Integrating enterprise resource planning (ERP) into the inventory and supply chain has many advantages. One of the greatest is that ERP can help an organization extend its budget by allowing cost reductions in existing processes. Here are six ways that ERP in the inventory and supply can help companies get more value from their investments. 1. Improved Forecasting Accuracy When integrated well, ERP provides organizations with increased visibility across the supply chain. Customer demand, inventory, procurement, and production are more visible, and the information gleaned from seeing these processes clearly allows for…

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Microsoft’s support for Windows XP ends yesterday, April 8, 2014. However, Gartner estimates that one-third of enterprises currently have more than 10 percent of their systems remaining on XP. In today’s blog post, Neil MacDonald, vice president and Gartner Fellow, says the issue is not whether the continued use of XP entails risk. It does. The issue is whether the continued use of XP represents manageable and tolerable risk to the enterprise. Mr. MacDonald said: Any system, supported or not, carries risk. For the majority of use cases, XP can…

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IT managers need clear, effective common-sense advice and practical guidance for IT service management (ITSM) and IT service delivery. While there is good advice and knowledge in the many best practice frameworks, the key messages can get lost in the sheer quantity of information, guides and certification programs. The special value of ITSM Goodness (part of web site of Barclay Rae) resides in simplifying and summarizing this knowledge and providing practical guidance. Barclay Rae delivers simple, fast & inexpensive consulting services to help customers achieve success with ITSM & service…

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The European Court of Justice rules that citizens’ telecommunications data can be retained only in cases of severe necessity, overturning EU guidelines. The issue has proven highly controversial in Germany. The European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday (08.04.2014) that current EU guidelines on the mass retention of citizens’ telecommunications data are not in accordance with the basic rights to which Europeans are entitled. The judges described the directives, which stem from the European Commission, as a “particularly serious” infringement of the “respect for private life and to the protection of…

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