Enterprise software, as the name suggests, refers to software used in organizations as opposed to software used by individuals. According to Martin Fowler, the great British author and international speaker on software development, “Enterprise applications are about the display, manipulation, and storage of large amounts of often complex data and the support or automation of business processes with that data.” Enterprise software solutions encompass tools such as  automated billing systems, customer relationship management, human resource management, online shopping and online payment processing, interactive product catalogue, security, enterprise content management, IT service management,  enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, project management, collaboration,  manufacturing, enterprise application integration, enterprise forms automation and so on.

The advent of new technologies in the enterprise software world has changed the way enterprises conduct businesses today. The introduction of cloud and mobility technologies into enterprise software has significantly increased productivity for businesses; from mobile apps that give a company’s employees access to real-time data, to cloud-based platforms that enable enterprises to quickly access new products without building the underlying infrastructure or deploying costly in-house solutions. Data processing systems have also increased in speed and complexity, from data warehouses that quickly pull information, to business intelligence solutions that interpret this data, to decision support systems that leverage the data to help organizations make competitive decisions.

Despite these advancements in the enterprise software world, most survey results point to the widespread dissatisfaction among IT professionals and business managers with the performance of enterprise software. Compared to consumer software, business managers and IT professionals consider enterprise software to be outmoded, less innovative, rigid, unreliable and hugely expensive. According to them, the enterprise software solutions lack the ability to support changes in the business such as new regulations, new reporting structures and mergers and acquisitions.

Hence, there is the need of companies adept in providing product R & D services to understand the enterprise needs and create solutions that accelerate the future of business. Enterprises, therefore, must collaborate with best of the breed companies that have helped in creating amazing products that make businesses run better. This includes SaaS-based CRM and ERP apps that provide remote access to infinitely scalable information, to social enterprise programs that enable a company’s employees to collaborate securely with each other. Here is a look at the expertise of a best of the breed product development company.

·         IT management & security

·         Business process management (BPM)

·         Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

·         Supply chain management (SCM)

·         Decision support systems (DSS)

·         Customer relationship management (CRM)

·         Collaboration software

·         Productivity software

Thus, by collaborating with solution providers having experience with cross-industry technologies can help enterprises in accelerating their future.


Related Links: content engineering , product engineering services





 
Marketing plays a vital role in lead generation as the marketers are responsible for creating awareness for a product or service and bringing a lead to the site. They are responsible for nurturing leads and when the leads are sales ready pass them on to the sales team for conversions. However, according to Forrester Research, nearly half of all B2B marketers close less than 4% of all marketing generated leads.This is definitely shocking and the reason for this is that marketers and brand managers spend time, resources and budget to reach out to their target audience via traditional media. Here is a look at some of the traditional marketing funnels for tracking leads. A marketing funnel refers to the different methods employed by the marketers to attract new prospects and convert them into customers.

Traditional Funnel
A basic and focused funnel, it shows the transformation of leads into customers. The concept of the traditional marketing funnel via television, radio and print is to market to the masses, hoping to attract the attention of some but eventually it attracts only a few customers. However, the cost for generating these few leads and even fewer actual customers is very high.

Prospective Behavior Funnel
It focuses on the behavior of prospects in different stages of the buying cycle and determines how to create demand for a product during these various stages. The number of people making a purchase decision is insignificantly small here.

Purchase Cycle Funnel
It provides a method of understanding and tracking the behavior of an average customer throughout the sales process. This funnel can help companies plan their strategies in advance, improve conversion rates into sales and evolve the sales process to design CRM, for retaining customers.

Website Sales Funnel
This funnel measures the activities performed by the visitor on the site even before they become a lead. Source of the visitors, their level of engagement with the content on the site, their reaction to different calls to action on the site and their interaction with the company – via form fill or request form before the sale is made, are all qualifiers which decide if a lead is worthy of entering the sales funnel.

Though traditionally marketing and sales are considered as two separate departments, both share a common objective. However, the lack of alignment between the two departments has prevented enterprises from realizing their objectives. Hence, to tide over this problem, enterprises need to deploy marketing automation software that helps the marketing as well as the sales teams about the lead movement from one stage to the other.

Thus, the need of the hour is marketing automation software that provides the ability to distinguish hot leads from cold or less engaged leads, guide prospective leads and help them make a purchase decision through effective lead nurturing tactics.


Read more on - Lead Generation, Marketing Automation

 
Cloud computing is ushering a new era of computing globally, with powerful technologies being used to deliver convenient technology solutions cost-effectively and hassle-free over the cloud.

Moving to the cloud has its own set of challenges, as it involves moving the data that you have been protecting for last three decades in a self owned environment to an internet based environment.   Although data in the cloud is more secure than on-premise solutions, security and associated risks  is an  important criterion. In order to maximize cloud's advantages, businesses must build secure cloud applications and services. It is important to understand the implication of security breaches and organizations need to change the data protection solutions policies.

·         Be prepared for a data  breach
Moving to the cloud brings its own sets of risks such as data leaks, threats from APT and insiders and regulations. Organizations need to plan, as there are significant changes in their information lifecycle, business continuity; apart from that they need to address legal and regulatory issues. Planning has to be a major part of cloud security   

·         Incorporate security in your cloud model
A completely logical and well structured model based on an understanding of your needs and policies is the key to a robust security system. Such a cloud model needs to take into account essentials like data value, compliance, attitude to risk, and potential exposure points, etc. It is also important to identify the business priorities for moving into the cloud, as an understanding of the business context will help you weigh security concerns more accurately.

·         Reinforce your security at the hardware level
Security need not only be a software matter but can be included at the most basic hardware level to reinforce defenses. Edge devices that are more exposed to compromise, and attacks are those devices that are increasingly being mounted on at the deepest levels, below those of the application or operating system.  Providing security in hardware at the processor level allows you to start your security chain with a root of trust.

·         Protect Data with Encryption
Encryption ensures data protection for data that is at rest, in process and in flight because, even if it gets lost, it remains unusable without the right keys. You should consider encrypting data in flight over networks, using protocols. Despite the concerns of some IT managers about the computational burden of encryption, the advances in today's hardware can reduce these complexities.

·         Authenticate identities before going into the cloud
Authentication ensures that people and machines can be trusted. The process of verification of individuals and devices is critical to any security process. When moving to the cloud, you are implementing a new set of entities, which makes it imperative to ensure that the starting point is secure. This requires a trusted root of security that can measure the compliance of platform components.

Cloud security is not a process that can be completed in single step. It requires constant innovation; building new methods to overcome traditional security issues with every feature enabling the easy and secure usage. Partner with a service provider that uses new technologies to ensure a secure cloud application.

Also read on - risk management frameworks, identity access management

 
Today financial software services have become an integral aspect of any business functioning on small, medium or large scale companies. Regardless of the business size, such software solutions are able to extend the much needed solutions for the employers that allow them to carry forward their business seamlessly. One of the best aspects of installing a financial software solution from the point of view of owner is that they are able to spend their valuable time on other essential things than doing the cumbersome job of managing accounts and finances.

Owing to the several benefits that enterprises attain by installing these solutions they are getting well known amidst business owners. Apart from assisting enterprises to cater to complex finance and accounting tasks within few minutes, financial software services also help the proprietor to have their work simplified and focused. Advanced financial and accounting software solution also offer a comprehensive set of solutions such as cash flow and VAT returns, management of budgets, consumers and suppliers, control and stock management, sales and order processing and foreign trading apart from managing the regular accounting tasks.

If you company has been struggling to manage these concerns more effectively, then it is essential to resort advanced financial software solutions. Today the market is filled with enterprise software solutions service providers specializing in financial software services at a reasonable price range. Whether it is about designing a mobile banking application, setting up an online fraud detection platform or re-designing a load processing system from the cloud, expert service providers executes the most stringent security standards and makes sure that all the products comply with the latest compliance regulations. The services offered include:

Banking

·         Loan origination and processing systems

·         Anti-fraud and anti-money laundering software

·         Risk management and regulatory compliance

·         Integration with credit bureaus

·         ATM / POS / kiosk integration

·         Online and mobile banking platforms

·         Client portals for self-service apps

Financial services

·         Trading, settlement and order management platforms

·         Analytics and business intelligence tools

·         Pricing and confirmation engines

·         FIX/FPML exchange solutions

·         Online trading and technical analysis platforms

Insurance

·         Rating and underwriting software

·         Fraud prevention solutions

·         Claim management systems

Financial software service providers with their in-depth knowledge of corporate, retail, and investment banking, works on all stages of the product lifecycle to build front office solutions that enhance the consumer experience, middle office solutions that manage high volumes of complex data, and back office solutions that optimize business processes.


Related links: product engineering, product r&d services

 
A recent survey conducted by Economist Intelligence Unit throws light on the lack of pace among firms in revamping and strengthening risk management. Here is a look at some of its findings.

  • “Financial institutions are increasing their exposure to risk.
  • Managing complexity is becoming one of the biggest challenges for firms.
  • The risk management function is finding it hard to increase its authority.
  • There is plenty of room for improvement in the relationship between the risk function and other parts of the business.
  • Progress on revamping and strengthening risk management has slowed.”


Risks are the part of any business enterprise. Hence, in today’s competitive business environment, enterprises cannot afford to be lax when it comes to ensuring business continuity. Today enterprises face risks due to uncertainties in the financial markets, legal liabilities, accidents, project failures, credit risks, natural disasters, deliberate attacks, and unpredictable events. Hence, they need to put in place effective information risk management solutions that blend people, processes and technology to minimize and mitigate risks and ensure business continuity and customer satisfaction.

Wikipedia defines risk management as “the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risk (defined in ISO 31000 as the effect of uncertainty on objectives, whether positive or negative) followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities.” In short, risk management is the challenge of pursuing opportunities while minimizing or controlling the dangers associated with it.

For ensuring effective risk management, enterprises must collaborate with solution providers who can help in developing risk management frameworks that are standards based (COSO ERM, NIST 800.30, ISO27005) and simple enough to be accepted and used by the business. Here is a look at the services provided by a best of the breed solution provider.

·         Strategy and Design

Based on the assessment of the client’s risk management strategy, policy, process, compliance requirements and analysis of the client’s risk identification, ranking, rating mechanisms and the operational processes, the solution provider develops a holistic risk management framework. The framework outlines how risk management will be carried out and includes education sessions for the ‘risk SPOC/champions’.

·         Implementation and sustenance

The solution provider assists the client in deploying the risk management framework by training the risk SPOC or champions, designing the risk management templates, customizing the rating and ranking mechanism to address various types of assets. The solution provider provides project management and technical implementation (in case GRC tools are put in place) skills to effective implementation as per the design criteria and also assists with ongoing management of the framework by lending their skills to project manage the periodic assessments and make appropriate treatment decisions.

Collaboration with such a service provider helps enterprises in developing integrated frameworks that provide them the ability to make ‘risk intelligent’ control decisions. The result of which is the ability to provide assurance to the business on the choice or controls and control implementation.

Read more on - data protection solutions, application security, identity access management

 
Enterprise software, as the name suggests, refers to software used in organizations as opposed to software used by individuals. According to Martin Fowler, the great British author and international speaker on software development, “Enterprise applications are about the display, manipulation, and storage of large amounts of often complex data and the support or automation of business processes with that data.” Enterprise software solutions encompass tools such as  automated billing systems, customer relationship management, human resource management, online shopping and online payment processing, interactive product catalogue, security, enterprise content management, IT service management,  enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, project management, collaboration,  manufacturing, enterprise application integration, enterprise forms automation and so on.

The advent of new technologies in the enterprise software world has changed the way enterprises conduct businesses today. The introduction of cloud and mobility technologies into enterprise software has significantly increased productivity for businesses; from mobile apps that give a company’s employees access to real-time data, to cloud-based platforms that enable enterprises to quickly access new products without building the underlying infrastructure or deploying costly in-house solutions. Data processing systems have also increased in speed and complexity, from data warehouses that quickly pull information, to business intelligence solutions that interpret this data, to decision support systems that leverage the data to help organizations make competitive decisions.

Despite these advancements in the enterprise software world, most survey results point to the widespread dissatisfaction among IT professionals and business managers with the performance of enterprise software. Compared to consumer software, business managers and IT professionals consider enterprise software to be outmoded, less innovative, rigid, unreliable and hugely expensive. According to them, the enterprise software solutions lack the ability to support changes in the business such as new regulations, new reporting structures and mergers and acquisitions.

Hence, there is the need of companies adept in providing product R & D services to understand the enterprise needs and create solutions that accelerate the future of business. Enterprises, therefore, must collaborate with best of the breed companies that have helped in creating amazing products that make businesses run better. This includes SaaS-based CRM and ERP apps that provide remote access to infinitely scalable information, to social enterprise programs that enable a company’s employees to collaborate securely with each other. Here is a look at the expertise of a best of the breed product development company.

·         IT management & security

·         Business process management (BPM)

·         Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

·         Supply chain management (SCM)

·         Decision support systems (DSS)

·         Customer relationship management (CRM)

·         Collaboration software

·         Productivity software

Thus, by collaborating with solution providers having experience with cross-industry technologies can help enterprises in accelerating their future.


Related Links: product engineering services, financial software services





 
Context is the crux when it comes to modern marketing. Today leading B2B marketers are aware that failing to address the apt people at the right time with the required data will inevitably lead to lower productivity and pose questions on a brand’s credibility. Despite this, there are many who do not apply the same thinking into action. According to a report by Fournaise Group, approximately 80 percent of the CEO’s do not trust their marketing team’s works. This is because the marketers often fail to report  in a language comprehensible to them.

Irrespective of the  ever increasing click-through rates, Facebook likes, website hits and landing page conversion rates, most CEO’s place very less significance on anything that does not directly contribute to business growth and increased revenue. This is the reason why marketing automation acquired a greater dimension than being just a luxury for organizations having sufficient budgets to spend. The outcomes of a well organized marketing automation platform are incredible. Few include:


  • 25% of higher revenue plan attainment instead of non-automation users (Marketo)
  • Quicker growth than non-users (66% to 55%) (Lenskold Group)
  • 451% increase in lead generation (Aberdeen Group)
  • High marketing productivity of between 1.5 and 6.9 per cent and 1.6 to 6.4 per cent sales productivity (Nucleus Research)

The study conducted by Fournaise Group also indicated that 80 percent of the CEO’s are of opinion that marketers are disconnected from the financial aspects of a business, whilst 74 percent preferred their marketers to become 100 percent focused in ROI. However, it is interesting to note that according to eMarketer, a minimal 28 percent of B2B’s in reality evaluate ROI to calculate their marketing efficiency. Marketing automation software today is redoing this disconnect by making reporting simpler than ever. It helps the marketers to continue to evaluate aspects such as click through rates, social media and conversions for their own research and thereby offering the CEO’s with the kind of figures that is of significance.

Today service providers specializing lead generation solutions have introduced marketing automation software that helps companies to offer an easy and powerful use of the platform for managing the lead database. Incase you feel like consolidating all your leads from different  sources then the software makes it simple for you to view every lead that comes from your website, email campaigns, marketing campaign from fills, social media and also from the offline leads in a single dashboard. The software offers you actionable intelligence from enterprise data to decision maker contact data. Furthermore, companies also have the access to data regarding the buying intent that is offered from browsing behavior that makes it simple for you to act on your leads.


Read more on - Marketing funnel, Lead Generation Software

 
The advent of mobile technology has revolutionized the way people communicate with one another. However, the charisma of mobile technology is not limited to communication alone. In fact, it has transformed the world and has made it smaller and more connected. The mobile technology has reshaped the way people live and work. Regarded as the fifth wave of computing, mobile technology follows networking and the Internet, personal computers, minicomputers and mainframes on the timeline. Senior writers Michael Copeland and Om Malik way back in 2005 had mentioned in the July issue of Business 2.0 that, "Over the long haul, one of the most important implications of the fifth wave is that it could create a more level playing field than the tech industry has seen in many years. The old titans may still do well. But many experts believe that the sheer number of opportunities, the cheapness of basic technological components, and the ever lower barriers to entry for many new niches could ring in a golden era for entrepreneurs and startups .And as the new wave sweeps in, it will create fertile conditions for starting new companies–even new industries–and remaking old ones.

And this is exactly that we see today. The rapid development of mobile technology and its growing integration with the cloud has created new opportunities for both consumers and enterprise software solutions that were unimaginable only a few years ago. Hence, in today’s wireless environment, businesses have the unique ability to reach their users wherever they live, work, or play. Retailers can accept payments on the fly through a tablet or Smartphone; shipping and logistics companies can track their fleet vehicles through LBS solutions; and media providers can stream audio and video through mobile apps.

However, as the mobile technology evolves, the mobile application developers must constantly update their technology to stay relevant in this extremely competitive market. Enterprises, therefore, must collaborate with solution providers who can create amazing mobile solutions that go where their users go. To be exact, from optimizing chipsets for custom devices, to integrating middleware platforms, to developing mobile apps, they must work across all layers of mobile technology to deliver solutions that stand out in the market. Here is a look at the services offered by a best of the breed  mobile application development company.

·         Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows

·         Layers: firmware, BSP, Kernel OS, libs & drivers, apps & app frameworks

·         Cross-platform frameworks: Appcelerator, PhoneGap

·         Mobile testing: emulator & on-device testing, last mile testing in target deployment locations

·         Application launch: app store submissions, corporate app store setup

Hence, whether the product is consumer-oriented or enterprise-oriented, a well-experienced product engineering services can collaborate with businesses across all market segments and all phases of the product lifecycle.


Related Links: product r&d services , content engineering

 
The main objective of every forward thinking organization apart from revenue generation is to maximize their corporate value and prosperity of the shareholders. In order to attain this seamlessly, risk management is essential. There have been instances of data theft, identity and other cyber attacks that resulted in loss of sensitive data that could not be retrieved. Therefore, the nature of risk is unpredictable and presents a scope to balance threat with business opportunity. An enterprise must be aware of the risk patterns and strategies ways to overcome them.

Importance of Risk Management Frameworks
Risk management frameworks therefore, has become an integral part of managing business. Instances of risks such as that of Home-Depot and Wal Mart despite having active risk management programs makes it evident that even successful brands can lose revenues and brand image when faced by any enterprise risk. In today’s competitive era, companies face various kinds of risks which might not be under the direct control of the management, such as changes in the exchange rate, political landscape or changes in interest rates. There can also be risks associated with noncompliance in financial reporting and labor laws.

Risk management is a proactive process than a reactive one. Once incurred, risks cannot be completely eliminated, but it can be:

  • Minimized to a great extent by having systematic internal controls
  • Averted by not engaging in risk business development plans
  • Retained, to either avert the expense of trying to mitigate it

However, in order to make daily operations and business acquisitions free of risks for companies, service providers of information risk management have introduced advanced risk management frameworks that offer the following services:
               

Strategy and Design

This evaluates the consumer risk management strategy, process, policy and compliance needs. In addition to that, it also analyzes aspects such as risk identification, rating mechanism and other operational processes involved with it i.e. who sanctions risk decisions, who performs risk management and the like. Based on this assessment the service providers set up a holistic risk management framework that addresses all these concerns.

Deployment and sustenance
This enables the customers to implement a risk management framework by establishing risk management templates, personalizing the rating and ranking the mechanism to address various assets.

Hence, systematic and high-end risk management framework sets up a comprehensive risk assessment and treatment structure that supports all vendors, processes, information technology assets and offers data protection solutions as well.  Service providers today have undertaken a holistic and modular approach that helps end users to design, transform and sustain risk management.

Read more on - identity access management, mobile security services

 
Lead generation is of vast significance in today’s business. It may not be a new technique of obtaining prospects, but there has been a considerable change in the approach to lead generation. Lead generation is a marketing activity that is fundamental for sales teams to close sales. If you have a product to sell, you clearly need a target market with prospective buyers. It then becomes necessary to promote your product. Adopting the right lead generation plan with helpful tools makes the difference. Settle on the best lead generation techniques, to ensure that those best practices going forward to keep failure to a minimum.

Lead generation is nothing but procuring prospective customers, and anticipating an increase in lead generation, and marketing teams need to come up with strategies to generate effective and qualified leads. This can be successfully achieved only when there is collaboration and harmony with between the sales and the marketing teams. Lead generation needs to be all about quality and not quantity, and many enterprises have revamped their lead generating tactics.

Sales and marketing teams have always worked as separate identities, without realizing that collaborating with each other was what would provide optimum results. There has been a change in the working pattern of these teams as there is a change in the observation of lead generation. Effective planning and maintaining a consistent marketing effort are the two biggest challenges of any promotion campaign and by adopting the right lead generation plan with helpful tools, an enterprise can enjoy the benefits.   Without a workable lead generation system, your business’ attempts at lead generation can get difficult. It is therefore necessary to have a complete set of sales lead generation tools at your fingertips to reach your sales prospects.

Having the right lead generation solution can be a game changer for any business. Effective marketing automation software can add new dimensions without affecting your existing sales. Partner with an efficient service provider to drive sales and get more power to control the processes and lower the risks. By engaging with the best partner, your business can accelerate marketing-through-sales cycles and achieve measurable and robust ROI. With a complete set of sales lead generation tools at your fingertips, you can reach your sales prospects. With organizations looking for ways to build a strong return on investment, adopting the lead generation and lead management methods and techniques allows you to boost your business sales, and enable your company to earn lucrative profits ultimately.

Read more on - Marketing Automation, marketing funnel