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Thomas Otter
By Thomas Otter on February 27, 2010
My blogging mojo had left the building for a while, but for better or worse it returned today.
When I speak to enterprise software vendors they often moan about Excel. They say it is not secure, and that most spreadsheets contain errors. They preach about the dangers of information silos, of decisions made on old and [...]
Posted in Featured Posts, Software | Tagged design, enterprise software, erp, excel, Facebook, microsoft, oracle, salesforce.com, sap, shelfware, software as a service, Spreadsheet, ui, usability
By Thomas Otter on January 28, 2010
Cross posted on my Gartner blog.
My colleagues, Ray, Allen, Mike, Mark, Andrew, Mark and Van, are all over the iPad. Ray’s posts are particularly thought provoking, as he looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the device. There is also lots of commentary on the web, and the consumer electronics bloggers have discussed its every [...]
Posted in Software | Tagged apple, design, enterprise software, iPad, ui
By Thomas Otter on January 8, 2010
Cross posted from my Gartner blog.
I received a review copy of Andrew McAfee’s Enterprise 2.0 just before Christmas, so I added it to my book pile as an extra Christmas present. Thank you Andrew and the publisher, HBS.
In reviewing books, I have a simple test. Would I spend my own money on a copy? [...]
Posted in Software, Trends & Concepts | Tagged Andrew McAfee, Enterprise 2.0, enterprise2.0, review, Social network, social software, Wiki
By Thomas Otter on November 23, 2009
No, Time, thou shalt not boast that I do change:Thy pyramids built up with newer mightTo me are nothing novel, nothing strange;They are but dressings of a former sight.Our dates are brief, and therefore we admireWhat thou dost foist upon us that is old;And rather make them born to our desireThan think that we before [...]
Posted in Business, Software | Tagged IT Related, life, sales, Shakespeare
By Thomas Otter on November 8, 2009
I’ve been trying to get to grips with in-memory databases. Seems the bard beat me to it.
(image via wikipedia, thanks)
Thy gift, thy tables, are within my brainFull charactered with lasting memory,Which shall above that idle rank remain,Beyond all date, even to eternity:Or, at the least, so long as brain and heartHave faculty by nature to [...]
Posted in Software | Tagged databases, IT Related, Shakespeare, sonnets
By Thomas Otter on September 28, 2009
I’ve tried this metaphor on several client calls recently, so let me inflict it on you too.
Cactus
via Flickr, the cc licence of Rodolfo Cartas thanks.
In this architecture, everything is from one vendor, and integration with third party applications is rather difficult. Typical ERP /HRMS pitch of the mid-nineties. Why do you need other [...]
Posted in Business, Software | Tagged HCM;HR;Architecture; ERP;SaaS, HR Technology, IT Related
By Thomas Otter on September 25, 2009
(photo CC 2.o attribution, thanks to g-hat!)
World leaders are gathering in Pittsburgh to discuss banking reform and other pressing matters. According to the Guardian, the discussions are likely to be rocky.
European leaders appeared to be on a collision course tonight with Barack Obama and Gordon Brown after Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, warned that [...]
Posted in Trends & Concepts | Tagged banks, economics, European Council, European Union, g20, HR, HR Technology, life, Risk management, sofware
By Thomas Otter on September 7, 2009
Photo via the cc of sgt. PepperedJane. thanks!
To score well at Scrabble, you need to look at the score, not the just word. Long words across the board might look good, but unless they land on double or triples, you simply waste letters and open up the board for the others to score. Literary [...]
Posted in Featured Posts, Trends & Concepts | Tagged gartner, HR Technology, HR;Software;Patterns;, Scrabble
By Thomas Otter on August 7, 2009
I spoke with an organization the other day, they are re-implementing a core HR administrative system, because the implementation they did several years ago hasn’t had the take up from the HR department users. This puzzled me a bit. How come HR users can decide whether to use the corporate system or not? Administrative Finance [...]
Posted in Software | Tagged challenges, HR Technology, HR; IT, Human resources, Project, project management
By Thomas Otter on July 27, 2009
photo via wikipedia. thanks!
This weekend we did some camping, just across the border into France, and very close to part of Maginot Line. Next time I visit that area I’m going to take some time and actually visit a couple of Ouvrages, go inside and see the working railway and the logistics of [...]
Posted in Software | Tagged Client-server, enterprise software, IT Related, maginot, maintenance, Software industry
