Blogging: The Way Forward
Apr/100
Blog, Tweet, Twitter, Comment, Chat, Facebooking – whatever you want to call it or whatever medium you choose to use, nobody today can escape the phenomenon that is Blogging. One of the forefathers of this online sensation is Pat Phelan who won Blogger of the Year at the Irish Blog Awards. From his background of being a butcher turned chef he went on to become a leading Entrepreneur with his telecommunications business active in 230 countries worldwide with a business model that costs zero and sold it for X. It wasn’t just this excellent business model that led to Pat’s success but a mammoth amount of patience and continuous blogging that enabled him to post his ideas to the masses.
The Blog world is an infinite community and a lot of people have web access and opinions’ and views that can be strewn across the www in nano-seconds. The current climate is constantly changing and emerging from it is a savvy class of people who choose to voice their opinion, so lets join them and you never know what might become of you!!
Innovation: The Way Forward
Mar/100
A recent government report released earlier this month, Innovation Task force Report, has led to a major emphasis on innovation in the Irish economy. The Report is an important element of the Government’s Plan, Building Ireland’s Smart Economy, for dealing with the challenges facing the Irish economy in a changed world. The Report sets out some key recommendations and steps to allow Ireland to be transformed into a Global Innovation Hub. Can innovation provide a solution to our troubled economy? Can technology provide the best solution?
Innovation can come from anywhere, anyone and at any time. It’s a case of moulding an idea and enabling people to take that idea and give them a platform to drive and develop it. Technology may provide the best answer. There has been continued growth in video based platforms online. One such area that could develop within this growth is working remotely. The idea of working remotely is familiar concept, but the development of video conferencing, web cams and Webex can allow for new opportunities for both employers and employees. For employers it’s an adaptation of workforce practices, trust, and enablement in the employees you are hiring and modifying the way we think successful workers work. It offers numerous opportunities for the Irish work force to export their knowledge globally. Historically, Ireland has been known as a hotbed for educational excellence, this excellence could be exported via technology, via TelePresence, or Webex to countries that struggle to attract the right level of quality that Ireland possesses.
The government report also highlights the need for investment in national infrastructure. This is a key factor in the development of video based solutions. Investment in infrastructure and the support of the private sector and service providers will assist access to workforce throughout Ireland.
Innovation can provide the next step in the road to recovery for the Irish economy. The next bright idea could provide a pathway to a smart Irish economy.
http://evertb.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/report_of_the_innovation_taskforce.pdf
CRM Is On The Up!
Mar/100
Historically Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions were associated with large corporations with aggressive sales teams. Today the use of CRM is becoming more and more frequent as companies of all sizes are availing of this software-as-a-service. This increased presence is beneficial to companies as it leads to a higher level of customer service which enables companies to maintain their customers in these tough times.
This rise of CRM usage is due to the evolution of the “customer” in a client’s eyes. A customer no longer refers to someone who buys a product, but simply someone who makes contact with a company – whether they are buying something from them, making an enquiry or logging a complaint. Thus a relationship exists and therefore needs to be managed. With the rise of virtualisation and cloud computing, hosted CRM solutions are allowing smaller firms to avail of CRM solutions and thus opening up a bigger market for CRM providers to sell into.
Business Process Management: Simply a buzz phrase?
Feb/100
Business process management (BPM) is a management approach focused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients. It is a Holistic Management approach that promotes business effectiveness and efficiency while striving for innovation, flexibility, and integration with technology. Business process management attempts to improve processes continuously. It could therefore be described as a “process optimization process.” It is argued that BPM enables organizations to be more efficient, more effective and more capable of change than a functionally focused, traditional hierarchical management approach. (wikipedia)
By definition it would appear to be an essential part of the future of any business. However, last month’s announcement that Progress Software acquired Savvion for $49million on the back of the previous month’s acquisition of Lombardi by IBM would appear to mark a turning point for BMP.
Savvion and Lombardi were 2 of the 4 vendors at the forefront of BPM.
IBM and Progress have obviously identified the potential in this market and have taken advantage of the slower economy to take a large chuck of it for what will be considered at some point in the future, not a lot of money.
BPM is regarded by most to be a key driver in the future of Business & Technology and as Business & Technology continues to merge closer and closer it will only become more and more important. It is far from just a buzz phrase!
Verkom Sponsors IT@Cork Leaders Awards Ceremony 2009
Aug/090
Verkom sponsor and attend IT@Cork Leadership Awards 2008
Verkom sponsor and attend IT@Cork Leadership Awards 2008
Verkom are delighted once again to be a main sponsor of the IT@Cork Leaders Awards Ceremony – Recognising Leaders in Technology Innovation 2009.
Organised by IT@Cork, this prestigious event will take place on 22nd October at the Vertigo Lounge. The Leadership Awards recognises some of the leading companies and individuals in the IT community that are driving progress.
The event will recognise and award Leaders in Technology and Business Innovation in 7 categories:
- High Potential Start Up
- High Growth Company
- R&D Project
- IT Department
- Sustained Excellence
- Green Technology
- Excellent in Education
If you are interested in finding out more, or to nominate, please visit www.itcork.ie