First Light & Configuration Data Management

Holland Michigan, a city on the Lake Michigan shore line, has an annual custom called First Light. It is held in the middle of November celebrating the start of the Holiday season. We had the pleasure of attending this celebration this year. We went with friends that have also relocated from the east coast. We had an exceptional “First Light” dinner at Alpenrose which serves international cuisine.

Store owners opened their doors and provided cookies and refreshments to everyone. I was amazed at the number of people attending. It reminded me of holiday shopping in midtown Manhattan. We even enjoyed freshly cooked Chestnuts roasted on the sidewalk. I noticed how well organized the event was. Looking at the event from a systematic perspective, it was similar to a well implemented system that was developed using configuration data management practices.

IT Governance, particularly Configurations Data Management, is a term that IT departments of all sizes dread but should embrace. Configuration Data Management, simply put, is identifying the relationship of all entities in IT including:

• Network Equipment and Software
• Computers (Mainframe, Mid Range, Servers, PC, Laptops etc.)
• All Versions of software and their associated licensing
• Users and their organizational structure
• Applications (including interrelationships)
• Security (hardware, software, access control)

The benefits of implementing IT Governance and Configuration Data Management far outweigh any associated costs. They include:

• Enabling compliance to legislation such as SOX, HIPAA, GLBA, and Safe Harbor
• Ability to determine the impact of any hardware, software, or application change across the organization
• Providing proven “best practices” to the organization
• Decreasing time to implement enhancements
• Eliminating licensing compliance issues
• Providing better and faster response to user questions
• Improving Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Planning and Response
• Providing users with the equipment and services needed to perform their jobs

In order to effectively implement IT Governance and Configuration Data Management, an experienced consultant is frequently required. Mark Shurr, Vice President and Principal Consultant of Ada Business Technology, has over 20 years of experience in IT Governance and Configuration Data. Please contact Mark at (616) 805-7402 or on his mobile phone at (631) 742.5178. Email Mark at Support@AdaBusTech.com and visit his web site at http://www.AdaBusTech.com.

Nostalgia in West Michigan and “CIO As A Service”

My wife and I were recently invited to a get together at a friend’s house in West Michigan for a reunion with people I had worked with for over 10 years. Our friends live in a converted farm house originally built in the 1890s. At the reunion, there were people from Tennessee, Georgia, New York, and Michigan. It was great to see old friends and catch up with the latest news. We discussed how business has changed over the past twenty years and how people have had to adapt.

Today we are in an economy that is re-inventing itself. Businesses need to adapt to survive in this global economy. Rules of business that were valid 5 years ago can no longer be relied on since we must deal with competitors and customers around the world and communicate with them instantaneously over the Internet. Many companies today are subject to legislative requirements such as SOX, HIPAA, and GLBA. Additionally, those companies doing business with Europe may be subject to new regulations such as the European Safe Harbor Act.

My IT consulting firm, Ada Business Technology has developed a consulting service that I call “CIO As A Service” to provide Information System Executive “C” Level support to customers who need either an interim CIO or Executive level support on a part time basis. This support includes:

• Strategic and Tactical IT Planning
• Independent review of IT Resources (Hardware, Software, Network, and Staffing)
• Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning
• IT Governance to assure Best Practices, Security, and Compliance

I have over 20 years of experience as a successful IT Systems Executive and Technologist. Please contact me at (616) 805-7402 or on my mobile phone at (631) 742.5178. Email Mark at mshurr@AdaBusTech.com and visit my web site at http://www.cioasaservice.com/.

The Renaissance Fair and the IBM i

In August, we visited our family on Long Island and went to the Renaissance Fair in Sterling Forest New York. Sterling Forest is a community that is west of New York City and is known to IT folks as one of IBM’s largest Business Continuity Centers in the East. It was a very hot day with temperatures reaching into the mid 90’s. We went back in history to see life as it was (or as the artisan’s envisioned) during the Renaissance period. The children had a chance to ride on a human powered carousel and all were entertained by jugglers and acrobats.

Renaissance was a period in time that defined the “bridge” period between the middle ages and modern times. This reminds me of the IBM Midrange Systems that I have been working with for over 15 years. IBM in the late 70’s developed a system that was designed for the small to mid sized business and named it the System 34. Since then, it has undergone its own renaissance, growing and expanding its hardware and software capabilities as the System 34, 38, 36, AS400, I Series, and today it is known as the IBM i.

Unlike mainframes, UNIX and WINTEL architectures, the midrange IBM i was designed with several inherent capabilities and features not found in most other systems including:

• Operating System that employs easy to use menus (or a great GUI with Navigator)
• Includes its own database DB2/400 as part of the basic system
• Crash resistant hardware and OS architecture ensuring extremely high level availability
• Programming in virtually all major programming languages from RPG/RPGLE, COBOL through JAVA and PHP
• Ability to consolidate servers and centralize storage
• Capable of virtual processing, running multiple i5/OS, Linux and AIX session
• Ability to run virtual platforms including multiple i5/OS, LINUX, and AIX
• Availability of hundreds of business applications
• Ability to be upgraded as the business grow (the configurations can be upgraded many times without additional hardware)

Many ERP systems are available on the IBM i such as SAP, MAPICS XA, JDA, JDE (Oracle), BPICS and KBM. These systems can be readily integrated with business specific applications.

The architecture is designed for business applications and the throughput typically outperforms its competition. It can be integrated with WINTEL and LINUX/UNIX. I have installed and integrated several ERP, WMS, CRM, MES, Forecasting, E-business and custom WINTEL applications with midrange systems.

In order to effectively select the best midrange (IBM i) solution, implement it into production, customize it to best support the business and ultimately interface it with the business systems, an experienced mid range consultant is required. Mark Shurr, Vice President and Principal Consultant at Ada Business Technology, has over 15 years of experience in the implementation and integration of midrange systems. Please contact Mark at (616) 805-7402 or on his mobile phone at (631) 742.5178. Email Mark at mshurr@AdaBusTech.com and visit his web site at http://www.adabustech.com/.

Barbequing in Western Michigan and Customer Relationship Management

This weekend my wife and I were invited to a barbeque at a friend’s house in West Michigan. We were treated to some great steaks, string bean casserole, and baked potatoes. We brought wine and dessert. We spoke of life in West Michigan and how it compares to Long Island. One of our friends is a transplant like us so we had a lot of stories to share. We also spoke of the differences in conducting business between the East Coast and West Michigan. There are many differences, but common to both is the necessity of managing customer relationships since as the saying goes “The Customer is King”.

In today’s tight economy, each enterprise must optimize its IT investment. Perhaps one of the most valuable investments is CRM as it enables the enterprise to maintain comprehensive control of customer data. With the advent of cloud computing, the investment may be significantly reduced, given that the majority of the costs can be expensed.

Many people still believe that Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRM) are applications which manage leads and basic customer information. This may have been the case 10 years ago but today CRM Systems manage the complete customer relationship. Customer data is integral to any enterprise and must be treated as a corporate asset. CRM Systems today can provide:

• Management of the customer contact information, beginning with the management of leads through the life cycle of the customer’s relationship with the organization. Customer information may be provided by customer service representatives, customer’s portals and business partner’s portals. Leads may come through customer service, linked from the organization’s own web site or other sources through the Internet.
  


• Work Flow Management to ensure that all resources (personnel and computer) involved in supporting the customer are in the loop and nothing is lost. This may even include interfacing with the existing ERP systems.
  


• Pipeline Management which enables the sales team and management to have a realistic view of sales. This information, when linked to the ERP system, allows the Supply Chain to better optimize its manufacturing and distribution plans and schedules.
  Forecasting which utilizes historical data, outstanding orders as well as estimates from the sales force and marketing departments.
  


• Dashboards which display sales and marketing metrics along organizational structures (intermixing corporate hierarchy and product line management).
  


• Marketing Campaign Management which enables the marketing department to have the ability to design and track campaigns. Utilizing tools provided in the CRM package, it can disseminate and maintain control of marketing material.
  


• Call Center Management which allows the customer or inside customer service staff the ability to track the life cycle of support issues. Call Center Management may include a customer portal, knowledge database, and technical personnel assignment/tracking. It can also automate billing and warranty tracking.
  

In order to effectively select the best CRM solution, implement it into production, customize it to best support the business and ultimately interface it with the business systems, an experienced CRM consultant is required. Mark Shurr, Vice President and Principal Consultant at Ada Business Technology, has over 15 years of experience in CRM system implementation and integration. Please contact Mark at (616) 805-7402 or on his mobile phone at (631) 742.5178. Email Mark at mshurr@AdaBusTech.com and visit his web site at http://www.adabustech.com/.

July 4th in Ada and our “Special Sauce”

July 4th was a great day to spend in Ada, a suburb of Grand Rapids. We started the day attending the Ada 4th of July Parade. Local merchants and organizations paraded around town and threw candy to the kids. I was amazed at the enthusiasm of everyone, from the policeman directing traffic to the parents making sure each child had his or her share of the loot. I think the kids have enough candy to last until Halloween. After the parade, we headed to the Cascade July 4th Carnival where we bumped into old friends from Long Island and got up to date on current events. Since we had our family with us for this 4th, we attended our development’s bike parade. Our neighbor, across the street, lent the kids decorations for their bikes. The evening ended with local fireworks and a campfire by the pond where our next door neighbor shared some marshmallows and smores with us.

Spending the 4th of July in Ada Michigan demonstrated to us what community means and how resolve and ingenuity makes America what it is today. I have learned that my success is not only dependent on skills and expertise; it is also dependent on sharing with others. This was truly a day America can be proud of.

Seeing all the products that originated here in West Michigan, I was reminded of the technological growth in the last 30 years that has its origins in the US from the Intel Microprocessor through the wireless smart phone. Computer technology has become a part of virtually everyone’s life and I am proud to be a computer technologist. I am proud that many of the leaders in this technology such as Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle and Sun are US based companies and I am excited to see that computer technology is now global just as we are today in a global economy.

Today software for a local company may be developed in such far away places as India, Russia or Vietnam. I have worked with some excellent programmers that live and work in these parts of the world. The cost of programming overseas is now typically much less then the cost of development in the US and many view program development now as a commodity. Like any commodity, the buyer must take steps to be assured of the quality of the product and that starts with a solid contract with a reputable off shore developer. As someone who started out as a programmer/analyst it is a bit concerning but as a business technologist I see this as technological growth.

I have often told my staff that their future is in understanding the businesses they work for or consult with and providing the “Special Sauce” that will make the organization a leader in its field. The competitive future for us is to “architect” systems which will provide business and commerce with that “Special Sauce” that is native to the USA. The systems may be programmed anywhere in the world but as time has proven, they should be managed by experts locally. To ensure success of the off shore development project, the project manager must bring his or her “Special Sauce” to the job. For this, an experienced IT Consultant is a must.

Mark Shurr, Vice President and Principal Consultant at Ada Business Technology, has over 25 years experience specializing in Business and Manufacturing Systems, Project Management and IT Governance. Please visit our web site at http://www.AdaBusTech.com and contact us at Support@AdaBusTech.com or contacted by phone at 616.805.7402.

Golf and ERP

It is a warm and sunny day here in West Michigan. As I take out my golf equipment, I am looking at my four year old driver. Not that long ago it was state-of-the-art, the same model that Tiger Woods used at the U.S. Open in Bethpage L.I., but today it is outdated (at least for the pros). My thoughts are should I replace it or keep it? Will I be able to get more distance and a straighter shot with newer technology? As I consider this, I also think about the companies that currently use legacy ERP systems.

Does the ERP system that performed so well in the past, provide the capabilities that are now required? Has it outlived it’s usefulness? Is it time for a change?

For many enterprises, this is a time of fiscal restraint but it is also time to review what new technology is available and determine if it can be utilized to improve work flow and provide a competitive edge.

There are alternatives that an enterprise should consider such as:

• Replacing the legacy systems with state-of-the-art modern systems
• Replacing the in-house systems with Internet based solutions (Saas)
• Integrating legacy systems with state-of-the-art capabilities such as CRM, Warehouse Management/Logistic, Forecasting and Collaborative Order Management

Each enterpise is unique, with different cultures, histories and strategic goals. There is no one answer. Only a detailed business analysis can determine the best solution.

Ada Business Technology has over 25 year experience in Business and Manufacturing Systems and has performed numerous studies and implementations. It provides an independent, experienced analysis and recommends the best solution for its client.

For more information please contact Mark at mshurr@adabustech.com and visit our web site at http://www.adabustech.com/

It's finally May and the Sun is shining in West Michigan but "Clouds" will be in the future.

This has been a real virtual week for me. I have been to several meetings over the past months in coffee houses throughout West Michigan. I recently had the pleasure of attending a meeting at the "home office" of an executive of a local business that like many enterprises does not lease or own any commercial office space. Although the meeting was technical in nature, we did discuss the benefits of having a virtual organization composed of both full time and virtual (part time and as needed) staff, geographically dispersed. Not only does it save both the employer and employee expenses, (and provides the world with a greener environment) it provides the enterprise the ability to have their talent strategically located in diverse areas that can better respond to the business. We had a face to face meeting but it could have been done using any one of several web conference tools such as Webx (c) and Go To Meeting (c).

This brings me to one of the most powerful capabilities of the Internet. That is the ability to provide services to business and consumers that at one time required a dedicated computer. Google is offering an "Office" package to users and many firms are offering core business packages such as Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Relationship Management. Today, the term we use is Cloud Computing and Software as a Service (SaaS). Years ago, prior to the advent of the PC, several companies offered services over phone dial up. One of the major time sharing vendors was General Electric’s Information Services Business Division, who many consider the founder of this concept. Time sharing companies provided many of the features we see today in Cloud Computing (but lacked Graphical User Interfaces and speed).

Today we can "rent" specialized services over the Internet, paying for what we need, when we need it. We can be certain that we will have virtually 24 hour availability and that our data will be secure. Many of these applications can be customized to the needs of the users. These applications can interface to in house systems via “web services”. Since these systems are offered on monthly and annual fee structures, they may afford the users the opportunity of procuring the services using Operating rather than Capital Budgets.

Implementing these systems is best done with the assistance of an independent technical consultant such as Ada Business Technology who has expertise in SaaS and Cloud Computing. Please visit our web site at http://wwww.adabustech.com/ . Please feel free to contact me at support@AdaBusTech.com .

....Mark

A Visit to the Henry Ford Museum - A look at American Ingenuity

This weekend we visited the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn MI. It is a huge museum that showed America's manufacturing creativity from the mid 1800’s to the present. I am always amazed how Mr. Ford developed the first real assembly line. For $500 one could buy a model T Ford and get it in any color, as long as it was black. Talking to the museum folks I learned that the Mr. Ford had wanted to offer other colors but each color took different times to dry and that would impact production.

It was also interesting to learn about patent issues that Mr. Ford and others faced, such as a patent challenge over Gasoline Engines (he won). The need to keep the details of the product designs confidential was also evident throughout the tour.

That brings me to a great lecture I attended this week at the Grand Rapids Information Security Systems Association given by Steve Lassig on Data Loss Protection. Today we still face many of the same challenges that Mr. Ford faced when he as making the Model T. There is technology available today to assist in the identification and prevention of data loss, but it all starts with the need for management awareness and commitment. In many ways we are lucky that state and federal requirements are bringing this awareness to the forefront.

Many organizations today require the support of an independent consultant, such as Ada Business Technology to assist in the creation a comprehensive security plan and provide their leadership in the implementation. The question that each enterprise must ask themselves is: What is the cost of not implementing a comprehensive security plan?

Please feel free to contact me at mshurr@AdaBusTech.com and visit our site at http://www.adabustech.com/

Thoughts of Spring and a recovering economy

It has been a great week for us here in West Michigan. Our family from Long Island was up here to spend the week with us. It looks like it is finally spring time and maybe for the economy as well. The Wall Street Journal was actually somewhat optimistic about the economy. On the downside it looks like our Electrical Grid has been hacked and it will take a lot of work to fix that.

That brings me to the point of Information Security. It has been statistically shown that most of the damage done to organizations has been done by people working for, or who have worked for an organization. The Electrical Grid issue shows us the importance of good Intrusion Detection and Intrusion Prevention systems. It is a good time for all enterprises to take a second look at their network and computer security.

With the economy apparently starting to recover this is a great time for business’s to review their Information Technology needs and work with consultants such as Ada Business Technology to uncover how Information Technology can provide them the competitive edge whether it’s a new ERP system, Customer Relationship Management System or integrating manufacturing process with back end systems to gain better control of the manufacturing process and optimize production.

I hope everyone enjoys the warmer weather and the less gruesome financial news….Mark

http://www.adabustech.com/
mshurr@AdaBusTech.com

The Snow Train and Security

Last weekend we traveled north to take a ride on the Sault Ste. Marie Snow Train. It was a wonderful 9 hour trip from the town to a site 114 miles north of the town. We passed through snow covered terrain with beautiful white lakes and mountains. We were so far from civilization that after mile 30 there was no cell phone service.

Crossing the border to Canada we were briefly stopped and asked a few casual questions. Going back into the U.S. we underwent a brief but much more comprehensive screening. I was pleased to see that the security procedure included the basic tenants of a good security plan including, people, process and technology.

This was indeed a week of security. I attended a presentation at the Grand Rapids AimWest technology organization given by the acting CIO of the State of Michigan, The speaker spoke about the impact of Integrity Theft. This was clearly an issue that affects anyone that uses a computer and as the speaker stated, may impact the work place more then Identify Theft.

The next security presentation on the agenda was back in one of my favorite areas the IBM mid range server community. At the West Michigan Systems User’s Group a presentation on securing the IBM i (aka. iSeries, AS400) was given. The speaker covered the basics of locking down the mid range server and basic forensics.

Information Security is not only an IT issue it is an issue that everyone must be cognizant of. All of the speakers had similar messages. Only a few years ago the hacker was someone who wanted to show their technical expertise. Today it is individuals that want to illegally profit off of others. We all must do our part to protect our data and the information of our organizations we work fo

Thinking of enterprise security while it snows in Ada

Throughout most of the month of February there has been little snow; however, today that has changed. As I am writing this entry into the blog I am watching the snow cover the beautiful pond outside.

Yesterday I attended my first ISSA meeting in Grand Rapids. The guest speaker was discussing the security challenges that face us with in the virtual machine and network world. The greatest fear is from malicious attacks we may face from unknown threats. I was extremely impressed by the members attending the presentation. These are security experts but everyone seemed to be realistic in their approaches.

Each organization must decide for itself what threat avoidance and detection steps (such as software, appliances etc) they must take to reasonable defend their organizations. I believe that the major enterprises (both business and governmental) are taking reasonable steps. My concern is with the small to mid sized organization (under 500 employees). These organizations may need an independent evaluation by someone who has both the technical and managerial skills to make the right decisions.

An exciting week for Ada Business Technology

It has been an interesting week in West Michigan for me (and very little snow). I had the opportunity to attend two technology sessions and visit several great organizations in the Grand Rapids area.

One of the technical sessions was a discussion by CIO's of major enterprises discussing the future of IT at their organizations. These organizations continue to prosper during this challenging time and they believed that this was due, in part, the their respective organizations reliance on IT as a strategic asset. Additionally each CIO stated that they expect their teams to understand their businesses and use technology, not for technology's sake but as a tool to better their organizations. To me, this re-enforces the corporate theme of "Understanding the Business of Business" .

This week my article entitled Master of disaster: Basic primer offers step-by-step recovery planning for the SMB was published by Manufacturing Business Technology.

We are preparing a presentation for ARMA entitled “Geek Talk 101 – communicating RM concepts in an IT language” that will be given on February 5th at Farmer/Foremost in Caledonia.

Coming back from Long Island

Just returned from Long Island where it was snowing. Wow is it cold here. Our pipes in the laundry room froze, and this is a relatively new house. The plumber came with an old battery charger and heated the lines.

Working on several exciting items including a presentation entitled “Geek Talk 101 – Communicating RIM Concepts in an IT Language” that will be given on Feb 5th to ARMA.

Making a few changes to the web page and delving into Salesforce.com. Created VB application that interfaces via their API.

Will be attending the Aimwest and the Fourth Friday Technology meetings this week.

Ada Business Technology

Today is my first attempt at blogging. I am starting to build up business relationships with enterprises that I can help with my experience and expertese as well as enterprises that can assist Ada Business Technology.

I vew myself as an IT person who has a diverse background. I have spent the last 20 years of my career as an IT working executive. By that I mean I have been a project manager, architect, designer and developer. I have created strategic and tactical plans. I have placed significant roles in ISO 9001 and SOX certification.

Right now I trying to build business relationships in the West Michigan area.

For those not in West Michigan, it is snowing lightly here. Over the next few days they expect a total of 5 to 8 inches. In Long Island this would be a major snow event. Here it is just winter.