Evaluate

Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• Examining the pros and cons of Microsoft Power BI tools

  Power BI is a suite of business intelligence tools that targets user-friendly analysis and reporting. But what are users getting for their money, and how is it potentially useful? Continue Reading

• How can lean manufacturing concepts be used with MRP and ERP?

  Sometimes, in technology, as in life, opposites come together in a surprising way. Such is the case for lean's pull technique and ERP's emphasis on push. Continue Reading

• Avaya UC product overview: Aura Communication Manager

  The Avaya Aura Platform, perhaps best suited for larger enterprises, supports messaging, voice, video, presence and mobility features, as well as virtualization. Continue Reading

• Why aren't more companies using RFID for inventory tracking?

  Radio frequency identification tags have a number of benefits over the bar code, but the latter continues to be the go-to for manufacturers. Here's a look at the reasons for that. Continue Reading

• Handling unwieldy data with Salesforce Wave Analytics

  With sales teams struggling to access and consume data, Salesforce Wave Analytics promises ease of use and accessibility. Continue Reading

• Is SAP NetWeaver 7.5 a new foundation for an old brand?

  SAP's venerable NetWeaver seems to be fading out of sight, but it forms the basis of the HANA Cloud Platform and a new version, SAP NetWeaver 7.5, indicates that it's here to stay.Continue Reading

• IT admin's guide to the Sysinternals suite

  Native Windows management tools are not always enough for admins to get the job done. Sysinternals, a free software suite, can fill in the cracks.Continue Reading

• Customer sales can hinge on landing the best CRM tool

  So you want to enhance and improve your company's customer engagement success rate? The right customer relationship management tool can make the difference. Before selecting the best CRM tool, you'll need to establish which product features are most...Continue Reading

• What can PLM technology do for enterprises?

  Product lifecycle management can be an opaque topic. Here's help understanding exactly what PLM technology is and how it can help your company innovate.Continue Reading

• How do I choose an effective supply chain analytics system?

  Supply chain analytics promises rich insight into operations and better decision making. Here are a host of considerations when thinking about what you need.Continue Reading

• Despite spruce-up, is the Salesforce Lightning UI fully baked?

  Salesforce Lightning UI was updated this fall, enabling even greater ease of use, but pain points still exist in the platform.Continue Reading

• What to expect from the Salesforce Sales Cloud platform

  Salesforce Sales Cloud is a CRM platform featuring a number of sales and CRM tools, which help businesses of all sizes manage their B2B and B2C engagement and sales strategies.Continue Reading

• Mitel VoIP 3300 series controllers: Product overview

  The Mitel VoIP platform consists of the 3300 series controllers. With support for up to 2,000 SIP trunks, the 3300 series can replace legacy telephony in small or large businesses.Continue Reading

• ShoreTel phone system: Product overview

  The ShoreTel VoIP system boasts several voice switches, simplified administration and automated backup. The premises platform is ShoreTel's replacement for PBX telephony.Continue Reading

• LBS powers personalized intranet design

  Frustrated by its needle-in-a-haystack approach to locating pertinent corporate info, Citrix geared its intranet to specific employee needs worldwide.Continue Reading

• One company's plan for a comprehensive multichannel strategy

  Companies are constantly flooded with customer information across multiple media channels, including websites, mobile apps, social media and blogs. The key to improved service and sales is to tie together all of these sources of information into one...Continue Reading

• Cisco UCM voice over IP system: Product overview

  Designed for small and medium businesses, as well as large enterprises, Cisco UCM provides voice over IP technology that can replace a legacy telephone system.Continue Reading

• Windows 8 GPO settings to configure search, indexing options

  Windows 8 and 8.1 GPOs can help with many tasks, including creating Start screen layouts that adhere to corporate policies, as well as configuring search and indexing settings.Continue Reading

• What is the best way to transition from Windows XP to Windows 10?

  If you're still on Windows XP, there's really only one Microsoft-supported way you can move from XP to Windows 10.Continue Reading

• Challenges hinder Salesforce Lightning, Wave adoption

  One year after they were released, users are looking before they leap into Salesforce Lightning and Salesforce Wave. What is crimping adoption?Continue Reading

• Keep consumers close with mobile location-based services

  When stores first began setting up websites, customers suddenly had more flexibility. They could compare prices and make purchases without ever leaving the house. But the online experience didn't replace the in-store experience. And now tools like ...Continue Reading

• Wearable technologies still need to hit their enterprise stride

  Wearable technologies represent a $7 billion industry, but they haven’t yet made their stake in the ground for knowledge workers.Continue Reading

• Comparing the leading VoIP vendors and their products

  Before purchasing a VoIP system, enterprises need to carry out careful research as VoIP vendors offer intricate products with varying capabilities.Continue Reading

• PeopleSoft ERP suite excels at human capital management

  PeopleSoft ERP software aims to help enterprises recruit and retain top talent, while offering financial and supply chain modules.Continue Reading

• Zoho CRM platform overview

  Zoho's cloud-based CRM platform helps businesses manage the key aspects of their customer engagement strategies.Continue Reading

• How does SharePoint 2016 differ from SharePoint 2013?

  SharePoint 2016 will bring new features on premises, but many upgrades focus on easier integration with cloud-based Office 365 services.Continue Reading

• Toshiba IPedge VoIP System Product Overview

  The Toshiba IPedge is a secure software-based VoIP system intended to replace legacy telephony.Continue Reading

• Social customer service needs to be integrated with larger business

  For social customer service to be effective, it needs to be integrated with other aspects of the business, including sales, marketing and product development.Continue Reading

• Salesforce releases Wave Analytics Apps and Sales Wave Analytics

  Wave Analytics Apps, the latest offering from Salesforce, makes crunching the numbers easier through tighter integration with Salesforce 1.Continue Reading

• Workday HCM | HR tools product overview

  Workday HCM has a wide breadth of functions aimed at unifying human resource capabilities into a single, easy-to-use system.Continue Reading

• VDI assessment guide

  Wait! Don't implement VDI technology until you know your goals and needs. A VDI assessment should consider the benefits of a VDI environment and its effects on end users.Continue Reading

• HR tools overview: IBM Kenexa Talent Acquisition Suite

  IBM Kenexa Talent Acquisition Suite focuses on the talent management needs of an organization.Continue Reading

• How challenging is implementing BYOD in a UC environment?

  What are some challenges of implementing BYOD in a UC environment? UC expert Jon Arnold explains the three high-level challenges organizations face with BYOD.Continue Reading

• Are Microsoft customers cooling on cloud concerns?

  As cloud platforms mature and become more mainstream, on-the-fence Microsoft users are taking another look at adopting them.Continue Reading

• Has Microsoft cloud strategy evolved?

  Microsoft is trying to lead customers to the cloud with hybrid offerings, such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM. But will that succeed?Continue Reading

• Benefits and disadvantages of virtual mobile infrastructure

  Virtual mobile infrastructure lets you run mobile applications in your data center and take advantage of some of the same benefits as VDI, but it also comes with similar drawbacks, such as offline access issues.Continue Reading

• CRM leadership: Buying, managing and running a system

  Implementing a CRM system is more than just buying software. Executives need to tap into their leadership skills to select the right CRM system and ensure that it brings the desired benefits to the organization.Continue Reading

• What a desktop assessment can do for you

  Is every physical desktop a candidate for virtualization? A desktop assessment can help make this determination before a major VDI investment is made.Continue Reading

• Customer data becomes the turf for companies' competitive advantage

  Corporations are using customer data to gain a competitive edge in the market, but new analytics technologies pose privacy downsides.Continue Reading

• Salesforce vs. Microsoft Dynamics: Why I choose Salesforce

  While Salesforce can be more costly than Microsoft Dynamics, ease of use and a healthy ecosystem of support can make it a persuasive choice.Continue Reading

• How does VMware App Volumes differ from ThinApp?

  VMware App Volumes, formerly CloudVolumes, is the virtualization company's attempt to speed application deployments and reduce IT headaches.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Windows history: A 30-year timeline

  Microsoft celebrates 30 years of the Windows operating system when it ships Windows 10 this fall. Here's a look at Windows history -- bumps and all.Continue Reading

• BPM backbone builds new paths to customer engagement

  Pega, a business process management software forerunner, is using BPM to deliver new customer engagement and CRM software for its customers.Continue Reading

• Apple Device Enrollment Program streamlines deployment, MDM

  The Apple Device Enrollment Program allows IT pros to automate deployment, and they can also preset mandatory MDM configurations out of the box.Continue Reading

• Are marketing automation tools the greatest asset in the sales arsenal?

  The more your sales reps know about prospects, the faster they can close deals. Here's why marketing automation tools deliver real sales intelligence.Continue Reading

• Customer data integration needs strategy to derive meaning

  Your approach to customer data integration needs to be guided by another strategy to determine which information is relevant.Continue Reading

• Manufacturing operations management merges ERP and MES

  As integrated manufacturing systems evolve, a new term -- manufacturing operations management -- signifies the merger of ERP and MES.Continue Reading

• Zero client buying guide

  There are lots of client options to choose from for VDI. Get the details on four of the most popular zero clients and how they can meet your needs in this buying guide.Continue Reading

• Windows 9 features may address unified apps and the cloud

  Based on the Windows 8.1 update, it's reasonable to expect Windows 9 features for universal apps and cloud integration. Will they entice enterprises?Continue Reading

• RDSH vs. VDI comparison proves use case is everything

  In a RDSH vs. VDI comparison, it's not a matter of which is better. The most important thing is which one best fits your use case. VDI is good if users need multiple applications, but RDSH is a more lightweight model.Continue Reading

• Weighing the pros and cons of SharePoint BPM

  When looking at the pros and cons of SharePoint BPM, consider the tradeoff between Office integration and the versatility of broader BPM tools.Continue Reading

• How to build visual workflows in SharePoint

  Editing workflows in SharePoint has become more intuitive, with Visio integration that makes it easier to alter the structure of business processes.Continue Reading

• Use balanced scorecards to follow through on business strategy

  Balanced scorecards are deceptively powerful tools for defining and tracking key metrics and objectives.Continue Reading

• Do you need an SAP data mart, or an SAP data warehouse?

  Do you need an SAP data mart, or a data warehouse? It depends if you need to deploy data across an enterprise, or need something more focused.Continue Reading

• The case for a phased SAP HANA implementation

  Installing SAP HANA is no easy task. Read about why Scotts Miracle-Gro decided on a phased rollout of its HANA implementation.Continue Reading

• BlackBerry 10 open APIs extend MDM support without BES

  BlackBerry's move to open its BlackBerry 10 OS APIs to other MDM tools is a welcome one for IT shops that don't want to stick with BES.Continue Reading

• A guide to SharePoint migration

  SharePoint migration is no easy task. Prepare for a successful upgrade with this guide, which also includes SPTechCon 2014 coverage.Continue Reading

• Breaking down VMware GPU virtualization options: Soft 3D, vSGA and vDGA

  VMware GPU virtualization options Soft 3D, vSGA and vDGA have different uses and benefits, but they all help companies reap performance rewards.Continue Reading

• The Sysinternals Disk Usage tool is a simple way to assess free space

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• Free Sysinternals tools can be IT's friends

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• BPM projects must come from top down, says Oracle Collaborate speaker

  While trends such as mobility have changed BPM from the bottom up, BPM projects should come from the top down, said an Oracle Collaborate speaker.Continue Reading

• What's the difference between SAP ABAP and SAP Basis?

  Confused by the difference between SAP ABAP and SAP Basis? Developer Ethan Jewett explains how to tell them apart.Continue Reading

• Microsoft moves deeper into cloud with Office Graph, OneDrive updates

  Microsoft looks to the enterprise future with Yammer-inspired Office Graph for collaboration, standalone OneDrive for Business taking on Dropbox, Box.Continue Reading

• App delivery techniques: Virtualization and Web-based apps

  Web-based apps and mobile desktop virtualization are gaining traction as valid mobile app delivery techniques, but each option has specific use cases.Continue Reading

• Five critical factors to integrating SAP SuccessFactors with SAP HCM

  There are five critical aspects to integrating SAP SuccessFactors with SAP HCM software or other technologies, writes HCM expert Luke Marson.Continue Reading

• How do media servers differ from media gateways?

  Expert Carrie Higbie explains how media servers differ from media gateways and how media servers are useful in video and voice environments.Continue Reading

• FAQ: Understanding and leveraging 3PL providers

  In this FAQ, learn all about third-party logistics (3PL) providers and what they can offer manufacturers.Continue Reading

• Making thin client performance priority No. 1

  Thin client performance is the key to a successful endpoint because it's the issue that most affects your end users.Continue Reading

• Before you clone HDD to SSD, know the benefits and danger to data

  Which type of drive is better: hard disk drive or solid-state drive? HDD to SSD cloning can ease data access, but SSDs aren't without risks to data.Continue Reading

• Updates of cloud-based applications not as automatic as they may seem

  According to experts, some of the onus still falls on users to update cloud-based applications, despite vendor promises of automatic upgrades.Continue Reading

• Compare Cisco and Lync UC platform features while market is ripe

  Are you deciding between Cisco and Lync UC platforms? This article compares features from each vendor and explains why the competition is so tough.Continue Reading

• Three important VDI application deployment considerations

  Consider app compatibility and the frequency of updates when you choose VDI application deployment methods. Oh, and don't forget cost.Continue Reading

• Budgeting process case studies demonstrate how to keep it simple

  Barry Wilderman analyzes two budgeting case studies and breaks down their differences and similarities.Continue Reading

• Use SAP Backflush functionality to automate production processes

  Companies save themselves headaches by automating production processes using SAP Backflush and Automatic Goods Receipt functions, writes Jawad Akhtar.Continue Reading

• SharePoint 2013 out-of-the-box features

  Let's give thanks for some of SharePoint 2013's out-of-the-box features, some of which have made serious strides since the previous release.Continue Reading

• If you're not using Windows Sysinternals tools, you should be

  Windows Sysinternals tools can make work a lot easier for IT administrators, but many people don't even know the suite exists. Get with the program!Continue Reading

• Budgeting software vs. Excel: Which one meets your organization's needs?

  To make your decision easier, read expert Barry Wilderman's explanation of the pros and cons of each, plus cloud considerations.Continue Reading

• How to configure SharePoint for mobile devices

  As more organizations support bring-your-own-device initiatives, end users increasingly expect access to SharePoint resources from mobile devices.Continue Reading

• SAP NLS app, new HANA updates changing the data management equation

  Developments including an SAP Near Line Storage application and new SAP HANA features are helping solve big data bottlenecks, writes Ethan Jewett.Continue Reading

• Which budget technique is right for your organization?

  Budgeting is not one size fits all. The size of your organization may determine which technique fit bests. Try these techniques on for size.Continue Reading

• SharePoint 2013 overview: Ready for mobile and social?

  Despite a lackluster track record for mobile SharePoint, is SharePoint 2013 now ready for mobile prime time?Continue Reading

• BMC's Partnerpedia acquisition to yield unified enterprise app store

  BMC, RES Software and other vendors offer enterprise app stores akin to Apple's Mac App Store to deliver apps and services to corporate employees . Here's how.Continue Reading

• Google Hangouts vs. Skype: A comparative look

  Google's challenging Microsoft in the video conferencing market. This chart offers a feature-by-feature comparative look at Google Hangouts vs. Skype.Continue Reading

• Apple iOS devices and VDI: Connecting the cult and the corporation

  If your organization wants to access virtual desktops from Apple iOS devices, keep these tips in mind to make the transition smooth.Continue Reading

• Windows tools and terminology for desktop admins

  There are a number of Windows tools that desktop admins can use, but before you can use them you have to know what the terms actually mean.Continue Reading

• What is a call park phone feature and how does it work?

  UC expert, Matt Brunk, explains a call park phone feature, how it works and how it compares to a visual call park feature in this expert response.Continue Reading

• Zero client vs. thin client computing: Why zero clients are better

  Zero clients and thin clients both offer virtual desktop access, but they aren't the same when it comes to performance and scalability.Continue Reading

• Mobile application delivery: How to do it and what to beware of

  Mobile application delivery is a tough nut to crack. Every delivery option has drawbacks, such as cost, connectivity and user experience.Continue Reading

• Oracle Siebel vs. Salesforce faceoff: Siebel is more versatile

  In this Oracle Siebel vs. Salesforce faceoff, one consultant says Siebel users have more options without paying much more than Salesforce customers.Continue Reading

• Application virtualization comparison: XenApp vs. ThinApp vs. App-V

  App streaming and virtualization tools differ when it comes to portability, offline capabilities and more. Get to know application presentation tools from Citrix, VMware and Microsoft.Continue Reading

• Budgeting and forecasting software rescues firm from 'spreadsheet hell'

  Adaptive Planning's SaaS budgeting, planning and forecasting tools cater to NPD Group's global needs in a way that Excel couldn't.Continue Reading

• Citrix Synergy Barcelona recap: Combining XenApp and XenDesktop

  At Citrix Synergy Barcelona, the vendor announced phase one of Project Avalon, which will provide unified management for XenApp and XenDesktop.Continue Reading

• Application virtualization Q&A: Streaming and remote app delivery

  Application virtualization can simplify upgrading and management. Just remember, streaming and remote apps are two different things.Continue Reading

• Six data privacy questions to ask SaaS financial software vendors

  The answers to these questions can help CFOs shake data privacy fears and feel more confident about moving financials to the cloud.Continue Reading

• VMware announces AppShift, Wanova integration in end-user computing keynote

  At VMworld 2012 this week, the end-user computing keynote had IT pros talking. Hear about Project AppShift, Wanova's integration with VMware View and more in this video recap.Continue Reading

• Why using a bare metal client hypervisor on a Mac makes no sense

  Apple supports running Mac OS X 10.7 Lion in a client hypervisor VM on Mac hardware, but is there any value in virtualizing the Mac OS with Type-1 products such as XenClient?Continue Reading

• Oracle vs. SAP lawsuit: The trial begins

  It’s been more than three years since Oracle filed a lawsuit against SAP alleging intellectual property theft. Read this special report for the history of the Oracle vs. SAP lawsuit.Continue Reading

• SAP Sapphire Now 2010 Orlando: SearchSAP.com Special Report

  This SAP Sapphire 2010 special report features content from SAP's annual user conference in one convenient location.Continue Reading

• Mobile device integration services: Choosing a mobile operating system

  To offer mobile device integration services, a solution provider must be able to recommend the right operating system for mobile devices. Depending on a customer's needs, a solution provider should be able to provide a mobile OS comparison and guide...Continue Reading

• Planning for a warehouse management software (WMS) project

  Any warehouse management system (WMS) project brings big changes to your IT and business processes. Here are tips for avoiding pitfalls and creating a WMS plan that meets your unique needs.Continue Reading