounts of data, the possibilities for productive use, and the challenges involved.
It’s all relative
There are as many definitions of Big Data as there are articles on the topic. This is because the parameters of Big Data are constantly changing. What we think of as a huge amount of data today, might seem entirely manageable in just a few years’ time as our technological ability to store data increases.
The McKinsey Global Institute report on Big Data, therefore, intentionally puts the definition in relative terms: Big Data refers to datasets whose size is beyond the ability of typical database software tools to capture, store, manage, and analyze. This definition is intentionally subjective and does not give a minimum number of terabytes because, as technology advances over time, the size of datasets that qualify as Big Data will also increase. McKinsey also notes that this definition can vary by sector, depending on what kind of software tools and datasets are common in a particular industry.
Tags: ability, amount, Business, capacity, Company, creation, definition, Economic, Global, Health, IDC, industry, Information, Institute, McKinsey, number, percent, rate, Report, research, sector, size, Software, storage, Technology @en, time, today, topic, transportation, world, year
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giovedì, novembre 10th, 2011
Sikka discussed SAP HANA in the larger context of SAP and enterprise software. (Photo: Christiane Stagge)
If SAP co-CEO, Jim Snabe, usually delivers his keynote address on the “state-of-SAP”, then SAP Executive Board Member, Vishal Sikka can always be counted on to update the audience on the newest innovations around SAP HANA.
This year, though, Sikka steered clear of a purely technological discussion of HANA. Instead, he put SAP HANA in the context of SAP’s overall technology roadmap and described the role that HANA will play in the future of the enterprise software industry.
Perhaps the decision to talk about SAP HANA in more relative terms was inspired by global current events like the Occupy Wall Street movement in the U.S. and the debt crisis in Greece which Sikka referenced in his keynote. In today’s world, it is impossible to ignore the reality that everything – from the world’s economies to a company’s various software applications and platforms – is inextricably interconnected. HANA does not exist in a vacuum, and in fact, it is only truly useful and powerful when applied to other SAP products.
On that note, on the following pages, we’ll tell you about HANA in the larger context of SAP’s technology strategy:
Tags: address, application, attachment, BPM, Business, CEO, choice, co, Company, context, database, ecosystem, EHP, end, Enterprise, fact, future, industry, Integration, keynote, NetWeaver, openness, photo, platform, process, roadmap, Software, Solutions, Suite, Technology, time, Warehouse, world, year
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mercoledì, novembre 2nd, 2011
Bühler, an automotive components manufacturer, has plants worldwide. (photo: Fotolia)
The midsized family-run automotive components manufacturer Bühler Motoren GmbH is realizing its global aspirations by moving into new territory. Supporting its efforts is SAP industry solution it.automotive supplier, with processes running exclusively on SAP.
Gerhard Denk does not like making decisions from the confines of his desk. Whatever country the CIO of Bühler Motoren GmbH happens to be working in, he takes time to step out onto the factory floor and talk to employees. “If you know where the crux of a problem lies, then you can sort it out in good time,” says the experienced manager. “And it is not just about IT. Most of all, it’s about leadership. You need to motivate and get employees on board with this kind of project – taking the time to listen really pays off.”
Presumably, it is precisely this successful combination of expertise, humanity and persuasiveness that allows Denk to easily inspire people. It is thanks to his and his team’s success that the SAP solution was rolled out uniformly at Bühler worldwide. And as a result, each of the 1,600 employees at Bühler’s global sites can now follow the same process in the same software.
Bühler manufactures parts for Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, and VW. (Photo: Bühler GmbH)
Tags: aim, Analysis, basis, Bühler, Business, CIO, control, country, Everyone, GmbH, Implementation, Industries, industry, Management, manufacturer, model, Motoren, part, process, product, Production, project, solution, structure, supplier, System, team, territory, time, underway
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martedì, ottobre 25th, 2011
REACH conference: leading companies in chemical industry meet with SAP (photo: Andreas Endemann)
Although many people have not even heard of REACH, the European Community Regulation that places complex requirements on companies in the chemical industry and their IT, it directly or indirectly affects large portions of the economy. This European Community regulation is meant to protect consumers and the environment by governing the handling of all chemical substances in circulation in the European Union. It also stipulates extensive documentation duties that manufacturers – the chemical industry, in other words – have to fulfill.
Every year, at SAP’s invitation, AkzoNobel, BASF, Unilever, and other leading chemical companies meet to discuss the current issues and requirements (or, if you ask some, the trials and tribulations) related to Regulation (EG) No. 1907/2006, which began to fundamentally change chemical legislation in June of 2007.
The challenge of REACH
The acronym REACH stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals. According to the regulation, only chemicals that have been registered in advance may be put into circulation within the European Union. This registration requires manufacturers and importers to list and define all chemical substances in terms of their composition, quantity, application, and toxicity to humans and the environment. Compiling and preparing this data, as well as ensuring its conformity with the regulation, is a mammoth task.
“We want to help you balance your risks and opportunities,” said Jürgen Schwab, former executive chairman of TechniData AG and now, following the acquisition by SAP, senior vice president at SAP. With the application SAP Environment, Health, and Safety Management (SAP EHS Management), companies can guarantee compliance along the entire value chain, minimize operational risks, and increase their efficiency. “Our customers can benefit tremendously from the application – especially in how well it dovetails with SAP ERP and SAP’s industry solutions,” added Dieter Hässlein, vice president and chief product owner for SAP EHS Management. “This enables companies to easily consolidate all of the information scattered across their various areas into a manageable compendium.”
Lisbeth Svensson from AkzoNobel (photo: Andreas Endemann)
Tags: acquisition, AkzoNobel, application, attachment, chain, chemical, circulation, Community, Compliance, conference, Content, documentation, economy, EHS, environment, European, Everyone, factor, Handling, Industries, industry, Management, photo, president, reach, registration, regulation, Regulatory, safety, sustainability, TechniData, Union, vice
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lunedì, ottobre 3rd, 2011
Diego Dzodan discusses the booming market in Mexico (Foto: Fotolia)
Q: It’s now been 7 months since you’ve taken over as managing director of SAP Mexico and Central America. What have been the important milestones so far?
Diego Dzodan:
The first milestones were setting up and executing the 100-day action plan, which allowed us to build our core processes. There were four major priorities in the plan: making the short-term numbers; solving critical customer issues; building a governance system; and finally, building a three-year strategic plan. The management team did a very good job in fulfilling the expectations of this plan. As a result, we started building a midterm plan, called the 1.3.3., which has the goal of turning our subsidiary into one of the top ten subsidiaries worldwide, by tripling our software business in three years. On a regional level, the plan is called 1.5.5., meaning that we also want to become a leading subsidiary, multiplying our software business by five in five years – which is a little more aggressive.
The other framework for evaluating our milestones consists of short-term results. During the first quarter of 2011, we grew very nicely in the software business by 63%, and in Q2 we grew 76%. Each of those milestones shows very strong results.
Q: What’s the situation in your local markets today? What are “hot topics” in the industry there right now?
The situation in general in our markets is very positive. In Mexico the economy is very healthy right now. We are having growth rates of around 4- 4.5% of the GDP, so that is a fairly optimistic scenario for our industry in general. In Central America the situation is very similar or even more positive, with economies like Panama growing 8% over the last seven years and Costa Rica growing a little less than that but on a sustained basis. We are living in a very healthy economic environment.
The other thing that is very positive in the region is a strong drive for innovation. We see a lot of customers looking for projects that lead to greater competitive advantage, more productivity, and higher margins. We also see the willingness to invest, innovate, and take some calculated risks. So, when you compare good economics with a good investment attitude towards our solutions or innovation in general, it turns out to be a very positive scenario for SAP.
Q: What challenges do customers in the region face? How does that affect SAP?
We all know that Mexico and most of Central America went through a difficult time. Now customers are leaving the crisis behind, and have a big lineup of projects that were not funded during the crisis and now need to be prioritized and executed. So, that is the first challenge for many of our customers.
The second challenge is driving productivity. Now that they have confirmed that the positive economic environment can justify many projects, these companies face a huge list of pending projects and they do not necessarily have all the time or resources to implement them.
The third challenge is the clear bottleneck in the SAP ecosystem given the strong growth rates we are experiencing. This means there might not be enough consultants and implementation specialists now that the market is growing so fast. It takes time to react to that increasing demand with capacity.
Tags: area, attachment, Business, BusinessObjects, challenge, crisis, customer, day, Director, environment, Experts, growth, half, industry, innovation, Intelligence, lot, market, Plan, portfolio, productivity, region, role, scenario, Situation, SME, Software, subsidiary, System, time, year
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venerdì, agosto 5th, 2011
SAP Business Communications Management: the software for dialog marketing (image: Fotolia)
Uniorg carries out implementation of SAP Business Communications Management
Alivello has become the first company in the field of dialog marketing to begin using SAP Business Communications Management. This IP-based communication software replaces telecommunications equipment running in parallel with a standardized platform that manages every channel of contact. SAP Business Communications Management also integrates with applications such as SAP ERP and SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM) without the need for middleware, thus making phone conversations another component of business processes. The SAP partner Uniorg handled Alivello’s implementation project in just four weeks.
SAPERION survey finds e-archiving on the rise
A survey SAPERION conducted among the attendees of its recent user conference found that 50% already use electronic archiving systems, with another 15% planning to implement a similar form of document management. The survey also indicated that companies are not making the most of their options in this area – particularly with regard to digital personnel files – and that insecurity still exists in complying with provisions of data protection. According to SAPERION product manager Dr. Martin Bartonitz, electronic archiving systems give users detailed access control, especially over said digital files.
OpenText ECM + Microsoft SharePoint = savings and productivity
In the face of ever-increasing legal requirements, the energy industry, insurance companies, and banks have to invest constantly in gaining and keeping their customers’ trust. Now, two IDC studies have shown that companies that combine OpenText Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions with Microsoft SharePoint can meet their obligations while achieving a high ROI. They also determined that one of the keys in doing so is choosing a company-wide platform for process-oriented content management.
This reduces IT costs by an average of 8% every year, while users benefit from an increase in productivity of up to 68%. The studies also found that the corresponding investments can pay for themselves in just eight months (10 months in the field of finance). Both reports are available under the heading “Resources” at OpenText and Microsoft’s joint Web site, www.better-together-central.com. Those interested can also calculate their prospective ROI using the site’s “Benefits Analyst” tool.
Next page: SAP Business ByDesign, client consolidation, mobile stocktaking
Tags: Alivello, app, Business, ByDesign, Communications, Content, customer, dialog, ECM, Experts, field, Implementation, Industries, industry, Lufthansa, Management, marketing, Markets, Microsoft, need, OpenText, platform, productivity, relationship, SAPERION, SharePoint, site, Software, solution, Solutions, survey, Uniorg
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giovedì, agosto 4th, 2011
Fiat, Nestle, Dell: These companies discovered the pros and cons of Web 2.0 (image: Fotolia)
It’s July of 2007 in Turin, Italy. With an automotive industry crisis in the offing, the Fiat group presents a reinterpretation of a historic compact car: the new Fiat 500. In spite of the state of the global economy at the time, this smart little retro number defies the odds and hits the market with the force of a hundred Sophia Lorens.
The originally planned annual production run of 120,000 units sells out in a matter of weeks, and feverish demand for the vehicle pushes the corresponding waiting period to as many as eight months. Fast-forward to early 2008: Virtually every market has begun to founder, yet Fiat announces its plan to increase its annual production of the Fiat 500 to 190,000 units. What did the group do right? It can’t have been the price; the downtown two-door isn’t exactly a steal.
Brainstorming with the masses
“The group recognized the importance of getting potential customers involved very early on in the Fiat 500’s development,” explains Alexander Körner, CEO of the German marketing consultancy lemon5. “This had never been done before in car manufacturing. Up to that point, companies had always tried to cast a veil of secrecy over their prototypes.” Fiat, meanwhile, set up special Web sites and tapped online forums, blogs, and other sources for new ideas. For its communication and marketing purposes, the manufacturer was also quick to secure the domain fiat500.com. There, visitors have the chance to help shape the appearance and appointments of upcoming production models.
Coinnovation, crowd-sourcing, and user-generated content are the topics currently keeping marketing managers up at night. They wonder, for example, how they might leverage the wisdom of the masses in developing and advertising products. They also worry about getting caught napping on the next trend – or not knowing what people are saying about their companies and offerings, as well as where and when.
“In the age of Web 2.0 and social media, those in marketing and customer care are casting aside many lessons learned over the past 50 years,” observes Körner. “The way they communicate is changing.” Companies used to scatter their messages over a wide swathe of the market, thus launching their brands entirely in their own image.
Today, social media have given consumers much more influence in this process. “Social media have put an end to one-way communication. Now, everyone can share ideas with anyone,” explains Yasan Budak, cofounder and authorized signatory of Vico Research & Consulting.
Fiat involved customers from the very beginning with collaborative websites (image: Fotolia)
Tags: advertising, Budak, Business, car, communication, Company, Content, crisis, crowdsourcing, Dell, economy, Fiat, force, founder, group, Industries, industry, July, market, marketing, McKinsey, Nestlé, number, offing, online, Production, reinterpretation, retro, Social Media, spite, state, time, use, way, Web, Web 2.0
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mercoledì, agosto 3rd, 2011
A new design tool, a uniform user interface, and impressive BI tools: SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 has it all. It even supports mobile devices and SAP HANA. Read here to find out what’s inside SAP’s BI suite.
Read the full article
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SAP Business All-in-One packs a big ERP punch along with out-of-the-box usability, making it an attractive solution for midsize businesses. Here, we give you a preview of upcoming enhancements in analytics, mobility, and industry coverage.
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Tablet PCs and smartphones are poised to oust desktop computers and notebooks. 3D displays will become part of our lives, as will mobile social media. Software will make way for apps, while other trends for 2011 include augmented reality and cloud computing.
Read the full article
Read on: Number 2 and 1
Tags: All-in, article, Business, BusinessObjects, cloud, coverage, design, Desktop, industry, interface, iPad, Mobility, number, part, preview, punch, reality, roadmap, Software, solution, Solutions, Suite, tablet, tool, Trends, uniform, usability, user, way
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giovedì, luglio 21st, 2011
SAP’s road map for finance: Mobile apps, SAP HANA, e-invoicing, and more (image: Fotolia)
The global financial crisis left an indelible impact on the finance industry. Volatility, pressure on margins, increased regulation, and awareness of risk are new challenges for the industry, while globalization and adoption of new technologies have been increasing complexity within the financial sector for some time.
SAP offers a road map to help businesses address these challenges. The road map for finance focuses on three areas: ensure regulatory compliance and effective risk management, outperform stakeholders’ financial expectations, and deliver superior service at reduced cost. SAP.info tells you about the SAP solutions that will help your business achieve those goals.
SAP HANA shows you the money
SAP plans to release two innovations this year that will put in-memory analytics to use in the finance industry, according to a session held at SAPPHIRE NOW session in Orlando by Martin Naraschewski, Strategic Marketing Director of SAP.
One of these releases will enable the SAP Controlling Profitability Analysis module (COPA) to run on top of SAP In-Memory Appliance software (SAP HANA). COPA allows companies to analyze business information from different platforms like sales and distribution, materials management, production, and others, providing comprehensive insights that you can’t get with basic financial reporting. This release will enable companies to run analyses with much more data and at much faster speeds.
The second release involves a new solution that will extend SAP Cash and Liquidity Management within SAP ERP. The solution will use SAP HANA to improve cash forecasting, tying into more data and enabling drill downs.
Tags: asfaweraweryasfasf, attachment, Business, BusinessObjects, BusinessObjects EPM, BusinessObjects EPM 10.0, cash, Cash-management, Center, Compliance, COPA, Crossgate, Disclosure Management, e-Invoicing, EPM, finance, Finance industry, Heather McIlvaine, in-memory technology, Industries, industry, Information, Integration, Management, Map, mobile, money, Notes Management, planning, release, risk, Risk management, road, SAP E-Invoicing for Compliance, SAP HANA, Service, session, Software, solution, Solutions, Suite, text, time, Travel Expense Management, user, Version, year
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