Abstract: In going through a business decision process for complex technology selections, more and more use is being made of technologically driven processes using Decision support tools and captured knowledge. The use of these systems and the capability to drive a solution from them assumes an ability to accurately express business requirements and business value within these tools. In this article, we explore the marriage of knowledge management and decision support in forming knowledge based selection systems and procedures that can assist in reducing the current appalling record of IT project failures. This is illustrated by the process to select a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

Abstract: The nature of a sales and operations planning (S&OP) game plan depends on several factors, such as the need to anticipate demand, the item's primary source of supply, and the production strategy for manufactured items. Consideration of these factors can be illustrated with several common scenarios.

Abstract: The nature of an S&OP game plan depends on several factors, such as the need to anticipate demand and the item's primary source of supply. Consideration of these factors can be illustrated with four common scenarios. This is an excerpt from the book Managing Your Supply Chain Using Microsoft Navision.

Abstract: From Agilisys' fresh start illustrated in new account wins, a profitable quarter, and new product enhancements; the market should expect at least a continuation of the past but more likely its improvement.

Abstract: The success of an e-learning initiative depends as much on the people and culture of the organization as it does on the technology used. Several corporate cultural factors that affect the success of an e-learning implementation are discussed and illustrated.

Abstract: Application Service Provision (ASP).There has been a trend in recent years towards the use of remote software services through application service providers. These are companies who make software applications available via the Internet to users who, rather than buying software, pay rental fees for it. The software does not have to be installed locally, the application being available through any web browser, and all support and maintenance is handled by the service provider. CMMS vendors are not the only ones offering these solutions. CAD modelling, engineering design, finance packages, purchasing, ERP and even your company Intranet can now be rented. This is an expanding sector and the signs are that major growth is about to take place. Earlier problems with slow data transfer speeds, communication costs and data security have largely been eliminated and this has made ASP a very attractive proposition. This is clearly illustrated by the proliferation of systems that have become available over the last three or four years with most of the major CMMS vendors now offering an ASP option.

Abstract: The network attached storage (NAS) model, based on network file systems (NFSs), creates a number of issues for high-performance computing clusters (HPCC) systems. NFS is oriented toward access, not performance—which means that it does not scale as needed for growing HPCC systems. It also adds another layer of latency between the storage and the computing systems. In this white paper, we outline a new model for storage.