Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Windows 8 for business?

Nice read below - not sure if you agree or disagree? :)


10 essential ingredients of a killer Windows 8 business PC -
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2013248/10-essential-ingredients-of-a-killer-windows-8-business-pc.html   Cheers-  Dipesh

Optimize the performance of Microsoft SQL Server environments


"Plan Explorer FREE and the launch of the new Plan Explorer PRO at 2012 Dev Connections in Las Vegas today, - will help for optimizing the performance of Microsoft SQL Server environments."

SQL Sentry Performance Advisor for
1. SQL Server delivers an advanced performance dashboard with relevant Windows and SQL Server metrics in a single view along with detailed insight of heavy SQL, blocking, deadlocks, and disk bottlenecks.

2. Analysis Services provides unparalleled insight into Analysis Services performance, including bottlenecks related to memory, storage systems, aggregation usage, queries and processing.
3. Event Manager is the ultimate scheduling, alerting and response system for managing SQL Server jobs, SharePoint jobs and other events that impact performance.

P.S: I do not recieve any compensation for writing or promoting these products but is merely interest...

Monday, October 29, 2012

IT: Winning the Retail War: How to Compete With Retail E-commerce Players

Winning the Retail War: How to Compete With Retail E-commerce Players

Accenture suggests 10 ways a multichannel retail approach can help in competing with retail e-commerce players.
Overview Today online retailers are the preferred choice for customers worldwide. Does this mean traditional retailing is over? No. Traditional retailers can too march ahead by offering a multichannel retail experience to customers. Online pure plays have changed the retail game with their new approach to technology, innovation and execution. To compete successfully with retail e-commerce players, Accenture recommends traditional retailers adopt a strategic thinking by applying key principles from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.
Download the PDF report from the site here - http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-winning-the-retail-war.aspx

OR watch the video here -
http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-winning-the-retail-war-video.aspx

Encryption, key, identity, fraud management and others from Thales...

One of the finest solution that I stumbled upon for database encryption from Thales -

1. Add new levels of assurance to database encryption by helping your organization effectively protect and manage encryption keys.
2. With Thales - nShield hardware security modules (HSMs), you can take full advantage of native database encryption capabilities and still add higher levels of assurance to key management activities, ensuring optimal security, efficiency, and guaranteed accessibility to encrypted data.
3. By storing encryption keys in a protected environment, separate from the database itself, nShield HSMs enforce separation of duties between security staff and DBAs.

More here -
http://www.thales-esecurity.com/solutions/by-technology-focus/database-encryption

Great ready solution for mobile payments, trust, key and identity management. Controlling Fraud and Protecting Intellectual Property solution from Thales.

The proliferation of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets not only gives consumers more choice, it also has the potential to dramatically expand the payments ecosystem, bringing new players such as mobile operators and handset manufacturers into the mix. Multiple payment advocates are competing for attention, with each party advancing a different vision for where the consumer’s electronic wallet—the trusted source of credentials—should reside: on a card, on a phone, or in the Cloud. These various approaches create new challenges and in some cases have the potential to establish new business models. The traditional role of banks in issuing physical cards that are mailed to users could be replaced by new classes of intermediaries such as Trusted Service Managers (TSMs) that provide over-the-air provisioning capabilities to mobile devices.

The Thales solution is based on the GlobalPlatform Card Specification Version 2.2 and EMV Card Personalization Specification (CPS V1.1), providing the ability to establish a secure session with the Secure Element (SE) based on Global Platform Secure Channel Protocol 02 (SCP02) and to prepare secure messages for the SE.

More here - http://www.thales-esecurity.com/solutions/by-technology-focus/mobile-payments

Watch Windows 8 Surface launch event and Surface dropped on stage!


Windows 8 RT Surface live event webcast
link above -  http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/windows/liveevent2.aspx

Watch Windows 8 Surface Launch Event Webcast

(Start from 48th  minute to see the event,
Scan to 3 hour :20 minutes to watch Surface
dropped on stage!)
 
 

SCM 101

Supply Chain is key to almost all organizations, and few key modules that one must be aware of while working on Supply Chain implementation. These are basic modules that one would need to learn to understand the SC business. Will talk in detail on each in coming days,

Modules -
  1. Planning and Forecasting
  2. Production Planning and scheduling
  3. Materials management and Stock movement
  4. Order to Cash Cycle - Order, Fulfillment and Financials
  5. Inventory management
  6. Distribution Centers (D/Cs)
  7. Supply Chain management
  8. Logistics and Transportation management (Shipping and Carrier management)
  9. Supplier quality check
  10. Reverse Logistics  - Returns and Repair
  11. Customer Service/Care
 - D