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Ten Things to Consider for Rapid Implementation Oracle’s approach to SMB applications gets your business up, running, and productive quickly Introduction

In today’s business climate, small and midsize companies are competing with everyone—one another and bigger firms alike—for customers and revenues in every niche. Large-scale enterprises get most of the press, but SMBs are subject to the same pressures and influences—to do more with less, to streamline processes and speed go-to-market, to achieve near-perfect levels of service and reliability for their customers—and they have much lower tolerance for delay or failure. IT and software applications can play a huge role in getting work done quickly and efficiently. The right tools, and the right support, can help a company differentiate from the pack and deliver a superior level of service. The problem is, SMBs don’t have time for lengthy assessments, consultations, solution designs, and phased rollout schedules. Smaller players need the job done right, ontime, the first time. The best way to make that happen, far more quickly and productively than via customized or tailored software, is with an intuitive, easy-to-deploy and easy-to-use suite of applications that already has best practices and smooth workflow built in. O r a c l e A c c e l e r at e i s t h e Ri g h t A p p r o a c h

Oracle Accelerate is a fixed-price, rapid-implementation approach, delivering dozens of configurable solu-

tions that are designed to fit the needs of specific industries. Oracle solutions launch quickly, scale easily, and expand effortlessly, bringing powerful tools and enterprise-class service to the SMB. As the largest enterprise software company in the world, Oracle has the know-how to pinpoint successful workflows and best practices that apply regardless of company size. These elements—called Accelerators—are built into the industry-focused application suites that Oracle and its partners deliver for SMBs. Jim Rodgers, vice president of sales at Oracle partner Baytree Associates, Inc., explains: “Based on industryspecific leading-practice Business Flows, the Oracle Accelerator is a wizard-driven toolset that provides tremendous flexibility for personalizing the [customer’s] implementation of Oracle E-Business Suite without making modifications or customizing the core Oracle code. The result is a highly configured instance that is quickly deployed and completely protected during future version upgrades. This toolset is delivered with a variety of out-of-the-box assets, including training videos, how-to guides, test scripts, and implementation guidelines that provide immediate value to the client.” Oracle’s experts have identified ten important factors for SMBs to keep in mind when considering their software and business process needs and the narrow timeframe in which

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they have to work. Making the right decision will mean the difference between a successful deployment and a quagmire that drains precious time and money from the company. 1. C  osts of implementation and ownership

Whenever you’re shopping, a glance at the price tag is enough to determine whether you’ll pick up or reject an item. But with business software, initial cost is just the tip of the iceberg. Does the price include enough licenses, integration help, and training? Will an army of expensive consultants invade the office? How much will maintenance cost? How long before we see a positive return on investment? And what happens as the company grows? Oracle Accelerate takes the guesswork and headache out of business software implementations by delivering a focused suite of applications, Business Accelerators, and support for one affordable price. You can stay on your version of the software for as long as it suits your needs, with regular upgrades and feature-set expansions readily available, ensuring that changes and growth don’t end up costing more than necessary. 2. Fitting your business

Depending on the provider, SMB solutions can be stripped-down versions of enterprise applications, or heavily customized and specialized offerings that fit a niche industry but don’t scale or adjust easily. You don’t have

time to spend adjusting an application to fit your workflow style; you need tools that are preconfigured and preloaded with the best and most efficient elements for your company’s focus. Oracle Accelerate delivers solutions that meet the workflow needs of specific verticals, from automotive to technology and over 70 others. With product lines such as JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, Siebel, and Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle delivers complete, suite-based solutions that focus on specific industries. The solutions include comprehensive business flows across front office, back office and industry-specific processes. Local channel partners add an even finer level of focus, adjusting applications to account for regulatory and tax requirements in specific regions and countries.

installs and configures quickly, and if end-users can learn the new applications with minimal time investment. The Oracle Accelerate approach leverages the expertise of local channel partners who tailor Business Accelerators for quick, wizard-driven deployment and provide videos and training guides for users. The tools are preconfigured for specific industries and localities, ensuring smooth integration and rapid uptake. “Our implementation with Oracle Business Accelerators was completed on time and under budget, with a remarkably smooth transition from our legacy system. Oracle’s technology, applications, and implementation partner have been a winning combination for our company,” says Sylvia Trujillo, CFO of The Jewelry Exchange in San Francisco.

3 . I m p ro v i n g y o u r b u s i n e s s

The pressure to improve processes and workflows is high; the tools you deploy must be streamlined and taskspecific, enforcing step-by-step execution and integrating seamlessly with management and database applications. Oracle Accelerators configure end-to-end business flows using your data, with industry-specific and country versions that meet your business’s requirements. Accelerators include flow models, videos, scripts and other training material to help you map processes to the software quickly, and a setup tool that uses your responses to a simple questionnaire to integrate your business information into the application suite quickly and accurately. “The combination of Oracle’s preintegrated applications and Solbourne’s public sector expertise was a good fit for the City of Englewood—and we were impressed with the rapid, onbudget implementation,” says Don Ingle, director of IT for the City of Englewood, CO. 4. Smooth takeoff

As we’ve mentioned, rapid implementation only works if the solution

5. Regular upgrades

When you sign on with an enterprise software provider, their SMB offerings, being customized subsets of larger-scale offerings, may not upgrade easily. If the code is tweaked further to adapt the application for a specific industry, upgrades can be drawn-out and complex tasks. Oracle Accelerate applications are built on comprehensive, open software that allows for eminent configurability and requires no alterations to the code. Oracle and its partners release upgrades every 12-24 months for each of product line. In addition, the Accelerate program ensures hassle-free, non-disruptive upgrades by isolating data from application logic, providing automated patching and upgrade tools, and by leveraging an extensive network of expert partners who know your business. 6. Managing changes

SMBs are intimately familiar with the speed of business, and the agility needed to seize opportunities quickly. If an acquisition or product line expansion comes into play, how smoothly can you adapt your processes and work-

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flow to the new rules? Heavily customized applications are not flexible or easy to reconfigure once they’re in place, but Oracle Accelerate’s approach enables effortless scaling and compelling flexibility. With Business Accelerators encompassing more than a thousand potential workflows, adjusting the software you have in place is fast and easy. Oracle’s plan for brand-new releases, regular enhancements, and feature upgrades is called Applications Unlimited. And while the opportunity to upgrade and expand is available, it is not forced on customers. Oracle’s Lifetime Support Policy ensures you will receive the support you need whether you follow the upgrade path or not. 7. Managing scope

Although their needs for application features and functionality sometimes mirror those of larger organizations, SMBs rarely have the luxury of long, complex, expensive implementations. The most successful rollouts for SMBs tend to focus on solving acute issues and then branching out to leverage more comprehensive capabilities. Oracle’s competitors find this type of deployment challenging—they either force an entire package on clients, so all of the applications can be customized together, or, if they start small, their custom enhancements and future scale-ups are even more expensive and challenging down the road. Oracle Accelerate implementations, on the other hand, are laser-focused on meeting acute concerns, such as supply chain management, procurement, or CRM, and you pay for what you need, not more. Once the highpriority processes are optimized and brought into alignment with business goals, Oracle Accelerate partners deliver applications to target specific task areas and raise their levels of efficiency and productivity for across-the-board gains. Oracle delivers successful implementations because Accelerate applications are not customized; they’re

configured to reflect industry-specific workflows. This approach allows easy modification or addition of capabilities as your business needs evolve. 8 . I n t e g r a t i o n w i t h I T infrastructure

SMBs aren’t always standardized on one particular IT infrastructure protocol, and business applications must integrate seamlessly with existing environments. The Oracle Accelerate approach encourages high degrees of interoperability with other Oracle and non-Oracle applications. Each product line includes integration ‘hooks’ that translate and transform disparate systems into a unified, service-oriented whole. Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne solutions, for example, integrate all financial processes into one database and link seamlessly with all the other applications in the suite. “Our 100% revenue growth over the past three years has been supported with JD Edwards EnterpriseOne applications,” reports Timothy J. Schultz, director of IT at Denver-based TUFF SHED, Inc. 9. Support system in place

SMB solutions must be covered by responsive and helpful technical sup-

port to ensure prompt problem-solving and smooth operations. Oracle is the largest and most respected business software provider, with a network of support experts in every niche industry. Oracle’s comprehensive support policies cover everything from databases to middleware to applications, with implementation help, integration assistance, customer-driven upgrade strategies, and full updates, maintenance, and security/regulatory patches. Because all Oracle Accelerate solutions undergo an industry-focused review process, Oracle and its partners understand how to provide seamless support to SMB customers.

Oracle provides partners with valuable tools, such as assessment tests and education courses, so they can gain proficiency in Oracle software implementations and put that expertise to work for you. Oracle’s network of over 330 channel partners ensures that specialists are there for you in your location and in your industry. “We looked at the other big names, but ultimately Oracle and Baytree offered a more flexible solution that is easier to implement, easier to use, and easier to maintain,” says Mark Slaven, CFO of Cross Match Technologies, Inc., in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

1 0 . C h o o s i n g t h e r i g h t partner

Small and midsize businesses need rapid implementation, minimal learning curve, ease of use, and a smooth upgrade path for their business process applications. Oracle Accelerate delivers these tailored applications through software and channel partners in every major industry, helping customers enhance their processes and service levels, compete more effectively, and grow ever more successful. To learn more, visit www.oracle.com/accelerate. n

Channel partners in specific industry areas are the best route for SMBs to take when seeking comprehensive business application solutions, as they deliver the best technology coupled with an intimate knowledge of the industry. Oracle Accelerate partners are chosen for their dedication to customer needs and their deep technical expertise. In addition,

C o n c l u s i o n : A c c e l e r at e with Oracle

Sponsored by Oracle Copyright © May 2007 Ziff Davis Media Custom Publishing. The information contained herein is accurate only as of the date of publication, and is subject to change without notice.

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