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The Role of CRM in Logistics Companies' IT Strategies, Part 3 December 19, 2011 The logistics industry is facing challenges in adopting a sustainable and profitable CRM strategy, and there is inertia when it comes to replacing or augmenting disparate CRM solutions adopted by different business units, like retail, as well as various channels, like phone, Web, email, etc.

The Future Enterprise, Part 6: Why Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong December 17, 2011 There's a new bit of conventional wisdom regarding the future of computing, and it's gathering momentum in some corners of the business world. Advocates of this particular piece of wisdom argue that the best way to reduce the cost and complexity of corporate computing for the data centers of the future is to adopt a single microprocessor design.

Social CRM and the Speed of Change December 15, 2011 Social media is often held up as the wind sock to gauge how fast the winds of change are blowing. When Google+ gained 25 million users in just six weeks, it was used as evidence that people had become willing to shift the channels and methods they used to communicate at the drop of a hat in our new, technologically accelerated age.

An InfoSec Holiday Survival Guide December 14, 2011 It's December again, and it's a challenging time for information security organizations. It's challenging because while attacks become more prevalent during the holiday season in the form of spam and targeted malware, organizational security "readiness" paradoxically wanes at exactly the same time.

Telework: The New SMB Imperative December 13, 2011 One of the most significant workplace changes of the past decade has been the steady increase in telework and flexible work arrangements. In the past, the ability to work remotely from time to time might have just shown up on a "corporate perks" sheet handed to new employees. Today, telework is no longer an employee perk but rather a business imperative.

The Evolution of Online Data Access: Keeping It Secure December 12, 2011 Access to data has never been easier than it is today. With a few easy steps, it's possible to uncover just about any type of information you can imagine, even data that is supposedly legally protected, such as personal, financial, healthcare and government records.

The Role of CRM in Logistics Companies' IT Strategies, Part 2 December 12, 2011 The mainframe application forms the core of the system where the bulk of the order processing takes place. The traditional mainframe UI in, say, SCOBOL (Screen COBOL) is being augmented/replaced through the front-ending applications built in VB, ASP, .Net, etc. The front-end screens fetch the customer account and order data from the mainframe database through custom connectors built in Java J2EE.

What as a Service Is Right for You as a Business? December 10, 2011 The quick answer: It depends. The type of cloud services you select might be dictated by your IT budget, the core competencies of your IT staff, and your IT strategy and tactics -- meaning which applications you keep in-house, versus which ones you selectively outsource. To begin, let's look at the three main "as a Service" layers that make up the cloud computing model: IaaS, PaaS and SaaS.

BYOD and IT: The Tail Wagging the Dog? December 09, 2011 There was perhaps no hotter topic in 2011 than the consumerization of IT, and for good reason. The rise of personal technology -- smartphones, tablets, storage devices and cloud services -- has forced the hand of IT departments across every industry sector, from SMB to enterprise.

Consistency and the Customer Experience: Wise or Foolish? December 08, 2011 Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote famously in his essay "Self-Reliance" that "a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." These days, many people drop the "foolish" out of the statement and thus completely pervert the saying's meaning, creating a justification to bash the idea of consistency.

Tablets in the Enterprise: Still a Blank Slate December 07, 2011 It's about time to change the stereotypical tablet user from casual and hipster to high-management. The post-PC world is now; tablets and other mobile devices are beginning to dominate the marketplace. An estimated 45 million tablets will be sold in 2011, three times the number sold in 2010, according to BMO. With that explosion in popularity, it is no surprise they are making their way into the enterprise environment.

The Role of CRM in Logistics Companies' IT Strategies, Part 1 December 05, 2011 The logistics industry faces several challenges with the tremendous growth observed in the last two decades. Global manufacturers in industries such as automotive, IT and consumer goods have outsourced supply chain activities such as distribution and warehousing to third parties. The industry has begun to offer additional value-added services around processing of products.

Cultivating E-Commerce Trust Across the Globe December 03, 2011 Online retailers considering selling their goods overseas need to know the expectations of consumers in the countries in which they want to do business. This is particularly important at the checkout -- with payment methods becoming an increasingly sensitive issue, consumer trust will help determine conversion rates. A consumer in Germany, for example, expects to see a retailer with a German address and prices posted in euros.

Stick-to-itiveness: 3 Steps to Continually Refine Your CRM December 01, 2011 Each dollar spent on CRM yields $5.60 in benefits, according to a recent report. Though the findings are interesting, the methodology is questionable. The 70 participating companies were customers of a firm that had been profiled in case studies -- they were not necessarily typical CRM users. Still, it's worth noting that the companies were embodying a trait of successful CRM users: "stick-to-itiveness."

Fear Factor: The ICANN Domain Revolt November 22, 2011 The flash mob dance by the world's most powerful groups of agencies against ICANN's new gTLD domain name program must not be taken lightly. After all, these global bodies represent the real manipulaters of emotions. They influence our taste, habits and behavior -- like type of cereal, length of skirts and width of ties. Commercials and reality shows teach us how to role play in cubicles or dance at weddings.

Daily Deals Will Die if They Keep Bleeding Merchants Dry November 19, 2011 The existing model for daily deals is broken. The biggest issue: It's simply not making merchants money. In just a few quick years, daily deals have shifted the concept of local marketing from traditional advertising to blanket discounts aimed at driving first-time customers en masse.

Open Source, Abundance and Open Innovation November 15, 2011 Open source and innovation are locked in a dynamic and symbiotic relationship. Open source, community-based development evolved to meet developer needs for access and openness. While early open source represented innovation in development processes -- and, of course, was enabled by the emergence of the Internet and Web search -- it did not always result in innovation in terms of breakthrough new technologies.

6 Keys for Going Global With Your E-Commerce Op November 15, 2011 For U.S.-based retailers, running a successful global e-commerce business takes the right balance of strong local marketing and effective operations. While it is essential that retailers cater to local customer experience expectations, it is also critically important to abide by local laws and regulations.

A Real-World Approach to Improving Security in the Cloud November 14, 2011 Everybody knows that the cloud -- in particular, the security of cloud deployments -- is a huge pain point industry-wide. And as is the case with any new endeavor with such broad-sweeping impact, there's no shortage of well-meaning advice about how to secure it. But I confess to finding much of that advice about cloud security somewhat frustrating.

The Essence of Cloud November 12, 2011 The industry roils with definitions and explanations of cloud. These definitions come from product vendors cloud-washing their products, cloud providers positioning their cloud infrastructure, IT teams attempting to cloud-paint their efforts in virtualization, and even from consultants writing articles like this.