With Our Head in the Cloud...

...Life is good. 

One would expect us to be looking at things through rose-coloured lenses, but the dream-like quality of floating along has not skewed our vision of reality. In fact the cloud we are talking about has given us clarity. We now see things the way they should be; lined with silver. 

Before we carry on, let us unpack the "cloud" for you. We are not talking about a cumulonimbus or cirrus formation of precipitation in the sky. The "cloud" that has us so pleased is computing as a service rather than a product; cloud computing offers shared resources, software and information as a utility over a network (typically the internet).

We embarked on our journey to the cloud with our travel buddy, VMware, a while ago. This journey has been neither adventurous nor filled with excitement. Simply because this trip went exactly according to plan; no mishaps, detours or potholes along the way. Just good, old-fashioned plain sailing. That’s not to say it hasn’t been daring and exploratory – we did venture into unknown territory – but are absolutely delighted with what we discovered.

VMware and virtualisation offer the most trusted and reliable platform for cloud computing. And cloud computing and business performance were made for each other. Like the Springboks and the Webb Ellis Cup (we all know that they belong together).

Our journey to the cloud has resulted in saved time, money and resources, improved business performance, extreme agility and a drastically reduced carbon footprint. Cloud computing has transformed our IT environment into something dynamic, elastic, scalable and secure.

How awesome is that?

The Force is Strong with this ERP for Granite Mining

Because the South African granite mining industry is a key foreign-currency earner, the go-to business solution must, without question, be something remarkable, and downright tough. And take the many unique challenges of the industry, rein them in and ride them like a pony.

The ideal solution for this industry must, at the very least, be able to:

•   Establish and report on real production costs (at a primary and secondary level).
•   Maintain accurate production and labour statistics.
•   Accurately cost and manage production inventory (including work in progress).
•   Manage sales and customers.
•   Manage consumables inventory.
•   Manage procurement.
•   Plan and track infrastructure maintenance.
•   Provide for rehabilitation costs based on production statistics.

Bare this in mind when selecting your ideal solution, and remember Sage ERP X3 for Granite Mining. You won’t look back.

Read more:  http://www.synergygroup.co.za/Downloads/X3.pdf

The Essentials that Make a Logistics and Warehousing Solution Fierce

When you're selecting the right solution for logistics and warehousing, there are some things that just should not be compromised on. If you do, you'll be shooting your company in the foot with a rusty nail gun, whilst standing in a metal bucket of water with your finger in a wall socket... Basically, DON'T DO IT!

Do not compromise on anything other than the colour of your bathroom towels when your better other has a different "vision" to yours. That's probably the one time compromise will save your life.

When you set out on your shopping expedition for a logistics and warehousing solution, take the following checklist with you and ensure that the solution you choose ticks off all the essentials.

The Logistics and Warehousing Essentials Checklist:

• Complete, seamless, integration with automated conveyor systems.
• Scalability to accommodate future business growth.
• International support for all development requirements.
• Option of centralised databases.
• Simple, easy-to-use and customisable.
• An end-to-end system that optimises space and logistical operations from receiving to shipping.
• Compliance with international standards and a high level of expertise covering all logistics-related fields.
• Simplified management of distribution channels.
• Speedy return on investment.
• A wide functional parameter.

   

Why would you want a plumber managing your IT support?

Traditional IT support works in much the same way as a plumber: something breaks, you call them out AFTER the proverbial has hit the fan, someone comes to asses the situation, you hold thumbs the problem can be sorted out there and then, and then you get a bill.

When it comes to IT support, by the time a problem has reared it's nasty little head, it's already too late and Game Over could be just around the corner. Downtime is not a pleasant place to visit. 

Managed Services for the WIN! 

 

Want to know how to avoid this? Managed Services, because Managed Services offers a true IT support partnership, exceptional service and problem resolving BEFORE the little critters even appear on the radar. And because Managed Services is so completely different to traditional IT support. 

Responsibility, that's where "the difference comes". All the responsibility and all the risk that is a constant companion of accountability for your IT system management is placed firmly in the hands of the Managed Services provider. All sigh a sigh of relief...

Managed Services is the ideal model of IT management. Don't believe us? We have some comparisons that we'd like to share like friends with you. That's how we roll.

   

Traditional IT Services:	Managed Services:
The “break-fix” service provider has no incentive to ensure your network is as stable as possible. The slower they work, the more money they make.	The Managed Services provider (Synergy Group) will lose a precious commodity should anything go wrong - technical support time. Our incentive is to ensure your network is as stable as possible at all times.
Their profit is relative to your problems – more problems = more money. Your IT nightmares are their IT dreams (most profitable jobs).	You pay a fixed monthly fee for our guaranteed services – regardless of whether or not the wheels stay firmly in place or a disaster of epic proportions unfolds.
They have no incentive to invest in network management tools and you miss out.	You are not limited to a certain number of hours of support per month.
The latest network management and automation systems pass you by undetected and you gain no benefit from technological advances.	Proactive maintenance = optimal network stability and functionality.
More often than not the service provided is considered “best effort”; response times are flexible and guarantees are rarely made.	You receive all the benefits of the latest network management, automation and monitoring systems.
Double billing for the same problems.	Our response times are backed by an outstanding technician base as well as an all-inclusive Service Level Agreement

Is there an ERP system out there that is smart enough to understand the logistics and warehousing landscape?

If this question had been asked 15 years ago, it would've been much easier to answer. A resounding "NO" would have filled your ears as the solutions available at the time were few and far between. And really not that great. Your choices were limited to manually working out the complex space optimisation calculations that made month end a never-ending paper battle. Not much to work with, hey?

With few or no software products truly understanding the headaches you have to bear, in-house IT gurus were employed to develop a custom software package specifically for you.  Initially it seemed like a good idea, but after five years and only 30% of your business on the system, you fired the whole bunch and started to 'software' shop again.

Painful demo after yet another painful demo were slept through until you eventually settled for a second-rate system offering you only 65% of the necessary functionality you so desperately need (as opposed to a mere 40%). Chances are this "solution" only vaguely resembled a general ledger (maybe they were once in the same room at the same time) and didn't even begin to come close to touching on any logistical integrities.

Fortunately today there are many options and we've got the (thank goodness!) answer.

Because we’re nosy, we have done our research and recognise the degree of flexibility that any dynamic, active and constantly-evolving business requires. We also know just what a logistics and warehousing company needs; an industry-specific business solution that is clever enough to work the way you want it to.

Sage Geode is the Enterprise Solution that will help sustain your competitive edge whilst simultaneously accelerating your business and growing to meet your company’s logistical and distribution needs.This integrated warehouse system offers:

·         Improved productivity.

·         Increased efficiency in industrial infrastructure management.

·         Increasedquality and reliability within distribution channels.

·         Optimised warehouse space

·         Supported growth.

“Sage Geode manages all our finished product flows… Thanks to Sage, we now work with a totally integrated and highly centralised management tool… Sage Geode is there to support us every day and help us carry out development projects.” Emmanuelle Lief – ERP-WMS Manager, L’OCCITANE

Want to find out more? Click here.

No Negativity Wednesday

(Source: www.deviantart.com)

Welcome to The Synergy Post

And here before us, we have a thing of terrible beauty; the official Synergy Group blog. 

Within these posts of magnificence you will find an archive of our press releases, valuable information about ERP (enterprise resource planning) and IT Solutions stuff, a few things that make us laugh, and general wisdom. 

We love feedback; please feel free to comment.

Welcome, we hope you enjoy your stay.