Case Studies

The seven deadly sins of selecting business systems
The IT industry has a bad reputation based on the failure rate of its projects. The seeds of project failure are often sown in the selection stage. By avoiding the ‘sins’ highlighted in this white paper you can minimise your chance of becoming another casualty… READ MORE >

Business Process Management: a change for the better
In the ultra-competitive corporate environment, business process management is a powerful tool which shouldn’t be overlooked, writes Gary Collier of PricewaterhouseCoopers... READ MORE >

10 ‘must ask’ questions when buying a mid-market ERP solution
As more ERP vendors focus their offerings at mid-tier organisations, the ERP choices available in this sector can be bewildering. Big brand or small, horizontal or vertical, onsite or virtual? For managers looking to either install, replace or upgrade their systems, these 10 questions should be top-of-mind when making this critical ERP selection decision... READ MORE >

You want CRM with that?
Having made the decision to get serious about Customer Relationship Management (CRM), what does a business need to do to make the CRM dream a reality? Do you opt for a ERP solution with a built in CRM module – or go for a standalone CRM package? Davd McNickel investigates the options... READ MORE >

Silver bullet? CRM on demand
Is the software-as-a-service model of delivering CRM just a wave like any other or a Tsunami force your business can’t ignore? CRM expert Trudy Barnett investigates... READ MORE >

Get smart! 3 steps to better Business Intelligence
Businesses today are continually asking how to cut expenses and improve profitability. Increasingly, a comprehensive Business Intelligence solution is the tool they’re turning to for answers – David McNickel finds out how it’s done... READ MORE >

Why Mobility solutions stack up - in $ and sense
Having staff moving from job to job more efficiently and transaction information flowing straight into your back-end systems, is the sure fire way to get greater revenue and productivity from your mobile teams. Read on to find out how... READ MORE >

Get Smart!
What is a smartphone and why would you want one? Rob Bridgman explores the ever evolving world of the smart device... READ MORE >

CRM that delivers: what you can do NOW to make it work!
Despite the fortunes being spent on CRM software, if your tools and your people aren’t correctly lined up, you’re probably missing your target. The good news is that working largely with existing technology, you can align people and processes to unlock maximum CRM value... READ MORE >

Big vendors get wise to Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence is now high up on the list of corporate IT priorities but a host of BI acquisitions by major IT vendors last year appears to be changing many aspects of the BI landscape in 2008 – so what will this mean for your business?.. READ MORE >

How to design intelligent business processes
As business operations become increasingly more complex, enterprises require enhanced business intelligence at the deepest level - embedded within essential business processes. So how is this accomplished?.. READ MORE >

Why Business Process Management?
Business Process Management isn’t just about reducing paper. It allows you to re-engineer processes, achieve operational efficiencies and extend workflows to suppliers and customers, as well as breathing new life into legacy systems... READ MORE >

A CEO's guide to VoIP/Unified Communication
Productivity justifications are taking over from costs savings as the main drivers for VoIP and IP Telephony implementations, finds Simon Hendery... READ MORE >

Extreme ERP: Leveraging your investment
ERP systems are evolving. Once just glorified backroom accounting tools, they are now integrated solutions spanning a growing number of organisational processes. What are ERP buyers demanding today and how are the vendors delivering?.. READ MORE >

It's easy being Green - 7 ways to use technology
With consumer awareness of environmental issues at an all-time high, there is an increasing expectation businesses embrace sustainability principles. To do so will typically make financial sense. Stephen Withers explores eight easily-implementable ways to cut your corporate carbon footprint... READ MORE >

Technology: the missing link in the chain?
It's possible to gain huge productivity, efficiency and accuracy benefits by using technology to fully integrate your supply chain. So what's holding Australian businesses back?.. READ MORE >

Get smart! Get out of the office
Smartphone capabilities and options are constantly evolving. We investigate what today's technology can offer the mobile executive... READ MORE >

10 ways to recession-proof your business
When it comes to guiding your business through tough economic times, are you an ostrich, a bull or a fox? Read on to find out how foxes thrive during a recession... READ MORE >

Honour thy processes! Making BPM work
The promise of business process management is that it will bring together an organisation’s people, processes and technologies in a cohesive manner and ultimately enhance the business. But what are the secrets to making BPM work? We talk to organisations that have learned through experience... READ MORE >

The Internet is calling
Traditional thinking has been that VoIP-Type services for businesses needed to be run over private, dedicated networks rather than across the public internet. But have technological advances made enterprise-grade VoIP and Unified Communication over public networks a reality? READ MORE >

Beyond CRM: Location intelligence
CRM is hooking up with geographic information systems and business intelligence to give business an ever-wider window on the world... READ MORE >

Ten tips for managing performance in a crisis
Times are tough but by fine-tuning business practices – using a combination of technology and creative management techniques to optimise staff productivity – you can survive, and even thrive, Johanna Bennett writes... READ MORE >

Business Intelligence by the numbers
There's no doubting that a good BI solution can be a highly effective tool for turning a mountain of organisational data into a goldmine of insightful information. But just how well are Australian organisations measuring their businesses and what kind of intelligence is BI really delivering? READ MORE >

Taking the ERP path less followed
ERP need not always be a huge Tier 1 purchase. Sometimes a Tier 2 – or even a Tier 3 – solution may be all you need. iStart examines the differences between them to help you choose what’s best and most cost-effective for your business... READ MORE >

Business process optimisation flows outside the xerox
Versatility of the multi-function device (MFD) is an often-touted benefit by all the major office equipment manufacturers. But how many organisations are using these devices to their full potential and what is actually meant by versatility? READ MORE >

Beyond the photocopier to workflow control
Office copiers have been transformed into business process management tools. We look at some of the offerings available and find out what they can do to make document management easier… and deliver your coffee just so, too… READ MORE >

Unified Communications - Where's the killer App?
UC is one of those fuzzy buzz-phrases, but it’s slowly becoming a tangible reality. iStart looks at what it is, what it does, and where to find the ROI. By Johanna Bennett READ MORE >

SEO...The newest profession?
Search Engine Optimisation is emerging as the newest kid on the block. Already well established in the US, there is a growing demand for the unique skill sets that make up a rigorous SEO strategy and execution plan. SEO consultant Jacqui Jones is one who has watched SEO grow from its early roots – she gives us some history, and some insights… READ MORE >

Is your website a needy child?
Building a website customers love starts with avoiding what they hate - and not using it to feed childish internal 'ego' needs, writes Gerry McGovern... READ MORE >

‘We’re, errr going to use twitter’…business confused
You hear this a lot nowadays. It’s usually accompanied by an admission that business doesn’t really understand the social networking phenomenon. The secret to grasping it may lie in evolutionary theory. Johanna Bennett reports… READ MORE >

Cloud services can be as secure as a bank
Google’s security chief, Eran Feigenbaum, says the cloud can protect data better than many in-house systems, which he likens to a modern-day version of putting ‘cash under the mattress’... READ MORE >

BI makes sure a $1million doesn't go 'wrong'
At least one Australian manufacturer is finding putting business intelligence in place means it’s literally saving millions of dollars, as over-stocking becomes a problem of the past…. READ MORE >

Don't make a meal out of food production
SYSPRO’s tools are allowing UK food manufacturers to better track ingredients and products, controlling recipes and costs... READ MORE >

Where is business focusing for technology ROI?
A good return on dollars spent on IT in these tough times should be a pre-requisite to investment – right? iStart asked those who know where to find it and got some surprising answers. Johanna Bennett reports... READ MORE >

Five tips for getting to BI heaven
IBM’s five ‘best practice’ tips will point you towards business intelligence nirvana – and greater profits and cost-containment, according to Big Blue’s Mac Bryla. Johanna Bennett reports... READ MORE >

Social CRM: Hype or Holy Grail
Social CRM is the new buzz-phrase. But what does it mean and, more importantly, what can it do for your business? Graham Medcalf investigates... READ MORE >

Contact centre wallflowers take to the dance floor
The contact centre is finally coming into its own, as this shy, retiring part of the business becomes increasingly important. Its technology is moving out into the larger business, while internally technology becomes ‘social’ and increasingly sophisticated... READ MORE >

‘All you can eat’ Broadband - do we really need it?
New Zealanders will have to stump up $350 each for the planned NZ$1.5 billion UFB network, while Australians will pay nearly $2,000 for their A$43 billion NBN network. The question is: What will we use them for and will it be worth the financial pain? Johanna Bennett takes a look... READ MORE >

How to become a standout company – whatever the economic weather
IBM recently conducted a global survey of over 1,500 chief executives, including 81 from Australia and NZ, and found it is the ‘change animals’ who are not only emerging from the economic meltdown intact, but have even grown during the recession… READ MORE >

Every map tells a story
You could call them maps with attitude. They’re maps with business intelligence information overlaid on them and they can provide rich insights into business performance... READ MORE >

Trends in m-commerce: I want it all, I want it now
The mobile phone is ubiquitous, personal and connected. that is why retailers, bankers and marketers want to use it for informing, enabling and transacting business. they are succeeding in global markets, but have been slower to make inroads locally. local m-commerce expert Belinda Simcox provides the insights you need to keep up with the play… READ MORE >

HR systems shift to the cloud
With people wanting access to information anytime and anywhere, web-based HR systems are proving to be the way to go. Ulrika Hedquist finds moving to the cloud affords a flexible and cost-effective solution... READ MORE >

Digital literacy: Getting your workplace up to speed
A business isn’t getting the best out of their work staff if workers aren’t using the technological tools given to them to the best advantage. An expert explains what needs to be done and how best to approach it. By Colin Phillips READ MORE >

The hitchhikers guide to the cloud
Many pundits agree that 2011 is set to become the year of The Cloud and that IT professionals need to prepare themselves. While everyone seems to be talking about “The Cloud” in excited tones, do we really understand what it’s all about? iStart helps demystify what it all means and navigates a clear path through all the hype. What are the implications of ‘going public’ and staying private? By Chris Bell... READ MORE >

Business Communications willl be the next cloud wave
An expert in business communication solutions reveals that cloud service delivery has become more than a novel new way to deploy applications. He says it’s bringing huge value, ending the days of long deployment cycles, huge investments, and costly support contracts...By Brendan Maree - Country Manager, Australia & New Zealand Interactive Intelligence READ MORE >

IT should follow strategy & process to get planning right
In the absence of a crystal ball, the next best thing to tighten your supply chain is robust S&O planning, but is your environment right?…by Anthony Doesburg… READ MORE >

TV spectrums open up to allow blistering 4G
TV is moving from analogue to digital and that means blistering broadband speeds are on their way even in the rural sector along with exciting possibilities for business. It’s not just the mobile companies who see their future resting on 4G. some of the biggest global technology players see it as part of the next battle for dominance… READ MORE >

Business Intelligence shoots up the charts
iStart’s annual investment survey shows BI has jumped into the limelight among the ‘must-have’ applications in 2011 as business shines the crystal ball to track market changes in volatile times... READ MORE >

How to build mobile apps - tips and pitfalls from the experts
iStart Special Report: leading app developers reveal insights on the hot category of 2011 - includes your guide to developers of mobile smartphone applications... READ MORE >

Satisfaction Flunk
Almost 80% of business decision makers responsible for customer satisfaction think they deliver ‘poor’ or ‘average’ results… READ MORE >

5 tips to happy Gen Y customers
'I want it now' consumers with choice on their side are pushing to get the most out of products and services, and are ready to complain when their experience falls short. John O’Brien, vice president for FrontRange Solutions in Asia Pacific has some tips to keep on top... READ MORE >

Shared services cost is the bottom line
Can lessons from the UK government shared services experience be applied to New Zealand’s public sector – and would the private sector also benefit from them? A UK expert in implementing shared desktop services in government recently visited these shores to meet with key customers and industry leaders. iStart met with him while he was here... READ MORE >

The customer is king
In a world spoiled for choice, customer service sorts the good from the great and has become the differentiator that matters most, and, these days, there’s no hiding behind the fob off... READ MORE >

The customer is always right
In a world of excess, uniformity and repetition, customers are buying experiences, not products or services... READ MORE >

Cloud resilience at what price?
What factors should businesses consider, and what questions should they ask prospective providers, to ensure their operations and their business critical data stay safe in the cloud?... READ MORE >

The desktop goes virtual
You may shudder at the thought, but modern enterprise architecture is slowly but surely returning to the mainframe fold, at least conceptually, and never more so than with the idea of virtual desktops – hosted in ‘the cloud’. iStart reviews the leading alternatives... READ MORE >

Stop your data going rogue
These days every digital transaction you do generates data, and chances are that data is being stored. Mobile apps, web transactions, loyalty schemes & more provide a wealth of potential information resources. But with so much data being collected, how do you stop it becoming a rogue elephant and actually apply it to inform your business? David McNickel investigates how business intelligence can move smart companies from average to extraordinary... READ MORE >

Smart card technology: A pocket guide
When it comes to engaging with your customers, there’s plenty to know in the realm of card technology. So if you don’t know your ICC from your NFC, read on to find out just how smart cards, and the smart use of them, can serve your businesss... READ MORE >

The iStart Smartphone Roundup
Thinking about buying a smartphone? Better think carefully – they’re not cheap. So before you take the plunge check out the iStart Smartphone Roundup – it will help you navigate the pros and cons of six of the most popular units on the market, as well as provide you with all the important specs before you buy... READ MORE >

7 things to hate about IT recruiters
Business forums, professional networking sites and the internet in general is awash with stories detailing just how difficult dealing with an IT recruiter can be. But is all this online odium justified? Are they really the new ‘used-car salesman’? Or are recruiters just the fall guys for frustrated job-seekers in a down-turned economy? iStart investigates... READ MORE >

New Zealand Inc:
While New Zealand may be a small country at the bottom of the world, it is nevertheless a hothouse for entrepreneurship and innovation, boasting some of the savviest and most creative risk-takers in the world. Why then are we labouring in obscurity? iStart sat down with some of the country’s best and brightest to find out... READ MORE >

Fujitsu entices SMEs with free cloud offer
Fujitsu is targeting SMEs and ISVs by offering a free trial of its Australian-based computing cloud platform as it attempts to push beyond the enterprise sector... READ MORE >