Building a budget picture based on a three-year total will deliver a more accurate ROI calculation that's better aligned with your productivity and business goals. Consider expanding your initial integration costs to assume some additional development of back-end links in years two and three. As the system grows, often organizations find new ways to connect information that isn't reflected in the initial estimate.STOP OR GO?
In light of the expanded decision points we've discussed, how enterprise-ready are today's most popular SaaS options? Here we'll discuss two fairly well established enterprise apps. For coverage of online data backup, spam and e-mail virus control, and network monitoring, click over to our Special Report.
Yes, that's a yellow light. One of the most popular SaaS applications, all things related to automating the sales process, seems like a perfect place to test the concept. Sales forces tend to be far flung and not very disciplined at following a standardized method of sales information management. Sage, Salesforce, SAP, and a host of other well-funded operations have been preaching the benefits of outsourced sales processes. However, implementing CRM is never easy, despite the maturity of this category. Gartner reports that 65% of enterprises will fail to effectively align their organizations with targeted customer and financial outcomes. Why? Because CRM requires changing and standardizing the most nebulous part of most companies--the sales team.
When you're talking budget, this challenge plays in favor of SaaS vendors. The lower up-front investment in a hosted system lessens the cost of failure. Plus, the template-driven style of most hosted apps can help you work through the development process more quickly. This doesn't mean the project will fly, of course, but it may make a failed SaaS project less painful.
There are multiple profitable CRM vendors with ample cash and long track records. There has been some consolidation--for example, RightNow's acquisition of SalesNet--but these services have been in production for several years. Tools, data security, and customization options vary, but most have a well-developed base set of functionality.
You'll need to dig in with the vendor on the bandwidth impact at the home office. Linking back-end customer data with your sales force is a critical task that will impact traffic to your internal data center.
The new HPE Aruba 730 series Wi-Fi 7 access points tout high performance, enhanced security, location tracking capabilities, and more.
Verizon is demoing crowd analytics technology that uses 5G along with AI and mobile edge computing to give stadium operators insights into the flow of fans throughout a venue.
As we move closer to fully realizing the potential of Wi-Fi 7, it becomes evident that the RF, signaling, and throughput tests are not merely procedural checkpoints but the pillars of excellence in wireless communication.
