There are more ERP solutions than ever before today, and here we help you pick the right one by describing the major players.

Written by John Ghrist

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is another one of those computer industry terms that seems to have different definitions, depending on who's talking. Wikipedia defines ERP as a system "intended to manage all the information and functions of a business or company from shared data sources." But as many would be quick to point out, how then do we differentiate ERP from such terms as business process management, management information systems, or even management reporting, which arguably all have that same goal?

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, "fair is foul, and foul is fair." When separating fact from fiction, Bill Shakespeare could've been a systems analyst.

Written by Steven C. Pitcher

When I began my current role about seven years ago, I joined a true-blue AS/400 shop, and I had many new ideas I wanted to bring in the door with me. At the top of my list was deploying Linux on iSeries, desktops, thin clients, or anything else because it was "free" and "open."

Businesses demand immediate, ready access to real-time data integrated from disparate sources. Software-based data sharing fulfills that need.

Written by Craig Johnson

Editor's note: This article is an extract from "Get the Facts: Real-Time, On-Demand Information for Business Intelligence and Data Integration," available free from the MC Press White Paper Center.

Business moves at the speed of light. At one time, the preceding statement would have been rhetorical. Today, it's often literal.

Big Blue ramps up its Lotus collaboration offerings with a broad spectrum of product upgrades, enhanced mobile device connectivity, and corporate initiatives.

Written by Chris Smith

In case you hadn't noticed, businesses are having trouble making a profit today using the same tired approach they have employed for years. Business as usual just isn't cutting it.

Electronic forms of money continue to displace paper for financial transactions. Applications that process payment card funds transfers can help your enterprise cash in.

Written by John Ghrist

As the Digital Age has progressed, electronic monetary exchanges have been increasingly displacing cash. For both businesses and individual consumers, the largest contributor to this trend has been the use of the credit card. Although the credit card started out as a device to stimulate retail trade, its ubiquitous presence in commercial transactions of all kinds today makes it a virtual requirement for businesses to accept this form of payment. The proliferation of similar devices—such as debit, loyalty, stored-value, and gift cards—has extended this trend, and such cards as a class are now called "payment cards."

Prepare yourself for the tough questions when proposing a new enterprise solution.

Editor's Note: This article is extracted from the Webcast "Avoid Document Imaging Project Killers" available free at the MC Webcast Center.

Written by Daniel Kuperman

If you've got the green light for that new IT project, you're in luck. But before you take your buddies out to celebrate, watch out for the typical project killers. They are lurking around and can strike without notice.

Maintaining the flow of goods, information, and financials through a supply chain is essential to many types of business.

Written by John Ghrist

Any business that deals with physical products requires some kind of a supply chain. Controlling a business supply chain is the bailiwick of a class of software products called supply chain management (SCM) applications.

There are different approaches to integrating labeling and RFID tags with your System i database, and some are easier to manage than others.

Written by Thomas M. Stockwell

Editor's Note: This article is an extraction of the white paper "Bar Code/RFID Label Printing, Avoiding the Integration Traps," which is available free from the MC Press White Paper Center.

Automated Data Collection (ADC) technologies that use bar code and radio frequency identification (RFID) labels have revolutionized how our products are packaged and transported through our supply chains. Bar code labels are now so common on products that they are considered to be the status quo for identifying and routing packages in transit. RFID tag technologies are also making tremendous headway in managing inventory at receiving docks and warehouses for many of the largest retail and government supply chains. How can we assure that these systems give us the best return on investment?