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Open Source Science: A Revolution From Within November 20, 2009 
Ask anyone in the open source science movement what it's all about, and you're likely to come back to the word that's right there in its name: "open." Open source science is all about open access. To research methods. To data. To scholarly publications. And supporters feel that it's vital to the continued growth and evolution of science itself.
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Health Insurance CRM, Part 2: The BPO Catalyst November 20, 2009 
CRM has lagged in the health insurance industry, but a major transformation is imminent. "There's been a reluctance to make comprehensive investments in technology compared with other sectors," said Gartner analyst Joanne Galimi. "Generally, the firms in the sector have been very tactical, only investing in specific areas -- basically reacting to pain points."
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Health Insurance CRM, Part 1: Shifting Into Catch-Up Mode November 19, 2009 
The health insurance industry, especially in the U.S., has a long way to go before it achieves a high level of performance in the use of customer relationship management tools. However, pressure is coming from market forces -- including new government healthcare reform policies -- that will compel improvements in health insurance CRM, whether insurance companies want it or not.
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CRM for Financial Services, Part 2: Keeping the 'R' in CRM November 13, 2009 
The market for CRM programs will expand in financial services, although the pace of spending will likely slow down in the near term. Still, the rate of CRM spending by financial firms is not the only element that could change in the future. Whether a financial firm already has implemented a program or is about to make an initial investment in CRM, the landscape will be changing.
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Teaching Mature Markets New M-Commerce Tricks November 12, 2009 
Ten years after national commercial platforms for mobile commerce were launched in the Philippines and Japan, the United States is slowly beginning to creep into the field. Residents in rural parts of the Philippines and other developing nations routinely pay bills through their smartphones, while people in Japan and Europe can buy products as well as train and airline tickets using their mobile phones.
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Drawing Security-Spooked Customers Into the E-Commerce Fold November 11, 2009 
Many consumers are still afraid of shopping online, and it's not hard to see why, with reports of fraud, identity theft, data loss and other security breaches regularly making the news. The fact is, though, online shopping is safer than ever before, and new and emerging security technologies, methods and standards are being implemented every day.
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On the Prowl for New Ways to Cut Contact Center Costs November 09, 2009 
Contact center operations are constantly under scrutiny. They're complex, they're expensive to run, and employee retention and training can be problematic, to say the least. Contact center managers have a never-ending desire to streamline operations to keep spending in check.
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CRM for Financial Services, Part 1: Unmet Potential November 06, 2009 
The chastening effect of the recession has many financial services firms taking a cautious view of future CRM investments. One reason is that these firms are husbanding their resources. Another is a growing awareness that investments in CRM by the financial sector have not been all that successful.
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Workforce Management: Beyond Time and Attendance November 02, 2009 
In both the best and worst of economic times, worker productivity is a major management goal. Making sure that employees efficiently carry out their tasks is critical to the success of both government and business enterprises. First, of course, the workers have to show up.
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CRM for the Small Biz: Turning Agony Into Ecstasy October 30, 2009 
Small businesses frequently rely on a haphazard assortment of tools to manage their CRM processes, such as email, contact managers and spreadsheets. However, such methods are usually not sustainable or scalable. "Their customer data ends up fragmented across 10 different applications and physical locations," said Dmitri Eroshenko, CEO of Relenta.
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Online Commercials: New Life for an Old Model? October 26, 2009 
It's no secret: We just don't watch TV commercials like we used to. We change channels, or, if we're watching a DVR-recorded show, we skip over them entirely. Like everything else, commercials are migrating online. This brave new world of online commercials sometimes resembles the old TV model, but it has its own set of challenges and possibilities.
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SFA May Be Mature, but It's About to Have a Growth Spurt October 26, 2009 
Sales force automation -- nimble, lightweight and usually mobile -- seems to have little in common with its staid parent, enterprise resource planning. Until you consider this: After years of widespread adoption, SFA has also become mature -- but in its own way. Yet the space is not remaining static.
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Choosing a Desktop Linux Distro, Part 2: Installation and Support October 23, 2009 
With more than 200 Linux distributions currently listed at Linux Online, it's perhaps an understatement to say that newcomers to the field face a broad array of choices. In addition to considering their own goals for Linux, however, potential users may also need to take other factors into account. Hardware considerations are often foremost among them.
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The New Darling of the Green-Tech Movement October 20, 2009 
Until recently, Apple was a little too ripe for the green scale. Environmentalists raised a stink over the company's use of toxic chemicals, its refusal to publicly release its carbon emissions, and its overall sorry showing in industry green rankings. "Well, it's important we give Apple credit for the data they just released," said Greenpeace's Casey Harrell, "because it has definitely raised the bar."
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Sailing Toward the New Supply Chain Management World October 19, 2009 
You might say that supply chain management has entered the philosophical realm. SCM investment has flatlined to a large extent, and the market's focus has changed as supply chain headaches become more complex and cut a broader swath. Although there is no one compelling trend in the SCM space, cost optimization and fulfillment are becoming top priorities.
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Choosing a Desktop Linux Distro, Part 1: Getting What You Want October 16, 2009 
That there are many compelling reasons to switch to Linux is no longer a matter of much debate. Excellent security and low -- or nonexistent -- costs, to name just two, have already persuaded countless organizations and individuals around the globe to eschew the world of end-user license agreements and opt for the freedom and openness of Linux instead.
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