7,754 research outputs found
Assessing the Feasibility of Developing a Federated ERP System
In past years ERP Systems have become one of the main components within the
corporate IT structure. Several problems exist around implementing and
operating these systems within companies. In the literature one can find
several studies about the problems arising during the implementation of an ERP
system. The main problem areas are around the complexity of ERP systems. One
vision to overcome some of these problems is federated ERP. Federated ERP
systems are built of components from different vendors, which are distributed
within a network. All components act as one single ERP system from the user
perspective. The decreased complexity of such a system would require lower
installation and maintenance cost. Additional, only the components which are
needed to cover the company's business processes would be used. Several
theories around this concept exist, but a feasibility assessment of developing
a federated ERP system has not been done yet. Based on a literary analysis of
existing methods for feasibility studies, this paper is applying strategic
planning concepts and referential data from the traditional ERP development to
provide a first assessment of the overall feasibility of developing a platform
for federated ERP systems. An analytical hierarchical approach is used to
define effort and effect related criteria and their domain values. The
assessment as the criteria is done in comparison to the development of a
classical ERP system. Using the developed criteria, a net present value
calculation is done. The calculation of the net present value is done on an
overall, not company specific level. In order to estimate the weighted average
cost of capital, the values from successful software companies are used as a
baseline. Additional potential risks and obstacles are identified for further
clarification
Managing complex technology projects
This article explores some of the issues associated with the management of complex technology projects, specifically through the use of systems methodologies. As part of this assessment, the results from an industry survey are reported, which was designed to identify the key features in the use of systems approaches in technology and engineering management. The paper also describes a new conceptual framework, called the four-frames systems view, which has been developed as a tool for the management of complex projects. This innovative framework brings together different systems-related methodologies and tools, in order to reduce risk in the design, implementation and management of complex technology projects. The framework is based on a view that different systems methodologies are needed in order to accommodate different levels of complexity. The paper provides an initial application of the framework to the development of a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) system for the civil sector
Enterprise Architecture Documentation: Current Practices and Future Directions
Over the past decade Enterprise Architecture (EA) management matured to a discipline commonly perceived as a strategic advantage. Among others, EA management helps to identify and realize cost saving potentials in organizations. EA initiatives commonly start by documenting the status-quo of the EA. The respective management discipline analyzes this so-called current state and derives intermediate planned states heading towards a desired target state of the architecture. Several EA frameworks describe this process in theory. However, during practical application, organizations struggle with documenting the EA and lack concrete guidance during the process. To underline our observations and confirm our hypotheses, we conducted a survey among 140 EA practitioners to analyze issues organizations face while documenting the EA and keeping the documentation up to date. In this paper we present results on current practices, challenges, and automation techniques for EA documentation in a descriptive manner
Management and Service-aware Networking Architectures (MANA) for Future Internet Position Paper: System Functions, Capabilities and Requirements
Future Internet (FI) research and development threads have recently been gaining momentum all over the world and as such the international race to create a new generation Internet is in full swing: GENI, Asia Future Internet, Future Internet Forum Korea, European Union Future Internet Assembly (FIA). This is a position paper identifying the research orientation with a time horizon of 10 years, together with the key challenges for the capabilities in the Management and Service-aware Networking Architectures (MANA) part of the Future Internet (FI) allowing for parallel and federated Internet(s)
Planning strategically, designing architecturally : a framework for digital library services
In an era of unprecedented technological innovation and evolving user expectations and information seeking behaviour, we are arguably now an online society, with digital services increasingly common and increasingly preferred. As a trusted information provider, libraries are in an advantageous position to respond, but this requires integrated strategic and enterprise architecture planning, for information technology (IT) has evolved from a support role to a strategic role, providing the core management systems, communication networks, and delivery channels of the modern library. Further, IT components do not function in isolation from one another, but are interdependent elements of distributed and multidimensional systems encompassing people, processes, and technologies, which must consider social, economic, legal, organisational, and ergonomic requirements and relationships, as well as being logically sound from a technical perspective. Strategic planning provides direction, while enterprise architecture strategically aligns and holistically integrates business and information system architectures. While challenging, such integrated planning should be regarded as an opportunity for the library to evolve as an enterprise in the digital age, or at minimum, to simply keep pace with societal change and alternative service providers. Without strategy, a library risks being directed by outside forces with independent motivations and inadequate understanding of its broader societal role. Without enterprise architecture, it risks technological disparity, redundancy, and obsolescence. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this conceptual paper provides an integrated framework for strategic and architectural planning of digital library services. The concept of the library as an enterprise is also introduced
Grid Databases for Shared Image Analysis in the MammoGrid Project
The MammoGrid project aims to prove that Grid infrastructures can be used for
collaborative clinical analysis of database-resident but geographically
distributed medical images. This requires: a) the provision of a
clinician-facing front-end workstation and b) the ability to service real-world
clinician queries across a distributed and federated database. The MammoGrid
project will prove the viability of the Grid by harnessing its power to enable
radiologists from geographically dispersed hospitals to share standardized
mammograms, to compare diagnoses (with and without computer aided detection of
tumours) and to perform sophisticated epidemiological studies across national
boundaries. This paper outlines the approach taken in MammoGrid to seamlessly
connect radiologist workstations across a Grid using an "information
infrastructure" and a DICOM-compliant object model residing in multiple
distributed data stores in Italy and the UKComment: 10 pages, 5 figure
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