In the previous article we gave an overview on mobility and the options it creates for doing business today, as well as discussed a view issues to keep in mind when you consider a mobile solution. Since connectivity and service provider options in Namibia are getting better, cheaper and more user-friendly, this is becoming a big reality in our local business environment. We will use this week’s article to look at a few success stories of mobile business solutions.

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For many small and medium-sized companies, the idea of accessing essential business-related information as an Internet-based service is discomfiting.
Concerns about security, availability and speed are common: How is our data protected from outsiders? How will our business be affected by network congestion? What guarantees are there that the service will be available when we need it? Read More...

Afresh Consult has partnered up with Just Enough. Just Enough supplies state of the art demand forecasting and inventory planning systems. Afresh Consult will offer local support for the product, either to HansaWorld customers, or to companies running other ERP/transaction systems. Just Enough is easy to link to existing systems and fulfills a vital role in optimising inventory levels to ensure highest availability at the lowest cost. Just Enough is the first product of a range of add-on products that Afresh Consult plans to offer its HansaWorld customers. See details about Just Enough and HansaWorld in our Products section

Enterprise software developer HansaWorld encourages customers to use Apple's latest operating system, Leopard.

"With more than 300 new features, Leopard is the most impressive Mac OS X version yet. Our products are fully compatible with Leopard so our customers can reap all benefits of the new system," said Stephen Jay, International Sales Director for HansaWorld.

"HansaWorld's business software has been available for Mac users for 20 years and we always want our customers to be able to take full advantage of the latest improvements."

Jay emphasizes that it is HansaWorld's philosophy to make products available on all major platforms. "We do not want to be rigid by posing strict demands on the infrastructure. By being able to choose between all major operating systems, our customers can save on hardware, training and maintenance costs," he explains.

Last week we discussed the importance of the business management system in a manufacturing environment. This week we will start with part one of a number of articles on the mobility of business systems, as well as the convergence of business management systems and communications.

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Afresh Consult, together with Partners Home HI-Tech and iKey are hosting the first IT Show Namibia.

The IT Show Namibia is an informative conference held on the 13th of March 2008 at the Safari Hotel in Windhoek. The target audience is Decision Makers from the Private and Public Sector. The conference aims to inform the delegates about new developments on the corporate IT scene in Namibia, and focusses on Business software systems, IT infrastructure, networking, hosting, and communication technology.

There will also be a Mini-Expo with 30 booths where IT companies showcase their latest products and services. A Product Launch and Press Conference is also planned.

With speakers from South Africa and Namibia, it is bound to be a great event!

See the Show website at www.itshownamibia.com for more details.

In the previous article we looked at the history of ERP systems, and just gave a broad overview on the manufacturing/production module. Productivity, Efficiencies, Quality, Inventory Management and Optimisation are very important concepts in a production/manufacturing environment. This week will focus on the role of the business management system in these areas.

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We hope that everyone had a deserving break over the festive season and we wish all the Namibia Economist readers a very prosperous 2008!

Last year we covered a lot of information on the Business Management System. We looked at the definition of an Integrated Business Management System (IBMS), when your business needs a new system, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), how to search for and decide on a system, how to implement the system, and lastly we started to go into the detail of the different modules, with specific reference to the Accounting and Sales side of the business. This year we will kick-off by looking at the manufacturing and production modules. These business functions were the main reason for developing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, which eventually evolved into Integrated Business Management Systems.

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HansaWorld has been chosen among four finalists in the Communications & Mobility category at the first pan-European awards event for IT and Telecoms channels - the European IT Excellence Awards 2008. Read More...

Last week we looked at the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) module of the business management system. The information and business intelligence that is available in this module is a competitive advantage of note, especially in the sales environment. This week we will finish the sales cycle by looking at the business process that starts the whole cycle: Purchasing.

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