As of late, IBM is racing around acquiring company after company, especially in the IT and software market.  Recent acquisitions include:

• Cast Iron Systems (SaaS cloud integration)
• Cognos (Business Intelligence)
• Coremetrics (Web-based analytics)
• BigFix (Systems and Security Management)
• Sterling Commerce (B2B Commerce Solutions)

Among their largest acquisitions was the recent $1.4 billion dollar agreement to purchase Sterling Commerce (formerly an AT&T company).  Sterling Commerce is a Dublin Ohio based B2B commerce solutions company whose offerings include Enterprise and B2B Integration, Community Management, Managed File Transfer, and Multi-Channel Selling and Fulfillment applications.

A Closer Look At Sterling Commerce

Sterling Commerce is a Dublin Ohio based B2B commerce solutions company that enable the sharing of information among people, business systems, and enterprise systems.  More than 18,000 customers worldwide (including over 80 percent of the FORTUNE® 500) use Sterling Commerce solutions for their commerce and integration needs.  Founded in 1975, Sterling commerce has gone through a series of acquisitions in the last 10 years:

• In 2000, SBC Communications Inc. purchased Sterling Commerce.  With the merger of AT&T Corp. and SBC Communications Inc. in November 2005, Sterling Commerce became an AT&T company.
• In 2005, Sterling Commerce acquired Yantra Corporation, a provider of distributed order management and supply chain fulfillment solutions.
• In 2006, Sterling Commerce acquired Nistevo, a leading provider of on-demand transportation management solutions.
• In early 2007, Sterling Commerce acquired Comergent Technologies Inc., a developer of e-business order management software.
• In May 2010, IBM announced that it intended to purchase Sterling Commerce from AT&T Corp.

Interest is growing as to why IBM is acquiring so many software players with such diverse offerings.  Is it simply to increase profit/loss statements and quarterly performance numbers?   Or is it to beef up IBM’s software capabilities to compete with the Oracles and SAPs of the world?

The iGlobal Vision

IBM’s strategic acquisitions are coming in a flurry, but there is surely some method to the madness.  Sterling Commerce has recently taken up some serious initiatives around next-gen M-Commerce applications.  Using Smart phones and recent technological advances, Sterling has begun the leap into technological advancement before many of its competitors.  Combine Sterling’s new iPhone™ and upcoming iPad™ capabilities with their supply chain and business process capabilities, then add the cloud computing and network security of Cast Iron Systems® and Big Fix® respectively, and you have the makings of a world class mobile commerce and integration platform.

In reality, Sterling Commerce played a relatively minor role in the overall AT&T™ business strategy.  At iGlobal Group we believe that the acquisition by IBM is a response to current market demands for a more diverse commerce network with advanced integration capability and the ability to enable and automate business process.  IBM seems to be a more sensible home for Sterling Commerce and iGlobal is extremely excited about the future of the marriage between these two industry leading powerhouses.  iGlobal recommends, however, that as with any large merger or acquisition, customers should stay vigilant about retaining key service and support staff, and providing input into product direction.  As a Sterling Commerce Alliance Partner and IBM Business Partner, iGlobal continues to work closely alongside the two companies as they define their integration strategy and ensure customers retain the same level of service and quality as they have been accustomed to.

iGlobal will continue to be a reliable, efficient, and comprehensive choice for all of your Sterling Commerce integration, business process, or fulfillment software needs.  If you have any suggestions, ideas, or other inquiries, please feel free to contact the author of this article at: james.brochu@iglobal-group.com

For more information on supply chain solutions, consulting opportunities, and to contact us about your Sterling Commerce needs, please check out our website at www.iglobal-group.com

On the heels of the cultural and technological revolution and success of Apple’s iPhone, consumers and businesses alike are looking for Apple’s next stroke of genius—and many are turning inquisitive eyes towards the iPad.  Although it may not be as huge of a shift from the status quo as its predecessor (the iPhone), the iPad has many companies looking to exploit the evident advances in technology. 

Its effects on E-commerce, traditional business, and global culture remain to be seen, many businesses such as IBM’s newest acquisition Sterling Commerce, are looking to integrate the product into their suites of applications, and get on board with the iPad in a way that took several years for the iPod. Whether these applications will reduce costs, increase sales, or provide a competitive edge, these companies are all looking for one thing: results. Sterling Commerce has put the challenge out to their vendors and service partners to come up with an application for the iPad that will integrate with their Multi-Channel Selling and Fulfillment Suite of products, and will complement their new iPhone applications.  This article attempts to explore some potential uses of the new platform in relation to this challenge.

Already several companies—Anheuser Busch™ and BBK WorldWide™, are using the iPad’s full Internet experience, word processing capabilities, and slick user interface to enhance some traditional business functions like presentations, spreadsheet maintenance, and transferrable customer displays.  At iGlobal we see some retail and supply chain uses of the iPad that are driven by its unique components.

The iPad has several advantages over its competitors in the realm of portable computing:

• Slick and fun to use graphical interface
• Nearly full web-access
• Ability to integrate with traditional computing accessories

The question then becomes :  What business problems can be solved using these features? In this article we will take a look at a couple of common supply chain functions, and then imagine how they could be made better with the iPad.

In Store Order Capture

Utilizing the iPad’s full web access to combine the built-in camera with advanced image recognition and search functionality (see google’s image search project) customers could use an iPad to learn about, configure, and order products without ever needing a sales person.  Higher end sales could be facilitated with this functionality easily.  Imagine an electronics store customer that picks up their store assistant (iPad) at the entrance to the store, and uses the camera to identify, price, and configure home stereos, appliances, and computers.  Entering their delivery information through the iPad’s secure customer interface, and swiping their credit card through the attached processing machine, they never wait in a line, touch a box (unless they want to), or  speak with anyone.  Yet these customers have the most accurate and up to date information about their products.  Secondary benefits to the retailer are the reduced Customer Service requirements, added marketing opportunity (Realtime and targeted value-added selling!), and potential demand-based pricing capabilities:  Are the washing machines selling like crazy?  Are you down to the last 5?  Eliminate the in-store sale price and add 10% to your margins on those items instantly!

Web, Phone, or Store to their Door, and more!

Integration of the iPad touch screen, accelerometer, full web access, and computing power could lead to some interesting combinations of existing services and delivery techniques.  With simple modifications and one of the many dozens of navigation apps available to the iPhone (as well as a built in wireless internet card), the iPad could be used to integrate back of store processes with customer service enablement in ways never before thought possible.  Imagine the scenario:

A driver for the local large furniture distributor goes in to work.  As he starts his truck, he plugs in his company iPad to an adapter that displays the screen for him.  As he leaves the yard, the iPad registers information about his route, utilizes its computing power and a sourcing and routing engine to determine the best way to get all of the deliveries completed, and displays real-time map information using the wireless internet connection.  His managers can monitor his real-time position, and send him updates to his route mid-delivery.  Upon arrival at a customer’s home (on time thanks to the traffic re-routing in his map utility) he unloads the package, scans the barcode with his iPad’s camera, marks the order as delivered, and hands his iPad to the customer to sign using a stylus or their finger!  The customer reviews the order, agrees to it, and realizes he has no idea how to set up the item.  Our driver quickly pulls up installation information and prices, and offers to install it for the customer at a set rate.  He then installs the item using a video that he conveniently plays during installation.  Once done, he pulls up the new, adjusted sales order, gets the customer’s signature, and increases margins on that delivery by 15%.

The iGlobal Vision

While even Steve Jobs has been quoted as saying that the iPad is not as revolutionary a jump in technology as the iPod, we at iGlobal believe that the increased computing power, user friendly interface, and ever increasing suite of applications make it a powerful and viable business tool.  Whether it is used for sales, service, or marketing purposes, the iPad can bring significant ROI both in time and money, by facilitating and integrating previously disparate technological ‘tools’.  The iPad has the computing power and tools to combine order capture, order management, fulfillment, and even administrative tasks into streamlined and highly usable applications. 

iGlobal is always open to new ideas and partnerships in this and other emerging technologies, and would love to hear from you.  If you have any suggestions, ideas, or other inquiries, please feel free to contact the author of this article at: james.brochu@iglobal-group.com 

For more information on supply chain solutions, consulting opportunities, or anything else at all, please check out our website at www.iglobal-group.com