Business%20Applications%20Overview

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Business Applications Overview
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Trends Driving e-business

• Velocity of business is increasing
• Enterprise boundaries are disappearing
• Expectations for technology are rising

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Legacy Systems

• Existing computer systems and software, often
  using 1970s technology
• Problems
• Outdated languages
• Often incapable of running in real time
• Undocumented (designers no longer alive!)
• No customer focus

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Too many Spreadsheets!

• Many businesses rely on separate databases
• Functional manager may make conflicting decisions
  based on different data
• E.g., Sale figures from the sales department may
  be different to the accounting department

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Evolution of Business applications
Task Oriented
Functional Applications
Integrated Cross-Functional Applications
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Kalakotas 7 types of applications

• Customer relationship management
• Enterprise resource planning
• Supply chain management
• Selling-chain management
• e-Procurement
• Enterprise application integration
• Business intelligence, knowledge management and
  decision support

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CRM

• CRM entails all aspects of interaction a company
  has with its customer, whether it be sales or
  service related
• Main dimensions
• Sales
• Service
• Marketing
• CRM software attempts to integrate these
  functions as one

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ERP

• a business management system that integrates all
  facets of the business
• A ERP system consists of ERP software that
  automates internal business processes, hardware
  and Operating Systems that run ERP software

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Supply Chain Management

• The process of optimizing delivery of goods,
  services and information from supplier to
  customer
• Supply chain management applications attempt to
• Reduce inventory with real time scheduling
• Find bottle necks in production/distribution
• Integrate activities of partner businesses

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Selling chain management

• Selling chain management applications integrate
  marketing and selling and sales functions into
  one seamless activity
• Aim to process sales more quickly and reduce
  sales overheads
• Includes
• product customization,
• Pricing and contract management,
• quotes and proposal generation
• Commission management
• Promotions Management

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e-Procurement

• These applications focus on automating and
  integrating enterprise procurement activities

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Enterprise application integration

• Connecting CRM to ERP
• Allows businesses to track business activities
  from customer purchases to product delivery
• Results in quicker product delivery and improved
  business responsiveness

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Business intelligence, knowledge management and
DSS

• Transform raw data into useful information
• OLAP systems (Online analytical Processing)
  provide fast analysis of shared multidimensional
  information (eg Microsoft data analyser)

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The way forward.

• In house software design is dead. Businesses can
  no longer afford to develop systems in isolation
• Choosing standardized software modules that
  interface seamlessly with existing systems is the
  way forward

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Journal question of the week

• What are some of the unique application
  integration issues faced by international
  businesses operating across national boundaries?
  Include three (3) issues.