SharePoint is the attention-grabbing diva of today’s enterprise software stage. IT leaders should understand who is implementing SharePoint and why, to determine if it is a good fit for their organization.

Content management system (CMS) implementation success rates are less than 50%, but will improve as the technology matures and as enterprises adapt to using the technology. CMS, a rapidly developing technology, will become as commonplace as ERP, CRM, and other enterprise process driven applications. There will still be those implementations that succeed and those that do not, but the balance will...

Large enterprises are no longer the only ones that can afford a commercial Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution. Market trends indicate that small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) now have access to CRM products that are more suitable to their needs and budgets.

The ECM market is in a transition period. New license revenue is stalling and a wave of consolidation has drastically reduced the number of independent vendors. The root of this problem lies in the elusiveness of clients with less that $50 million in annual revenue. ECM vendors must innovate to accommodate for a general lack of IT sophistication in this market segment.

E-mail archiving is rapidly increasing in popularity, particularly among businesses in highly litigated industries. E-mail archiving can also improve the operational efficiencies of typical e-mail infrastructures.

The popularity of portal technology is at an all-time high. The technology is appealing to enterprises of all sizes. To properly establish project expectations, IT managers must be aware of typical project characteristics and constraints.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is experiencing resurgence in popularity. This boom is driven by the replacement of outdated technology. IT managers exploring ERP must understand the new face of ERP in terms of implementation drivers, project scope, and implementation concerns.

North America finds itself facing a talent shortage. Many technology and telecommunication companies fail to make appropriate investments in retaining and attracting top talent despite the advantages of today’s knowledge economy. Without significant investments in the right talent management solutions, these enterprises will find themselves struggling in the competition for global talent.

Exploding enterprise data is driving interest in Business Intelligence (BI) software. IT managers planning BI projects must consider project drivers, costs, timelines, and implementation concerns.

Compliance remains a key concern for many IT managers. Frameworks like ITIL and COBIT are very popular, but the NIST 800 guidelines and ISO 17799/27002 may be more beneficial. Regardless of the approach, IT leadership is sacrificed when violations occur.

BPM is not an exercise in vendor or software selection. Tools and software only support and/or implement the BPM paradigm. Focus instead on what processes and level of processes the enterprise should tackle. Avoid BPM altogether if the enterprise perspective, process documentation, and change management components are missing.

Web-based customer service is a critical component of customer service strategy that both private and public sector organizations and their customers rely on every day. A variety of Web-based customer service technologies are available that provide value in different ways, in different service situations. Apply the attributes of different Web-based customer service technologies together to derive...

Web Content Management (WCM) is an important technology that is infested with a plague of vendor-created buzzwords. Break through vendor marketing hype. Recognize the different WCM components to effectively compare different products and negotiate with vendors.

To derive value from both first and second generation collaboration technologies, organizations must look beyond simply applying Internet collaboration technologies from outside the firewall to inside the firewall. Organizations must also consider the derivative impact that collaboration technologies and trends have on the enterprise, especially Web 2.0 technologies and trends.

Teamware is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, buoyed by many “Web 2.0” trends. As a result, companies can expect traditional teamware vendors to add more Web 2.0 features. However, companies should proceed cautiously with large deployments of new teamware market entrants.

Different enterprise problems may be solved by different levels of forms automation. Forms automation can enable simplistic department routing or mission-critical enterprise processes. Use this tool to determine the appropriate level of forms automation needed to satisfy project requirements.

Business forms are the windows through which process participants provide and receive information concerning process execution. Understanding the basics of forms automation technology architecture and the constituent technology components will help IT professionals understand when formal systems are appropriate and how to leverage forms automation tools in solution design and process automation...

E-mail archiving is a valuable tool to respond to litigation. But it also drives tactical benefits through improved storage utilization and an increased ability to restore lost or accidentally deleted messages. These benefits must not be underestimated.

Portals are gaining popularity with enterprises. But the ever-growing product feature lists obscure the very basic functionality of portals and frustrate technology buyers. Portals are not complicated. Don't confuse native portal functionality with the applications that run within it. A portal is not a product; it's a platform.

Sustained by many Web 2.0 trends, teamware is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Employ this downloadable tool to determine if teamware is appropriate for your organization.

Web-based customer service is a critical component of customer service strategy that both private and public sector organizations and their customers rely on every day. Use this tool to understand the strengths and weaknesses of available web-based customer service technologies.

Web Content Management (WCM) is an effective technology for maintaining large and growing Web sites. WCM products involve a variety of different features and are offered by a myriad of vendors of all size. Project success ultimately depends more on internal constraints rather than technology features. Ignoring project basics like the business case and requirements is a quick road to failure.

Large and small enterprises require more than basic payroll and benefits administration from Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS). Automated HR management applications provide cost savings, increase operational efficiencies, and manage human capital. The HR management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model is being increasingly accepted in the mid-market while employee self-service...

A business-oriented wiki can be a powerful collaboration and content solution for the enterprise. Use this tool to find out if your organization can benefit from an enterprise wiki and to determine the most suitable usage areas for your situation.

Enterprises generate a great deal of useless data in the name of Business Intelligence (BI). Business and IT decision makers need to establish the strategic intent behind BI before even considering tool adoption.

Nearly every enterprise needs some form of Business Intelligence (BI), but not every enterprise needs dedicated tools. Use this assessment to help identify the most suitable BI tools for your situation.

Customer interactions have become less transactional and more experiential, in part due to the growing acceptance by consumers of new content and collaboration technologies, loosely coupled as "Web 2.0." Organizations need to assess integration of Web 2.0 technologies into their Customer Interaction Management (CIM) strategies.

Help desk software offerings range from simple ticketing tools to comprehensive IT service management suites. Follow Info-Tech’s appropriateness guidelines to ensure the solution is a good fit for the enterprise.

Payroll management has a significant impact on business success. The challenges of new compliance and tax regulations, automated banking, and an increasingly global workforce demand more sophisticated payroll services than ever before. IT leaders must understand payroll basics to help HR professionals plan strategically to meet business goals while keeping costs in check.

Time-tracking leads to significant cost savings through better allocation of human capital in organizations where people are the primary resource. Strike a balance between high usability and strong analytics to shape long-term management decisions that are more intelligent and better informed.

A critical component of any master data management (MDM) project is finding the appropriate architecture to support the solution. Making the right choice requires an understanding of the standard architectures and their associated benefits and drawbacks. Find an MDM architecture that will address business needs and fit the existing IT environment.

Managing multiple enterprise data sources is painful, especially when they contain conflicting or incomplete information. Steps must be taken to reconcile the data sources and establish a master data set for reporting and analytics. To gain control over enterprise data, implement a master data management (MDM) strategy to create a single authoritative source.

Many companies consider the term enterprise search to be a standalone technology application. However, enterprise search should be a strategy that implements and optimizes search services to enhance the execution of business processes. Single-product enterprise search initiatives that try to index all enterprise content and enable searching through a single query interface by all users are...

A number of competitive help desk solutions are offered as on-premise software as well as on a hosted (Software-as-a-Service) basis. Use this total cost of ownership comparison tool to determine which of the two options is more cost-effective.

With the increase in demand for data for strategic decision making, companies are forced to collect information about customers, customer behaviors, and markets for use in decision making. Storing and managing this data in an easily accessible location is critical. IT leaders must build an Information Architecture Roadmap (IAR) to ensure that data is optimally stored and leveraged across the...

Data volumes are growing exponentially as more companies capture information about customers, customer behaviors, and markets for use in decision making. Managing this data can be a challenge. IT leaders must build an Information Architecture Roadmap (IAR) to ensure that data is optimally stored and leveraged across the organization at the lowest cost possible.

Web Content Management (WCM) presents a blizzard of acronyms and functionality. This worksheet helps IT managers to determine the WCM components that are essential to their enterprise. It also provides guidance on the vendors that are most capable of meeting their WCM needs.

IT leaders considering an ERP implementation should use Info-Tech's “ERP Readiness Assessment” tool to determine whether or not the enterprise is sufficiently prepared for ERP.

A solution specification is a crucial part of the ERP evaluation and selection process. IT leaders and project managers should complete Info-Tech's "ERP Solution Specification Template" after soliciting requirements and before creating an RFP and demo scripts.

Many enterprise decision makers are hesitant to even consider a BI initiative because of the anticipated cost. Here are four ways to implement BI technology without breaking the bank.

The process of selecting an enterprise software solution is complicated. Requirements are messy and RFP preparation is complicated and political. The effective use of a solution specification eases the process.

Open source Business Intelligence (BI) suites offer increasingly robust functionality – so much so that they are beginning to threaten their commercial counterparts. Use this total cost of ownership comparison tool to establish the open source cost as a base case and determine the cost difference between the two licensing options.

Are HR departments realizing the full potential of their Applicant Tracking System (ATS)? Probably not. Reduce costs and optimize the recruiting process by increasingly integrating the ATS into the HR strategy. Use of the software must evolve from just a tool that parses resumes into a talent management tool that collects, stores, and utilizes data throughout the employee lifecycle.

User experience engineering (UXE) for customer-facing Web sites can turn site visitors into customers and that keep on buying through the Web channel. Calculate the return on an investment in UXE using this ROI calculator.

Significant improvements in issue resolution and user satisfaction are realized when the help desk does the driving. Everyone wins by enabling the help desk to connect to a user desktop for issue resolution, problem definition, or a quick user tutorial. Use the right remote control solution to assure success and savings.

The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software market is growing once again, especially those solutions focused on increasing demand in the mid-market. The high-end of the market underwent consolidation (i.e. Siebel, PeopleSoft, and Oracle) and many other vendors have been acquired by mid-market software firms (e.g. Epiphany, SalesLogix, Pivotal). New market trends, such as Software as a...

The help desk is an integral part of the IT department. When properly staffed, trained, and managed, a strong help desk can drive up productivity throughout the enterprise. Help desk software is a key resource for a successful service desk in an IT department well aligned with the business units’ needs.

Web Content Management (WCM) solutions are regaining popularity and the market is changing due to the evolution of specialist vendors and the entrance of stalwarts like EMC, Oracle, and Microsoft. Products will be increasingly differentiated by unique features and functions, and by the vendor-supported availability of professional services for implementation and support.

The corporate world is at war. Thanks to the Internet, companies have access to hundreds of new candidates. But candidates also have access to thousands of new job postings. Use this recruitment software vendor landscape as a survival guide: choose the recruitment partner that can best help your organization weather the war for talent.

Payroll solutions are as diverse as the demands they serve. This vendor landscape will aid in understanding the different payroll models, from compliance to management of a global workforce. Use it to navigate through the complex offerings available in the payroll software industry.

Technology replacement is driving new interest in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) products. Vendors have responded by improving functionality and creating architectures that effectively reduce total cost of ownership. Enterprises must still exercise the right level of due diligence to find the product that is right for them.

Help desk software continues to evolve with additional functionality, ITIL process support, more complex business process automation capabilities, and in some cases, integrated system management tools. These mid-market solutions offer solid value and functionality for any IT department without breaking the bank, while also being simple and easy to use.

Help desk software continues to evolve with diverse solutions, such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings and task-tailored Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. Learn how these creative help desk solutions can meet enterprise needs in IT and beyond.

The help desk software landscape continues to evolve. A large group of inexpensive solutions are challenging commercial package functionality and support. Enterprises should consider these alternate license-style applications to save money without giving up support.

Infor Epiphany CRM remains a viable option for mid-market Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions. Epiphany CRM provides a broad range of functionality across sales, service, and marketing and is especially strong in CRM analytics. While the product’s long term viability was secured when it was acquired by Infor Systems, product development has since been lagging behind that of competing...

Pivotal CRM, a division of CDC Software, is an integrated CRM suite that includes sales, service and marketing automation as well as customer analytics. The product line includes vertical market solutions, especially in financial services. Its breadth of functionality, longevity in the CRM marketplace and large customer base make it a viable solution for mid-market CRM.

RightNow Technologies has steadfastly stayed committed to its strategy to evolve from a best-of-class vendor of electronic customer service and customer knowledge management tools to become a full spectrum mid-market CRM software vendor. The company’s current portfolio includes a broad array of tools across sales, service, and marketing domains that mid-market companies will find to be a viable...

Sage SalesLogix maintains its leadership position in sales process automation. A new analytical dashboard adds welcomed improvements in tracking and monitoring of sales pipleline and process performance. Planned integration with the Sage MAS line of ERP products will eventually make Sage SalesLogix the top Customer Relationship Management (CRM) choice for existing MAS 500 customers.

Salesforce.com has become a major vendor in the mid CRM market and is the reputable pioneer of the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model. Initially focused on sales force automation, the company now offers customer service tools and basic marketing functionality. Partner additions to the platform and acquisitions are moving the company towards a broader business applications capability that...

SAP Business One CRM is part of an all-in-one enterprise applications suite targeted at the mid-market. While not considered best in class, SAP Business One CRM’s sales and service tools are a compelling CRM option for companies that already use SAP Business One for ERP. Non-SAP customers should consider other vendors for mid-market CRM.

The Info-Tech Research Group recently completed a comparison of six competitive help desk software solutions. One of the offerings that achieves Competitor Zone placement is Altiris Helpdesk Solution. This evaluation examines the product’s strengths and weaknesses, and provides key points of consideration for the enterprise’s help desk software decision.

The Info-Tech Research Group recently completed a comparison of six competitive help desk software solutions. One of the offerings that achieves Leader Zone placement is BMC Service Desk Express. This evaluation examines the product’s strengths and weaknesses, providing key points of consideration for the enterprise’s help desk software decision.

The Info-Tech Research Group recently completed a comparison of six competitive help desk software solutions. One of the offerings that achieves Leader Zone placement is FrontRange HEAT. This evaluation examines the product’s strengths and weaknesses, and provides key points of consideration for the enterprise’s help desk software decision.

The Info-Tech Research Group recently completed a comparison of six competitive help desk software solutions. One of the offerings that achieves Competitor Zone placement is Numara’s FootPrints. This evaluation examines the product’s strengths and weaknesses, and provides key points of consideration for the enterprise’s help desk software decision.

The EMC/Documentum Web Content Management (WCM) offering lags competitive offerings in functionality. It is appropriate only for enterprises that currently have other Documentum applications and that currently maintain an instance of the Documentum content repository.

FatWire is a Web Content Management (WCM) leader. FatWire's Content Server provides strong analytics capabilities for delivering dynamic content to targeted and profiled site visitors.

Interwoven is a Web Content Management (WCM) challenger. Its product functionality lags that of smaller and nimbler vendors. Interwoven's strong network of integrators and consultants make it an attractive option for many enterprises.

The Web Content Management (WCM) capabilities of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 are a welcome replacement to Microsoft Content Management Server 2002. Microsoft presents a strong product vision and attractive price point. The capabilities of the product are still unproven given its youth.

RedDot is a robust Web Content Management (WCM) platform that is particularly successful in supporting the requirements of authors. RedDot will continue to benefit from the document and process rigor introduced by Hummingbird and Open Text but will suffer from Open Text's own uncertain future.

Stellent Web Content Manager (WCM) is a viable option for existing Stellent customers that want to extend their applications to the Web. Recent product releases have greatly modernized the WCM offering. These advances are offset by uncertainty surrounding Stellent's acquisition by Oracle.

Tridion R5 is a robust Web Content Management (WCM) solution that is particularly appropriate for multi-site WCM implementations. Tridion presents the best combination of functionality and vendor ability for today's WCM market.

As one of the oldest specialists in the field, Vignette offers a mature and full-featured Web Content Management (WCM) platform. Vignette’s growth opportunities among large companies are limited as its innovation lead is eroded. Small and mid-sized companies will balk at Vignette’s prices.

Oracle E-Business Suite provides strong functionality to large and multinational enterprises. It also offers a compelling vision for enterprises committed to Oracle infrastructure.

Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne offers robust functionality to manufacturers and distributors. It benefits from recent improvement to its reporting and compliance features.

PeopleSoft is a mature ERP platform that is attractive to human-resource intensive enterprises, particularly higher education. Its improved integration with Oracle technology will improve its high cost of implementation and operation.

SAP ERP is the market leading ERP platform in terms of both install base and functionality. Unfortunately, this Cadillac product only comes at a Cadillac price.

Deltek Vision is a specialized management tool for project-driven enterprises. It gains from a modern architecture but suffers from a functional footprint that never strays beyond projects.

Epicor Vantage is a robust ERP offering for mid-sized manufacturers. Its strengths in manufacturing are offset by weaknesses in human resource management; however, Epicor's greatest threat comes from its current financial position.

IFS Applications is an attractive product for enterprises in asset-intensive industries. The complications of its operating stack can drive high implementation and operation costs.

Infor has drastically increased the viability of ERP LN. The product retains the core Baan strengths and has an improved development roadmap. However, ERP LN still faces challenges with ease of use.

Infor ERP LX remains an appropriate choice for process-based manufacturers, particularly for the enterprise committed to IBM's System i platform. To compete, Infor must overcome the existing fragmentation in the ERP LX support channel.

Lawson S3 offers public sector and services-based enterprises a robust ERP platform. It is particularly attractive to enterprises that have already committed to IBM's infrastructure stack.

Microsoft Dynamics GP offers good financial management features for small enterprises. However, its perception as a replacement technology rather than as a technological enabler of business change ultimately frustrates many projects.

Dynamics AX is the flagship of Microsoft's ERP aspirations. The technology holds promise but will benefit from increased focus on industry-specific functionality and improved roll-out methodologies.

Sage MAS 500 offers considerable value for enterprises with less than $100-million in revenue. It is particularly attractive to manufacturers that rely on Microsoft technology. However, its two-tier architecture ultimately limits its scalability.

SAP Business One is a very strong ERP offering for the small and mid-sized enterprise market. Its breadth of functionality and ease of setup are attractive to many enterprises. It does, however, sacrifice functional depth for breadth, and scalability for ease of maintenance.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV offers good functional capabilities but is experiencing challenges in the market due to its cost to operate and its transitional architecture. The impending release of Dynamics NAV 2009 promises to address these issues.

Microsoft Dynamics SL fills an important role in the Microsoft family. It offers solutions specifically for project-driven enterprises and gains from its integration with Microsoft Project and SharePoint. It suffers from stiff competition in this sector and from conflict with other Dynamics products.

Use this introductory research note to gain knowledge about Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) vendors Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP. Learn about each vendor’s history, their current enterprise offerings, recent developments, and where they are heading next.

Use this introductory research note to gain knowledge about industry Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) vendors IFS, Infor, Lawson, and Sage. Learn about their history, current offerings, recent developments, and where they are heading next.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is experiencing a resurgence in enterprises of all sizes, following market consolidation over the last five years. New market trends, such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and application development trends (e. g. Web 2.0, community-based development), are reshaping CRM software delivery models, functional choices, and complicating buyers’ choices.

Acquiring a commercial CRM package is a difficult proposition, especially for companies that don’t have extensive experience in dealing with enterprise applications vendors. This tool addresses the essential aspects of CRM vendor selection and will help IT managers create a CRM vendor selection strategy that will enable them to get past the vendor hype and choose the best solution for their...

When considering vendors for a large internal portal implementation, the evaluation process can be long and arduous. This editable template includes all the critical areas to consider when selecting a portal solution – it will allow you to spend less time preparing the document and more time evaluating the options.

The selection process for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is an involved one. A crucial step in the process is the scripted demo. IT managers can use this editable template to create a scripted demo that is appropriate for their enterprise.

One of the most important steps in selecting an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution is the RFP. Use this editable template to craft an RFP that matches the needs of the enterprise.

The selection process for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is very involved. It requires constant communication with different vendors. Info-Tech’s standard letters provide a starting point for soliciting vendor RFPs and setting up a scripted demo.

Determining a list of potential ERP vendors is a daunting task. Many IT managers may be aware of one or two appropriate vendors but are tasked with creating a much longer list. Use Info-Tech’s ERP Vendor Shortlist Topology to find similar solutions and grow the candidate list.

Creating an RFP for help desk software can be time consuming. An RFP provides vendors with relevant operational, performance, application and architectural requirements of the system. This editable template includes all the critical aspects to consider when selecting help desk software. Use it to save significant time in the RFP creation process.

Organizations that have vigilantly shortlisted a long list of application vendors into a few serious contenders should plan the demonstration day with the same level of care. Build a well-defined demo agenda, pick a cross-section of important stakeholders to participate, and develop a sound scoring strategy. Turn a vendor demo day into a valuable selection aid for choosing the best software...

Microsoft’s SharePoint is gaining a lot of attention from both the media and prospects. But it’s not the only option. There is a lot of choice within the portal marketplace. Align final product selection with the overall development strategy of the enterprise. This consideration will become increasingly important as portals continue to evolve from products to platforms.

Selecting a software package to manage IT’s help desk support involves much more than simply picking one that looks good. A well-chosen help desk management application can accelerate resolution efforts, streamline the escalation path, and help identify process improvement opportunities.

Selecting the best HR software requires IT leaders to effectively manage, optimize, and expedite the vendor/product purchasing and procurement process. Cut through the vendor hype by focusing on key features and functions to choose the best HR solution for your enterprise.

IT decision makers often struggle to establish an appropriate shortlist of Web Content Management (WCM) vendors. This worksheet enables users to profile their enterprise WCM needs and generate a rank-ordered vendor shortlist.

A help desk knowledgebase tool can improve both quality of service and efficiency of IT service operations. This editable template includes all the key areas to consider when selecting a solution – it will allow you to spend less time preparing the document and more time evaluating the options.

The Philippine contact center industry has grown rapidly and is now a close second to India in terms of market share. Provided that the customer service quality can be maintained and the costs of managing the outsourcing relationship do not overwhelm the savings from offshoring, contact center outsourcing to the Philippines is a good investment.

Outsourcing contact center services offers the promise of significantly lower costs, fewer management headaches, and rapid scalability. But the decision to outsource by itself is no guarantee of success. To be successful, the outsourcing relationship must be well managed, and the first and most important step is to select the right vendor. Follow the advice in this note to select a vendor that...

Help desk incident management, and more importantly, IT service management, is a critical component of any well run IT department. When making a decision about help desk software, look to emerging trends in help desk software, the potential solutions for various sized business needs, and key criteria for shortlisting vendors.

Many enterprises are overwhelmed by the prospect of implementing an ERP solution. Info-Tech’s project plan outlines the 20 steps of a typical implementation. Use the plan as a starting point for aligning internal resources and, if needed, getting outside assistance.

The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model is impacting the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) project lifecycle. Understanding the impact that SaaS has on CRM is necessary to achieve successful on-demand CRM implementations.

Avoid common portal pitfalls. Consider the common issues related to technology, cost, and ROI before embarking on a portal project.

Using wikis for workplace collaboration is an enticing idea. Putting that idea into practice is an entirely different matter. Analyze these five case studies to learn from enterprises that have successfully implemented wiki solutions.

IT leaders soliciting functional requirements from business unit managers should use the “ERP Business Requirements Template for Business Unit Managers” to thoroughly document these needs.

Improving agent-facing software usability is a key factor in the contact center productivity picture and provides significant financial payback. Take a lesson from the usability engineering process Apple uses to develop its products, including the phenomenally successful iPod. One financial institution did and found it significantly reduced call handle time and agent stress.

IT leaders soliciting functional requirements from Subject Matter Experts should use this Task Work Log template to obtain and thoroughly document these needs.

There are several ways an organization can benefit from using both external (public) and internal (private) social networks. Analyze these four case studies to learn from organizations that are successfully leveraging social networks for business benefits.

There are several ways an organization can benefit from using Web conferencing services to collaborate in real-time with both internal and external users. Learn from four case studies on organizations that are successfully leveraging Web conferencing for customer interaction, training, collaboration and marketing.

A BI implementation does not have to be a death sentence for the IT budget. Learn from these four organizations that have made the most of their modest investments.

Integrating social media with e-mail marketing can extend campaign reach and improve click-through rates. For maximum success, publish e-mail campaigns to the company's own social media properties and enable recipients to share e-mails through social media channels to which they subscribe.

SharePoint is a platform that addresses a wide range of business needs: Collaboration, Portal, Enterprise Search, Content Management, Business Forms, and Business Intelligence. This report will guide enterprises in making the SharePoint decision, identify benefit opportunities, avoid common challenges, and complete a successful deployment.

Enterprises have addressed information glut and compliance concerns by instituting document management and archiving solutions. They now face a growing threat from many discrete and unintegrated repositories. The reality of managing these data silos negates many of the promised benefits of archiving and document management. After-market indexing and search products address repository sprawl and...

A records retention schedule is a crucial input to document management and Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) initiatives. Developing a schedule requires contributions from various stakeholders and a dedicated project plan.

A well-chosen help desk management tool is only the first step toward improving IT service quality. Elevate your help desk to the next level with a complementary knowledgebase solution.

Sufficient levels of ERP security are lacking in many ERP implementations, which can cause severe financial losses due to fraud and non-compliance. Mitigate these risks through effective security processes.

The retention schedule template provides a first step for enterprises in the early stages of records management or Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) projects.

Bulk e-mail presents a challenge to many enterprises. Sending tens of thousands or even millions of e-mails to clients and prospects can frustrate many IT initiatives. Some enterprises opt for “roll your own” or open-source options. As the demands of the system exceed 10,000 messages per month commercial and outsourced options become more attractive.

Vendor consolidation is a strong trend in the enterprise applications market. Use Info-Tech’s framework to effectively respond to the opportunities and threats created when one of your application vendors is acquired by another company.

Windows SharePoint Services requires proper care and feeding to thrive as a collaboration platform. Target these five key areas to strengthen your SharePoint implementation.

IT managers that are unhappy with the often excessive money they are paying for software Maintenance and Support (M&S) can replace their apps vendor with a third-party provider. When third-party M&S is the right fit for the enterprise, it can lead to savings of 50% or more.

Virtualizing the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) environment drives cost savings through server consolidation and improved development efficiencies. Increasing the ease and speed with which environments are recovered is a key enabler. Pursue virtualization for the development stack, but keep the production environment on physical hardware for at least another year.

Shave up to 10% off of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects without layoffs. Focus on discretionary spend, project costs, and ongoing support costs.

This note provides techniques for cost reduction within the end-user support services area. These techniques are categorized according to time frame and are accompanied by potential pitfalls. IT should determine time frames, and in accordance to them, narrow down the cost-cutting techniques available. When implementing these techniques, IT should keep potential pitfalls in mind and adopt the...

Effective help desk management can potentially save IT a significant amount of time and money. The key is to develop a cost-conscious strategy that leverages help desk efforts against the never-ending crush of tickets. Use this tactical guidance to reach short, medium, and long-term cost-reduction targets, and save on the bottom line.

In order to save time and money, IT professionals should look to effective help desk management. Develop a tactical strategy to leverage help desk efforts against the never-ending crush of tickets. Learn how to save on the bottom line by viewing the series of webcasts and reach short, medium, and long-term cost reduction targets.

In order to save time and money, IT professionals should look to effective help desk management. Develop a tactical strategy to leverage help desk efforts against the never-ending crush of tickets. Learn how to save on the bottom line by viewing this webcast and reach short, medium, and long-term cost reduction targets.

In order to save time and money, IT professionals should look to effective help desk management. Develop a tactical strategy to leverage help desk efforts against the never-ending crush of tickets. Learn how to save on the bottom line by viewing this series of webcasts and reach short, medium, and long-term cost reduction targets.

In order to save time and money, IT professionals should look to effective help desk management. Develop a tactical strategy to leverage help desk efforts against the never-ending crush of tickets. Learn how to save on the bottom line by viewing this series of webcasts and reach short, medium, and long-term cost reduction targets.

Development costs are one of the primary culprits for the high cost of maintaining an ERP system. Control these costs by using virtualization as a key enabling technology.

With Business Intelligence (BI) fast becoming a significant part of how companies do business, the need for BI Competency Centers (BICCs) is increasing. Senior leaders must understand when a BICC is required and the strategies for implementation to avoid expensive organizational mistakes.

A key consideration for business-user training is documentation. Use the minimum manual approach for optimal training results.

Business user training is a key concern for many IT managers. Use Info-Tech’s criteria to evaluate programs and trainers and to ensure that training programs are effective.

Recent Info-Tech research finds that business process modeling efforts led by end users and business managers produce more successful enterprise application projects. Learn how IT departments with user-driven modeling build effective business process teams, and about the best practices they use to accelerate the success of these teams.

In today’s competitive market, Enterprise Information Management (EIM) teams must be swift and flexible to keep up with the demands of the business. Staff must overcome their fear of failure and plunge into unknown territory. Managers must make the transition from management to leadership to drive innovation and effectively contribute to overall business growth.

In the race for competitive advantage, many companies are using their available information assets to fuel their business strategy. Losing Enterprise Information Management (EIM) staff can hinder growth through loss of key business systems knowledge. EIM IT leaders must invest in talent development and employee satisfaction to reduce attrition costs and maximize employee retention.

The success of enterprise application projects depends on successful uptake by business users. The importance of training is often overlooked by IT managers. Understand the fundamentals of business-user training and follow a formal process for crafting the training plan.

Info-Tech finds that IT departments run into the same classic issues in getting the business on board when planning enterprise application projects. Understand the best practices for working through objections from end users and business managers, and make education and engagement continuous priorities.

Planning and implementing an enterprise application is a very complex undertaking, and many IT shops look to internal or external consultants for assistance. However, recent Info-Tech research finds that IT departments which carefully govern consultant involvement to maintain high business user participation end up with more successful enterprise application projects.

The influence of online social networking is presently pervading businesses in North America. While these powerful networking tools have many benefits to offer, ensure their authorized use is contained within the bounds of an employee's official role and corporate capacity.

(Sample) End users display a diverse range of IT skills. Use this assessment tool to identify end-user skill levels and determine if they have the knowledge to act as resident experts.

Reduce training and IT support costs and improve desktop productivity by developing a Resident Expert Support (REXS) system within business units. Resident Experts (REs) are power users that employ their advanced knowledge of desktop systems to help train and support fellow employees on desktop applications, thus reducing the burden on IT.