Tag Archive - SaaS

Two Supply Chain Management Predictions for 2012

As seems to have been the case every year for the past half decade, 2012 is predicted to be the year that cloud computing finally takes off.  Analysts believe that Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has finally reached the requisite level of maturity to ensure that manufacturers will finally be able to outsource many of their ERP functions.

Supply Chain Management Predictions for 2012

SaaS providers have managed to extend the functionality of their systems to mimic and replace those available in onsite equivalent ERP platforms immediately negating many of the concerns of business decision makers. Attention to improving platform and data security has also led to increased customer confidence further helping to boost uptake.

Ray Wang, principal analyst for the Constellation Research Group reckons SaaS for manufacturers will also need to demonstrate a high degree of interoperability to facilitate integration with existing on-premise systems. By hooking directly into the existing computer systems, manufacturers can extend and expand their systems without the usual costs associated with an in-house deployment or upgrade. As a result Wang believes that SaaS will reach a natural tipping point this year leading to an explosion in uptake.

James Leibel of technical consultants Cap Gemini is also expecting to see an explosion in embedded wireless tracking throughout the supply chain. These tracking devices, such as RFID and Near Field Communications (NFC) smart tags will help manufacturers keep an accurate inventory at every point of contact with minimal manual intervention, thereby reducing the potential for human error creating stock level issues. NFC and RFID tracking does however require additional investment in hardware for tracking the tags but Ray Wang reckons “Manufacturers will be applying sensor data to anything from predictive maintenance to improved demand forecasting.”

Finally all of the analysts appear to agree that manufacturers will make “healthy” investments in technology to underpin their operations and provide future-proof capacity. Analysts have been wrong in the past, but this year their claims seem highly credible.


Posted on February 17, 2012 in Cloud Computing, ERP, SaaS, Supply Chain Management by
Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off

ERP and SME

ERP and the SME

Once regarded as the preserve of enterprise-level organisation, the advent of cloud-based computing and the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model has made powerful, and previously expensive, enterprise resource planning platforms available and accessible to smaller businesses. Known by some as “democratisation”, outsourced ERP has made enterprise functionality available to companies as small as sole traders.

Great idea, but why bother?

Your business is unique, and so too are the processes underpinning it; no one knows your business like you do. That said, an ERP outsourcer knows enterprise resource planning better than most, allowing their customers to rely on their expertise. Using an outsourced ERP provider also removes the need for employing an in-house ERP expert. The SaaS provider assumes responsibility for hosting the ERP application, maintaining and managing it, and providing support to the end user.
Outsourced ERP allows smaller businesses to enjoy all the benefits of an enterprise class system without having to pay traditional enterprise-level license costs or for the staff traditionally required to maintain and support such a system. Outsourced ERP allows SMEs to focus on running their business, without worrying about the underlying software.

But wait, there’s more!ERP and SME

Traditional Enterprise Resource Planning systems certainly create cost-savings and efficiencies but often only over a significant period of time. By outsourcing ERP SMEs can significantly reduce the time usually associated with such a deployment; the outsourcer assumes responsibility for the implementation, leaving the buyer with a fully functional ERP system from day one.
SMEs using outsourced ERP systems also stand to gain from fringe benefits such as free-of-charge software upgrades, and bundled support services all of which would potentially be very expensive. These additional benefits contribute to reducing the on-going running costs which can be incurred when running ERP software in-house.
Outsourcing has therefore made ERP not only available to the small or medium business, but also affordable. As a result, businesses failing to take advantage of ERP functionality and its associated efficiencies stand to lose out to their competitors in the long run.


Posted on December 12, 2011 in Cloud Computing, ERP, SaaS by
Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

Electronic Ledger Alignment – Are we on the same page?

T letter in the Electronic Ledger Alignment articlehe speed with which a business can obtain and assimilate accurate information directly affects the agility of a company by allowing for quicker, more educated strategic decisions to be taken. And in market conditions where increased agility can spell the difference between great success and epic failure, any tool which can assist decision-making will inevitably prove its worth. Enter Electronic Ledger Alignment.

What?

Electronic Ledger Alignment allows for immediate identification of the differences between the creditors’ and debtors’ ledgers at each of your connected trading partners. An eLedger Alignment system posts invoices into their customer’s general ledger automatically, ensuring that the ledger at both companies is accurate and up-to-date.

Essentially automated Ledger Alignment updates the general ledgers of each member of the supply chain to ensure that every single member’s ledger is accurate and up-to-date.

 Why?

General Ledger reconciliation system allows a business to make quicker cash management decisions based on the increased visibility and transparency inherent in such a system. Businesses are assured that their invoices are received and entered onto client systems automatically, reducing the time taken by traditional invoice submission and manual re-entry.

A Ledger Alignment software ensures that reconciliation reports are accurate at each stage of the chain, helping to keep every member fully informed of payment status. The automated submission and entry of invoices allows for easy identification of missing invoices, further reducing the time it takes to resolve any dispute which may arise and speeding a resolution.eLedger Alignment

eLedger Alignment not only provides cost savings based on the reduction in effort and error-checking associated with invoicing and payment, but also potentially allows for a reduction in headcount. Businesses also stand to benefit from a deeper level of trust between suppliers and customers as each can take confidence from the accounting accuracy that Ledger Accounting software introduces into the supply chain.

Celtrino’s Smart Admin platform provides all of the functionality of Electronic Ledger Alignment without requiring extensive onsite re-configuration or installations. Smart Admin automates invoice submission and reconciliation reporting, allowing businesses to focus on other key business functions, safe in the knowledge that their general ledger, and that of their customers, are both fully up-to-date and accurate.


Posted on November 11, 2011 in B2B Platform in the Cloud, Electronic Ledger Alignment, SaaS, Smart Admin by
Tagged as , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

e-Invoicing Platform to partner with Microsoft Azure

Celtrino showcased the innovative SaaS-based integrated supply chain management solution at Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles.

Read more about our partnership with Microsoft Azure.


Posted on November 9, 2011 in Announcements, B2B Platform in the Cloud, Integrated Supply Chain Management Platform, Smart Admin, Supply Chain Management, Windows Azure by
Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off

Supply Chain Integration Introduction Part 5 – The Future

For businesses looking to implement their first supply chain integration systems, or those looking to improve that which they already have, the future of the methodology will remain of interest. The continued explosion of hosted systems (also known as Software as a Service – SaaS), has already begun to radically alter the supply chain integration landscape.

As discussed elsewhere throughout this short series of articles, supply chain integration is currently a job requiring extensive (expensive) expertise due to the complexities inherent in joining multiple computer systems. As with most technological advances, implementation of integrations should get inherently easier as on-site complexity is reduced. Suppliers will be faced with the choice of rolling out the exact same ERP system in each of their own businesses, or to outsource the EDI functions required to communicate between disparate systems to a third-party.The Future written on the white board

As cloud-based software and services continue to mature, the use of on-site systems becomes more expensive and effectively redundant. By outsourcing functions to the cloud such as invoicing and billing, businesses immediately benefit from a reduction in complexity and duplicated effort. An ideal Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) platform will take input from any ERP or accounting system, as Celtrino’s Smart Admin product does, and seamlessly convert and transfer the data to a receiving system. The onus for translation and EDI connectivity becomes the responsibility of the hosted service provider.

In such a scenario, the cloud service provider configures and maintains the EDI connectors for the systems of all of their service users, for the same subscription fee. The clients are then able to make savings on the costs of hiring EDI consultants every time a reconfiguration of the data interchange layout is required.

Business Process Outsourcing as part of a Supply Chain Integration is a hot topic and looks set to remain so for some time. As demand for BPO increases, service providers will be forced to further tune and improve their offerings. All this is great news for the customer and their customers in turn.

If you would like to know more about how Celtrino’s Smart Admin platform can be used to assist your business in Supply Chain Integration, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 
Supply Chain Integration Part 1

Supply Chain Integration Part 2

Supply Chain Integration Part 3

Supply Chain Integration Part 4

 


Posted on October 26, 2011 in B2B Platform in the Cloud, Business Process Outsourcing, Integrated Supply Chain Management Platform, Supply Chain Integration, Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Performance by
Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off

Cloud computing & how to improve supply chain visibility case study

Read our case study on how we helped ADM Londis move to a SaaS business model & improve their supply chain visibility.


Posted on October 4, 2011 in Cloud Computing, EDI, Outsourced EDI, SaaS by
Tagged as , , , , , ,
Comments Off

Accounts receivable in the cloud and how you can benefit

Find out how you can make bottom line savings in your accounts receivable solution.


Posted on September 29, 2011 in Accounts Receivable, SaaS, Smart Admin, Supply Chain Document Automation by
Tagged as , , , , , ,
Comments Off

Outsourced EDI: Pat the Baker case study

Outsourced EDI: Pat the Baker case study” - a Wednesday morning case study for you. A great insight into the business transformation undertaken in Pat the Baker, Ireland’s finest Bakery, in conjunction with Celtrino, a pioneer in the provision of outsourced managed EDI services.


Posted on September 21, 2011 in EDI, Outsourced EDI, SaaS, Supply Chain Document Automation by
Tagged as , , , , , , ,
Comments Off

Why outsource EDI?

Electronic Data Interchange, or EDI, is one of the oldest methods of system-to-system communication still in use today. EDI relies on creation of standardised text files which are set between businesses in a specific format so that it can be automatically imported into the computer system of the receiver. One of the most well-known users of EDI is the BACS bank transfer system used for sending payments automatically.

Despite being a standard industry format, the encoded text files require specialist knowledge and expertise to create the export template to extract data in the correct format for submission. Worse still, when a partner changes the EDI data mappings for import into their system, each of their customers must reconfigure their exports to match the new import routines.

All of this manual reconfiguration comes at a cost. Businesses must either retain the services of their own EDI expert, or hire an equally expensive consultant to make the changes. Replacing internal systems also attract additional costs. A software upgrade, or a shift to a new platform requires reconfiguration of the EDI translator to ensure that EDI communications between customers and suppliers continue unhindered. Worse still, every system change takes time, which in turn costs the business money.

Clearly any solution which removes the burden of EDI management should result in time and cost savings.

Software as a Service (SaaS) EDI translators provide the obvious solution to many of these conundrums. With outsourced EDI solutions, configuration changes and data export tweaks becomes the responsibility of the service provider. Immediately the requirement for an EDI specialist is removed as is the hardware required to support an EDI translator system. IT staff are then freed to focus on the other aspects of their roles to the benefit of the business.

A SaaS EDI system, such as Celtrino’s Smart Admin provide data interfaces and translators for many industry-leading accounts systems as well as the expertise required for a successful implementation. Their abilities and services are guaranteed to reduce EDI TCO by at least 25%, giving businesses an immediate reduction in costs and allowing them to focus on their customers.


Posted on September 8, 2011 in EDI, ERP, Smart Admin by
Tagged as , , , , , ,
2 Comments