4th Quarter - This Week, this year 2011 - New Product and Services for Consumers

October 1st week marks the beginning of the 4th quarter and the most important quarter for business, this is when the largest online shopping sales happens and this part of the year most people shop the most due to holidays and also due to the fact it's financial year ending and organizations with sufficient budget would like use their allocated funds for their inventory.

Consumer technology Companies understand the magic 4th quarter and they are launching their new products and services to consumers and business to capture the  market share, here are few worth noting down

• Apple's iPhone 5G
• Android's new operating system
• Microsoft Mango
• Facebook Timeline
• Google Analytics
• Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet
• Interprise Suite ERP Software Ver 6.0

Apple's new iPhone 5G features the next generation of mobile computing and consumer driven features, Android iPhone's competitor is also releasing it's new OS partnered with Samsung to compete in mobile space along with Microsoft Mango mobile version.

In the tablet war Amazon introduced its new tablet for the masses Kindle Fire new kid on the block and it's prices are affordable priced at $199 compared to $499 for iPad and Samsung tabs.

Facebook the social media giant is unveiling the timeline feature update to 800 million users the largest online user base and also rumors of  introducing paid plans for users who have large fan base business and prominent people would be their biggest audience.

Google Analytics has rolled out a new product updates with real time updates of traffic instead of 24 hr delay restrictions it had before, with this change they are now offering Enterprise analytics and offering at larger clients who can afford $150k per yr.

Interprise Solutions maker of ERP software for small and medium business is launching their new version 6.0 to small and medium business world wide, with its new features it will now directly compete with other leading ERP brands such as NetSuite, Everest, SAP Business One, TradePoint, Sage, MS Dynamics and Quickbooks and business might see the value when they compare Interprise Suite with other brands.

We are seeing innovation on all fronts targeting consumers and the market is flooded with new products, new services and only the strongest will survive and as a business owner you need to capitalize by using the right technology and services to compete.

Get your wish lists, gift cards, shopping bags ready for a roller coaster ride of the yr 2011.

Which ERP Software Fits Your Business - NetSuite, Interprise Suite or Everest?

Why Interprise Suite should be your next ERP Software? 

If you are in the market for evaluating ERP software for small and medium business then you would have run into several different companies, products and lots of options and variations and wondering which software is going to fit my business and what's the best choice? Whom should we trust? Is this Company good? Or they stable or are they gonna go bankrupt? Should I spend $100,000 or $10,000?

What is right and what's wrong? Well we hear this concerns from several business owners in retail, wholesale, distribution and etail customers so we decided to highlight some of the competitors and the reason for us to partner with specific ERP vendors and why business should decide to choose Interprise Suite versus other ERP software's?

We have done all the research in evaluating the next best ERP for Small and medium business considering the fact that Small and Medium is vaguely defined and also each business have their own budget constraints, here are few that we have shortlisted and reason why we like one of below the most.

• Interprise Suite - Been in market since 2003 onwards with new management take over in 2010
• Everest -Been in market since 1998 however is declining since its latest acquisition in 2010
• NetSuite - Market leader in ERP software but priced highly after 2nd yr and moving away from small business or those who can't afford $10,000 
• ABAS - Not heard of 
• Acumatica - ERP vendor their ecommerce or POS solution is not comparable they are more focus like other ERP such as Sage or MS Dynamics, not focused on eBusiness
• Enterprise IQ (IQMS) - Not heard much abt, they have unique licensing options

We have done very detailed comparison of ERP software's in SMB sector module-module comparison btwn Interprise Suite Vs Everest and NetSuite and we find these 3 software's worthy of considering as fully integrated ERP software with Accounting, Sales, Purchases, Inventory, Purchasing, CRM, POS, EDI and other options. Click here to read more about the ERP comparisons 

Stability of Companies:

1. NetSuite - More stable is what we feel coz it's listed on Nasdaq and backed by Oracle so obviously we all tend to feel comfortable dealing with Companies that are listed as a stable Company.

2. Everest Software - Not listed but had 4 Venture Captials invest in millions and was recently sold to Versata who acquired Everest and its customer base on short sale and cut its entire work force and outsourced everything since then customers are jumping ship which is very clear the Company is viewed as "Not stable" with high support prices.

3. Interprise Suite - Not listed on Nasadaq however it did go through acquisition from Taylor Corp couple of yrs back and since then it was re-acquired by private investors who were also users of Interprise software so they can continue the progress of ERP development and to market its offerings, since Mar 2010 they had exponential growth in software in terms of ERP features and customer base, with it's new version 6.0 it's going to be tough contender for NetSuite.

I don't want so sound like i'm pitching for Interprise as the greatest software or perfect software for business, I have been in software development for more than 15+ yrs and have worked in ERP systems for more than 12+ yrs and have seen Companies risen and fallen. Every software has it's own  distinctive competencies and feature sets, also it's own issues, bugs and fixes or constraints in it's growth.One Size doesn't fit all and no software is perfect. You need to observe the Company and its trends in software development.

NetSuite is not profitable still since their expense is equal to their revenue, they are also trying to move away from smaller deals which was their core business Read more about this article which highlights the small business being avoided by NetSuite

Everest - Lots of our customers ask is Everest a stable Company are they going to be in business next yr or they gonna go bankrupt, do I need to be on Support contract? Our answers is the same we aren't sure since the recent acquisition and SMB research group have done an in-depth article about Everest Software and its future plans.

Now Interprise Suite, within last 1 yr the following things have happened 

1. Launched new website www.InterpriseSolutions.com after take over

2. 1000+ new users signed up on their community

3. Their daily traffic to website is higher as per the Alexa reports. Alexa Traffic Rank is 318,206 and reputation of 45 

4. Here is an email we recd from their top management with regards to future plans 

Our focus has not changed over the past 8 years.  We are committed to helping small businesses operate more effectively and efficiently while providing the best ROI in the industry.  We have been investing heavily in upgrading and improving our existing products (6.0), investing in creating new products and platforms for the future (POS/InterpriseTouch), investing in building an open community (we are closing in on 2,000 community members), investing in building an education portal for our customers (Still a few months away but coming along - http://university.interprisesolutions.com/), investing creating a dynamic new website for prospects, customers and partners (http://next.interprisesolutions.com/), investing in our new Cloud environment and investing in new and exciting services such as the Connected Business Network.

5. We are re-seller for Interprise from past 5 yrs and have moved several customers from Everest and NetSuite to Interprise Suite and also customized several eCommerce websites

6. Interprise had its 2011 User conference in Las Vegas on Aug 23rd More about it here 

7. 50+ re-sellers signed up for reselling their ERP products

8. Pricing options for a fully integrated ERP software with ECommerce + source code + Unlimited websites costs $995 per user or $99 per user OnCloud ($69 each additional user)

9. New POS built on open source technology SilverTouch which enables to build software apps on any platform that support silverlight like android devices or iPad's.

10. Community of developers, 3rd party developers, resellers, certification programs all helping the end users

As you see there are various factors while evaluating the ERP software, too many choices can spoil the fun, working with an expert always helps you to narrow down your choices and hear both sides of the story unlike the sales rep who wants to sell software and make commission and really not bother about your business or whether you are happy with your solution, long term relationship is key in such engagements.

Feel free to comment on this post and share it with others, if you want to discuss more about ERP software give us a buzz we will be more than happy to guide you not sell the software, but purely FREE information.

Are you ready for Mobile traffic?

A report by ABI Research found that mobile online shopping in the United States rose from $396 million in 2008 to $1.2 billion in 2009. The same survey predicted that mobile would bring in $119 billion by 2015. - Source: Mashable


So more and more consumers get their hands on smart phone such as iPhone and Android devices they have the mobility to shop online or compare products and price or even just look up for hot deals. Having an eCommerce website is a must if you targeting online shoppers but having mobile ready site makes it even more important to facilitate those shoppers who are researching your products or ready to buy in the shortest time available during holiday seasons. 


Interprise Solutions is launching its mobile solution this Holiday season and a sneak preview of it's mobile solution can be seen on their blog posted Sep 2nd by Gary. We will keep you updated on features, how it works, whether it can be customized for your mobile business solution, stay tuned ...  

Interprise Suite Seminar 2011 - Day 3 & 4

Day 3 & 4 Aug 25 & 26th
 

If you were overwhelmed with new features and excited about the latest happenings with this new version 6.0 and you stepped out to enjoy Vegas, you got to get yourself into the session by 9 am how does that sound? Well that's what everybody did and few people had to demo/speak at the seminar too ...

Day 3 was more of the same of Day 2 but wit more in depth review of features of how to use it, examples, more screenshot, live demo and breaks to caffeine ourselves so we can sit through the seminar.  

Track 1 covered setup and management of Ecommerce, Report engine and CRM module. Track 2 was more of POS, Customer and Supplier modules. Again if you are a Geek then you will love Track 3 and 4.

Track 3 caught my attention since Ramil the head of product development was walking through a bunch of nerds about the new revamped SDK (Software Development Kit) and this version of SDK looked much easier to use, simpler and intuitive for developers. He walked us through some basic stuff on how-to's and then showed us real life example of creating an order template and integrating with Order processing.

Track 4 - I had to really wake myself up to be there at 8:30 am so I can present my ECommerce 101 presentation which covered everything that you ever wanted to know abt running your eBusiness successfully from SEO, PPC, SEM, Social Media, Shopping feeds and Multi-channel marketing.

Track 4 also had topics from Lerryn, eTail Solutions, Barcoders and other notable speakers.

Day 4

 

We had half-day session on 26th Friday covering left over topics such as Banking, Accounting, Inventory and Shipping module features that couldn't fit into other days were covered. 

Track 3 & 4 on final day was more of networking, questions, brainstorming sessions. Honestly I couldn't make myself available since we had rock party the previous night and I ended up sleeping more ... 

What Happens in Vegas, Kind of Stays in Vegas :)

Most of us were ready to head back to our business/offices and those who dropped in from East coast had to rush before Hurricane Irene hits the east coast on Sat evening.

OVERALL, we liked the new version 6.0 (and beta 7 was release that week) it was packed with powerful automated features that small and medium business can use in their daily operations to run their business, some of the high level features worth noting down 

1. Interprise Suite is fully ERP ready

2. Just the Ecommerce solution is worth the install rather than Magento

3. New POS in Silver light seem very promising 

4. Integration with Shipping module and other partner's plugins makes it more scalable 

5. New revamped SDK is developers delight

6. Pricing you can't just beat it for what you get, under $5000 you get Combo meal, with bottomless fries and unlimited coke. (If you want me to translate that then 5 user license + E-Commerce unlimited websites) 

Interprise Suite Seminar 2011 - Day 2

Day 2 - Multi Track Session

Day 2 Aug 24th started with 4 tracks and this is where it gets interesting and if you are representing your Company alone then you have to shift gears and jump between sessions but recommended way to do it is always attend in groups at least 2 people from a Company so you can always share notes at the end.

Track 1 was Product overview from Curt and Track 2 was all about 6.0 and new features and this is where all the newbies and existing customers were glued to the presentation, Track 3 and 4 was more of eCommerce and latest technology from Interprise as well as System Integrator.

Honestly for me Track 3 & 4 was very interesting just coz i'm a Geek and I love what other Geeks do, so in this scenario I was overwhelmed by Ezra's new baby "Silver Touch" it really touched my Geek brain. SilverTouch is a development platform for developing rich user interface like Flash but using Silverlight technology from Microsoft that interfaces with Interprise database or with any other database. We got a glimpse of POS module that's developed using the SilverTouch interface, awesome idea to keep it open source and I thk this will be a killer for iPad/Tablet apps if Silverlight gets supported by Apple and Android devices ....

After sitting in the seminar for  6+ hrs listening to new features, coming soon, new features etc  overloaded with information you get brain damage and you step out of the seminar head back to your room(s) and take a power nap before you step out to play Craps, blackjack or just the slot machine or watch some shows vegas has to offer or if you are like me then you would rather  party all night ;) !!!!

Day 3 & 4 gets harder ...

  

Interprise Suite Seminar 2011 - Day 1

Day 1 - Interprise Suite User Conference at Hotel Mirage, Las Vegas.

It was hot outside and pretty cool inside, no i'm not talking abt the weather in Las Vegas i'm expressing my views about Interprise Suite new Ver 6.0 code named Eireen (Ever wonder how Interprise comes up with product code names ;) I thk I know the secret... )

On day 1 we had business owners from all walks of life along with re-sellers/partners and developers representing their clients all in all we were around 100+ looking for some serious new features in Interprise. The Philippines team has been cooking the ERP features for last few months and currently unveiled IS 6.0 beta 7 during the demos.

Yossi, Iuval and Gary's team took the stage and introduced the new platform and their business strategy for 2011 and 2012, sneak preview of new website look and feel was provided by Gary and we think the new website looks more refined and business friendly, looking fwd for new site in few days ...

Cloud hosting was big deal, Curt Rice was pumped up with the offerings that small and medium business could leverage with this solution. Ezra walked in with his Geek hat covering the REST web services and SilverTouch the next big thing that we could expect from Ezra's team in Point of Sale (POS) and much more...

It was the day of showcasing the product and it's framework which allows solution providers to broaden the ERP features vertically which allows business to scale to enterprise level. We had demo from each of these vendors and integrator such as Barcoders, B2B Gateway, TransNational, TrustWave, eTail Solution, Lerryn and others.

Stay tuned for more updates on rest of the days and more pictures abt the event.

Thinking About NetSuite, think again or read this article

Interesting article I ran into this week about why NetSuite is not ready to sell if you are a business owner and can't spend more than $10,000 per year for their ERP software and we aren't surprised if NetSuite filters it's pipeline filled with small and medium business ready to buy their ERP software hosted solution.

Every ERP vendor has tried to define the term "small and medium" and they end up serving only medium and high business since the cost of setup and training would be much higher and smaller customers won't have that budget, so customers need to understand what features they need and whether they need an ERP solution  to scale their business.

We did a comparison matrix of couple of ERP vendors against NetSuite few years back and it still holds good even till date, read more abt it http://www.info-sourcing.com/comparison_enterprise_softwares.htm

NetSuite stops selling to smaller businesses. Congratulations

By Dennis Howlett | August 9, 2011, 12:50pm PDT

Does Interprise Suite fit "Small and Medium" business?
From what we heard from Gary Harrison at Interprise Solutions, they are announcing their new pricing for small and medium business, which will allow business owners to jump on the band wagon for their hosted SaaS solution starting from $59 per month per user and you can scale it up as your business grows.  Stay tuned for more announcement.