VAI Webinar: 15 Minute Coffee Break on VAI S2K e-Commerce

August 18, 2011 at 1:00pm EST

Taking advantage of e-Commerce is much more than simply opening up a new, on-line sales channel. It’s about using technology to streamline your business model, creating savings, and increasing efficiency. VAI offers a suite of e-business solutions that allow you to leverage the opportunities that the web provides.

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

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

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Launch

You want a powerful, agile, simple enterprise resource planning solution for your business. Microsoft has got it for you: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

It's launching September 8, 2011, and we'd like you to be a part of it. Register today to join the global virtual launch from the comfort of your home or office. You'll see the new product up close, hear from customers, and learn how Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 can meet your business needs.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MICROSOFT DYNAMICS AX 2012

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

100 Years And Counting For Industrial Distribution Magazine

Iconic media property celebrates 100 years of bringing news, exclusive features, new products, sales strategies and more to the industrial distribution marketplace.

In 2011 Industrial Distribution (www.inddist.com) magazine is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The milestone will be marked with exclusive web features and in a commemorative September/October print edition.

First off the presses in 1911, Mill Supplies was known as more of a catalog and directory, as opposed to the vital information source Industrial Distribution has become for large and small distributors alike. Over the years the property changed hands and titles, morphing over time to its current form. Annual highlights include: The Survey of Distributor Operations, The Big 50, and The Industrial Distribution Salary Report.

“I know I speak for our entire staff when I say how honored we are to be associated with Industrial Distribution,” stated Anna Wells, Industrial Distribution’s executive editor. “A legacy this long-standing can’t be replicated. We’re proud to have the most storied and resilient brand in the marketplace, and we’re committed to continuing into the next hundred years with the same focus on timely and relevant information for distribution professionals.”

Special editorial content will stem from the property’s unique relationship with its readership. Some of the industry’s most successful distributors will be joining forces to create a signature piece created via in-depth interviews with key industry players representing Grainger, Fastenal, MSC, and more.

“In addition to the feedback we get from our readership, we’ll also look to incorporate the unique insight of key suppliers,” adds Wells. “This group offers invaluable perspective on how their products or solutions can help address our readers’ critical issues. Obviously without these relationships and the support of our advertisers, the property wouldn’t be embarking on a centennial celebration.”

Industrial Distribution is part of Advantage Business Media’s Manufacturing Group, with sister properties that include: Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation, Food Manufacturing, Manufacturing.net, Manufacturing Business Technology, and Pharmaceutical Processing.

About Advantage Business Media:
Advantage Business Media is an integrated business media company with a diversified portfolio of highly focused print publications, e-newsletters, specialized directories, vertical search databases, conferences, ancillary media vehicles, and associated web-based services. Advantage Business Media is headquartered in Rockaway, NJ, with offices in Chicago, IL, Madison, WI and Denver, CO. For more information go to www.advantagebusinessmedia.com.

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