Technology in Practice

Aligning human capital management technology with your business processes enables each HR function to run effectively and efficiently. From recruiting to payroll to talent development, HCM technology transforms HR into a strategic function by optimizing workflows, improving employee experience, and increasing the return on investment in human capital. But systems must be implemented correctly, integrated properly, and supported fully to achieve fundamental change and success. You must approach technology holistically and focus on each aspect of the HR function thoroughly to avoid these ten HCM technology challenges and maximize ROI. 1) Integrating solutions Best-of-breed solutions are great for getting the best of each type of HCM technology, like talent acquisition, workforce management, or benefits administration applications. But your total return will be less than the sum of your parts if you do not solve common HCM integration problems such as managing multiple updates and ensuring a smooth user experience across all applications. 2) Gaining visibility Knowing how well-engaged employees perform is essential for measuring how new technology will increase productivity and improve performance. However, companies often lack the HR analytics and reporting needed to glean insights and reach company goals. Training internal employees to extract data from your systems or bringing in outside help could be an investment worth considering. 3) Improving the employee experience HCM technology should make work easier—and even enjoyable—for employees. Needlessly complex processes and difficult software frustrate employees who expect the same easy-to-use tools and convenient features that they enjoy as consumers. 4) Maintaining data integrity Relying on different people and apps can cause inconsistencies in data if you do not manage data correctly. Establish a corporate policy on data integrity to help ensure data is managed even during staffing changes. 5) Eliminating manual processes Manual processes and spreadsheets as the biggest of pains wreaking havoc on HR departments. Using spreadsheets means you’re not taking advantage of a set of business processes; you’re making up rules as you go, which isn’t a sustainable business practice. 6) Connecting HR and IT HR may own the processes, but IT departments often control the systems. Executing HR processes smoothly and efficiently under constrained resources such as time, staff, technology, and finances are today’s top HR function challenge. 7) Measuring ROI The ROI for HCM technology is well below that of other technologies because it is hard to measure its benefits, according to a study by Computer Economics. These soft benefits—including a better-equipped and more highly skilled workforce, improved employee satisfaction, and reduced risk of regulatory noncompliance—produce a real return but don’t always find their way into any accounting for success. With a little effort and strategic planning, it is possible to  calculate your total cost of ownership so that you can assess ROI accurately. 8) Migrating to the cloud Migrating HCM to the cloud produces benefits like security, efficiency, and speed. 9) Supporting new systems New technology adds new tech support responsibilities to your IT team. This can stretch thin resources even further and pull them from value-adding innovation and transformation. Thus, 44% of companies augment staff with onsite or remote experience through IT service providers, according to a Forrester Consulting thought leadership paper about how innovation leaders need IT Services to drive transformative outcomes. 10) Technology road-mapping Like your business, HCM technology changes constantly. Today’s needs may be met, but tomorrows are uncertain. Technology road-mapping helps you create an agile plan to support your long-term strategic planning by matching your short and long-term goals with options for specific technology solutions.  Properly road-mapping when to make HCM technology changes will allow for positive employee experience and increase company efficiency when it is implemented correctly, configured properly, and supported fully.

Pixafy, an Adobe Solution Partner specializing in ERP and eCommerce, today announced erpCommerce™ for NetSuite. erpCommerce enables organizations using NetSuite to integrate with Adobe Commerce, powered by Magento, and launch a fully ERP-integrated transactional website within 60 days. The erpCommerce for NetSuite solution combines an enterprise-level Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution with industry-leading eCommerce, from Adobe Commerce, and Boomi’s leading cloud-based integration platform as a service (iPaaS). The solution allows merchants and partners throughout the NetSuite and Adobe commerce ecosystems to fast-track best-in-class B2B and B2C eCommerce implementations. Offering a prebuilt, yet fully customizable and extendable integration platform, the erpCommerce for NetSuite solution gives customers the ability to rapidly address immediate needs, and the flexibility to scale to meet future demands. erpCommerce for NetSuite is part of Pixafy’s strategic deployment of quick-to-market tools (“Zero to Integrated eCommerce in 60 Days”) that allow customers to integrate with the broadest range of platforms, which began with its successful roll-out of erpCommerce for Sage X3 ERP in 2020. As opposed to other eCommerce integration tools built for NetSuite, erpCommerce seamlessly integrates with other systems (CRM, OMS, etc.), and offers customers more affordable and far greater customization and functionality. erpCommerce for NetSuite – Watch 2-Minute Overview erpCommerce for NetSuite – Watch Recorded Webcast “erpCommerce for NetSuite is the next step in our plan to provide merchants with the best of both worlds: a robust and flexible B2B and B2C eCommerce solution that can be quickly deployed to meet today’s needs, with the scalability and customization to painlessly support future business needs as they arise,” said Adam Goldschmiedt, Practice Director at Pixafy. “All our solutions are based on a ‘forever platform methodology,’ which we’re able to provide thanks to knowing and working with all the major players, which allows us to deliver custom-built solutions that provide tremendous value to the channel.” erpCommerce for NetSuite at-a-glance: Built on Gartner Magic Quadrant, Industry Leading Solutions. Adobe Commerce, powered by Magento, the leading global and complete eCommerce solution – B2B and B2C – with deep application and partner ecosystem to allow for limitless extensibility, flexibility, and scalability. Boomi iPaaS Solution.Boomi allows extension of integrations to other software and tools in addition to NetSuite ERP (CRM, OMS, etc.) with pre-built connectors for dozens of other solutions. Extendable & Flexible. Merchants are not locked into proprietary “point” integration solutions; ability to develop and enhance on top of existing code base. Made for ERP Users by ERP Specialists. With access to subject matter expertise within Pixafy sister company, Net at Work, the erpCommerce solution was created with NetSuite ERP as the core value add – unlike other integrations built by web developers. A Focus on B2B. Pixafy’s erpCommerce solution extends the rich B2B functionality of Adobe Commerce to offer a “single point of truth” to run online businesses and workflows. Outi Greve, Adobe’s Senior Director, Partner Sales, says: “With today’s announcement, Pixafy strengthens their position as a critical partner for rapid and scalable ERP integrations. We look forward to their success with Adobe Commerce erpCommerce™ for NetSuite and Adobe.” Davis Tavolaro, Vice President, Global Business at Boomi: “Pixafy continues to be a valued Boomi partner in giving customers a standardized tool that fast-tracks outstanding integrations and business outcomes. erpCommerce for NetSuite is another welcome addition from the Pixafy team, enabling partners in our ecosystem to help their customers optimize critical business processes while giving them the needed agility to succeed in today’s ever-changing business landscape.” To learn how to launch erpCommerce for Adobe Commerce and NetSuite in 60 days or less, watch Pixafy’s recorded webcast or visit www.pixafy.com/NetSuite.

It seems everyone is talking about the shock to the world’s supply chains triggered by the pandemic and its nascent recovery. With much of the focus on how to get raw materials when and where we need them, less of the talk has been on how much we really need. Demand forecasting is a critical component in the success of every manufacturer. Some manufacturers are seeing rapid growth in demand for products that were formerly secondary or tertiary areas of focus. Others are seeing demand drop for former best sellers. How can manufacturers better align demand planning with actual demand to reduce waste and boost profitability? Playing the Odds is Risky Demand forecasting, like playing the stock market, has always been part art, part science. You rely on the best available data inputs, past transactions, and gut instincts. The most successful demand planners know how to balance the three, and when to trust one over another. Manufacturers who rely primarily on past transactions to predict future demand struggle during the recovery as customer buying patterns change. We cannot base demand planning in 2021 and beyond on the historical activities and patterns of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. Visibility Leads to Clear Decision Making The goal is to understand and to predict, with a reasonable degree of accuracy, what demand is going to look like in three to six months, or more. Easier said than done, of course. But, in our experience working with manufacturers to optimize their demand forecasting capabilities, we’ve learned that visibility is crucial. Insight into inventory levels, current lead times, past seasonal trends, customer sales forecasts, win rates, average order value, product mixes, and more must be considered together to inform and advance demand forecasting. Net at Work focuses on helping manufacturers gain the decision-powering insights necessary for accurate demand forecasting. We invite you to learn more about how people, processes, and technology come together to deliver that visibility in a new whitepaper, The New Normal for Supply Chain Management: The Importance of Accurate Demand Forecasting. Download your free copy here.

If you regularly run reports in Sage X3 with the same date ranges, creating a default date range for reports and inquiries can save you time and minimize the risk of errors from manual data entry. You can always override the default start and end dates, if need be, at the report level just by typing the desired date over the default date. In this blog, we will look at how to set up a default start and end date for a particular user. Setting Up a Default Date Range at the User Level Go to Setup > Users > Users Select the applicable User Click on the Parameters tab Within the Parameters section, find Chapter = Supervisor and Group = DEF (Default Group) Click the More Options menu and select Detail Update the following parameters to the desired start and end dates: DATEDEBDFT (Default Start Date) DATEFINDFT (Default End Date) DATSTADEB (Statistical start date) DATSTAFIN (Statistical end date) When finished, click OK and save Here is a short video by Sage that walks you through the process: .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } For more information about setting up default start and end dates in Sage X3, or for any other questions about Sages X3, please contact us.

It’s ingrained in the American psyche — the scrappy, hardworking individualism, resourcefulness, and sheer determination that leads to entrepreneurial success. The only trouble with that trope is that scrappy is just not scalable. While brute force and a commitment to the cause are helpful when starting a new business, growing a manufacturing enterprise requires a more deliberate approach. And in today’s business climate, it requires a solid digital foundation. There’s no time to waste. Manufacturers looking to stay competitive need to serve their customers in new ways, become more agile and flexible, and attract the right skills and talent. Technology is the Scalability Enabler It’s no longer enough to have the lowest prices. Manufacturers are becoming distributors themselves, selling directly to consumers. As a result, exceptional service is the new mandate. Technologies including CRM and eCommerce help manufacturers identify customers’ expectations and design workflows to meet or exceed those expectations in every interaction. The pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of companies that lack a strong technology initiative. As supply chains ground to a halt, manufacturers without the agility to pivot, retool or redirect found themselves in serious trouble. More agile companies stepped up their digital transformation, investing further in labor and cost-saving technologies including workflow automation and warehouse management solutions. As skilled workers become increasingly difficult to find, manufacturers must find ways to retain and retrain the workforce they have. Automation investments eliminate manual tasks, freeing personnel to spend more time on value-added and customer-facing tasks. Retraining workers to leverage the technology tools improves retention rates by providing opportunities for advancement. Digitally-enabled manufacturers embrace employer and people management solutions to better support and empower their workforces. Manufacturers’ success depends on their ability to scale operations profitably. Digital technologies are the scalability enabler, allowing manufacturers to gain new agility, deliver exceptional service, and leverage a skilled workforce. Learn much more about the topic in our white paper, Scrappy Won’t Scale: The Digital Imperative for Manufacturers. Download your free copy here.

Soon Sage Knowledgebase (Sage KB) will be getting an upgrade. In early September you may notice a new URL when you access Sage Knowledgebase (Sage KB) for Sage X3, and we want to assure you it’s still part of the Sage family of online resources. Any existing personalization you may have set up is not transferable to the new knowledgebase, but all the most frequently used articles will be moving to the new Sage KB platform. You will still be able to find your favorites (and save them) in a search. In addition, you will be able to use your Sage credentials to log in to Sage KB—that’s one less password to remember! What do you need to do to get ready? There is nothing to do now. As soon as the Sage KB move is complete, you will automatically be redirected to the new site. In the meantime, we invite you to check out (and bookmark) the following pages for quick access to all help options: Sage Support Resource Center Accessing the Sage X3 Online Help Center Sage X3 Support on YouTube Sage X3 Training Materials Should you have any questions regarding this upcoming change, or any other questions about Sage X3, please contact us. Note: Content for this blog post was originally posted on Sage City in Sage X3 Announcements, News, and Alerts by Jennifer Fennell, July 14, 2021.

Why now could be the right time to upgrade Sage 300 to Sage Intacct, Sage’s Next Generation ERP solution Accounting software has its roots in the late 1980s, emerging alongside the widespread adoption of Microsoft Windows. This era marked a pivotal transition, giving rise to various major accounting software packages. Among them, Sage 300, formerly known as Accpac, and several other renowned accounting systems were developed before the era of cloud computing. Crafted using the technology available at that time, these systems were designed in an environment where the rate of technological change was not as rapid as it is in today’s dynamic landscape. As your organization grew, Sage 300, or any other legacy accounting/ERP software that once met your requirements, might have fallen short. The rapid scale-up, coupled with the swiftly changing landscape of rules and regulations, and the increasing necessity for real-time information, may have surpassed the capabilities of your existing system. This is prompting numerous organizations to assess whether the current juncture is ideal for transitioning to an advanced, cloud-based ERP Accounting system like Sage Intacct. There are many variables to consider when evaluating whether your current solution still meets your needs. This white paper details some of advantages of a cloud-based accounting solution and some of tell-tale signs that you may be outgrowing your Sage 300 solution. It will help you determine if it’s time to upgrade from Sage 300 to the Sage Intacct, or another leading Cloud ERP solution. You’ll discover: Why on-premises accounting software systems like Sage 300 hinder your ability to quickly pull real-time financial information The questions you need to ask before considering a move to Sage Intacct or another next-generation cloud ERP solution Why the process for evaluating ERP software is different for cloud ERP solutions like Intacct,—and the seven things to make sure you’ve got in your SLA With our broad bench of experienced Sage 300 and Sage Intacct consultants, technological tools and established processes, Net at Work is your guide to migrate dated accounting systems, on-premise ERP and antiquated business management software for success in today’s digital marketplace.

If you are ready to move to the cloud – or are planning to do so at some future date – we are ready with Sage’s industry leading cloud-based financial management solution. Who better to help you weigh the merits of the cloud & Sage Intacct than our team at Net at Work, specialists in Sage on-premise, Sage Cloud, and a portfolio of other leading Cloud ERP solutions. Watch this recorded webinar and uncover why it’s time to move to the cloud and whether Sage Intacct is the right choice for your organization. You’ll discover: What is Driving Cloud Adoption Why Sage ERP On-Premise Customers are moving to Sage Intacct Benefits of Moving to a Cloud Native Platform How to Effectively Quantify the Cost of Legacy/Hosted/On-Premise vs. Cloud Sage Intacct in Action – Product Tour Watch now and discover what’s driving cloud adoption in the Sage ERP user ecosystem and why you should feel confident moving to Sage Intacct. Who Should Attend Any organization running a Sage Legacy ERP solution including: Sage 100, Sage 300, Sage 500, Sage BusinessWorks, Sage PFW, Sage Pro.

Sage takes the security of its customer solutions extremely seriously and regularly releases hotfixes to Sage X3 to resolve potential vulnerabilities. You have likely seen in the news that Sage has released patches for a recent vulnerability that was identified as part of Sage’s ongoing engagement in application security optimization. The security risk is related to a platform component and has no impact on the Sage X3 application code or customizations that may have been implemented. Should no action be taken, a malicious actor with sufficient knowledge could potentially gain full operating system administrative access to the Sage X3 application server, including access to data and potentially access other parts of the network where the application server is hosted. The risk is higher if the relevant Sage X3 servers are open to the Internet. If the customer’s Sage X3 implementation is not accessible through the Internet, the risk is restricted to individuals with internal network access. Mitigation The most immediate action to mitigate is to turn off ADX admin service. Set the AdxAdmin service to “manual” start mode and start the service only when a maintenance operation with the X3 Console is required, then stop the service once the maintenance operation is complete. This will have minimal impact on operations and almost eliminate the potential of damage. Please refer to the ‘Steps to turn off the AdxAdmin service’ section of this document for more information. Client that run Sage X3 without open access to the public internet will not be impacted. This is the case if you have implemented a network segmentation strategy isolating the administration ports only to authorized personnel such as a VPN or IP-restrictions. Net at Work will be contacting our Cloud at Work clients to plan and implement remediation. If any of our on premise clients would like assistance, please contact us. Steps to turn off the ADXADMIN service Note: This should be done by an experienced IT professional, but does not need to be an X3 professional. Remote desktop into the server where the ADXADMIN service is installed. Open the Windows Services Manager. Locate the Sage Safe X3 AdxAdmin service. Different versions of Sage X3 may use different default names for this service.   Double click on the service or right-click and select Properties. Edit the Startup Type drop down and select Manual, if not already selected. (1) This will prevent the service from starting automatically when the server restarts. Apply the change (2) Stop the service if not currently using the Sage X3 Configuration Console (3) When the use of the Console is needed again, return to this service and start it. It does not need to be reset to the Automatic startup type. Trying to use the Sage X3 Configuration Console when the ADXADMIN service is turned off will result in an error similar to the below. For more information about the potential security risk related to the ADXADMNIN service, or any other questions about Sage X3, please contact us.