ERP Blog

Discovering The Most Suitable Information Security Management Solutions For Your Business Needs

Trying to keep secure and vulnerable info safe is one of the key obligations of businesses today and, so as to accomplish this, many will use some kind of information security management software. The principal aim of these types of applications is to safeguard sensitive data, such as bank details, from being compromised and nearly all types of information security management used today are highly state-of-the-art.

Evaluating risks is now such an crucial role when it comes to the everyday running of a business, especially because destructive software has become so much more advanced in the last few years alone. Therefore, the use of information security management software is, naturally, on the increase and those who take advantage of these types of applications are inevitably much more respected by their consumer base and can create a status on the back of guaranteeing the safety of vulnerable data – something all clientele / customers will look for from the businesses they choose to do business with.

Information Security Management – A Must For Any Business

It is obvious that client confidentially is something which any firm must make an effort to accomplish and in an progressively technological age, it is information security management products which most will unsurprisingly choose. This kind of technology has the type of protective characteristics in position which will help secure corporations against malicious attacks aimed to acquiring vulnerable files – an incident which is much more typical in this internet centric age.

Creating a good practice when it comes to safeguarding privileged or sensitive info is always a good concept and this will usually be reached via the setup of information security management software across a company’s IT infrastructure. The functions of this type of application guarantee that info is as guarded as it can be from the type of attacks which now often occur on a day-to-day basis with the objective of corrupting data or maliciously acquiring vulnerable data or information.

With numerous techniques in which info can be compromised, corrupted or abused, it really is critical that a firm puts the requisite boundaries in place to help avoid this from turning into a concern. Consequently, it stands to reason that all large businesses will look for the expertise of specialist providers of information security management programmes because they will be able to carefully customise the software to the company’s specific specifications and be on hand to supply guidance and assistance in relation to how to get the most out of information security management programmes and keeping company data safe and secure.

Cloud 2.0 is Here

Cloud 2.0 is Here

Watching a recent Salesforce.com partner presentation, we got to see firsthand where the technology world is going specifically to Cloud 2.0. The age of Cloud 2.0 is here. We are moving from fixed environments to web-based, real-time environments. No longer are computers chained to the desktop, now the mobile worker is free to go anywhere.

More importantly, they are updated in real-time on the status of their coworkers, their projects, their subordinates, their customers, all through the new technology of Chatter, within Salesforce.com. If you haven’t heard of Chatter, think of it as Twitter for the corporation.

Social media such as Twitter and Facebook are creating a generation of people who expect real-time updates on their friends and co-workers. Being aware of what people are working on and how they are solving problems through collaborative technologies are more examples of Cloud 2.0. Facebook has become a giant part of the web. In fact, in the younger generation, Facebook is the web. In general, if not monitored, you are likely to find more people on Facebook than on their business systems at any time. So why not bring the power of Facebook to business systems? That is what Salesforce is attempting to do with Chatter.

With the release of the iPad, there is now a tablet based mobile technology that can bring the web vividly to anyone, anywhere. At first, we thought it was purely and entertainment platform, but the more we understand it, the more we see that Apple is now moving to both a mobile and web based computing platform. It could probably be the next generation of Macintoshes for the cloud generation. People are now able to create, produce, and develop from anywhere there is a cell phone signal (or wifi).

Comparing Cloud 2.0 to Legacy Computing

Here is Salesforce’s view of Cloud 2.0. This says a lot!

Cloud 1.0 Cloud 2.0
Amazon.com Facebook
Tabs Feeds
Pull Push
Click Touch
Desktop Smartphone/Tablet
Fixed Mobile
Location Unknown Location aware
Windows/Mac Cocoa/HTML5

No longer are we talking about managing a business from within the four walls of the company. Businesses can now operate virtually. Further, sales will love this new technology as they can prep for their meetings in the parking lot with real-time pushed data, they will be able to connect to their customers and build relationships and then report back immediately via their iPad to their CRM, and they will have real-time insight into everything about that client by way of the mobile web.

As you can see the combination of social media, interactive CRM and ERP, and mobile touch computing such as the iPhone or iPad are changing the landscape of computing and IT. It is an exciting time to be in technology!

Cloud 2.0

Salesforce & VMware Set to Launch VMForce

In an interesting turn of events, Salesforce.com and VMware are set to launch VMForce. Any ideas what this will entail? They will be announcing the details on April 27. If you know something, please comment.

Here is the story:

Salesforce.com and VMware are forging a high-profile partnership, according to a Web site announcing an April 27 event being held by the companies.

The site, VMForce.com, includes few details about exactly what is planned, saying that Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff and VMware CEO Paul Maritz will “make an exciting joint announcement on the future of cloud computing.”

“VMForce is coming,” a headline reads. “See it here live on April 27.”

Read the rest of the salesforce.com story here.

Are IT managers worried about cloud computing?

There is a new survey out that shows that IT Managers are not sold on the benefits of cloud computing. The primary reason is that these IT Managers view cloud computing as risky. The article portrays these IT leaders as being risk adverse and so they are careful not to expose their company’s data to all the potentials of being on the Internet.

Is it possible though, that they are avoiding the loss of control and the potential of losing their jobs, once executives realize that they can pay a lower monthly cost for a secure outsourced cloud computing solution? Many IT Managers like to be in control. They have the keys to the kingdom and are the gatekeepers to the most valuable asset in a corporation, the data. Giving up this control would require a tremendous change to their thinking.

Further, many may believe that they are best suited to protect this data asset. The ironic thing is that, in the article linked above, it points out that “Beyond the topic of cloud computing, the survey also found that employees often engage in behavior that puts their company at risk. Half of IT professionals said workers don’t adequately protect confidential documents and 32 percent said workers use software and online services that were not authorized.” This just goes to prove that these IT Managers see themselves as the best ones for guarding the kingdom.

Alternatively, major SAAS players such as Salesforce.com implement carrier-level security such as Access control (including biometric scanning for access) and Physical Security, Environmental Controls, Power Management (including redundant generators), Network security (such as redundant networks) and Fire detection and Suppression. Additionally, all transactions are encrypted. These are strongly protected data stores. Only larger corporations maintain these levels of security. Further, many SAAS providers have dedicated security teams that maintain the highest level of security. Can a mid-sized company IT Manager say the same?

As such, it is probably more likely that privately these managers realize this and are actually fearing the loss of their job as more and more of their infrastructure is moved to the cloud. Just as moving from mainframes to PCs, it will be interesting to watch the transition from internal PC networks to cloud computing.

We are interested in knowing what you think on this topic. Please post your comments.

ERP Project Management Books

We are posting the link to various top selling ERP Project Management books. These will be updated occasionally for your review to see the latest information on key project management methods.


We hope you find this useful. It is always useful to refresh yourself on Project Management techniques.

ERP Implementation Strategies – Survey Results

Recently, Huston Neal, a fellow ERP blogger, performed a survey to find out what ERP implementation strategies are most popular and successful. The results are very interesting. He wanted to know which of the strategies people used and which ones were successful. The strategies he focused on were:

  • Big bang – Implementation happens in a single instance. All users move to the new system on a given date.
  • Phased rollout – Changeover occurs in phases over an extended period of time. Users move onto new system in a series of steps.
  • Parallel adoption – Both the legacy and new ERP system run at the same time. Users learn the new system while working on the old.

Many companies take a Big Bang approach or “let’s turn off the old and start with the new on a target day” method. Others take a more cautious approach and go with a few modules such as the financial modules while linking them back to the legacy system. This usually takes more work to integrate and it usually costs more in terms of consulting and internal team hours. The Parallel adoption is often very difficult as the two systems usually take a different approach to gathering and summarizing the data. It requires double data entry as well, so the employees feel a lot more pressure. This is seen less-and-less nowadays.

We would have thought that Big Bang would be the more frequently used approach and yet the results show that it is almost even with a Phased Approach. Fortunately only a few companies went with Parallel processing. This is often the most painful approach.

The results of the survey are here. It is a fair representation of how people approach implementing a company-wide software. It would be interesting to see how people implement add on systems to ERP such as a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM).

Project Management Planning vs. Task Management

Project Management for ERP cannot be understated. It is the essential tool for ensuring a successful launch of a new Enterprise Software system. Understanding the Scope, the Time Frame, the Budget, the People/Resources available, and the goals are all important. Many people use a tool such as MS Project to plan the various stages and tasks to complete.

There is a fundamental difference between planning a project and tracking it. On a project team there are various assignments and tasks that need to be accomplished. MS Project is often cumbersome to track detailed tasks. Especially those that come up in steering committee meetings and even on phone calls.

Being able to track them requires a useful tool to manage all the tasks. This is different than Microsoft Project. MS Project is a great planning tool. But to manage the various sub-projects and tasks, we have started using Nozbe. Check it out. We have put up a link on the sidebar of our site to assist you. Another good resource for various project software is http://www.gtdsoftware.net.