NetSuite Unveils New B2B Customer Center for SuiteCommerce

At SuiteWorld 2014, NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson, in the opening keynote, announced the latest release of B2B Customer Center, built on the SuiteCommerce platform. Given that business models are increasingly converging and lines blurring (retail vs. distribution vs. manufacturing, products vs. services, B2B vs. B2C vs. B2B2C, etc.), the idea is to enable business to business (B2B) merchants (distributors, manufacturers, and B2B buyers) to deliver a business to consumer (B2C)-like online shopping experience (see image below).

Business must be commerce ready, and integration of front-office customer relationship management (CRM) data with back-office enterprise resource planning (ERP) data is an imperative—with astute omnichannel order management capabilities at the core. To that end, NetSuite’s new B2B Customer Center allows B2B buyers to view order status, details, and history, track shipments, reorder goods, approve quotes, make payments, manage account information, request refunds and returns, and more, in a secure password-protected environment.


 


The major features of the B2B Customer Center include a self-service customer portal, new customization, billing and payments, account, and product management capabilities that promote business efficiency by offering tools such as lists for seasonal purchasing and frequent buyers (to create custom shopping lists, or wish lists, to expedite recurring purchases). NetSuite SuiteCommerce's extensible platform supports role-based permissions, allowing customers to extend the solution to business-specific use cases, such as branded design, streamlined ordering, and payments. Responsive web design capabilities optimize the site for multiple devices, meeting the growing need of both buyers and sellers to access information and complete transactions anywhere and anytime.

As demonstrated to the conference attendees (see photo below), B2B buyers now have flexible payment options, including paying single invoices or multiple invoices, or making partial payments. Buyers can take advantage of discounts for paying early, whereas overdue invoices are highlighted to ensure proper payment. Customizable dashboards give buyers a snapshot overview of outstanding and available balances, deposits, credit limits and memos, current terms, and more. NetSuite distribution and manufacturing customers such as VHA Corp, EndoChoice, CMP Corp., Liberty Bottleworks, Tacoma Screw Products, Cleaner's Supply, and PAG Leisurewear are using NetSuite SuiteCommerce to reach new markets, drive site traffic, and improve operational efficiency by eliminating manual steps in phone, e-mail, and fax orders.

Accellos Announces Integration Between Prophecy Dispatch & MacroPoint

Accellos announced new integration between their Prophesy Dispatch TMS product and MacroPoint, a service which provides location tracking for brokered loads. The integrated solution provides Transportation Brokers with a way to automatically track loads including arrival, departure from stops, and GPS position updates. The interface with Prophesy Dispatch automatically passes load info to the MacroPoint site to eliminate the need for re-entry. The system then automatically brings load data back into Prophesy Dispatch including arrival, departure and GPS position data. Check calls are automatically created in dispatch and load ETA's are automatically updated.The actual route the driver is taking can also be mapped in the Prophesy Dispatch software.

 

For more information, please visit www.accellos.com.

 

VAI Webinar: How Can an Integrated ERP System Deliver Bottom Line Results

Join this webinar to learn how an ERP system can leverage your business' success. VAI S2K Enterprise Software provides the power and unsurpassed value that companies need to address key industry requirements and deliver bottom-line results. During this one-hour event you will learn about the features and functions of S2K Enterprise Software and how it will significantly improve your companies overall operations. 

To register, visit http://www.vai.net/events  

Infor Introduces Next Wave of Enterprise Software with Infor10

Consumer-Grade User Experience, Complete Industry Applications & Cloud Deployment Options Enabled by ION Technology

Infor, a leading provider of business application software with operations serving more than 75,000 customers, unveiled Infor10, which features a consumer-grade user experience, complete industry-specific software applications and Infor10 ION Suite, a lightweight, middleware technology that changes the way enterprise software is managed. 

"Our customers today already enjoy best-in-class applications with deep out-of-the-box functionality across a variety of highly specialized industries and micro-verticals. Infor10 sets a new standard for how work gets done. People at work have come to expect the same user experience they encounter in their everyday lives as users of Twitter, Facebook and Google. Infor10 and the Infor10 ION Suite bring that to the workplace," said Charles Phillips, CEO of Infor. "This unique combination provides our existing customers the opportunity to dramatically upgrade and extend their investments in Infor applications, and it gives new customers the next wave of enterprise software innovation they've been seeking."

ION Is the Foundation of Infor10
The Infor10 ION Suite is at the heart of Infor10. ION connects and integrates Infor and non-Infor applications, storing information in a common format and repository. ION allows information that flows among applications, analytics and social media streams to be accessed by users from their desktops, laptops and mobile devices.   

Unlike conventional middleware, the lightweight ION technology is not layered on top of existing applications, but infused into them. As a result, ION makes integrations quicker, simpler and more reliable. "ION creates the mobile, social and flexible enterprise," said Soma Somasundaram, senior vice president, Global Product Development, Infor. "Because it's lightweight and built using open standards, ION installs much faster than heavy middleware and allows customers to get up and running quickly and efficiently so they can focus on their core business." 

ION enables new and existing Infor and non-Infor applications to work as a holistic solution, helping to create streamlined workflows and end-to-end business processes, while improving system performance speed and upgrades.

"We say ION is unbreakable architecture because extensions don't break during upgrades," said Somasundaram. "Most of our customers don't want to be in the technology business. They would rather have IT be more agile and innovative, which is what ION allows them to do."

Infor10 Consumer-Grade Experience
Infor10 Workspace is the front end of Infor10 and designed to deliver a consumer-grade user experience and change the way work is done for the average enterprise user.

"Enterprise software users want to work the way they live," said Duncan Angove, president, Products and Support, Infor. "They can see what's going on in the consumer world, where social media, collaboration and mobile devices combined with beautiful design, ready-to-use applications and agile technology have substantially improved the speed, value and productivity of the consumer experience. With Infor10, we are delivering a consumer-grade user experience that begins with a beautiful user interface."

Infor10 ION Workspace unifies and presents all relevant information for each user on one screen, including role-based workflows, task and alerts, in-context business intelligence, event management, social media collaboration, consumer-like search capabilities, and business activity streams.

Infor10 Complete Industry Applications
ION also makes it possible to connect the rich functionality of leading ERP and best- in-class solutions from Infor and affiliate Lawson Software for specific industries.

Infor10 suites are targeted for Aerospace and Defense; Automotive; Chemicals; Distribution; Equipment Services, Maintenance & Rental; Fashion; Food and Beverage; General Manufacturing; Healthcare; High Tech; Hospitality; Industrial Equipment and  Machinery; and Public Sector.

"Generic one-size-fits-all software requires time-consuming configuration and doesn't address the specific needs of an industry," said Angove. "We believe that speed is the new basis for global competition, and we are building the functionality our customers need not only to address their industry issues right out of the box, but also to eliminate extensive customizations that lead to costly and risky implementations."

Infor10 Reimagines How Software is Managed
The Infor10 release also provides flexible deployment options, including Infor's CloudSuite Platform, to increase an organization's speed and agility.

Customers can run their entire solution on Infor10 CloudSuite or can keep core enterprise systems on premise, while running other applications or services in the Cloud. The Infor10 CloudSuite Platform features a unified user experience and security, and enables two-tiered, hybrid deployments.

Whether customers access functionality from a software-as-a-service (cloud) model or on-premise deployment, they get the same functionality and look-and-feel. The only difference is in how their users connect to core applications. Customers can even move from one deployment model to another, since the same application code is used for all deployment models.

About Infor
Infor is a leading provider of business software and services, helping more than 75,000 customers in 164 countries improve operations and drive growth.  To learn more about Infor10 or Infor, please visit www.infor.com.

VAI Webinar: 15 Minute Coffee Break on VAI Sales Force Management

August 11, 2011 at 1:00pm EST

Companies are always looking for ways to bridge the communication gap between in-office and their mobile sales force. Using the latest web technology, VAI S2K Sales Force allows you to integrate your enterprise data with mobile computing devices, such as the new Apple iPad and iPhone, giving your field sales force easy access to customer and product information at the point of customer contact.

To register, visit: www.vai.net/events

VAI Webinar: VAI S2K Retail

August 10, 2011 at 2:00pm to 3:00pm EST

VAI S2K Retail Management Software leverages innovative technology to create integrated enterprise solutions. Our software package provides comprehensive turnkey solutions that optimize and centralize information across platforms. By increasing productivity and streamlining retail operations, VAI’s advanced software gives management teams the ability to move merchandise more effectively and eliminate costly delays. Money saving opportunities abound with this dynamic enterprise application, which excels at maximizing effectiveness across all levels of your business. Through our enduring partnership with IBM, VAI offers the security you’ve come to expect from an industry leader, while providing the innovative enterprise solutions that growing businesses demand. By enhancing the software infrastructure of companies, VAI S2K Retail Management Software enables companies to achieve effective integration.

To register, visit: http://www.vai.net/events

IBS Webinar: NetStore is the self-service web channel for buyers and sellers

Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 1:00PM to 1:30PM EDT

IBS NetStore is an e-business application that provides you fast, easy, low-cost access to new markets. It gives your customers immediate answers for order-related questions, thanks to its complete integration with IBS Enterprise or your existing ERP system.

During this webinar you will see how NetStore:

• Provides a self-service web channel for purchases, service, incident reports, and even returns or quote requests.
• Connects to social media.
• Supports mobility of your salesforce and buyers with iPad and Droid usability.
• Has Google style product search with image, video, animation viewing capability for multi-item comparisons or multi-field searches.
• Allows online customer registration, credit check, and credit card authorization.
• Gives real-time pricing and availability with automatic e-mail confirmation.

NetStore improves the customer experience which increases customer satisfaction and loyalty while lightening the load on your current staff to allow focus on the more complex sales activities.

Join IBS for 30 minutes to see how IBS NetStore can also provide account status information including current balance, credit, outstanding payments, and A/R agreements all while you track website visitor behavior like the number of visits, last visit, average session, interrupted orders or transactions per hour.

To register, visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/144592057?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonv6rKZKXonjHpfsX67OksWaCg38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YIERcd0dvycMRAVFZl5nQVaCQ%3D%3D

SAP and Microsoft Make App Development and Cloud Management Easier

Microsoft’s broad partner ecosystem is what powers increased value and solutions for customers and their evolving business needs.

One example of this is today’s announcement of SAP and Microsoft’s plans to focus on two key areas: first, to help .NET Framework developers more easily build applications connecting to SAP, and second, to help customers harness the power of the cloud.

As a result of this announcement, developers can expect much more support and integration between the development worlds of SAP and Microsoft. Business processes from SAP software can now be easily consumed and extended by .NET developers, simplifying the overall application development process. This level of access will immediately reduce the number of steps developers must take in order to ensure application integration, and also lead to shorter development cycles and lower costs.

Microsoft and SAP also plan to provide integration between SAP’s landscape management software, Microsoft System Center and Microsoft Windows Server Hyper-V technology, bringing greater agility to cloud management and deployments.

This integration will instill enhanced flexibility, scalability and management in the cloud, all while reducing cost and risk. Through these connected offerings, SAP and Microsoft customers will be able to easily scale their deployments in their own data centers or through private clouds, for example, if they have a workload that needs on-demand scale periodically, such as a paycheck or employee performance review application.

Together, Microsoft and SAP are committed to driving greater levels of innovation and flexibility for application development and cloud deployment – from your datacenter to the public cloud, eventually enabling hybrid computing scenarios via Windows Azure for companies to embrace cloud computing on their terms.

This announcement was made at SAPPHIRE® NOW, being held in Orlando, Florida, May 15-18, 2011 where Microsoft was also named SAP Global Technology Partner of the Year.

Posted by Ted Kummert (http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2011/05/18/sap-and-microsoft-make-app-development-and-cloud-management-easier.aspx)
Senior Vice President, Business Platform Division, Microsoft