Digital contract management - Risks and Opportunities

Many companies have a problem sometime in document management solutions, because they are looking for a way to the chaos in their shelves, folders and mailboxes to master. But a digital contract management can contribute much more to the business' value, as to relieve only the daily business.
Often companies lose at some point and a certain volume track of their contracts. This is not unwillingness or inability, but a purely structural problem. In an everyday business contract document can be viewed and edited by employees from different departments. Therefore, they circle, sometimes as the original, sometimes as a copy - but with current content than the original - resistant by a company. This acts Tourism then causes problems when sometime know just individual departments or even individual persons on the whereabouts of a contract file notice.

This means that the current affected employees or departments do not or only partly present contracts. This leads to further problems periods are not diagnosed or not complied with dates. The lack of transparency, the legal department and risk management may be able to contract negotiations not useful and accompany it comes to adverse financial statements for the company. Finally, the reporting is compromised because the contracts have to be gathered in tedious and may result in the non-transparent contract history to incorrect or outdated reports. The evaluation and comparison of contract volumes are indispensable for an efficient controlling.

The Eucalyptus purchase will hardly affect HP's cloud strategy

The acquisition of the privately owned cloud provider Eucalyptus by Hewlett-Packard was indeed not nearly as expensive and risky as the bad buy Autonomy. Nevertheless, insiders wonder what HP seeks it.

In mid-September has announced the Hewlett-Packard cloud providers Eucalyptus to buy and to make their boss, Marten Mickos lord of his cloud business. HP is slowly venturing so back in the market for mergers and acquisitions, after being vigorously burned at the eleven billion dollar acquisitions of Autonomy's fingers. Eucalyptus cost probably only a fraction of that amount - less than $ 100 million are said to have changed hands, say industry rumors.

Mickos is senior vice president and head of the cloud division directly to HP chief Meg Whitman report. In the ICT industry, he is no stranger Mickos was from 2001 to 2008 CEO of MySQL before Sun Microsystems, the company purchased.

With its cloud concepts Mickos was last not on an HP-related course. Publicly he had from time to time against the open source standard expressed OpenStack - the platform, wagered on the Hewlett-Packard its future. Eucalyptus had always been closely contrast to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) with them are Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) oriented.

Pitfalls in the implementation of SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe

More and more companies want to use the latest technology in your form SAP system. Reasons to use SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe are plentiful. Are supported in addition to PDF and PDF-A, the pressure PCL and PostScript formats and label formats DPL, IPL, TPCL and ZPL. Similarly, forms can be used as interactive forms and offline forms.

The complexity of the introduction of this new technology is often underestimated, making a timely completion of the project is at risk from the outset.

Even without a proper consultation even encouraging progress can be made at the project start. This often means that is entirely dispensed with specialists.
But the mistake made early advocate as the project progresses all the more evident and require complex and expensive corrections of work already done. This can lead to sudden inconsistencies in the form layout to be printed just as well in the Far East pleadings. Or the necessary fonts such as OCR-B, which are needed for a payment slip, are not available. Or it is not a targeted control of the feed slot of the printer is possible due to forgetting to make the necessary configurations in the XDC file on the SAP system.

Much layer architecture

The complexity of this new form technology is not only that it has a completely different approach as SAPscript and Smart Forms, but also the fact that is the architectural complex.

So a dedicated SAP server with a Java stack as a platform for the Adobe Document Services (ADS) is required. This is connected via a web service with the Application Server ABAP via HTTP (s) protocol. During the printing process the data for the form layout, the application data and when passing through the form interface even more data, such as headers and footer data now be assembled as an XML file and sent to the ADS via web service.

The ADS are generating now based on the user data and the form layout to PDF file. Depending on what was printed on the printer, be transferred to the additional device-specific data (XDC). From this information, the ADS will generate a printer-specific file format PCL or PS or ZPL Zebra label printers. The generated data are again transmitted via the Destination Service back to the AS ABAP system and sent to the Spool or even the archiving system. Because the PDF file is available at this time already in the set form, it can be further processed, for example, as an email attachment without a new access to the spool.

Current use ADS version

When you install the ADS, it is essential to utilize as a current version of the individual components. The ADS have also been configured correctly and correspond with respect to the version of the development tool Adobe LiveCycle Designer.

Amazingly often one sees that form developers forced to use a completely outdated LiveCycle Designer on the client system and sacrificing important advantages of newer versions during the implementation.

It is the responsibility of the SAP-based customer to select the correct versions of the development tools, which must then be made available by the customer's own IT. The form developer is at this point only the user and has no effect on the instrumental versions of the programs he needs.

A cross-departmental integration manager helps a precise planning and targeted implementation, necessary for the implementation of SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe steps.

When planning the infrastructure fail safe operation should be sought through redundant design of the ADS. Furthermore, to be the appropriate versions of the SAP Adobe Document Services and Adobe LiveCycle selected, installed and set designer. Last but not least are the matching PDF device types of network printers for a successful Go Live critical.

Cornerstones for planning

Effective use of Adobe Forms requires before the start of implementation of at least the following specifications

Definition of a corporate design

Only when an accurate description for the subsequent layout exists, all forms can be aligned with respect to their layouts. Form templates can therefore help to comply with the specified dimensions in the implementation and minimize recurring adjustments to the layout.

Determining the dynamic of the header or footer

Have been the header and footer clearly defined in the definition of the corporate design, so you can read the contents of the form during runtime. This has the advantage that with adaptations, such as changing the company logo must not be interfered with in several forms manually by a developer, but they can be centrally replaced from the SAP repository.
SAP standard texts can also be read without great effort and displayed dynamically in the header and footer. The content of the standard texts also can be easily adapted by an authorized user on the transaction SO10.

Central pressure treatment

 What this means is that all forms always run a specified program code. This may be a function module or a class. Thereby, it is possible to affect all of the forms through an adjustment in only one place. An example would be that all copies of a test system XY client 888 Test pressure system show a watermark with a designation as to ensure that no confusion occurs with the printing of the productive system.

Strategy for multilingualism
Anyone who has ever translated a Adobe Forms in SAP, knows that it is very tedious to have to translate individual words in an editor in a very long XML text, which can also serve very poor. This can be circumvented by using wildcards in the form of the translation shifted from the form into the SAP repository. But that is not enough. Currencies and units, for example, not to be found in the form, but come directly from the SAP database. They are also only available when the SAP has been installed with the appropriate language packs. Subsequent installs a language pack means an increased outlay.

Correct SAP device types for printers used
Only when the printer is in the SAP have been defined and configured with the correct device type, a pressure with the Adobe Forms on the printers is possible. Otherwise, is displayed on the screen for most users a little error message.

You also must have the paper to be drawn for the printer from different feed trays, so there is no way to adapt the XDC files in SAP passes.

Despite the great effort in preparing the new forms technology is future-oriented and offers advantages over SAPscript and Smart Forms. SAP even delivers mostly only Adobe Forms, so that companies are prepared for the future.

The requirement for ERP systems

More and more companies open up international offices in global competition. But different laws, accounting rules, languages and banking systems complicate the organization.

Companies should therefore use standardized ERP solutions that take into account country-specific features. Important for the selection also is an on-site service in implementation, rollout and support.

Globalization is not just an issue for large corporations. Even the middle class to take advantage of its international business, either with the export of goods or the establishment of branches in other countries. But here lurk many stumbling blocks. Finally, the companies are required to comply with different laws, accounting rules, currencies, languages and banking systems. At the same time increase the world's claims of tax authorities and other institutions. This applies to the reporting or compliance with applicable in the countries’ policies and laws.

The opening of international offices and the acquisition of companies from other countries also provides for IT is a challenge. You must integrate these new locations into the existing IT infrastructure. A central role is played here the ERP system. A single solution for all countries helps to optimize business processes across national borders to share information faster and manage inventory more efficiently.

This article shows what international (midsize) businesses should consider when choosing the right ERP solution and the role of the local service of the provider plays.

SAP strengthened wooing banks as customers

The software giant SAP is in the words of Germany Hartmut Thomsen reinforced to catch customers in the banking sector.

Banks were the same as insurance companies and the public sector to the industries in which the proportion of developing by the company itself software is traditionally very high, Thomsen said on Wednesday night in Frankfurt. The market for this non-standard software is world seven times the size of the standard programs, such as SAP sells.

The financial sector and the public sector had last among all sectors but the smallest percentage of SAP's annual sales of around 17 billion euros. SAP made in 2013 about ten percent of its revenue from financial services, as great was the proportion of public authorities and the public sector.

With software alone cannot digitize the invoice flow

Although the digital processing of incoming invoices promises cost savings and automated management processes support, it has not yet become a matter of course for companies. No wonder who sets the wrong accents here, putting the entire project's success.

Theoretically, everything is quite simple invoices from paper are first scanned so that they are present throughout the process in digital form. The central storage of invoices in a document management system (DMS) provides a fast and continuous access without the logistical obstacles of a paper archive or internal mail must be taken into account for all process participants.

Unlike many other processes, the processing of incoming invoices is particularly well suited for standardization. With such administrative processes no competitive advantages are generally achieved. Consequently, these processes should be designed as efficiently and smartly. This can work well with best practices and standardization.
More than cost benefits

Ideally, all incoming invoices will be listed in a central cockpit. The overview shows the most important addition to metadata of invoices is also the relevant process information. To retain financial accounting as process owner keep track of which employees currently the individual invoices are processed. In conjunction with the detailed data for process history that increases the transparency of the processes. By aggregating the invoice data available in the cockpit can also serve as an information source for the cash management, the budget makers and other interested groups.

The cloud storage

Software-defined Storages (SDS) on the basis of open source offer flexibility and scalability, do not reach the proprietary memory.

IT decision makers are increasingly confronted with the question of how a cloud infrastructure can easily deploy and how various cloud offerings can be permanently integrated into existing systems. Solutions such as OpenStack , Cinder or OpenATTIC have greatly gained in popularity, because they have an open architecture and companies have realized that they can thereby realize efficiencies and cost savings much faster than with traditional software.

Open Source Storage - the smarter choice
On average, to manage the volume of data every two years. Doubled Software-defined Storage (SDS) is the answer to this rising flood of data. By abstracting the hardware from the software, the high functionality of existing storage systems can represent purely in software and transfer it to a simple, low-cost hardware. This SDS is an effective way to back up data efficiently and cost effectively and to manage.

A look at the memory approach commercial providers shows that there are huge margins retracted because users who want to use some APIs, modules or functions always have to buy the whole package. Open Source is much more flexible. It's not just about saving costs, but also to the freedom, functions and modules if and to the cloud Add Framework when they are actually needed.

Google Enterprise is now called Google for Work

What Google is offering for companies, specially that ran previously under the umbrella brand Google

That is over now the future holds Google's solutions for organizations in Google for Work together. According to the relevant Google manager Amit Singh against The Next Web but will change not only the name but also the nature, as we are launching products and new features to communicate. According to Google, 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies are paying customers of Google-for-work services. The customer satisfaction is expected to reach 95 percent.

The longtime Google CEO and now Chairman of the Board, Eric Schmidt, Google for Work announce the official company blog ; reading the meaningless contribution you can give but confidently.

SDN is revolutionizing the data center

Is Software-Defined Networking (SDN) become the next empty words? No, because SDN continues the evolution of cloud computing continues, makes networking flexible and can be integrated with existing hardware.

Hype or not SDN is the next logical step after virtualization, which has grown up enough for everyday use, especially by VMware end of the nineties. Hypervisors like Citrix Xen,
Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware vSphere (ESXi) or KVM are grown up and for some time powerful tools. What the SDN now adds is true flexibility.
SDN meets Cloud

Cloud Computing , probably one of the most discussed topics of the recent past is, depending on the approach and the application scenario either the technology of the future or a marketing hype with numerous uncertainties. Undeniably, the evolution leads to the Cloud Computing, The Cloud is the flexible infrastructure for all other technologies. No more, no less. So the data center is no longer numerous pizza boxes in the racks, but rather virtual pizza boxes on a host server.

Monitor Hyper-V with free tools

For monitoring of Hyper-V virtual servers exist a number of free freeware tools. We looked at some interesting free solutions for Hyper-V monitoring closely.
Those who cannot rely on costly and complex solutions such as Microsoft System Center to monitor Hyper-V hosts or wants, will take place on the market a number of free software tools. We have undergone a small selection of a closer look.

Many of the tools described below will also work with Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2008 R2, but we have tested the versions of Windows Server 2012 R2.

Free Tools for Microsoft's Hyper-V

In addition to the well-known tool Veeam One can Hyper-V with SolarWinds Free VM monitor and ManageEngine Free HyperV server Monitor monitor. SolarWinds has, incidentally, in addition to a support of Hyper-V, a version for VMware on. Below we address some of the tools in more detail.

But you can also use the Performance Monitor in Windows Server 2012 R2, which is one of the standard tools of Windows Server. To perform a permanent long-term measurement, you need to create a data collector set. To do this click with the right mouse button on the data collector for makes custom setting. With New Data Collector Set, such a record is created. While creating the possibility to read a template. You can use the tool PAL received. After installation, you choose the File tab at the threshold file title, select Microsoft Hyper-V R2 SP1 and click Export to Perfmon templateFile. This template will also work with Windows Server 2012 R2. The document you are reading a wizard for creating new data collector sets.

New Oracle Engineered System for application virtualization

Oracle today announced the Virtual Compute Appliance on a new integrated system can virtually practically any (x86) workloads with the user.

The Virtual Compute Appliance is the latest addition to the family of so-called Engineered Systems, which Oracle demonstrate its expertise in the integration of software and hardware and wants to sell its customers an advantage. It should , according to an announcement enable fast and repeatable installations of full-stack infrastructure. The wire-once system comes completely pre-configured. Production workloads should be possible to set up with little effort on a software-defined configuration - IBM has its similar concept Pure Systems for quite some time in the market.

The Virtual Compute Appliance, Oracle is built around an InfiniBand fabric around. Connection to existing Ethernet and Fiber Channel networks, the system finds more than pooled interconnect modules that can use any virtual machine transparently. The system has to start no single point of failure, virtualized applications can at a hardware or software errors automatically.

Select Microsoft server licenses correctly

How will Microsoft server products licensed correct This clarifies the following contribution, taking into account the different rules, styles and approaches to licensing Microsoft servers.

For many products, Microsoft provides the conventional Server licensing with associated user or computer licenses on. There is must be licensed not only individual servers, but also their processors, sometimes the cores, as in SQL Server 2014. In the Standard Edition, you can, for example, buy a server license and for each user a user license (CAL) (see also Microsoft Client Access Licenses - when and which licenses are required). You also have the option to license on a per processor core.

What is ultimately cheaper, you have to calculate with a license specialist. You must license at least four cores per processor; CALs are no longer necessary in this case. The Business Intelligence edition of SQL Server 2014, you can turn to license only after the CAL model. The Enterprise Edition of the new server version only offers the possibility to license by processor cores; you must license at least four cores. That is, you need a license for each core and must purchase four licenses. This also applies if you are installing the product on a single-processor server and only two cores, even if this may be a relatively improbable constellation.

Essential tools in Digital Marketing

Having the right tools on hand, is responsible for marketing managers more important than ever. Customers are well informed and well connected. Since it takes appropriate analytical tools to deploy the own marketing resources as efficiently as possible.

The tasks of marketing managers are becoming increasingly complex. The markets increasingly present themselves fragmented and at the same time, customers are increasingly close to each other wired. Offering a range of information sources available and thus increases to customers' expectations. At the same time, the influence is through marketing and sales activities on the buying decisions less. On the part of the distribution, thus the pressure, the quantity and quality of leads identified from marketing grows to increase. Finally, competing for the customer it is important to accurately deploy scarce marketing resources.

But on what basis can sound decisions be taken in marketing How can customer potential with the right measures raise And how can the increasingly complex communication processes are optimally aligned to the customer life cycle and on the quality of the customer These are the crucial questions that marketers need to find the right answers today.

The Data Wizard

The Data Wizard uses felt 22 different apps on at least eleven instruments, which is probably not always conforms to the BYOD policy in the company. The favorite of the data network wizard is Google Plus - the analysis tools are just too good. And liked it operates email campaigns that he has tested with enthusiasm before. Thus the data wizard is probably not alone 43 percent of all digital marketing manager test their views beforehand, check the half if the time of day for the e-mail campaign is the right also and 97 percent can ruminate for hours on the subject line. What CIOs should look for the way to the beloved data they ignored ever implemented policies for security and BYOD.

Big Data or Data Warehouse

Big Data is a Disruptive Technology and triggers Business Intelligence (BI) and conventional data warehouses (DWH) sooner or later from or is Big Data completely unsuitable for conventional BI and has no place in this environment not.

On April 16, 2014 William Harvey Inmon wrote a remarkable blog entry. Under the headline, Big Data or Data Warehouse Turbocharge your Porsche - buy an Elephant is working up the Father of Data Warehousing on the Cloudera advertising slogan BIG DATA - Turbocharge your data warehouse.  Basically, the blending of architecture (data warehouse) and technology (teased Big Data). In particular, however, he emphasized that it was simply impossible with the Hadoop platform Apache, provide for data warehouses is strictly necessary, carefully constructed and operated information infrastructure.

Every manager who insets Big Data technologies for Sarbanes-Oxley or Basel II reporting, would retain their job much longer. Those are strong words for a clear delineation of both worlds. Here Inmon is not just anyone 2007 counted him Computerworld to the ten most important IT personalities of the past 40 years.

Exactly at the same time joined Ralph Kimball, Inmon next certainly the most influential data warehouse protagonist, exactly in the area said Cloudera offensive for using Hadoop as a data warehouse platform a. He praised flexibility, performance and cost savings for future Hadoop data warehouses and forecast this approach has great potential.

Now Inmon and Kimball represented already in the nineties very different approaches, such as top-down vs. Bottom-Up or Normalform- versus dimensional modeling, but in practice, fortunately quite usefully complemented each other and have thus strongly influenced the most current data warehouses. The new conflict of Kimball and Inmon is equally characteristic of the current debate around data warehouse and Big Data. And as is to be hoped that he will have an equally positive effect on future solutions in this environment as previous clashes.