In a previous blog I suggested 3 rules for Protecting your Software Investment from “yourself” — i.e. your own need to integrate, enhance and extend your Enterprise Software Systems: Separate Control Document Now we will dive deeper into what I mean with these three terms, starting with “separate”. Let’s look at this from the reverse point of view. You have …
Printers: Tomorrow’s Manufacturers?
I am just back from the DSCOOP conference for owners of Hewlett Packard’s Indigo commercial digital printers, and I think there is something exciting happening there that is worth sharing. First of all, let’s be clear that we’re not talking about your desktop laser or “All-In-One” inkjet here. HP Indigo printers are SUV to small truck sized machines which put …
If you Filled a Big Data Lake, Would Anyone Swim in it?
The idea that you should build a “Data Lake” has gained a lot of currency recently in discussions of Big Data implementations. So what is a Data Lake, and is it a good idea? The answers depend on who you ask, and how you set it up. First, what is it, and what is it not? Definitions tell me a …
Protecting your Software Investment from… your own Software!
Tell me if you have this problem: a business’ critical IT system cannot be upgraded to a current revision or replaced, because it has been heavily customized, or surrounded by other complex customized IT systems? For such comfort as there is in misery shared, you are not alone! I have seen this issue at a Fortune 100 technology industry leader, …
Apollo-Soyuz: an Integration Lesson
These days, East-West relations sadly seem to be unwinding, and it made me nostalgic for the thaw that started in the 1970’s; and the Apollo-Soyuz link-up came to mind. If you’re younger, or less into space than me, the Apollo-Soyuz mission was the first time ever that US and Soviet space craft co-operated in space. It was a big deal. …
Big Data Means: Thinking Like a Fox
The saying “the Hedgehog knows one thing, the Fox knows many things“ from Isaiah Berlin’s essay is a good summary of why useful Big Data systems are so difficult to deliver: the sheer breadth and variety of knowledge required to build the right system and make it work is overwhelming. I have been involved in, led, and delivered many Big Data …
Eyewitness Testimony: No Basis for Good Business Decisions
“There have been 318 wrongful convictions overturned by DNA evidence since 1989. In most of those cases, the eyewitnesses who testified felt confident in their memories when under oath on the stand. Yet eyewitness testimony contributed to 72 percent of those wrongful convictions” – Newsweek – The End of Eyewitness Testimonies. It has become more and more apparent over the …
Case Study: Fraysen Improves Printing System
Our client is an innovative Commercial Printer headquartered in Raleigh, NC, that provides a full range of printing and fulfillment services to a wide range of Customers. Problem to be solved Unlike many high-volume production lines, Commercial Printers faces the problem of having a different configuration of equipment and processes for almost every job. This presents a complex scheduling and …
Integrating My Business: It’s all about Communications
In our last blog we discussed how functionally organized IT systems break up a business’ process flows, and worse: these breaks often happen right where the actual work gets done! OK you say — the work had to be done anyway, so what’s the big deal? Well it can be quite a big deal. Let’s look at what we have …
Integrating My Business: Systems Thinking
In our last blog we discussed why it is still so hard to integrate your business with so many business software options available. Our conclusion was if you approach buying business software and integrating business processes from a systems point of view, you were more likely to integrate successfully. Let’s further elaborate on this idea. Thinking about your business as …