A great CIO is a rare hybrid: one part businessperson, one part computer geek. We so often see in ERP implementations, success requires a CIO who is willing to stand behind the process and drive the necessary organizational change.
Year: 2017
Machine Learning
For most of my career, I have been engaged in making decisions, or helping others make decisions. Way back in 1997, when I was just a boy, I used a financial tool known as the Hillier Model to help a large South African glass bottle manufacturer decide where to put capital in order to best serve market conditions.
The Impact of Automation on Jobs and Roles
Recent advances in robotics and machine learning (AI) have happened so quickly that industry observers could be said to be suffering from whiplash as the implications of AI start to be fully realized, even as the technology itself is still maturing.
Just Like in ERP the Right Support was Vital for This Atlantic Crossing!
Planning before a journey starts is recommended and typically done. But once the trip’s underway realization can dawn too late that without the right support, beyond our own effort and MacGyver-like initiatives, our odyssey could be extremely hazardous.
CFO Role Changing in the Digital Age
Remember that old Bob Dylan song from the Sixties? “Oh the times they are a-changing”? The song has rarely been truer than now as technology reshapes traditional roles into new ones.
Half Way There – What Does this Mean for ERP?
So you’re half way with your ERP implementation. Does this mean you’re about to race downhill to the finish, or struggle uphill with your head down, hoping for the best? It matters how you think and act in both instances.
VPN Tunnels Part 2 – Increasing Security, Promoting Agility
As I mentioned in Part One of this blog, a VPN tunnel allows for the safe transfer of data across the Internet, and adds layers of security to your company network. It does this through the use of encryption and other security mechanisms (including hardware settings/passwords and approved IP addresses).
What ERP has Learnt from NASA
Before setting three Apollo astronauts on top of 2,350 tons of liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and kerosene, then counting down to launch, NASA sensibly ensured they adopted only the technologies they deemed ready to fly. They later standardised this approach and drew up a 9-point scale, against which every element of a development programme could be assessed for ‘Technology Readiness Level’ (TRL). This measurement process helped determine which nascent technologies to take forward through R&D, which ones to side-line and so on.
The Power of Automation in ERP
Life has been made simpler with Internet banking and scheduled payments. As soon as the functionality was made available, I put my mortgage payments, car payments, utility payments, and every other regular payment I could think of, on an automated schedule. It just made sense to schedule them and save myself the time of paying them individually every month.
