Technology - Friend or Foe?

One of the things I always look for when we meet a potential client is how they are utilizing their existing technology investments.  It always saddens me to see an organization that has obviously spent a significant amount of money, only to find that that the promised return on their investment never materialized.  Some examples that we see all the time:

• ERP user licenses going unused
• Software modules not activated
• Mobile devices cradled and never distributed

The truth is technology can be great, and when we see the latest and greatest we always see so much potential.  The reality is that its often a challenge to take technology and actually allow it to help with your business process.  The key is to perform your due diligence, understand what it is going to take to reach your goals, and educate your staff on what to expect during the implementation period.   With everybody on the same page and pointing in the same direction, your company can truly start to see technology as an asset to your company.

Extending the Reach

A few weeks ago Emily and I were able to attend a one day seminar in Atlanta, hosted by the Microsoft Dynamics GP team. The purpose of the seminar was to inform GP partners of the initiatives Microsoft will be taking over the next year to promote GP, and one of the key drivers they focused on was the idea that ERP must "extend the reach".

In the Microsoft context, the idea of "extending the reach" means utilizing ERP software, in this case Dynamics GP, in conjunction with other applications such as Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server, to push information out through an organization to those who need it. The fact is many companies don't utilize the software they've purchased - licenses go unused, modules lay dormant, and ROI is never achieved. Microsoft hopes that by promoting an "extended reach" that companies can engage all of its most valuable assets, i.e. employees, to better serve the company.

Here at Jackson Thornton Technologies, we also want to extend our reach, and we're hoping that by using social networking tools like this blog and our twitter account, that we can provide you with information that is helpful and useful to your business.

First Post

This is the first of hopefully many posts to the Jackson Thornton Technologies blog. Our goal and hope through this is to communicate to you some of the information that we see pass through our office on a daily basis. We welcome your comments and suggestions.