VAI Provides "Role-Based" Computing with S2K Enterprise Release 5.4.

New S2K Web Client Provides Flexible Interface to Enhance User Productivity

RONKONKOMA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.), a leading provider of ERP software, announced that Release 5.4 will offer a windows client and a web client for an enhanced user experience. The S2K Web Client will provide anywhere, anytime access from any device with a browser, and provide seamless integration with other web applications. Additionally, this interface will enable social possibilities with integration to IBM’s Smart Cloud for Social Business platform. The IBM Smart Cloud Solution provides enterprise-grade file sharing, communities, web meetings, mail and calendar for any organization.

“ERP systems today provide a wealth of applications and functions that can sometimes overwhelm the user”

By running business applications through a web browser, users can leverage VAI’s S2K Enterprise Portal technology to create role-based access where screens, applications, and dashboards have been consolidated and customized for the specific role of the user. Through the use of single sign-on, the user can consolidate multiple applications including S2K CRM, S2K Analytics, S2K Enterprise and IBM Smart Cloud, all within one browser session. Additionally, users can configure their own workspace by accessing a myriad of S2K and collaborative portlets that can be arranged on their home screen for immediate access to essential information.

“ERP systems today provide a wealth of applications and functions that can sometimes overwhelm the user,” said Joe Scioscia, VP of Sales, VAI. “Allowing users to tailor their screens to the exact applications and information that is important to their role will increase employee productivity and allow the user to react quickly to business demands. Role-based computing is the next evolution of ERP software and VAI is excited to bring this dynamic user experience to our client base with S2K Enterprise Release 5.4.”

About VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.)

VAI is a leading independent mid-market ERP software developer renowned for its flexible solutions and ability to automate critical business functions for the distribution, manufacturing, specialty retail and service sectors. An IBM Premier Business Partner, VAI is the 2012 IBM Beacon Award Winner for Outstanding Solutions for Midsize Businesses. VAI continues to innovate with new solutions that leverage analytics, business intelligence, mobility and cloud technology to help customers make more informed business decisions in real-time and empower their mobile workforces. VAI is headquartered in Ronkonkoma, NY with branch offices in Florida, Illinois and California. For more information, visit www.vai.net, follow @VAISoftware on Twitter or “like us” on facebook.com/VAISoftware.

Contacts

fama PR
Gail Scibelli, 617-986-5019
vai@famapr.com

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Apple iPad changing how business is done

Tablets have taken the US market by storm. 10 million tablet devices (e-readers like the Kindle and Nook and the Apple iPad and newly announced Google Android platformed called Honeycomb) were sold in 2010 and sales are projected at 24 million units for 2011 and 35 million for 2012.

Tablets are already impacting the way we do business. A slide show at IT Business Edge (www.itbusinessedge.com) detailed some of the ways this is happening:

Powerpoint Presentations:
Eliminate carrying your laptop if all you're doing is giving a presentation. Load your presentation on your iPad and leave the laptop at home. Buy a VGA adapter plug that allows your iPad to connect to a projector. Or if your client has a flat panel TV that you can use, eliminate the projector too. Buy a HDMI adapter cable and put your presentation on the TV.

Sales Brochure:
Eliminate catalogs and brochures. Load your PDF's or screen shots onto your tablet. The image quality is outstanding. This is now the standard sales method for professional photographers. Almost all wedding photographers have eliminated proofs and CD's and now rely on the iPad. If it's good enough for photo's it's good enough for industrial products.

Productivity Improvements:
The iPad comes with a note taking application. You can use your finger or a inexpensive ($14) stylus to write with. Upload these files to your desktop and eliminate paper.

External Monitor:
Do you wish you had Dual monitors or just more screen space? Use your tablet as an external monitor. Buy DisplayLink for $2 in the App Store and have a wireless external monitor.

E-Mail Reader:
Tired of lugging your laptop with you just so you can read and respond to email? Use your tablet to handle email instead. The instant on feature saves you from having to wait for your laptop to boot up.

Online Meetings:
Run GoToMeeting or Webex on your iPad and attend online meeting where ever you may be.

Remote PC Access:
Use special software to securely access you PC from you tablet (Apple or Android). Stop worrying if you downloaded your files onto your tablet. You can do so on the fly.

The next generation iPad and new Google Honeycomb tablets will be available shortly. Expect to see more software and capabilities developed in the months ahead.

Teche Electric Supply Selects Infor to Foster Future Growth

Infor ERP SX.enterprise to Improve Inventory Management and Transparency for Electrical Distributor

Infor announced Teche Electric Supply, a Lafayette, La.-based wholesale distributor of electrical appliances and equipment, has selected Infor ERP SX.enterprise, a robust enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution with powerful warehousing capabilities, to manage growth and operations across 17 distribution centers in the southeastern United States. ERP SX.enterprise will provide the company with greater transparency to manage inventory and improve supply chain management, forecasting and workflow.

Teche Electric selected ERP SX.enterprise because the solution’s supply chain coverage capabilities, including order management, planning and inventory visibility functions, will help the company manage its growing customer and supplier base. The Total Warehouse Logistics (TWL) module within ERP SX.enterprise will supply Teche Electric with heightened visibility across its multiple warehouses and real-time data management for workflow elements including shipping, receiving and inventory adjustment.

“Our inventory is our number one asset and it is important that our ERP system improves forecasting by providing full transparency across our all inventory, from the warehouse to the yard and the dock,” says Tommy Hayes, senior vice president, Teche Electric Supply. “Infor has proven itself as an innovative and reliable software partner to companies in the distribution industry, and we know that ERP SX.enterprise will give our company the ability to access and manage data more easily. The solution’s flexibility and Infor’s product direction ensure that the solution will be a powerful asset to Teche Electric for the future.”

After reviewing a host of possibilities, Teche Electric determined that the industry specific functionality offered by ERP SX.enterprise was the ideal fit for its anticipated growth and emerging business needs. The solution’s flexibility and Infor’s roadmap for future development was key to Teche Electric’s decision to implement ERP SX.enterprise.

The decision to move from Teche Electric’s previous software vendor to Infor came after consulting with the firm Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group, a distribution industry software selection specialist. “The Teche project team utilized our very detailed 35-step project plan in order to conduct a thorough search for new software. Infor did an excellent job of demonstrating the required business process functionality and satisfying all of the due diligence requirements,” said Jeff Gusdorf, managing consultant for BSW.

“Electrical distributors today must improve their visibility and workflow, inventory management and customer service to increase productivity and remain competitively viable,” says Gary Rippen, director, distribution solution marketing, Infor. “Infor ERP SX.enterprise’s end-to-end inventory management and supply visibility replenishment provides electrical distributors with the tools necessary to manage their intricate business environments.”

For more information on Infor ERP SX.enterprise please visit: http://www.infor.com/content/brochures/610581/
http://www.infor.com/product_summary/erp/sxenterprise/

About Teche Electric Supply
Teche Electric Supply was founded by brothers Magruder "Mac" Hays and Pete Hays in Lafayette, LA in April of 1962. Over four decades later, Teche Electric Supply is still locally owned and operated and now occupies a 52,000 square foot building on five and a half acres. Since its humble beginnings, this company has added 16 branch locations.

Teche is now operated by the second generation of the Hays family, and carries a full line of electrical products for the residential, commercial and industrial market places. Teche also provides a number of value added services including local deliveries, 24/7 emergency services, convenient credit options, wire cutting, full service lighting showrooms, convenient hours, unmatched inventory, and 100% dedication to customer service.

About Infor
Infor acquires and develops functionally rich software backed by thousands of domain experts and then makes it better through continuous innovation, faster implementation options, global enablement, and flexible buying options. In a few short years, Infor has become one of the largest providers of business software in the world. For additional information, visit www.infor.com.