Now is the time of year when EDI managers start looking at what’s left in the current budget and what projects can be set aside for next year.  With spending being on a hiatus in the early uncertain days of 2021, many companies have unspent money in their IT budget.  Perhaps you have a big project scheduled in early 2022 but not enough capital in the 2021 budget to cover it.  If you play it smart, you can sometimes include both fiscal years for these bigger projects and come out looking like a rock star to your CFO.  Take company Random Client from Anywhere, USA who wants t ..read more

We just completed a painstaking process of assisting a multitude of clients update their communications software to a version that supports TLS 1.2, due to an impending deadline.  We were hit smack in the face by the reality that most companies don’t continue to invest in IT as a core business philosophy, rather they wait until they’re forced to make a change. The world is evolving, technology is evolving, how business is done is evolving.  We have spent the last 18-months living through a pandemic which required companies to make extreme pivots just to remain relevant.  And yet ..read more

Review Some will say that 2020 was an absolute dumpster fire, but I say that it was a valuable learning experience. What I saw and learned is companies that lead do so by action, thinking outside the box, and leveraging technology to automate, connect, and transform.  Successful companies didn’t wait for the pandemic to worsen in the spring before they assessed the likely impact, rather they crafted plans to adapt to the coming tide, and flawlessly executed those plans to emerge from round 1 a winner.  Now we’re in the midst of another (and much worse) wave and see that things are go ..read more

Photo credit: Lisa Tozzi.  One topic around here that we have been discussing is whether our clients truly know the extent of our capabilities.  I think they all know that we can do old-fashioned vanilla EDI but many do not know that we can also do pistachio and rum raisin, too!  And by "pistachio" I am talking about some of the remarkable services available to our clients they may not be taking advantage of, like direct-connections to trading partners or their ERP via APIs, EDI dashboards, inventory feeds and the list goes on. In other words, we don't just do EDI, we meet our c ..read more

This blog, originally written by Lisa Shechter, Team Leader for Enavate, is being reprinted with permission.  The words popularized by T. Bert Lance, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” definitely do NOT apply to your software application environment.  As with any big investment, maintenance is key to performance. Follow these tips for keeping your Dynamics servers in tip-top shape. Develop a regular schedule for systems health checks It’s important to perform routine maintenance of your Microsoft SQL Database and Application servers regularly. Whether monthly, quarterly or annually ..read more

Reprinted with permission from CoEnterprise. Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE: BNED), one of the largest contract operators of physical and virtual bookstores for higher education and K-12 institutions across the United States, one of the largest textbook wholesalers, and a leading provider of digital education services, enhances the academic and social purpose of educational institutions. Through its Barnes & Noble College and MBS subsidiaries, Barnes & Noble Education operates 1,495 physical and virtual bookstores and serves more than 6 million students, delivering essential ..read more

Photo credit: Eli Christman.  Long before the crisis the world finds itself in now, the hospitality industry and really most service industries in general, seemed to have forgotten that the term “customer service” actually means “to serve the needs of the customer."  Service providers and customers alike had forgotten that we’re all human, and thus everyone became a mere number. I loathe this crisis we’re in and would wish it away if I could.  I’m deeply saddened by the loss of thousands of lives and can’t imagine the depth of the impact those losses have had on their families ..read more

Photo credit: Olgierd Rudak. The ability for your business to pivot, be flexible and adaptable with your business model, and embrace technology will be keys not only to surviving the current crisis, but for thriving in the future and crisis-proofing your business. Brick-and-mortar companies whose model is showing-up-to-shop, showing-up-to-eat, or reporting-to-an-office are all being faced with the survival challenge of a lifetime.  Some are adopting hastily-crafted plans for delivery, curb-side pickup or online ecommerce, and then are being faced with the new challenges those new models b ..read more

Photo appears courtesy of University of the Fraser Valley. Millions of people have now found themselves working remotely due to the recent global pandemic. For companies like GraceBlood LLC and the EDI Alliance, this cloud-based, work-from-home model is just business as usual. Often when I tell people that I "work from home" they get this dreamy look in their eyes and say something like, "Wow - you're so lucky." Yes, it does have its perks, but there are some learning curves, too. Read on to learn some best practices and how you can succeed during this unprecedented time. First of all, it's im ..read more

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash.  Originally published by and reprinted with permission by our friends at Loren Data. Loren Data Corp. recognizes that many business are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Federal, State and Local governments are coordinating their responses and more information is available daily.  To that end, we wanted to make available to everyone  financial assistance information and publishings that may apply to your business. The SBA has provided several emergency economic relief loans to small businesses (under 500 employees).  ..read more