Since early 1990s, many firms around the world have shifted their information technology (IT) strategy from developing information systems in-house to purchasing application software such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

As more and more enterprises move from functional to process-based IT infrastructure, ERP system becomes one of today’s most widely used IT solutions in many large enterprises. IT managers responsible for managing their organization’s ERP implementation view their ERP systems as their organizations’ most strategic computing platform. In spite of the widely used IT solutions, many ERP implementations are not successful. It takes longer time and costs more money than expected. Given the large investment that an ERP project requires and the potential benefits it can offer if successfully implemented, it is important to understand what is needed to ensure a successful ERP Implementation , during a whole process of ERP implementation, i.e.: pre implementation phase, implementation phase and post-implementation phase.

Serving as a company’s central nervous system, ERP systems orchestrate many functions, including order management, materials planning, warehouse management, payables, receivables, and general ledger. Because these systems touch so many aspects of a company’s internal and external operations their successful deployment and use are critical to organizational performance and survival. In reality, ERP implementation is costly and complex. In many cases, ERP is the largest single investment in any corporate-wide project. The software is expensive, and the consulting costs even more

Here is what works and what you need to do to reap the benefits of a fully integrated business.

A critical success factor is something that the organization must do well to succeed. In

terms of information system projects, a critical success factor is what a system must do

to accomplish what it was designed to do. Three factors consistently appear as critical success factors for information systems projects: top management support, client consultation (user involvement), and clear project objectives

The critical success factors can be categorized as strategic factors, tactical factors, and operational factors.

Strategic factors:

Top management support – In any ERP implementation a top-down decision, approach needs to be taken for ERP adoption .The commitment of top management should be emphasized throughout an organization. In particular, no more important factor than the support of the management is critical in the project’s life. The roles of top management in IT implementation include developing an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of IT, establishing reasonable goals for IT systems, exhibiting strong commitment to the successful introduction of IT, and communicating the corporate IT strategy to all employees Senior management must be involved, including the required people and appropriate time to finish and allocate valuable resources to the implementation effort.

Tactical factors:

Effective project management – in order to successfully accomplish the decision

to implement an ERP system, the effective project management comes into play

to plan, coordinate and control such an intricate project. In order for the ERP system to progress it is critical to clarify the ERP project’s and every participators’ scope and ensure

consideration of all the required work

Re-engineering business processes –To gain full benefit of ERP systems, it is imperative that business processes are aligned with the ERP systems, It is a proven fact that the ERP itself can not improve the firm’s performance unless the firm reengineers the business process per ERP systems. Modification of the software causes problems, such as code errors and difficulty upgrading to new versions. Each company needs customized software, but the organization must keep customization to a minimum, since any modification will lead to higher related cost . It is very important to consider the extent to which the company needs to re-engineer its current business processes in order to be compatible with the ERP software

Suitability of software and hardware – management must make a careful choice of an ERP package that best matches the legacy systems, e.g. the hardware platform, databases and operating systems.

Operational factors:

Education and training – when the ERP system is up and running it is very important that the users be capable to use it, hence they should be aware of the ERP logic and concepts and should be familiar with the system’s features. ERP systems involve big change for people, and the system will not do you any good if people do not understand how to use it effectively. Therefore, spending time on money on training, change management, job design, etc. is crucial to any ERP project.

User involvement – participating in the system development and implementation, the users go through a transition period that gives them time to better understand the project’s consequences.

By ensuring these critical success factors in place, your organization will be much more likely to maximize the business benefits of ERP.

Courtesy: Articlesbase

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In the recent turn of events, the Indian tech market has shocked the world through hopes of selling a tablet for $35 or less. Assuming the fact that India can get to have its contracts straightened out with manufacturers and suppliers, what can you expect from this practically disposable tablet device?

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India gets a new Rupee symbol!


The union cabinet Thursday approved the new symbol for the Indian rupee – an amalgam of the Devnagiri ‘Ra’ and the Roman capital ‘R’ without the stem. ( Watch )

The symbol, designed by an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) postgraduate D. Udaya Kumar, was selected from among five shortlisted symbols Read the rest of this entry »

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Developing Nations in Asia and Latin America trying to emulate India’s Success Story

The Indian software exports, as is well known, have grown from less than $100 million before 1990 to over $5 billion in 2000. What is not well known is that revenue per person per year has grown from less than $20,000 to over $50,000 in most large companies in the last five years. This is not simply due to ‘inflation’. Though the industry is still focused on tapping the huge software services market, most of the big players have moved from lower value services to higher value services.

In the early days, the service was primarily providing technical manpower, which later moved to providing low-value services like coding and testing. Now Indian companies are operating even at the top end of the spectrum in terms of technology (Corba, Java, E-commerce, etc.) or the services (complete business solutions, consultancy, strategy, etc.). The high rates they command is an indication of the perceived value in the eyes of the customer of the services they provide.

The amazing story of the Indian software industry has spread far and wide. Not only the developed countries but also other countries are equally impressed by the performance of the industry. From the presentations that representatives of various Asian and Latin American countries made in a recent workshop in China on ‘IT industry in developing countries’, it is evidently clear that many developing countries today want to emulate the Indian success story.
Within India, however, many people continue to view the industry’s success with a mixture of admiration and skepticism. There is a lingering fear or doubt in the minds of many about whether the industry is inherently strong or is it just tapping a window of opportunity which will soon be tapped by other Asian countries with large population and better infrastructure. Given the state of almost everything else in the country, such doubts are not unreasonable. However, India Software Inc has developed some solid strengths that will continue to serve it well, and which will not be easy to emulate by others.

We at iPOTT (www.ipott.com) initiated a SWOT, gathering information and opinion from the market.  The summed up information is very beneficial for the understanding of the INDIAN SOFTWARE MARKET.

read more:

“Strengths” that make India Software Inc

“ More Strengths” that make India Software Inc

“Weaknesses” of India Software Inc

“Opportunities” in the face of India Software Inc

“Threats” that make India Software Inc

The SWOT in a nutshell..


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Developing Nations in Asia and Latin America trying to emulate India’s Success Story

The Indian software exports, as is well known, have grown from less than $100 million before 1990 to over $5 billion in 2000. What is not well known is that revenue per person per year has grown from less than $20,000 to over $50,000 in most large companies in the last five years. This is not simply due to ‘inflation’. Though the industry is still focused on tapping the huge software services market, most of the big players have moved from lower value services to higher value services.

In the early days, the service was primarily providing technical manpower, which later moved to providing low-value services like coding and testing. Now Indian companies are operating even at the top end of the spectrum in terms of technology (Corba, Java, E-commerce, etc.) or the services (complete business solutions, consultancy, strategy, etc.). The high rates they command is an indication of the perceived value in the eyes of the customer of the services they provide.

The amazing story of the Indian software industry has spread far and wide. Not only the developed countries but also other countries are equally impressed by the performance of the industry. From the presentations that representatives of various Asian and Latin American countries made in a recent workshop in China on ‘IT industry in developing countries’, it is evidently clear that many developing countries today want to emulate the Indian success story.
Within India, however, many people continue to view the industry’s success with a mixture of admiration and skepticism. There is a lingering fear or doubt in the minds of many about whether the industry is inherently strong or is it just tapping a window of opportunity which will soon be tapped by other Asian countries with large population and better infrastructure. Given the state of almost everything else in the country, such doubts are not unreasonable. However, India Software Inc has developed some solid strengths that will continue to serve it well, and which will not be easy to emulate by others.

We at iPOTT (www.ipott.com) initiated a SWOT, gathering information and opinion from the market.  The summed up information is very beneficial for the understanding of the INDIAN SOFTWARE MARKET.

read more

“Strengths” that make India Software Inc

“ More Strengths” that make India Software Inc

“Weaknesses” of India Software Inc

“Opportunities” in the face of India Software Inc

“Threats” that make India Software Inc

The SWOT in a nutshell..

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India’s export-driven IT sector has sought an extension of a key tax benefit scheme to beyond its 2011 deadline in next week’s federal budget, which industry players say will help small and medium technology companies.

iPOTT-SaiaSThe software industry wants units in software technology parks or STPIs to be treated at par with special economic zones or SEZs, which are duty-free economic enclaves where units can claim tax breaks for longer than 10 years, besides other perks. “One of our demands is that STPI units get the same benefits as SEZ units keeping in mind the small and medium enterprises,” said Som Mittal, president of National Association of Software and Services Cos (NASSCOM), a software lobby. “Large companies are already in the 21-22 percent tax bracket so they will not be impacted by the extension of the STPI scheme. There will be no loss to the exchequer too as these big companies are paying these taxes,” Mittal said. Read the rest of this entry »

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Microsoft Windows 7 Release Candidate users will lose control over their computers. Their PCs will start shutting down every two hours, even if they haven’t saved their work. And, On June 1, the screens will go black. World’s largest software maker Microsoft’s business strategy for pushing hard to sell its new Windows 7 by exerting control over users’ PCs has opened a pandora’s box.

iPOTT-TrustIT-1

Release candidate were the trial versions that Microsoft released last year. Most proprietary software vendors do supply beta or trial versions for a limited period, which shut down after limited use. Microsoft Office software versions also lock a user’s files after a few trials, which means all data created during the trial period becomes unusable. But, in case of an operating system, which is the brain of a PC, the risks of losing control over a PC are much higher.  “The RC is a pre-final build that is distributed with a clearly stated intent and expiration date. Thus, testers already know at the time of downloading/installing that the RC is valid for a limited period. Even now, users have over 130 days to buy the final available for sale version of the product,” says Rajiv Popli, director–Windows Client, Consumer & Online Business , Microsoft India. “It’s a normal practice in software industry,” he adds.

Open source and non-profit IT bodies have started lobbying for open source software even harder for government systems. They fear that during times of a crisis, large corporations can control private networks. Legally, users cede the right to control over their PCs when they check into terms and conditions before installation. Many IT leaders cite this loss of control, as an unhealthy trade practice, especially for government systems. Read the rest of this entry »

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Chinese hackers ripped into Google’s systems big time last month, and the Internet search giant is now looking to the NSA for help.  Breaches in cybersecurity allowed the hackers to steal Google source code, as well as information contained in the Gmail accounts of prominent, Chinese Human Rights activists.  The following investigation revealed that over 30 technology, defense, energy, and financial coporations were targeted in the attack, which siphoned off intellectual property to an outside server.

ipott-softwareThe security systems were breached by a Trojan virus that exploited a vulnerability in Adobe Reader.  Innocuous-looking PDF attachments were sent in emails to key leaders in various companies, which installed the malicious software when opened.  Adobe patched the software on January 12th, and claims that no sensitive information was compromised.  However, Google spokesman Gabriel Stricker admitted the email accounts were accessed, and immediately notified their owners.  The attacks on Google were “highly sophisticated,” a term that Google executives do not use lightly, and in response they have ceased censorship of the Chinese language Google.cn and enlisted the aid of the NSA in preventing future attacks. Read the rest of this entry »

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India is more than an emerging economy. Mumbai and Bangalore, together, may be the world’s next alternative to Silicon Valley.

Not just a richer class, a smarter class
The data is striking. A survey by Tata Consultancy Services, which says that 71% of students in India’s urban areas already use PCs and 66% of those in Bangalore actively blog and use social media. These are the up-and-comers Bill Gates was referring to in a speech at the annual NASSCOM conference in New Delhi in July.

“At first, some of the IT boom was built on low-cost labor. And, of course, as time goes on, you don’t want to have that as the only differentiator and it’s not a sustainable thing, because others can come along with that as well,” Gates told the CEOs in attendance. Gates said instead that Indian officials hoping to see India become the Next Great Tech Market should emphasize research and development, and encourage students to pursue doctorate degrees. Read the rest of this entry »

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From the powerful office of India’s national security advisor to the mighty Google Inc, and other major corporations, nobody is immune to cyber attacks. While these attacks are highly sophi-sticated and coordinated operations, any computer connected to an external network is vulnerable to various security breaches. We identify the danger zones and looks at what and what not to do.

The PC

iPOTT-Software-SearchAlways store key information like phone numbers, credit card statements, Excel sheets, CV, and company data on a virtual machine (VM) within your PC. VMs, which run on separate OS, are available on the internet for free. A popular one being from VMWare.

Genuine OS and anti-virus are a must. Many free AV software are available on the internet, and still more from the open source community. Check out Slashdot.org and Freshmeat.com. If you run Windows and use other Microsoft software, it’s advisable to download the free MS Security Essentials and keep the updates switched on. Read the rest of this entry »

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