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Business Process Management (BPM) – Your First BPM Process Part 3 – Fast, Measurable, and Communicative!

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 06:33:18 GMT

BPM's four governance focus areas. A process can be reviewed from its current governance as well as its evolution stage. How well is it under control? How complicated is it? The descriptions below will assist you in easily classifying each process based on these criteria and assigning it to one of the four Business Process governance quadrants. This rule complements the Evolution Stages concept and can be used to double-check decisions based on the process evolution stage.

Low Complexity – Low Control.

This quadrant's processes are the least appealing candidates for your BPM pilot. Because they are either very infrequent or do not require intensive human effort, their low complexity means they have little business impact. Improving them yields few benefits. At the same time, their lack of control necessitates significant investment in process analysis and KPI definition, making it unlikely that they will pass the ROI business case.

In this quadrant, you will typically find either:

Emerging "Young & Developing" processes, their impact on the business is not yet significant, and it is unclear whether they will be permanently incorporated into your business model or abandoned after a few experiments; or
"Ill and Painful" processes that are so inconvenient that people simply learn to live with them. In either case, simply skip this quadrant and continue.

High Complexity – High Control.

This could be your best hunting ground for the initial process. High complexity implies a high impact with numerous potential benefits. Control means that half of the design is already finished. But keep in mind that not everything that glitters is gold. If the process is too complex (more than 20 activities, as a rule of thumb), the effort required to implement it may be very high, so avoid processes that are "too far right" in the quadrant. There is little to improve if the process is "too far up" in the quadrant. Any BPM initiative should aim to move your processes up the chart.

Processes from any of the three BPM evolution stages can be found in this quadrant. They can be "Powerful & Stable" because they are complex but well documented, work well, and everyone is happy. It's probably a good process to work on, but not during the pilot project, where the benefits are minor. More mature "Teenagers" processes are good candidates for your pilot because they have already been well defined but have not yet been automated or rolled out.

Low Complexity – High Control.

This focus area contains processes with a low impact, making it difficult to achieve highly visible results. They will also exhibit high maturity, leaving very little room for incremental improvement. The processes you'll find here are usually some of the most fundamental and routine "Powerful & Stable" ones. As a result, this quadrant is not generally suitable for a BPM pilot.

However, there are a couple of exceptions to this rule:

If your company lacks a top-down corporate plan for a BPM initiative but wants to attract potential sponsors, this could be your BPM staging point. Low complexity and high control equate to low investment, allowing a small department to manage the pilot entirely on their own. Employee mobility, on the other hand, could be your sweet spot. A simple and routine process (for example, an approval process with a simple linear flow) will not necessitate a large investment in process analysis or redesign, so simply combine it with a BPM suite that integrates easily with mobile devices and launch your pilot. Furthermore, if this process touches many your organization's employees (such as HR or purchasing), you can guarantee a rapidly growing population of BPM fans who will advocate for your next BPM project.

High Complexity – Low Control.

This is a high-risk, high-reward opportunity. There is an equal amount of "Young & Developing" and "Ill & Painful" processes here. The potential for spectacular results must be balanced against the risk of becoming stuck re-designing low-maturity processes.

Lifting processes from this quadrant will yield the greatest benefits, and they will be a major contributor to the success of your BPM programme. Such heroic actions, however, necessitate very strong leadership and a knowledgeable and happy BPM project team. An external team may bring the right skills to your organisation, but internal stakeholders may not be BPM mature enough to handle such a large challenge. Processes from this quadrant should be avoided unless you have a pressing business need for them and a very strong leader to manage them.

Is there such a thing as a perfect project?

Yes, this is known as the "Wolf in sheep's clothing." It is, in effect, an "Ill & Painful" process disguised as a "Powerful & Stable" one. It usually happens in large, complex corporations where the process is so well documented (high control) that all the actors know what to do and don't complain.

Because such processes have many participants (high complexity), most stakeholders focus solely on their part of the process. So, while the overall end-to-end process is inefficient, no one in the organisation has the full visibility required to identify its flaws. If you can identify such a process and find a strong leader to demonstrate to all audiences that it is indeed "Ill & Painful," it will become an excellent candidate for your BPM pilot with significant quick wins.

Ready, Steady, Go!

You already have a big intellect! You recognise the significance of your internal audiences. You've identified your BPM sponsors and know how to demonstrate tangible results to them. You instilled enthusiasm in many of your future BPM evangelists. You evaluated candidates for the first process based on maturity, complexity, and control and chose one that can be delivered quickly. You've already started a quick, measurable, and contagious process. You're ready to Start Small! Just keep in mind that you want to Scale Fast. While working on your first small process, your abilities to handle larger processes are just beginning to develop. You can, and should, demand faster results even at this early stage.

Simply put, don't reinvent the wheel. Many others have done it before you, so why not capitalise on their successes? Contact partners who can assist you in defining your process and benchmarking your KPIs. Look for a BPM tool that does not necessitate extensive "techie" knowledge, but rather blurs the line between IT and the business. Rather than starting from scratch, look for ready-made process templates that you can customise. By using data virtualization, you can reduce the risks of system integration. Use reusable widgets to go mobile.

Start small, scale quickly, but never stop thinking big. Make sure that business value is present throughout your BPM pilot project, not just when you make the initial investment or after the project is completed and you go back to business as usual. You now have the necessary evaluation criteria and key recommendations for selecting your first BPM process. Simply define your goals, understand what you can do now, and map out your path to success.

Start Small. Think Big. Scale Fast.

Checklist: How to select the right first process.

Look for processes that give a compelling reason to start:

They will easily gain sponsorship if they are linked to corporate objectives.
Cause immediate pain in the business, and you'll be able to show a strong need to move quickly.
They are heavily manual and will allow for rapid improvement in productivity as well as tracking, forecasting, and control.
Use paper documents, email, phone, and spreadsheets extensively because they allow for quick savings and are a clear indicator of manual work.
Inconsistent work quality, inaccurate forecasting, or difficulty providing status as they allow for rapid improvement of end-to-end control.
By facilitating hand-offs and embedding instructions within work items, multiple decision steps can help to speed up work and reduce errors.

Allow you to scale fast:

A single Process Owner (or a small central team) can make decisions on scope, budget, and delivery quickly.
Ad hoc processes that are simple to modify and improve.
Non-standard and outside of core systems (e.g., ERP, CRM) because they require less integration with existing systems and thus allow for faster delivery.
Have a mobile component because users will love and easily adopt them.
Internal audiences only as external stakeholders can slow down the decision-making progress.

Avoid processes that cannot demonstrate results:

There are no clear KPI's because if the BPM pilot cannot be measured, the need for a BPM programme cannot be justified.
Too many conflicting parties can be a roadblock if they are politically charged or widely distributed.
Too simple, because the impact of improving them will not generate enough momentum for the subsequent stages.
Already rigidly defined as hard to improve, low potential benefits.
Stakeholders will be reluctant to be touched by an unfamiliar methodology and disrupting them can be the first nail in the coffin of your BPM project.
Because core systems (e.g., ERP, CRM) are already in place and may be quite efficient, incremental improvements' cost-benefit ratio will be unfavourable.

Slow your project down:

There is no designated decision-maker, and the lack of quick and clear decisions from a single source will stymie your BPM pilot in endless multi-stakeholder debates.
Unknown process because you only have twelve weeks to deliver full results, not an analysis report.
Because the proof-of-concept stage is not the time for heroics, look for processes with 10-20 activities.
Data intensive because multiple integration points with existing corporate systems may necessitate additional effort, and timings are constrained by strict "change windows."

Our clients rely on us to help them deliver a better customer experience, automate operations, and use technology to reduce costs. You should too.

Business Process Management (BPM) – Your First BPM Process Part 2 of 3 – Fast, Measurable, and Communicative!

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 13:13:16 GMT

As in organisations without a centralised BPM strategy, most business processes evolve naturally over time. When introduced for the first time, all processes have a common starting point. However, as time passes, each evolves along its own path, which can lead to diametrically opposed outcomes. Regardless of the numerous factors that influence such evolution, such as organisational restructures, working discipline, and underlying technologies, all business processes can be assigned to one of three major stages of evolution:

Young & Developing.
Powerful & Stable.
ill & Painful.

A well-executed BPM initiative can benefit processes from any of these three categories. However, when starting your first BPM project, not all these groups are equally good candidates for a pilot, and the right group will also depend on the long-term objectives of your overall BPM programme.

Young & Developing - Are good but potentially risky candidates for the first process because they can provide high impact, rapidity, and visibility. These are the newly implemented procedures. Every single process in a start-up falls into this category. Even large, well-established corporations, on the other hand, typically have around 10% of their processes in this space. New processes emerge whenever you launch a new product line, enter a new market, or alter your business model.

Young & Developing processes have the following factors in common:

Frequent fluctuation and change - each instance of the process is unique as business users experiment with alternative approaches and tackle previously unexplored case variations.
Manually or with non-standard IT solutions, such as custom-made applications or major enhancements to core corporate systems.
Strong links to business objectives related to innovation and the creation of USP's (Unique Selling Points) lead to the term "Differentiation Processes."
Examples of such processes include:
Launch of a new service or product line.
Opening of a new subsidiary, region, or sales channel.
Correspondence of prices across multiple customers/channels.
Post-merger interim operations.
Integration of hybrid supply chains.

The following list weighs up the benefits and pitfalls of selecting a Young & Developing process for a pilot.

Advantages:

Touch areas that have new investment budgets are more likely to receive senior sponsorship.
Are generally ad-hoc, simple and easy to modify.
Grow in areas of innovation where a visionary leader is easy to find.
Involve complex decision-making, allowing BPM to demonstrate its worth by providing accurate contextual information.
Because they are not yet too tightly integrated with other corporate systems, they are not slowed down by time-consuming core system modifications or restrictive change release policies.

Disadvantages:

Because they may be very new and undefined, properly designing them may slow down the pilot project.
Frequently touch many areas of your business, making decision-making authority difficult to identify; reaching consensus with multiple stakeholders can derail the project.
Have an unknown level of integration with other systems, making the effort involved easy to underestimate. There may be no historical data, making bench marking, KPI's and success difficult to quantify.
The absence of money related historical KPI's should not be a deal breaker. Soft measures that are new can also demonstrate the outcome of a new process.
May represent a highly experimental area of your business, making its scope difficult to define.

In Summary: Young and Developing processes are an excellent mid-term option for organisations seeking to gain a competitive advantage through agility and innovation. Just make sure to first define the process and its corresponding KPI's. Other precautions include selecting a BPM suite that includes data virtualization to address the integration issue and finding a strong decision maker to manage expectations.

Powerful & Stable - are not suitable for the first process. While they provide significant room for improvement, maximising these advantages may require significant time, effort, and technique, making them best suited to an advanced BPM programme. You'll recognise these processes because they've been around for a while, they affect many people daily, and they tick like a Swiss watch. They typically got to where they are because they have a low number of steps and variations, making them easy to control, or because they have already been subjected to a corporate initiative such as Six Sigma, Lean, or ERP implementation.

Advantages:

Rigidly adhere to standard corporate guidelines and are rarely modified.
Count on a core corporate system (e.g., ERP, CRM) with an embedded workflow solution and a small number of integration points with other systems.
Support core business activities and are mission critical (if your mission critical processes are not yet in this category, you urgently need a strategic BPM programme!).
Link to business objectives related to the generation of consistent revenue streams (hence the term "Commodity Processes").
Examples of such processes include:
Manufacturing of standard products.
Provisioning of standard services.
Purchasing of standard materials.

Disadvantages:

Because the system is generally quite efficient, any incremental improvement will necessitate relatively high efforts and advanced BPM techniques.
Rigidly defined, meaning changes accompany the difficult task of changing numerous corporate policies.
Because your core systems are embedded, any process changes result in intense enhancement of those systems and high integration efforts.
Most likely to cover mission-critical activities where a conservative stakeholder attitude could stymie rapid progress.
Because the initiative could be perceived as low-risk, stakeholders immediately dismiss it as change for the sake of change.

In Summary: This is an area that can always be improved. We mentioned before that BPM is about instilling a culture of continuous improvement in an organisation. However, this is best left for your later BPM programme. By then, the low hanging fruit has been harvested, management and staff have developed a strong belief in BPM, and the organisation has amassed sufficient BPM expertise to employ advanced BPM techniques. Then comes the "Powerful & Stable" processes, which will allow the BPM benefits to shine through.

ill & Painful - are excellent candidates for the first process. Small changes can improve overall control, reduce chaos, and boost speed. However, be wary of political baggage from staff members; these may be politically charged.

These processes, like "Powerful & Stable," have been around for a long time, but they are cumbersome and disliked. They represent the true business pain points. Approximately 20% of processes in any organisation fall into this category, whether due to poor design, rigid and outdated ways of working, or, finally, a legacy of corporate restructures, mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. So, other than the fact that everyone complains about them, how can you identify an "ill & Painful" process?

All “ill & Painful” processes:

Use a lot of paper and engage in multiple manual activities.
Failure to adhere to standard guidelines and a wide range of variations
Produce massive amounts of emails, phone calls, and manually updated spreadsheets.
Interact with multiple systems but are not tightly integrated and necessitate a lot of manual data re-keying (also known as "swivel-chair integration"; imagine an employee sitting on a swivel chair between two data terminals, turning around to re-key data from one terminal to the other.
Non-critical, enabling processes that are necessary for a company's operation but do not always have a clearly linked specific business goal.
Examples of such processes include:
Employee on/off-boarding, leave requests
Contract management, supplier on-boarding
Accounts Payable and purchase orders
Accounts Receivable and Invoicing
Client inquiries and complaints
Returns and claims
Service management

Advantages:

Reduce massive manual efforts, freeing up your staff to work on higher-value tasks.
Reduce the cost of printouts, database storage, CPU power (emails/spreadsheets), and phone bills.
Allow for easy definition of measurable KPI's that affect your bottom line with clear mapping.
Reduce the day-to-day hassle for many stakeholders, who will then become evangelists for the next stages of your BPM programme.

Disadvantages:

Carry a long history of political blame games with no clear decision makers. Some stakeholders may even purposefully obstruct problem resolution because the chaos conceals their own inefficiency or obscures business practices. Choose a process where a very small group of stakeholders (such as a single senior manager or a small central department) can make quick decisions and define the future state of the process.

In Summary: If your overall BPM initiative's mid-term goal is to save time and money; if you want to increase productivity and execution; then the "ill & Painful" processes are a great place to start.

Our clients rely on us to help them deliver a better customer experience, automate operations, and use technology to reduce costs. You should too.

Business Process Management (BPM) – Your First BPM Process Part 1 of 3 – Fast, Measurable, and Communicative!

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 10:08:42 GMT

The life or death of a new BPM project depends on the success of the pilot project, which in turn depends on choosing the right first process Because BPM projects involve profound cultural change, pilot projects should deliver the following results:

Quick – to gain management approval for wider roll-out.
Measurable – to justify further investments.
Communicable – to trigger widespread user adoption.
Workable - to enable the benefits to be felt across teams, departments, and processes.

Start small and start in the right place. Productivity, control, competitiveness, and all of these can be achieved with BPM with relatively low investment and short adoption times. However, even BPM projects that follow this motto will succeed or fail depending on the starting point they choose, the first process.

Your BPM pilot project is the initial proof point for the entire BPM program. If you choose the wrong process for your first project, you'll let yourself down. The following key points will help you identify the first process (or set of processes) and build consensus, reducing the risk of failure.

The Big Misunderstanding About BPM.

All pilot projects have a mountain to climb in terms of demonstrating the potential of the "bigger picture." BPM pilots, on the other hand, face some particularly difficult conceptual challenges. Despite numerous BPM success stories in the three decades since the term "Business Process Management" was coined, the discipline remains clouded by confusion and doubt.

So, where do these misunderstandings come from? One reason for this is that BPM is still viewed as a technology tool. BPM is concerned with culture. It is about changing people's perspectives on their work. It is about instilling in an organisation a culture that values continuous improvement and monitoring, that makes people more efficient than they are, that encourages them to make things simpler, faster, and better. It is about fundamentally altering an organization's working methods.

The first BPM project's critical short-term goal is to establish a BPM culture position. As a result, it must be designed to overcome the three common barriers that can stymie downstream projects:

Short attention span of sceptical stakeholders.
Lack of further sponsorship beyond the pilot.
Insufficient user adoption of the first process.

The first step in overcoming those barriers is to understand your audience: the judges, the people who will give your BPM pilot a thumbs up or down after it is completed.

The Two Key Audiences of BPM.

An enterprise-wide BPM initiative's success is about more than just impressing its sponsors. It is also critical to persuade two equally important audiences: senior management and employees. The significance of obtaining approval from the upper echelons of management is obvious; as with any other project, they will either fund future stages of the program or kill it.

As a result, a highly visible pilot process with a good set of clearly defined KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) has a better chance of success than a process that is off the radar of top management or that cannot be easily measured and quantified. From this vantage point, an ideal candidate could be a process that, on the surface, appears to promise significant operational cost savings. For example, a process where ROI (Return on Investment) can be easily demonstrated. However, don't be fooled by processes that only focus on direct cost savings; they may necessitate time-consuming organisational changes.

Because newbie BPM sponsors have a short attention span, your pilot project may miss the opportunity window. As a result, in addition to hard cash savings, you should consider other KPIs when selecting your first process. Consider those that improve cash flow (e.g., through faster payable's collection or a reduction in capital frozen in stocks) or soft measures (e.g., complaint resolution time or customer satisfaction), which will translate into increased revenues or lower costs indirectly.

Employee buy-in is not always obvious and is frequently overlooked. However, BPM is not something that senior management can simply "implement." BPM represents a cultural shift: it must be adopted rather than imposed. Did anyone roll out iPhone's or Facebook? Improving a business process must provide so many benefits to all its actors, so quickly and so easily, that it catches on and becomes something people want to be a part of.

A BPM solution with no users is worthless, which is why the first business process should ensure strong user adoption. And what is the best way to achieve this lofty goal? By tackling a process that many employees find difficult. Find processes that address their well-known pain points or make them faster or more productive, and they will fall back in love with BPM. The satisfaction and enthusiasm of these early adopters will convert them into supporters of future projects, launching the larger BPM initiative.

Aside from the two primary audiences mentioned above, your first process may be visible to third-party parties such as customers or providers. Their involvement in a BPM project can significantly increase the project's impact and benefits, but it may come at a cost: more decision-makers, more users to educate, and potentially more contractual obligations all add complexity to the project.

Such additional burden contradicts the pilot's core purpose of demonstrating rapid results, which is why we recommend that you avoid external audiences in your first BPM project and instead focus on an internal process. Isn't this a squandered opportunity? Is customer and provider acceptance and satisfaction unimportant? Yes, but not at this stage. Continuous management support and increased staff adoption are what keep BPM program moving. This will provide the spark you need to kick-start your BPM project and light the fire for your BPM program's long-term success. Senior management (e.g., through increased sales or reduced procurement costs) and employees are just two of the areas that will benefit later (e.g., via reduced pain with customer complaints or supplier litigation).

Summary of the key audiences’ needs. The BPM pilot process should be:

Quick to implement.
Measurable via clear KPIs.
Highly visible to management and staff.
Solving your employees’ pain points.
Focused on the internal audiences.

With a good understanding of the BPM pilot audiences, the next step is to categorise the process areas and focus on those with the best chances of success.

Our clients rely on us to help them deliver a better customer experience, automate operations, and use technology to reduce costs. You should too.

Business Process Management (BPM) – Five Current Trends Shaping BPM Today!

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 12:34:17 GMT

While BPM has been around for decades, a revolution in this space is currently in the works. Previously thought to be a technology only for large corporations with large budgets, cloud computing is quickly becoming a necessity for businesses of all sizes. BPM is experiencing some distinct trends because of digital transformation and the emerging wave of low-code, no-code software.

Here are five major trends that will dominate and shape the future of BPM:

Analytics Centre Stage.

For the longest time, the primary goal associated with BPM technology has been process mapping and documentation. However, in recent years, the ability to analyse processes and use the resulting data to improve them has become a trend that is catching up. With data, powerful Business Process Analytics helps organizations target their improvement and transformation efforts. Insights such as process efficiency, time, cost, and value are useful in assisting business leaders in making sound decisions. Indeed, it expands the potential of BPM by allowing insights to be used to identify process bottlenecks and non-value-added tasks like rework, unnecessary approvals, and double entries. Eliminating these and making the necessary adjustments allows for effortless process streamlining. Because the benefits of process insights are difficult to ignore, the analytics trend will continue to rise.

Democratisation of BPM.

BPM has traditionally been driven by BPM experts and professionals, with business remaining on the side lines. Furthermore, given the IT complexity, high costs of BPM solutions, and resource requirements for ongoing implementation management, BPM projects have traditionally been of interest to large organizations. However, significant changes are taking place. BPM tools that focus on empowering business users and process participants to actively participate in BPM projects are now available. The emphasis is on making BPM more accessible by providing access to automated process insights, simplified mapping functionalities, and collaborative features. The trend will gain traction as the revolution continues to strengthen where corporate data is created and used by everyone in the organization.

Intelligent Process Modelling.

Process maps are no longer just boxes and lines, thanks to advances in BPM technology and sophisticated tools. Today's powerful BPM tools assist organizations in gaining a 360-degree understanding of their processes by allowing them to record business rules, KPIs, text descriptions, roles, and documents. With organizations looking to improve process efficiency, compliance, customer satisfaction, and profitability, intelligent process modelling capabilities are increasingly in demand to power the improvement efforts.

Increased Automation Using Low-Code Platforms.

Automation is at the top of the list for organizations seeking a competitive advantage in the post-COVID world. In organizations across industries, manual, repetitive processes are increasingly being automated to increase efficiency and reduce the occurrence of errors. This is driving an increase in demand for low-code systems, which allow organizations to automate in weeks rather than months. These tools have pre-designed templates and user-friendly drag-and-drop functionality to assist organizations in automating processes without relying on the IT team to write code. The demand for low-code platforms will grow even more and Gartner predicts that by 2024, 75% of major corporations will be using at least four low-code development tools rather than just one.

Greater Collaboration.

With remote and hybrid work on the rise post-pandemic, demand for greater collaboration has emerged. This holds true for functionalities in BPM solutions too. Features like process-related alerts; the ability to collaboratively define improvements; secure, user-restricted document sharing; and a centralised repository with access control are functionalities high in demand in BPM tools. These collaboration functionalities reduce the number of emails and communication and ensure that all employees have updated processes at hand even when they are working remotely. With remote work here to stay, collaborative features will see a further spike.

Does your BPM tool integrate these advancements and trends? Power your business process transformation and gain a competitive advantage with a single tool that helps you map, analyse, improve, and automate your business processes.

Our clients rely on us to help them deliver a better customer experience, automate operations, and use technology to reduce costs. You should too.

Business Process Management (BPM) – The State of BPM Technology Today!

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 16:35:14 GMT

BPM is defined broadly as a framework for developing, deploying, monitoring, and optimizing various types of process automation applications, including processes that involve both systems and people. Furthermore, business process management (BPM) entails the study, identification, modification, and monitoring of business processes to ensure that organizations run smoothly and improve over time.

Business process management software (BPMS) is a technological solution that allows businesses to design, analyse, execute, monitor, optimise, and automate critical processes. It also serves as an automation tool for organizations, allowing them to cut costs, eliminate silos and bottlenecks, and extend legacy systems.

Many industry experts have stated that BPM is not a technology issue. This is incorrect. BPM is a major technological issue. However, to implement the technology, the strategic business drivers must be in place. BPM serves as a framework, a single platform on which business work can be performed. The focus has been on workflow, but monitoring and continuous process improvement are becoming increasingly important.

Key BPM characteristics include:

Process application design and development environment.
End-to-end transaction management.
Support for multiple integration services.
Support data aggregation and transformation.
Support for content management functionality.
Business Activity Management (BAM) including process monitory, analytics, and simulation components.
An architecture that supports high performance, scalability, and embedded failover/reliability functionality.
Providing template applications with pre-built components.

Basic processes are required by all businesses, and these include business rules, roles, reports, integration, components, client interfaces, and best practices. These processes can be used to improve the efficiency of any business. EDMS/workflow, application servers, rules engines, development platforms, and integration servers are all supported by BPM. The vendor landscape for these specialties is vast.

Many leading vendors are increasing the functionality of their products through increased integration and improved application functionality. The trends indicate that BPM will be increasingly used as an enterprise process management platform, with significant improvements in monitoring, analytics, and simulation. Portals focused on processes and content are being developed, and application server vendors will provide a unified platform for BPM, application development, and integration services.

To create a BPM strategy methodology for your company, seven steps need to be followed:

Current state assessment.
Enterprise requirements definition.
Conceptual design, reference architecture.
Deployment strategy.
Candidate solution assessment.
Selection process.
Prototype and pilots.

To determine the current state of your business, you must first define your project's business and IT goals. Data must be gathered to define the requirements and document the current process and problems. Examine your data, documents, processes, tools, and users to accomplish this. To establish current and future IT standards and plans, use existing documentation, interviews, and surveys. Pay attention to all process management applications, such as ERP, CRM, document management, segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP), and workflow. Senior management, as well as IT, line of business (LOB), and other affected parties from the top to the bottom, should be interviewed. This will be the definition of your enterprise requirements.

Following the completion of the enterprise requirements definitions, conceptual design and reference architecture are tackled. The goals of this project are to create a conceptual design that identifies the key components needed to meet the enterprise requirements and their relationship to the current system, which includes STP, manual workflow, a business rules engine, and BAM. The BPM reference architecture, as well as cases for high-priority BPM applications, must be developed. At this point, the organizational readiness to support the reference architecture must be assessed.

Recommendations for a forward strategy are:

Gain both business and IT sponsorship.
Identify the business-critical BPM application pilot.
Identify high-priority requirement for current and anticipated BPM applications.
Categorize requirements into key areas: STP and document lifecycle management, case management, customer services, ERP.
Evaluate all existing workflow components/solutions.
Optimize the tools and relationships you already have in place.

It is critical to select a critical business issue that is important to the company. It is difficult to gain support for a BPM project initiative if there are no concrete goals and objectives to be met. It is difficult to demonstrate to all process participants how BPM improvements will benefit them and the company. Everything becomes much more difficult without their assistance. As a result, an organizational readiness assessment is required.

Previously, legacy BPM solutions necessitated extensive IT and developer support. The software was developed from the ground up. Maintaining a legacy system is a difficult and costly task. These systems and the programming languages required to use them are typically outdated and obsolete, with the system itself complex and bloated, focused on more mediocre functionality rather than less functionality of higher quality, and with poor documentation to boot. Many organizations have chosen to implement modern cloud-based SaaS BPM platforms to address these issues.

BPMS has shifted its focus in recent years to customer experience. Most businesses are wondering, "How can we change our processes to enable better collaboration, support, and innovation to help create a better customer experience?" As a result, organizations are turning to BPM to help them with digital transformation. Organizations are looking for BPMS that uses technology to drive automation, collaboration, and customer engagement. Today's BPM solutions, like those seen in other software verticals, require little to no IT involvement to create, implement, automate, and optimize business processes.

"The business process management (BPM) market was valued at USD 3.38 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 4.78 billion by 2025," according to Mordor Intelligence. The increasing integration of automation and the Internet of things (IoT) with BPM is contributing to market growth.

Organizations are demanding higher productivity, better risk management, and better cost control in today's uncertain economic climate. As a result of the increased demand, more BPM software vendors are focusing on the implementation of Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Organizations can improve their agility and flexibility by deploying new applications and processes more quickly with this technology stack in place.

The future of BPM looks promising as the technology powering RPA, bots, and adaptive automation continues to improve with machine learning. BPM software is rapidly increasing in functionality and promise, and it works well right now. That is why BPM is such a high priority for organizations focusing on improving efficiencies and leveraging existing systems.

Our clients rely on us to help them deliver a better customer experience, automate operations, and use technology to reduce costs. You should too.

Corporate Wellness & Social Performance – Reconcile Well-Being at Work and The Performance of The Company!

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 06:57:09 GMT

What is Corporate Wellness and why do we need it?

Corporate wellness programs are intended to promote and encourage a holistic approach to employee well-being by fostering a health-conscious business culture. Offering a corporate wellness solution that goes beyond typical wellness programs fosters healthy behaviours and improves health outcomes, all while enhancing productivity, optimizing human resource investments, and increasing employee engagement.

Why are corporate wellness programs important?

Many chronic diseases are avoidable and incorporating a holistic approach to corporate wellness programs is an effective method to educate employees on the necessity of developing healthy habits and the advantages of adhering to wellness goals. As a result, organizations are shifting from a one-size-fits-all strategy to a corporate wellness program that is targeted to the individual. Employers are looking for goods and services that operate from this common mindset to help employees on their wellness journey. One example is corporate wellness solutions. Employees spend a significant amount of time at work, therefore aligning health goals with work-life balance is crucial to generating business success. A corporate wellness program is critical to the success of your company. Building a successful corporate wellness program requires time and includes a wellness solution that is integrated into the organization's culture. Employee wellness programs should adapt to fulfil the requirements of workers aiming to reach their health objectives, therefore supporting the business's aims. Having healthier staff helps to reduce growing healthcare expenses, giving your bottom line a significant boost. Healthier employees will reduce growing healthcare expenditures, which will benefit the bottom line. Having a strong corporate wellness program offers your company the competitive advantage it needs to recruit and retain top people.

Adding corporate wellness programs.

Corporate wellness solutions make it easier to create, develop, execute, and manage many components of a wellness programme. Their job is to consolidate much of what firms presently provide employees into an easily navigable and consumable platform, personally guiding people as they strive for improved health. Too frequently, businesses provide good benefits that go underutilised because employees are overloaded with information and want a more customised benefit experience that offers them with alternatives based on their needs, interests, and eligibility.

What to Consider When Choosing a Corporate Wellness Solution?

Program Impact and Proven Effectiveness.

The fundamental concern is whether or not the corporate wellness solution delivers on its promises. Your focus may be on lowering health-care costs, increasing employee engagement, maintaining, and attracting top talent, or improving corporate culture and morale. Determine your major goals for investing in a health solution. Then, ask each vendor about the platform's findings and how they are determined.

Program Features.

What does the wellness solution support, and how does it relate to your goals? Examine the platform to discover how effectively it supports all areas of happiness. Then, think about your long-term goals and evaluate each vendor based on its potential to develop and counsel with you.

Flexibility and Customization.

Examine how each prospective vendor can personalise its wellness solution, from the content and user experience to the services and resources. You want to know if customisation is restricted to adding your brand to the platform, or if it means you can create new material and challenges, as well as turn other modules on and off, without the need for time-consuming and costly software coding.

Integration and Collaboration.

Having a one-stop shop for workplace wellness solutions encourages utilisation and exposes employees to more of what is offered. Examine how simple (or difficult) it is to integrate all of your third-party services and content. Examine how each platform simplifies reporting by connecting data threads to offer a wider, more accurate picture.

Reporting.

You'll want to know how your employees are interacting with the wellness programme on a frequent basis. How frequently and for how long do they return to the platform? What appeals to them the most? You could also want to peel back the layers to examine how different groups of employees utilise the platform and what influence that has. Make sure you understand your administrative rights so there are no surprises regarding how you acquire access to reports or at what expense.

User Experience.

Because the desired outcomes rely on regular use by your staff, a well-designed user interface and user experience are required. You want straightforward navigation, uniform treatment, and a clear visual hierarchy so workers know where to go for what they want and can get it done quickly and easily.

Engagement.

When measuring the efficacy of a programme, the continued usage of the wellness solution is a critical indicator. What proportion of employees connect with the platform, its offered content, and marketed activities and tools on a regular basis? Are current users being lured back in, while new users are being drawn in? How widespread is each user's involvement? Users should ideally return to the platform's numerous features and capabilities on a regular basis to maintain good habits that foster long-term behaviour change.

MWare Automated Business Solutions support and promote a healthy corporate wellness and social performance strategy for your company and its employees. Let us help you today with you corporate wellbeing and staff performance improvements.

For more tips and insights, Let’s Talk!

Integrated IT Governance Framework - Hybrid Work and Knowing what your GRC Security Threats Are.

Mon, 04 Jul 2022 17:16:16 GMT

2020 - The year that changed everything in the world as we know it.

March 2020, a month that will continue to resonate with the majority, if not all, people on the planet. The month in which most countries around the world implemented COVID 19 hard lockdowns within their borders. The month that changed the way we do business in the most dramatic and immediate way ever seen. Some will argue that there was no interruption at all because their company was already well into a "business as usual" cloud adoption strategy. Others struggled to accept that all or a significant portion of their workforce was now working from a "home office." These "offices" include the spare room, a study, and the kitchen counter. Two and a half years later, and I believe we can all agree, this year and all the changes it brought had a significant impact on the escalation of what is now considered the number one risk for most businesses worldwide.

Predictably unpredictable – The Cyber Risk Evolution.

"Tomorrow is going to be predictably unpredictable," to quote Mr. Todd Nightingale, Cisco Executive VP, in a recent Sunday Times article, really sums up the situation as we contemplate the future business landscape, two and a half years after COVID 19 lockdowns hit the world and changed it immeasurably. The changes that occurred in all aspects of life and living are still evolving, and the consequences are still being assessed. However, I believe that the major impacts relating to how we work will be with us indefinitely. Perhaps not in every industry, but in many.

The Work from Home event was the most rapid change in business operations on a global scale in recorded history. This change impacted many things, both personally and professionally, but most notably IT departments and information management, as well as the way we need to think about our Governance, Risk, and Compliance strategies, including Continuity of Business and Business Resilience.

Given the speed with which most businesses implemented Work from Home strategies, many failed to carry out a complete, context-informed, business impact assessment, and consequence analysis in the fine detail that was required. As a result, many organizations that had previously relied primarily on on-premises IT infrastructure or an evolving cloud hybrid quickly migrated to hybrid cloud or total cloud adoption. They then maintained a "management by crisis" business as "unusual" strategy over the last two years, dealing with event after event.

We have seen an explosion of cyber risk in the last two years, resulting in company data compromise, loss, extortion, ransomware attacks, and information leakage on a scale that the world never thought was possible in 2019, certainly not on the scale we see today, but is now, sadly, a daily norm in 2022.

However, over the last two years, there has been no significant evolution in IT GRC and enterprise GRC approaches to match the growth path of cyber risks. Even if a lot of technology has been adopted with the vague comfort level of "I'm pretty sure we're secure," organizations can still be severely compromised. Why?

Many organizations lack the GRC, (governance, risk, and compliance) maturity levels needed to deal with the scope of risk as the world was in 2019. They certainly are not ready for the unknown scope of the unpredictable, rapidly evolving and changing risks of 2022 and beyond.

So, what is the answer?

The Challenge.

Ransomware attacks continue to evolve at a rate that outpaces most businesses' ability to keep up and secure their data. This has grown exponentially in most businesses, to a degree that few want to confront or admit. No business can honestly claim that cybercrime is not a top risk concern right now. Work-from-home strategies are evolving into hybrid work schedules, as are new emerging risks such as high fuel costs, supply chain disruptions and shortages, the emergence of digital currencies and digital exchanges, branchless banking, and others. All of this should have significantly evolved the "Context of the Organizations" evaluation assessments, as they should be in effective Risk Management strategies.

However, given the magnitude or context of the risk universe, this is not occurring, or is not occurring effectively enough. Many Risk and GRC professionals have struggled to make the business understand the critical value of a Context of the Organization Impact assessment. Every time a significant change occurs in the business, this activity should be performed as a routine tool. Nonetheless, maturity benchmark results show that most business executives and management teams have no idea what this tool is, let alone how effective it is in continuous use in the business, as part of strategy and business planning at operational levels.

The Security Focus Africa survey for “State of Ransomware 2022”, indicates that 51% of the South African companies included in the survey, were hit by ransomware. Many succumbed to paying the ransom yet remained compromised in getting their data back.

Our ongoing consultations with clients as part of the process of closing identified security and cyber risk gaps reveal that, despite good backup procedures and quick data restoration, which would avoid paying the ransom, such clients have been subjected to extortion in which data has been encrypted and taken by ransom attackers, who then contact the affected company and threaten to publish sensitive information on the open internet and social media forums. As a result, the ransom attack has evolved into extortion.

Management teams, MDs, CEOs, and business owners frequently tell us that their IT teams have told them that security is under control and well managed. When pressed for specifics, this conversation takes a very different turn, with senior management becoming less confident that they "really" know the state of security and cyber risk resilience levels within their business, transparently and objectively. We consistently see the following risk areas with low maturity scores when conducting cyber risk, information security, and data privacy maturity evaluations.

Common Cybersecurity | Data Privacy | Information Security | IT Governance Maturity Gaps

Maturity Evaluation GRC Verticals Covered by Assessed Respondents.

The most significant area of identified weakness in the 437 maturity evaluations conducted by our business partner Guideline Biztech and their RUBIQ team to date is a structured approach to Information Security Management. Many organizations would benefit greatly from implementing an ISO 27001-compliant ISMS Information Management System. Few, however, have taken the time to properly design and implement an ISMS. There is no doubt that companies that have focused on the implementation of an ISMS, which includes the scope of Data Privacy and Cyber Security, have seen exceptional improvement in the management of IT Governance, Data Privacy Management, and overall maturity across the organization.

Given the hype surrounding POPIA in 2021, many organizations chose to conduct Data Privacy and POPIA / GDPR maturity assessments, which account for the majority of the data set. We included a key focus on information security in the maturity evaluations completed by companies on Data Privacy. We then compared this data to the company's alignment to ISO 27001 clause assessment and the ISO 27002 Annexure A Controls review, and the results were uniformly very poor. Clearly indicating the very low maturity level that exists within organizations in this regard.

When combined with the evaluations we conducted during the maturity assessment, which were related to the organization's approach and general practice to Good IT Housekeeping practice, which included an assessment of Ransomware and Data Breach susceptibility, the results were once again very poor, with most organizations showing a high probability of a ransomware attack, given their cyber risk scores, and demonstrated maturity levels for information protection and data management.

The Maturity Evaluation benchmark data also shows that several other enterprise GRC verticals, such as Ethics, People Risks, Financial Controls, and Enterprise Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance (EGRC) approach overall, to Governance, Risk, and Compliance management, as well as maturity related to Internal Audit, have averagely low maturity levels.

To date, the companies included in the Maturity Evaluations span a broad spectrum of sectors and industries, as well as inclusion in the sampling of small, medium, medium large, and enterprise organizations.

Key findings, we should take note of, relate to the following findings:

Lack of correlation of perception of control at different levels in the organisation - This means that all parties are not on the same page. When control processes and procedures are reviewed and discussed at senior levels versus IT Admins and Technicians at lower levels, the common perception of what is thought to be in practice and consistently applied is discovered to be incorrect. As a result, threat actors have a hidden risk and opportunity to exploit vulnerabilities. Furthermore, in client environments where we have deployed sensors and run attack simulations, we have discovered weaknesses that should have been identified through IT vulnerability testing and ongoing monitoring techniques. However, they were overlooked. We have even made discoveries in some clients where the attackers had been lurking for not just hours, or even days, but months within the client's internal IT environments, planning their attack to their advantage. Standard IT monitoring and assessment tools have failed to detect and identify it.

No insights to, unknown / changing / emerging risks tracking and Control Assurance - This results in inadequate risk evaluation and risk identification practices. Inadequate interpretation of data, trends, and risk indicators. Risk registers are documented, frequently in Excel spreadsheets, and with little or no context of the organisation evaluation assessment process. In general, these "risk assessment" exercises are "old school," tick box, subjective type of exercises that fail to use insight tools and effective information and key indicators, interpretation, due to a lack of skills, time, and expertise to read the data outputs, in terms of risks. We live in an age of information and 4IR that is completely dominated by technology. Criminals understand the world and exploit it to their advantage. However, business and IT teams do not effectively use expertise, skills, know-how, and the appropriate use of insights and detective technologies. Add to this a lack of maturity in the adoption of governance-driven risk and Control Assurance Attestation Frameworks that are embedded and enforced within organizations, with clear lines of accountability and responsibility, and you have a recipe for "Management by Crisis".

Lack of understanding of the real time risk posture - Given the scarcity of time these days, risk and compliance systems tend to be static and one-dimensional. Input data to such GRC or IT GRC information systems becomes a stumbling block to maintain, API integrations are costly and require skill, and risk ownership across the organization landscape is rarely well defined and clearly

understood. The IT Department, it is commonly assumed, should handle everything. This could not be further from the ideal, but it is the situation, company for company. Everyone in the organization deals with information, so protecting it is, to some extent, in everyone's job description. Without a well-established risk-aware culture, the human risk factor will always be the weakest link. Add to that the fact that technical salespeople sell cool technical tools to IT professionals who are constantly on the lookout for the latest and greatest in technology. We shouldn't be surprised that the maturity of IT GRC is so low. Many people will be offended by this statement, but statistics don't lie, and they are what they are.

The process of truly contextualizing the risk, with consultation and insights from both the internal and external risk universes of the organization, is simply not done well, or at all. As a result, there is a lot of cool technology that is frequently misconfigured, leaving gaps for criminals to exploit.

The impact of such attacks can be catastrophic for a company in the worst-case scenario, or significant and often crippling in the best-case scenario. Costs include not only the ransomware itself, but also the direct costs of regulatory fines and penalties, as well as the more concerning hidden costs of customer shrinkage because of reputational damage and other knock-on effects. Because this impact can occur after a serious event, it is frequently overlooked because of the initial incident. However, if the client does not deal with the company again or contracts are not re-signed for the following year, the cost of the knock-on effect can be greater than the original event itself.

Overall, it should come as no surprise that cybercrime is a staggering global issue that many businesses are unable to effectively control.

We have the solution for you.

RUBIQ is a cloud-based platform that uses cutting-edge technology to provide a genuinely unique, comprehensive, and dynamic governance, risk, and compliance ("GRC") management solution for any sized company, wherever in the world. RUBIQ is easy to use, has a lot of, ready to use knowledge repositories and information and features, and is, relatively, inexpensive, regardless of the size of your company, without negating, the sophistication of the insights, that our approach brings to your business. RUBIQ is the culmination of the combined experience of GRC knowledge and expertise and GRC Technology know-how on the part of the Founder, CEO and key subject matter experts, that exceeds 75 years.

The RUBIQ Team has developed a unique and proprietary approach, to addressing the challenges in IT GRC. This approach has been developed in line with the key discoveries made from our GRC and IT GRC maturity assessment initiative, that has been running for the last year and half. The maturity assessment initiative has led to the fine tuning of our Advisory / Solution programmes, which makes unique use of both a select set of technical insights, analysis, and data governance audit tools, as well as the body of Subject Matter Expert developed content, where we have worked with leading advisory specialists in their fields. The RUBIQ Advisory Programmes are broken down into 3 initial phases, with a final 4th embedment and enforcement phase.

Phase 1 - is a discovery insights phase that assists customers in discovering what they don't know they don't know. One cannot address a challenge or problem that they are unaware of. We addressed some of the findings in the bullet points above, but the overarching issue is the biased information that reaches the ears of business owners, C-level executives, and board members. The problem is that information providers tend to have personal or job preservation goals that they can't help but drive; it's human nature. As a result, the true hidden risk, or the true opportunity for risk, is either watered down, as in "the, we have it covered," statements, or the risk is truly unknown, as the context of the environment is not effectively interrogated. This presents an opportunity for threat actors, who may be deep within your organization strategizing attacks for months before the actual attack. As management of holistic GRC strategies, including IT GRC strategies, remains immature, criminals exploit the situation and gain an advantage that IT administrators and management are completely unaware of. This phase assists in determining what management and IT Teams are unaware of.

Phase 2 - addresses a plan to close the identified gaps and establishes priorities based on the criticality of risk exposure.

Phase 3 - addresses a step-by-step approach to implementing new processes, correcting technical control configuration, reinforcing both process and technical tools, and adding or removing tools to streamline overall IT GRC efficiency in dealing with Cyber Risks, Data Privacy, and managing information security in accordance with best practice frameworks and legislation and regulatory requirements.

Phase 4 - provides ongoing support via a month-to-month subscription, in which the control assurance, improved framework developed in Phase 3 is embedded and continuously enforced, providing management with transparent, unbiased information that supports informed decision making.

The results of all 4 phases, fully completed and embedded are:

Meet compliance requirements.
Prevent disasters that hurt people and your business.
Prevent critical events that hurt your stakeholders.
Maintain and improve brand value.
Strengthen and grow business.
Support a customer centric culture.
Competitive differentiator and gain a competitive advantage.
Support innovation
Ultimately, it’s your responsibility.

Why conduct maturity Evaluations?

It is well documented that Companies with a high degree of GRC / IT GRC, integrated maturity, achieved within their organisations are:

More likely to meet and exceed expectations in achievement of objectives.
Less likely to be the adverse effect of a serious incident / event.
Have far higher customer retention levels than their competitors.
Are perceived by their customers and key stakeholders with a higher level of trust and confidence.
Demonstrate significant increased capabilities to deal with the “unexpected”.
Demonstrate far higher levels of resilience to interruptions and crisis.

Realize the value of better decision making, through access to unbiased & transparent information.

Unfortunately, very few organisations take the time to effectively develop a GRC / IT GRC roadmap and supporting strategy, against a proven and workable, GRC Maturity Model.

Address your IT Governance and GRC challenges with MWare Consulting. We offer an advanced advisory and managed GRC platform solution capability that support operations best practices which you need to manage your business more efficiently.

Take the free online quick assessment, as a quick test of your current IT GRC status.

External Data Vulnerability and Cyber Risk Exposure Scan

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 18:59:03 GMT

It is important to note that any effective and optimised, mature IT
Strategy, needs to be supported by the right detection, mitigation and monitoring tools, applicable to the context of your environment.

We generally find that IT organisations will have a number of existing tools deployed within the IT landscape.
However often, the tools are either ill-suited or misconfigured, thus creating vulnerabilities vs providing the intended protection.

In order to solve this problem, we have evaluated and qualified, key tools that we have incorporated in to the 1st and 3rd Phases of our IT GRC programme (during implementation) and then make recommendation for continued use in Phase 4 (ongoing maintenance).

The first of the tools we're unpacking is External Data Vulnerability and Cyber Risk Exposure Scan (Black Kite).

WHY IT'S INCLUDED

The external data vulnerability scan, scans your external facing IT assets i.e. you company URL (domain) and open ports, failed patches and misconfigurations of critical aspects such as SSL/TLS etc. to identify your ransomware index and cyber risk posture.

In addition it scans policy and controls on the website to determine the extent of completeness and compliance in relation to specific regulations and standards – such as NIST, POPIA (RSA Protection of Personal Information Act) and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and ISO 27001.

The gaps identified within the scan provide key insights into data privacy, data security and cyber risk posture, failure points in current technical controls and more…. When combined with the maturity assessment outcomes, this evaluation provides a rich picture of maturity and key gaps on which to build the Compliance Plan in Phase 2.

As the client works through the program we track the improvement in their cyber risk posture, ransomware index and compliance and completeness scores.

This tool is a powerful tool in assisting organisations protect themselves against cyber threats from external threat actors looking to take advantage of weaknesses in your domain security and controls.

OTHER TOOLS IN THE PROGRAMME INCLUDE:

Internal Assets Vulnerability Scan (Phase 1 only. We assess between 5 and 10 critical Client Assets)

Risk Behavior & Fraud Exposure GL Scan

Data Discovery (Bolt – Phase 3 Step 5)

Internal Security Controls Simulation Test (Validato – Phase 1, 3 and 4)

API’s Vulnerability Scan (Phase 1, 3 and 4)

Discover what MWare could do for your business and build your competitive edge.

Expert Guidance and Insights in Production and Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 18:59:53 GMT

Warehouse management is essential to running a warehouse and getting items to customers on time. If you aren’t managing your warehouse with the best practices, then you risk falling behind the competition.

You are a company that sells goods. Whether you have a physical store or an online presence, the items you sell must be kept safe. This location could be a warehouse, distribution centre, or fulfilment centre. Even if you lease or rent a warehouse or outsource the logistics, proper warehouse management is critical to keeping customers satisfied.

It makes no difference whether a warehouse is stocked with the most cutting-edge technology. The best warehouses are those that run efficiently and have motivated employees, as well as low operating and logistics costs and a higher profit margin. How do you get that? To begin, you must learn about warehouse management, including what it entails and some of the best practices. Let's get started. Did you know that businesses spend more than $350 billion on warehousing each year? When your warehouse is not properly managed, the cost of having one skyrockets. However, by investing in improving the warehouse and managing it more effectively, you can reduce overall costs by up to 20%.

A warehouse management system (WMS) is a set of policies and processes designed to organize the work of a warehouse or distribution centre and ensure that it operates efficiently and meets its goals. The term 'warehouse management information system' was frequently used in the twentieth century to distinguish software that performs this function from theoretical systems. Smaller facilities may use spreadsheets or physical media such as pen and paper to document their processes and activities, which can also be considered a WMS.

However, in modern usage, the term almost always refers to computer systems. A warehouse management system's primary function is to track inventory arrivals and departures. From there, features such as recording the precise location of stock within the warehouse, optimizing the use of available space, and coordinating tasks for maximum efficiency are added.

Gartner defines WMS as follows: A warehouse management system (WMS) is a software application that helps manage and intelligently execute the operations of a warehouse, distribution, or fulfilment centre. WMS applications offer capabilities such as receiving, put-away, stock locating, inventory management, cycle counting, task interleaving, wave planning, order allocation, order picking, replenishment, packing, shipping, labour management, yard management and automated materials handling equipment interfaces.

A warehouse management system (WMS) is intended to identify existing operational processes and develop them to maximize efficiencies. The system makes it easier to manage, plan, organize, and staff warehouse materials and resources. Each warehouse management system operates according to the needs of the warehouse and provides tools and information for warehouse management. Every warehouse, in general, performs four basic functions: receiving a product, storing it, picking it, and shipping it.

Implementing a warehouse management system allows a business to gain a competitive advantage by lowering labour costs and improving inventory record accuracy. It also allows for real-time inventory management, providing timely information on orders, shipments, and receipts. Maximizing warehouse capacity can drive efficiencies that support inventory organization to increase pick, pack, and dispatch processes, thereby increasing profitability and customer satisfaction through improved service levels.

Levels of Complexity:

More complex warehouse management systems typically include specialized features designed for specific industries or facility types, whereas legacy enterprise software vendors strive to offer as many of these features as possible in a 'one-size-fits-all' solution, which may be available as modules.

Academic research has made use of an approximate classification system based on 3 levels of complexity:

1. Inventory management and location control are supported by a basic WMS. At this level, the performance data that can be produced is generally limited to 'throughput,' or how much stock moves through the warehouse in a given period of time. A basic WMS is nearly identical to a basic Inventory Management System.

2. A sophisticated WMS can analyse capacity and stock levels, as well as track how much time and labour is spent on various activities. This enables it to generate data on efficiency and suggest ways to improve it. Most WMS’s in use today outside of East Asia fall into this category. At this level, the WMS's responsibilities may begin to overlap or replace those of a Warehouse Control System or Warehouse Execution System.

3. When planning activities, a controlled WMS can exchange data with other systems to take information from outside the warehouse (e.g., manufacturing needs, customer orders, transportation) into account, and vice versa. In facilities that have automation or IoT devices, it may control or receive feedback from them. It may also use machine learning to continuously simulate or test strategies for improving operations. The most complex WMS’s are nearly identical to the most complex WES’s.

WMS software has traditionally been sold under a perpetual licence, which grants organizations the permanent right to install it on their own on-premise servers, typically in conjunction with a fixed period of updates and technical support that can be renewed at an additional cost. This provision model, like many other types of enterprise software, is gradually being replaced by hosted subscription services. Legacy enterprise software vendors typically provide both models but encourage customers to migrate to the cloud.

A warehouse management system (WMS) can be a stand-alone product or a module or group of modules within a larger Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Supply Chain Management System (SCMS). The type of installation has no bearing on the level of functionality that a WMS can achieve, if sufficient computing power is available, and data is successfully synchronized with other systems.

Primary MWS Processes:

The way you manage a warehouse is frequently determined by what you are selling. Food and beverage delivery, for example, will prioritize appropriate storage within the facility and during transportation to reduce damage and spoilage. Larger home goods or clothing retailers, on the other hand, will emphasize shipping and handling. Regardless of the goals, every warehouse follows the same procedures.

1. Inventory Tracking.

Warehouse management entails keeping track of the quantity of goods on hand. Managers can use barcode scanners to determine which stock-keeping units (SKU) are available. They can also track inventory by SKU to determine storage location and order status.

2. Item Receiving and Storing.

Using a warehouse management system (WMS) is one of the best ways to simplify receiving and storing goods. Employees can use the software to quickly scan SKU barcodes and update the WMS in real time. The automated reports can then be accessed by anyone who is connected to the system from anywhere. After that, the inventory can be moved into either short- or long-term storage. When something is stored, it is scanned again, creating a record of its location.

3. Pick and Pack.

In warehouses, a pick list is used to retrieve specific quantities of an item. The list will contain information on the location, name, and SKU of each item that the employee needs to find for the packers. Once the item is located, it is delivered to the packer, who places each item in the appropriate shipping box.

4. Shipping.

Businesses can choose from a variety of shipping carriers, including DHL, UPS, the US Postal Service, and FedEx. These carriers will collect goods from a distribution centre or warehouse and deliver them. The WMS updates the customer and facility once the packaged items leave the warehouse.

5. Reporting.

Warehouse managers use software tools such as a WMS to get a real-time view of stock levels, order fulfilment, and the number of on-time shipments. Reports can also be distributed throughout the organization to assist with finances, human resources, and accurate inventory forecasting through the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

Best practises in Warehouse Management:

So, you want to get rid of all the guesswork and redundant tasks in the warehouse. Using a warehouse management system (WMS) and integrating it into an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is the best thing you can do for your warehouse. Not only does this eliminate any repetitive data entry tasks, but it can also automate other critical processes and practices, such as the ones described below. Once you have a functional ERP solution, you can begin optimizing and increasing the productivity of your warehouse. Then, concentrate on these warehouse management best practices.

1. Data Collection.

Data collection and management are critical components of a well-functioning warehouse. By implementing the appropriate technologies, you can automate many warehouse processes while also reducing the number of human-made errors. This is extremely beneficial to you. You will see more accurate stock and financial representations. RFID systems and barcodes can also be used to eliminate the time-consuming logging of product movement throughout the warehouse. Aligning product identification with tracking processes will increase transparency and allow for unrestricted movement.

2. Cross-Docking.

Cross-docking is an option if you have a larger distribution centre or frequently use LTL shipments. Cross-docking cuts shipping and handling time and allows products to be transferred from one vehicle to the next. Although it requires a significant initial investment, cross-docking is a wise move for larger enterprises that need to keep stock as fluid as possible.

3. Recording Stock Movement.

If you want to effectively manage a warehouse, every step should be recorded and monitored. Some steps may be unnecessary and can be changed to better suit the warehouse's flow. Otherwise, you will be taking steps that are unnecessary and may reduce turnaround time.

4. Dynamic Slotting.

Instead of a batch process, consider slotting the warehouse based on item demand. Batches are matched with transit and shipping schedules using dynamic slotting, giving you more flexibility during the pick-and-pack process.

5. Health and Safety.

One of the most important things you can do for a warehouse is to prioritize employee health and safety. Ensure that goods are secure, protocols are followed, and productivity remains high. This is possible with a WMS, which eliminates redundant steps. Continuously evaluate the warehouse layout to improve accessibility and reduce work-related incidents or damaged goods.

6. Advanced Shipping Notifications.

Regular shipping and receiving are bound to encounter schedule disruptions and delays. This reduces warehouse efficiency and may strain relationships with customers, distributors, suppliers, and carriers. You can correct some issues caused by supply chain disruptions by implementing electronic shipping notifications. You can also cut down on labour shortages and wasted time.

Optimize your Warehouse Management today. Warehouse management is essential to running a warehouse and getting items to customers on time. If you aren’t managing your warehouse with the best practices, then you risk falling behind the competition. Get the most out of your warehouse by partnering with MWare. Our intuitive Connector integrates with any ERP system, so you can leverage your warehouse with more ease and stability.

Improve your production and warehouse management challenges with MWare Consulting.

We offer advanced production and MWS solution capabilities that support operations best practices which you need to manage your business more efficiently. To learn more schedule a demo today.

What's Popping With Your POPIA Compliance Status !

Wed, 18 May 2022 16:27:52 GMT

Do you know what your current data privacy status looks like? Do you know with absolute certainty that your business or organisation is fully compliant with the recent POPIA provisions and penalties that became fully effective and enforceable on 1st July 2021?

To date many organisations have done something related to getting POPIA / GDPR compliance, and as we conduct maturity and POPIA readiness assessments, what the data analysis is telling us, is that a high percentage of organisations big and small have missed the mark and are still very exposed to both ransomware, data breaches and other related cyber risks.

If your organisation requests, collects, stores, deletes, uses, or otherwise processes personal information you will need to comply with POPIA. If you are not sure, or you don’t have the correct policy documents in place, we have the team and solution to help you out.

The POPI pack includes a generic set of legal data protection documents which, considering the sector your organisation may be regulated by, aims to deliver a POPIA compliance kick-start for your business or organisation.

Being 99.9% compliant is still not compliant, and even worse is not knowing.

Feel free to contact us to schedule or book your first consultation.

Best Practices in Asset Management.

Mon, 09 May 2022 14:59:14 GMT

Managing assets efficiently has always been a significant challenge for any business as asset management is a necessity for maximizing business profits.

It is used as a cost-cutting measure to maintain and extend the life of equipment. Businesses rely on machine assets to manufacture the products they sell, as well as facility assets to support their manufacturing environments. When the cost of maintaining an asset outweighs the cost of replacing it, a new asset should be purchased as part of asset management. Successful asset management is made easier by implementing best practices and with the help of asset management software applications.

Asset management is an essential component of maintenance because it keeps assets running smoothly, resulting in efficient production. When assets are properly tracked and monitored, it ensures that equipment does not break down on a regular basis. Maintenance managers have a lot to consider and being able to effectively manage assets makes their job easier. Assets have a finite useful life. The asset's cost is spread out over its lifespan and, along with maintenance costs, accumulates as the asset depreciates. Proper asset maintenance, on the other hand, ensures that the asset's life is maximized while minimizing maintenance costs. Once an asset has been "paid off" by the revenue it generates, the revenue generated by the asset doing its job in production is applied to the organization's profits.

Asset management is also important because it increases the lifespan of expensive, critical assets. It makes the maintenance team's job easier in the long run because they can better predict when major repairs will be required, while emergency maintenance is reduced. Asset management entails more than just maintenance. While it is the maintenance team's responsibility to repair assets, perform preventive maintenance (PM), and design a system in which maintenance is better planned and predictable, some assets are designed to be run to failure without PM. Using assets that have already been paid off frees up funds for other capital improvements.

Asset Management Best Practices.

Asset Management Software Investment.

Investing in software or apps that support the most critical asset management requirements is one of the best asset management practices. A stellar software system will provide a central database for supplier information, warranties, site leases, and other important information. It will also include tools for optimizing maintenance workflow.

Automate and Improve Data Collection.

Automating and improving asset data collection is another asset management best practice. Integrating an asset management software system into facility, vehicle, and manufacturing asset management can improve data collection and access. The software's asset management features allow maintenance teams to quickly identify what equipment they have, where assets are located, and view service history to aid in troubleshooting.

In addition to manual methods, data is gathered by equipment sensors, which are installed to perform predictive maintenance (PdM). Internal wear that cannot be seen directly can be detected by these sensors. Machine learning and artificial intelligence can be used to perform advanced data analysis for predictive maintenance. The Internet of Things (IoT) is where data from PdM sensors is collected and stored in a database. Triggers in asset management solution software may be set to generate work orders based on specific asset conditions.

Keep Track of All Assets Owned.

An accurate inventory of all assets is useful for determining how many require maintenance and when. Knowing about all the assets that an organization uses ensures that maintenance can be tracked on each machine, vehicle, or facility. This information can be used to schedule maintenance with the least amount of disruption to production and to assign work orders based on which technicians are the most knowledgeable and experienced with each asset.

Uniquely Identify Assets.

It's also a good asset management practice to use a standard naming convention to uniquely identify all assets. There are nearly limitless possibilities for creating abbreviations for assets that make sense for a company. The key is to make them consistent and understandable to everyone in the organization who needs to use them.

Track Locations of Mobile Assets Using GPS Technology.

Keeping track of mobile assets is critical, particularly for organizations in industries with many vehicles. When a vehicle is on the job, GPS technology can pinpoint its exact location. This can be used to determine how long certain jobs take (including travel time) and where to send assistance more quickly if a vehicle breaks down.

Create Asset Tags.

Asset tags, when used on stationary assets, can pinpoint a machine's location within a facility. This ensures that maintenance technicians arrive at the correct asset at the correct time to perform maintenance. Asset tags can also be scanned, allowing information about the asset to be accessed via a mobile phone or tablet.

Make use of an Asset Hierarchy.

Using an asset hierarchy is another asset management best practice to implement. This enables maintenance teams to see how assets and their associated sub-components interact with one another. These connections aid in determining where most maintenance issues occur.

Have a Robust Failure Tracking Program.

Asset management should always include a robust failure tracking program. This includes asset history found in asset management software, the use of failure codes where appropriate, and the implementation of sensors to collect data for predictive maintenance (PdM) when possible.

Prioritize Safety.

When it comes to manufacturing asset management, another best practice is to prioritize safety. Asset maintenance necessitates attention to detail, which can mean the difference between a machine operating safely or not. A system should be put in place so that asset management procedures can be easily accessed. When necessary, modifications to these procedures should be made to improve safety.

Maintain Adequate Documentation.

Another best practice for asset management is to keep adequate asset documentation. User manuals and equipment schematics are the two main types of documentation that must be easily accessible and stored in the asset management software system. Maintenance personnel should locate paper documentation and scan or enter it into the software. They must search for digital files on various network drives or in email threads if necessary. They can also obtain documentation from the source, which is the vendor or manufacturer. Another option is to search the manufacturer's website, call a representative, or send an email to them.

Aside from asset documentation, maintenance teams should record repairs and preventive maintenance tasks in maintenance management software. Some data, such as asset history, is automatically updated based on how well the maintenance team uses their asset management software system. This can aid in deciding whether to repair or replace assets when they fail. When organizations purchase new asset management software or new assets, there may be a period of "catch up" time to ensure that all necessary data is entered into the system. This may appear to be a time-consuming process, but it is critical to collect and import as much data as possible because it will be useful for asset management in the future.

Set Quality and Usage Guidelines.

Setting asset usage guidelines for production staff is also part of the asset management process. When these guidelines are followed, maintenance personnel can streamline the maintenance schedule. When assets are operated correctly, there is less downtime due to machine misuse. Proper asset utilization also entails being aware of when assets must be available for maintenance. It is critical to maintain open communication between the maintenance and production departments prior to performing repairs or preventive maintenance tasks to avoid misunderstandings and scheduling conflicts.

Follow Warranty Guidelines.

Following warranty guidelines is critical from the day an asset is purchased and throughout its early lifecycle. Maintenance must be consistent in their asset inspections. It's also critical to follow all the manufacturer's maintenance recommendations. Equipment manufacturers provide recommendations for recommended maintenance schedules that outline which service tasks must be completed, the intervals at which maintenance must be performed, and what replacement parts will be required. Failure to do any or all these things may result in the manufacturer's warranty being voided. For example, if the maintenance team fails to perform regular furnace inspections and replace the filter, the manufacturer will refuse to replace a failed part or the entire furnace. Other things that will void a warranty include modifying a machine, changing a component without the authorization of an authorized technician, and modifying control software on equipment without the authorization of a certified technician.

Identify Critical Spares for Each Asset.

Identifying and stocking critical spares for each asset should be a best practice for any asset management organization. This can be accomplished using a bill of materials or by recording it elsewhere in the asset management software system. Asset management software solutions can also ensure that critical spares are available in inventory by tracking the quantities of each part in stock. If regular inspections are performed, having spare parts on hand ensures that they can be replaced as needed. Otherwise, the machine could be out of commission while maintenance awaits a delivery. These parts are kept in the inventory of Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO), which also includes supplies and tools for completing maintenance work.

How Software Apps Support Asset Management.

There are many ways that asset management software can provide support for successful asset management. Here are some further benefits associated with having a solid software investment made.

· Provides a Centralized Database

· Visualizes Asset Relationships

· Keeps Detailed Maintenance Records

· Offers Asset Tags

· Provides a Robust Failure Tracking System

· Creates Bills of Materials and Identifying Critical Spares

· Uniquely Identifies Assets

· Improves Asset Performance through Reporting

· Schedules Recurring Maintenance

Improve your asset management challenges with MWare Automated Business Solutions.

We offer modern asset management capabilities to support the best practices you need to carry out machine maintenance.

To learn more about how MWare Automated Business Solutions offers a complete asset management software solution select one on the three options below.

We Love Our Customers and The Feeling Is Mutual.

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 16:17:45 GMT

We decided to kick off our new fiscal year which started last month with a new series of thought leadership articles.

The last time we published content was in December 2020. In 2021 we got super busy with new business development initiatives and working through our various Covid-19 lockdowns and peak cycles. Going forward we have decided we will publish a new article every month with key focus areas being our customer success stories, case studies, solution use cases and how MWare can help you build your competitive edge which is our theme and motto for the year ahead.

We made it through all of that and we are happy to report that in our last fiscal year our turnover increased by more than 10% which was highlighted by an increase of 84% on our software-as-a-service (SaaS) plugins. What does this all this mean? Well, if you ask some of our long-standing customers, it is quite a lot in our opinion. They are the gauge whereby we measure our success and the yard stick for the growth we aim to achieve and the targets we set for ourselves. We felt it’s important to provide feedback from our customers because it’s not about us but more importantly about the difference we make in their lives and the improvements we make for their business.

So, we reached out to a select group of our customers to answer five key questions we posted to them for feedback on the MWare experience. As you may already know MWare provides automated business performance solutions to small and medium businesses. Our main drive is to continue to distribute our own and selected partners’ tools. We integrate these various tools, to automate key business processes which include plug-ins to help organisations manage niche, specific and general resources.

This is what Chris Lazanakis, IT Manager of Kargo National Logistics had to say about his relationship with MWare and the service and support provided to him by Charl Ferreira our COO. Kargo are using the Sage300 ERP system with our Electronic Payment Solution which is integrated.

Q. What was it like before you had our product or service?

A. The process was manual, time consuming and inefficient. Payments were recorded on an Excel spreadsheet by the Cashbook Clerk / AP Clerk. These payments were obtained from reports that were printed from Sage300c. The spreadsheet was emailed to the FM who would check that the payments were in order. The spreadsheet was then emailed to the MD who would approve certain payments. The spreadsheet gets emailed to the Bank clerk who then pays according to the MD’s approval. The spreadsheet gets modified by the Bank clerk to show the transactions that were paid. Together with the bank statement, the spreadsheet gets sent back to the AP clerk as well as CB Clerk who then reconcile on Sage300c. This process gets repeated whenever needed.

Q. What problem(s) were you trying to solve with our product or service?

A. The process had to be optimised and a seamless workflow had to be created and implemented. We already had the data available, and we were looking for a way to collapse all the different steps into an efficient process where paperwork was eliminated. Integration into the Bank was an especially important consideration mitigating the chances of incorrect amounts and or account numbers applied. A detailed audit trail was paramount due to the fact payments and account numbers were involved.

Q. What was one unexpected benefit you experienced from using our product or service?

A. Partial Payments could now be done. This means that payments requiring a deposit or multiple payments for the same transactions could now easily be implemented and recorded with the outstanding amount being reflected all the way through to the finalising the complete payment.

Q. What have you been able to achieve since using our product or service?

A. A solution that works the way it was intended to work. The process and workflow are efficient, compact and the chances of making mistakes are reduced to almost zero. Paperwork is eliminated, and history information is quickly and easily retrieved allowing for queries to be settled in no time.

Q. If there is one word you could use to describe your experience with us, what would it be and why?

A. Specialised! My main point of contact is Charl. Whether my requirement is highly technical or user simplistic, I know that I can deal with one person who can solve my problem or answer my questions. I sometimes need complex SQL views for integration. Other times I need basic Sage300c information relating to internal user queries. This, for me, is invaluable and significant in allowing me to focus on what matters.

Another positive note from Sarel Du Plessis, the MD of HSAFE Risk Solutions in Saudi Arabia. MWare has provided HSAFE with a mobile workforce solution for their teams working in the field.

Q. What was it like before you had our product or service?

A. HSAFE was using another software program which was not user friendly. It did not allow you to make or do amendments to any documents and loosing accurate data was the order of the day.

Q. What problem(s) were you trying to solve with our product or service?

A. With the mobile workforce solution supplied by MWare we wanted to have accurate data collection and a quick turnkey solution for the development of a full HSE inspection and auditing function. This was achieved with the commitment of the MWare team and the ease of use of the product, which enables HSAFE Risk Solutions to create their own inspections and audit sheets.

Q. What was one unexpected benefit you experienced from using our product or service?

A. The user friendliness of the system enables HSAFE Risk Solutions to take full ownership of the system, which we could not get with the previous service provider. The time to develop and to create new work orders takes minutes, which added value to our clients with a short turnaround time. This was not possible with the previous service provider and constantly led to delays of the project due to time constraints on their behalf and availability and turn around.

Q. What have you been able to achieve since using our product or service?

A. Since HSAFE Risk Solutions started working with MWare we have managed to provide a turnkey solution to all our clients with accurate data and analysis thereof.

Q. If there is one word you could use to describe your experience with us, what would it be and why?

A. Fully Comprehensive! In Afrikaans Sarel says “Dit is flippen lekker om saam met MWare te werk”

The Kargo Group of Companies was established in 1982 and specialises in Express Road Freight Distribution. The group consists of four companies all of which enable Kargo to provide their customers with the service they require. The Kargo footprint extends across the length and breadth of South Africa with the Head Office in Johannesburg and branches based in Cape Town, George, Kimberly, Bloemfontein, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Limpopo, and Nelspruit. Kargo offers an integrated range of logistics services combining practical experience and sophisticated information technology to create and operate cost- effective and flexible solutions to meet the customers’ specific needs. They specialize in Full Maintenance Leasing (FML) contracts, Integrated Distribution Services, Warehousing, and 4th Party Logistics Services.

HSAFE Risk Solutions facilitates integrative solutions in risk management, organisational resilience, and sustainability. In a world of corporate governance, risk, and compliance, we are a mature market leader, and our international involvement has equipped us with in-depth experience in reducing operational risk exposure. We assess, advise, and assist client to manage operational risk in cost effective and practical manner through integrated management systems and innovative products and services – thereby enhancing sustainable business performance. HSAFE Risk Solutions was established in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in December 2015. We have since then extended our operations to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Sudan, Bahrain, Iraq, and Kuwait. HSAFE Risk Solutions started their operations in South Africa in 2004 and over the years, these operations have grown significantly, and we have successfully established a global footprint. We take pride in our robust development and research capability and continually improving and expanding our product range and service offering. Many of our employees and contractors have been members of technical committees developing international standards and best practises. HSAFE Risk Solutions is today acknowledged as a world class pioneer in the development of new and innovative solutions to risk management. Some of the key events and customers HSAFE have managed over the years; Haíl Season, Dakar KSA, Extreme E, Red Bull Air Race, Formula E and Formula 1 to name a few.

So, there you have it, our customers love us because we care. Being fully comprehensive and specialised are key unique differentiators that enable us to help you build your competitive edge now and in the future. Do not take our word for it, Chris and Sarel are living proof that MWare goes the extra mile making a difference in their business lives.

We have made it super easy to get in touch with us, You can book your online meeting with Ivan or you can request a call me back. Either way you are covered as both options are set up for a quick discovery call which allows us to get to know you better and the opportunity to understand your business requirements.

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Supply Chain - Evaluation & Validation

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 11:27:06 GMT

Once tenders are submitted, it’s time for bid evaluation and validation against pre-defined award criteria. This helps to identify which is offering the best value for money and to select the preferred supplier.

Ensure your tender evaluation is structured, disciplined, and transparent. Most bid evaluations explore price comparisons alongside technical capability, capacity, quality, and financial health. Post tender negotiation often takes place, along with reference and credit checks, suppliers visits, technical audit, product sampling or trial. Consider whole life costs, including decommissioning, removal, or disposal.

Supplier evaluation is conducted at this stage and can be in the form of either a questionnaire, interview, or site visit to assess the supplier’s capability in terms of capacity, financial stability, quality standards, performance and organisational structure and processes in place. Both existing and potential suppliers are scored on suitability and either approved or rejected to be added onto the approved supplier list. This helps to improve existing suppliers’ performance and can periodically ensure you have the right sized and fit of suppliers on you approved list.

NB: although this applies more to larger enterprises, government tenders and procurement processes, this can be simplified for SME companies which MWare will help with.

Discover what MWare can do for your business and build your competitive edge.

Supply Chain - Issue The Tender Documents

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 11:26:33 GMT

Once you have selected the companies to participate, you need to send formal documents.

Issue Tender Documents.
Send an Invitation to Tender (ITT) or Request for Quotation (RFQ) to selected suppliers to respond. Include the detailed specification and documentation developed around the business requirements, along with clear timescales to submit. Another key criterion to focus on at this stage is Pre-qualification.

Why Focus on Pre-qualification.
The industry advocates the use of pre-qualification before inviting tenders wherever possible. This is so that suppliers which are unsuitable for the requirement in question can be eliminated from the tendering process and the tendering process can then be focused on the offer itself. For example, pre-qualification would include an evaluation of suppliers financial standing, quality procedures, capacity and competence and track record.

These criteria would then not be required in the ITT and can be used in any subsequent tendering exercises. However, depending on the market, it is recommended that pre-qualified suppliers are evaluated in this way periodically.

If a pre-qualified list of tenderers is to be used (so that the suppliers are all known in advance as opposed to simply responding to an advertisement) it is acceptable practice to advise these suppliers that an ITT for the supplies or services in question will be forwarded to them by a specific date. This enables suppliers to plan what can be a resource intensive process.

NB: although this applies more to larger enterprises and government tenders and procurement processes, this can be simplified for SME companies which MWare will help with.

Discover what MWare can do for your business and build your competitive edge.

Supply Chain - Supplier Selection

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 11:26:05 GMT

Why conducting a Request for Information (RFI) at this stage in the procurement cycle will help gain insights into suppliers: size, capabilities, financials, strength, and weaknesses.

Something to consider:

Assessing the criteria can help you determine if they should be included in the tender process and receive a Request for Quotation (RFQ). Ranking the performance qualifiers against the business needs with key stakeholders is a useful exercise at this stage.

Have you carried out a tender evaluation:
Supplier evaluation is the process of evaluating and approving existing and potential suppliers by quantitative assessment against specific business criteria. This can be a carried out with current suppliers to measure and monitor their performance, providing the required management information to drive cost reductions, mitigate supply chain risk and deliver continuous improvement activities. Similarly, the process can be carried out with new suppliers at a pre-qualifying stage prior to a tender or as part of the tender evaluation stage. Once the tenders are submitted, they must be evaluated to select the preferred supplier. Whether tendering contracts for the supply of goods or services, tender evaluation should be carried out in a structured, disciplined, and transparent manner.

NB: although this applies more to larger and government tenders or procurement processes, this can be simplified for small companies which MWare will help with.

Discover what MWare can do for your business and build your competitive edge.

Supply Chain - Develop Documentation

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 11:24:57 GMT

It’s important to spend time developing your tender documents, including a detailed breakdown of the volumes, service level agreement and terms and conditions.

Starting Point.
Develop Documentation (PPQ and detailed specifications).
Create a detailed specification to ensure consistency on pricing, product quality, and operational functionality.

This means products are fit for purpose, reducing the financial impact of the wrong specification. The specification will form part of the tender documentation for suppliers. Distinguish in your specification between product requirement and preferences, building in tolerances for suppliers to adhere to. You could include key stakeholders in this process.

Spend Time.
It is important to spend time developing the specification detail to ensure consistency on pricing, product quality, operational functionality and products are fit for purpose to reduce the financial impact of the wrong specification further down the line.

Fair Process.

This is also a fair process for suppliers to ensure they are quoting on a like-for-like basis. When developing specifications, it is important to distinguish between product requirements and product preferences and build in tolerances for suppliers to adhere too and not to restrict supply and build cost into a product. This process often involves several cross functional stakeholders.

NB: although this applies more to larger and government tenders or procurement processes, this can be simplified for small companies which MWare will help with.

Discover what MWare can do for your business and build your competitive edge.

Supply Chain | Pre - Procurement Market Test and Engagement

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 11:24:27 GMT

Pre - Procurement Market Test and Engagement

What Is Pre-Procurement Process.
The pre-procurement process includes identifying both stakeholder and business needs, and how changes to implement the procurement strategy can meet those needs flexibly.

Have you conducted Market Testing.

Conducting market testing or a strategy test will help to identify if it is the right time to go into the marketplace.
Consider other factors such crop cycles, suppliers end of financial year end or new legislation.

Further information to consider in this step.

Stakeholders are any individual or organisation that has an interest in or can be affected by a project, product, service, or venture. In any activity an organisation undertakes, whether strategic, operational, or tactical, the activity can only be successful with the input, commitment, and support of its key stakeholders.

Have you Identified connected supply chain stakeholders.

Identifying connected supply chain stakeholders, then engaging, gaining, and maintaining their support and commitment is a continuous process. Map out stakeholder tools to help to identify key stakeholders in the procurement process and manage these internal and external stakeholders effectively.

NB: although this applies more to larger and government tenders or procurement processes, this can be simplified for small companies which MWare will help with.

Discover what MWare can do for your business and build your competitive edge.

Supply Chain - External Environment

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 11:23:48 GMT

Have you Developed a Strategy | Plan

Now it’s time to develop a strategy and plan and it’s also important that you consider the potential impact of the external environment. A business does not exist in isolation and is influenced by other factors that cannot be controlled. Typically referred to as the ‘external environment’, this consists of competitors, the economic, social, monetary system, and the political/legal system.

Develop the strategy and plan:
Conducting a competitive tender is a good idea if there is competition and you are well positioned to leverage the market. Developing competition in the marketplace or bringing this in house may be a better strategy if you are reliant on one sole source of supply. For example, if your volume represents more than 50% of your supplier’s total turnover your procurement power will be greater.

Considerations Before You Develop Your Plan

Procurement policy:

Refers to a statement or set of guiding rules or principles covering how procurement should be managed within an organisation.

Procurement strategy:

An action plan from which the direction of resources will be organised and used to implement that policy and achieve the desired objectives.

Best Practice Guidelines

· Feasibility study development.

· Procurement policy development.

· Procurement strategy development.

· Supply chain, sourcing.

· Procurement and cost.

· Balanced scorecard.

· BCM/BCP.

· Complex procurement.

· Cost reduction.

· Setting key performance indicators (KPI’s).

· Category management.

· Business case development.

· Whole life costing.

· Negotiation.

NB: although this applies more to larger and government tenders or procurement processes, this can be simplified for small companies which MWare will help with.

Discover what MWare can do for your business and build your competitive edge.

Supply Chain - Stop | Think | Check

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 11:21:32 GMT

What is the Procurement Cycle?

The CIPS defines a Procurement and Supply Cycle as a cyclical process of key steps for procuring goods or services.

When do you invest in your supply chain to achieve a competitive advantage?

We say now is the time.

Procurement is developing at a rapid rate, with new technology affecting how procurement teams connect with stakeholders and provide benefits for an organization. As we continue into the fourth industrial revolution, with discussions cantered on block-chain, artificial intelligence, and robotics, among other digital enablers, knowing which procurement systems and supply chain technology should be presented to boards for investment will be critical for future success. Keeping up with shifting procurement trends can help your company focus on digital transformation, supplier synergy, and cost reduction.

Here are five procurement technology trends to be aware of:

1. Integrating a digital transformation strategy.
2. Adopting artificial intelligence systems.
3. Cybersecurity systems and protection.
4. Using big data to drive decisions.
5. Blockchain infrastructure and transactions.

Discover what MWare can do for your business and build your competitive edge.

ERP - Effective & Accurate

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 16:36:54 GMT

What is your challenge?

Are you able to manage all warehouse inventory control functions accurately and efficiently? Improve sales order checking and dispatch processes, making your business functions more effective and accurate. Effectively record and track samples and products, improving quality and traceability, and ensuring compliance.

Overcome the challenges in your organization by using a versatile system that can be customised to address many different challenges in manufacturing, warehousing, and other industries.

Here are some benefits to consider: Integrate internal and third-party software systems

Control stock and manage stock loss
See a dramatic reduction in wastage

Reduce mis-shipments
Increase order fill rate
Improve lead times
Effectively manage and improve the quality of products and services
Have trackable data available across the entire enterprise.

Take control of your production & business processes by automatically collecting, managing, and processing key business data across internal and third-party software systems.

Discover what MWare could do for your business and build your competitive edge.

Transform Your ERP

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 16:34:31 GMT

Transform your ERP performance with our industry-leading RPA platform solution. What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA) you may ask?

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is software technology that’s easy for anyone to use to automate digital tasks. With RPA, software users create software robots, or “bots”, that can learn, mimic, and then execute rules-based business processes. RPA automation enables users to create bots by observing human digital actions. Show your bots what to do, then let them do the work. Robotic Process Automation software bots can interact with any application or system the same way people do except that RPA bots can operate around the clock, nonstop, much faster and with 100% reliability and precision.

How RPA Improves ERP processes across the business

Human Resources: RPA can automate every aspect of the employee lifecycle process, from recruiting to onboarding to career development and more.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Enhance customer experience (CX) with automation to increase call centre efficacy and improve your customer satisfaction score.

Supply Chain: RPA can lower labour costs and improve your company’s competitive position.

Manufacturing: RPA can improve inventory management, procurement, and order processing plus provide data to manage and optimise manufacturing production.

Finance & Accounting: Automate financial and accounting processes, eliminate human-error factor, and improve compliance with RPA pre-set to reporting requirements.

Business Intelligence: RPA delivers real-time process-level data analytics to help enhance agility and improve critical decision making.

Get in touch today so that we can discuss RPA in greater detail.

ERP Knock - On Effect

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 16:32:55 GMT

Bad debt. Late payment. Insolvent suppliers. Declining customer spend.

In times of widespread financial difficulty, the best way to manage debtors and suppliers is to consider mitigating the knock-on effect that could sink your business.

It is important to put a plan of action in place to guard against late payments, defaulting customers, and failure of critical suppliers, but this is only one element within an enterprise-wide credit risk and supply chain management framework and methodology.

Understanding the potential risks faced by debtors and suppliers and awareness of the symptoms is crucial, whether it be a decline in operational performance, increased competition, declining consumption or market share, changes in the regulatory environment, high staff turnover rates, difficulties in fulfilling orders on time or the expected quality, political risk, or overall market challenges.

This means using technology and input from subject matter experts as a cornerstone of sound credit risk management. There is also a need for a robust line of defense to help build supply chain resilience so there is less uncertainty in the event of disruption. In today's fast-paced business environment, an organization's financial health can change rapidly, and in the absence of constant monitoring and reliable business intelligence, the signs can easily be missed, with dire consequences.

Partner with MWare on your journey to take advantage of technology and industry experts to manage the credit risks your organization faces.

ERP - Health & Safety - IoT

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 16:30:55 GMT

Further Investments to Consider

The future of Health and Safety management has arrived by harnessing the power of technology, and more specifically the Internet of Things (IoT). Innovations in IoT has led to a vast improvement in the collection, processing and reporting of health and safety data, but more importantly the prevention of injuries and fatalities in the workplace.

Organisations today are utilising wearable technology such as personal protective equipment (PPE) with built in sensors that detect odorless gases which immediately alert the wearer whilst instantly triggering an incident report. Smart helmets can be fitted with communication devices and advanced geo-location sensors, crucial in the event of an accident. Safety glasses with eye tracking technology and augmented reality, monitoring workers and enhancing training.

Further enhancements in the following areas are available now.

On-site monitoring using CCTV enhanced with artificial intelligence enabling them to immediately recognise patterns and behaviors thereby activating an instantaneous response through the logging of an incident and a call to action.
Machine monitoring technology that measures vibrations emanating from any machine, detects anomalies and notifies the maintenance crew so that immediate action can be taken.
Environmental sensors that detect extreme changes in temperature and air pressure, facilitating a necessary reaction.
Sensors on heavy machinery that perceive when workers get too close, alerting the worker, or shutting down the machine. The ability to control devices remotely, potentially reducing exposure to dangerous substances or conditions.

Partner with MWare on your journey to leveraging the advantages of software, technology, and advisory services in the management of your health and safety ecosystem.

ERP - The Glue

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 16:25:48 GMT

What's Missing In Your ERP Investment.

Investing.com defines ERP as follows: Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a process used by companies to manage and integrate the important aspects of their businesses.

ERP software applications are important to companies because they help them implement resource planning by integrating all the processes needed to manage their companies with a single system. An ERP software system can also integrate planning, purchasing inventory, sales, marketing, finance, human resources, and much more.

But there are drawbacks. ERP systems usually fail to achieve the objectives that influenced their installation because of a company's reluctance to abandon old working processes that are incompatible with the software. Some companies are also reluctant to let go of old software that worked well in the past. The key is to prevent ERP projects from being split into many smaller projects, which can result in cost overruns. Employing change management principles throughout the ERP life cycle can prevent or reduce failures that compromise full implementation.

No ERP investment does it all irrespective of the maturity of ERP solutions in the market today. They were not designed to specifically oversee accounting and business process management gaps. Our MWare Solution Stack was built and designed to close core functionality gaps and compliment your existing ERP investments.

Our value adding solution sets offer real-time visibility into the status and accuracy of your business processes, reporting and complex finance close. We save you having to use expensive IT resources that create labour intensive ad hoc solutions to emerging challenges. MWare solutions provide the critical glue functionality missing from most ERP platforms.

ERP Mindset

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 16:19:18 GMT

Build your competitive edge with a clearer understanding of what our MWare Solutions Stack is all about.

In simple terms we provide our customers with automated business solutions that are enabled using best-of-breed products.

No need to rip and replace as our MWare Connector works seamlessly with our BPM Traffic Controller.

How would you feel if you could free yourself of the mundane manual or outdated business process tasks?

Our business performance solutions are designed with you in mind. Our aim is to assist you to be more efficient, organised, secure, successful, and ultimately more profitable.

To help you understand more, download the MWare Solutions Stack infographic. We suggest you keep it close to you and share
with your colleagues. Reference it regularly to empower you on how to build your competitive edge.

COVID and POPIA: A perfect storm is brewing With hackers running riot, data security must top C-Suite agenda.

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 07:52:00 GMT

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting South African businesses as COVID-19 broadens
the attack surface and exposes companies to the vulnerabilities of a digital, remote
workforce and online trading.

With the added pressure of the June 2021 Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA)
compliance deadline, data security must be top-of-mind for every business – and the
number one priority for the C-Suite.

There’s too much at stake for data governance, risk, and compliance to sit only with the legal
and tech teams. This is a business-wide problem, and it requires the minds and attention of
every senior executive.

Cybercrime scourge

Medical data is 50 times more valuable on the black market than credit card data. It’s not
surprising, then, that in the middle of a pandemic, there’s a pattern emerging:

Had POPIA already been in effect, executives at these companies could be staring down
massive penalties and/or jail time – not to mention the reputational damage.

Boardroom agenda item

Protecting personal information is no longer just a legal concern. It’s a technology and
security issue that needs to be managed and driven from the top.

Aside from fines and prison terms, here are other reasons why POPIA needs C-Suite
attention:

Phase 1: C-level conversations

Securing personal information is a complex, time-consuming, and expensive task. But it’s
also not something you can afford to get wrong. We recommend a phased approach,
starting with asking these questions of the C-Suite:

If you answered ‘No’ to any of these questions – but especially the first three – we suggest
that you complete the second phase, a maturity and gap assessment, fast.

Phase 2: Identify the gaps

Once you understand the ‘as is’ state of data privacy in your organisation, you’ll need to
conduct a gap audit. This includes a data discovery exercise to pinpoint exactly where data
resides in the business, and may involve changes to your compliance and audit processes,
policies, and procedures to meet POPIA requirements.

In this phase, which could take up to three months to complete, you’ll identify corrective
action to be implemented in the final phase.

Phase 3: Store, protect, process

Information privacy is about entrenching compliance and processes into the culture and
everyday operations of your organisation. The best way to do this is with an Information Privacy Management System .

In taking a multi-step approach to executing your remedial action plan, you can significantly
improve maturity, achieve alignment, and maintain an audit trail as efforts are rolled out.

Depending on the size and complexity of your business, this phase could take 6-18 months
to complete, and involves everything from data mapping, encryption, and policy
implementation, to incident reporting and privacy awareness training.

There are many moving parts in the POPIA compliance journey. An oversight in one area
can impact every other area of the business and put your data at risk. Don’t leave it to
chance. Get in touch if you need help, no matter where you are in your journey.

by Ivan Schepers, Sales Manager: MWare & Nicky Downing, CEO: Guideline Biztech

The post COVID and POPIA: A perfect storm is brewing With hackers running riot, data security must top C-Suite agenda. appeared first on MWare .

How to comply with POPIA, on time, in spite of COVID-19

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 13:48:00 GMT

We know there’s a lot going on, so we thought we’d remind you about a crucial deadline: By 1 June 2021, you need to be fully compliant with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

That’s less than a year away – and it can take 10 to 12 months to get your systems and processes in order. Time to compliance depends on your current state of your business continuity plan, which COVID-19 has undoubtedly put to the test.

With a remote workforce using unsecured networks and their own devices to access company information, the attack surface is significantly larger than it was just a few months ago.

And with this increased vulnerability comes reduced data confidentiality – especially if someone loses their personal device, or tosses the annual financial report into the recycling instead of destroying it.

Bottom line? There’s never been a better time to create or update your business continuity plan. And there’s never been a stronger motivation than the looming POPIA deadline.

Kickstart your compliance with these steps:

The lockdown has likely exposed weaknesses in your continuity plan, like a VPN that can’t handle a remote workforce or untracked assets that employees have taken home. This impacts on your team’s productivity – and puts you at risk of flouting POPIA law.

A maturity assessment will quickly identify known and unknown weak spots in your policies and procedures and how to fix them. It can also highlight effective areas and how to strengthen them.

The insights uncovered in the maturity assessment will guide you to successful POPIA compliance and give you control over all your information privacy requirements.

This is the point where centralised GRC platforms shine. With all risk information in one place, you’ll know exactly where your assets are, who is accessing – or trying to access – your data, and what your compliance status is – on demand and in real-time.

Not sure which insight to act on first? Our subject matter experts can advise on the best steps to take to close the gaps. We’ll help you to prioritise the most critical controls for your unique situation and help you to execute them effectively.

With a relatively stable environment, it’s crucial that you’re alerted to changes as they happen. This includes changes in legislation, user behaviour, data spikes and dips, or unusual access requests.

Once flagged by your GRC management platform, your compliance partner can advise on action to address the risk and how to avoid it in future.

Through regular maturity assessments and gap analyses, you’ll know exactly what governance structures, processes, and policies you need to enforce compliance – for now, for POPIA, and for a post-pandemic future, whenever that might be.

It will be a whole new business environment that will need a whole new approach. But the fundamentals will never change:

And down the line?

You’ll have an enhanced ability to know what you don’t know. You’ll be able to dismantle the internal fiefdoms that create more risk than they manage. And you’ll create a risk-aware, risk-informed workforce.

For more information contact MWare now, click here.

by Mich Martins, CEO: MWare & Nicky Downing, CEO: Guideline Biztech

The post How to comply with POPIA, on time, in spite of COVID-19 appeared first on MWare .

When data and storytelling collide, magic happens

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 13:39:00 GMT

Could your data dashboard be missing a crucial element?

by Mich Martins, CEO: MWare & Gustav Piater, Sales & Marketing Director at AIGS

Dashboards have been the darling of the data analytics industry for a while, but they’re failing businesses.

Consider this: Now, more than ever, people are fixated on data. Spikes, hotspots, new infections, deaths, recoveries…

The world is starting to understand the role that data plays in making critical decisions. Because everyone knows what happens next if we don’t flatten the COVID-19 curve: we could lose a loved one, our jobs, even our lives.

What really matters behind the COVID-19 data is not so much the numbers as it is the narrative of fear, uncertainty, and hope. But knowing the numbers helps us to plan a better response – and shape how South Africa’s coronavirus story plays out.

This is how enterprise resource planning (ERP) businesses need to start thinking about their data. Yes, the numbers are crucial. But what do they mean? What’s the narrative behind them that will drive change in your business?

Hint: You won’t find it in your dashboard.

Death to dashboards?

Not necessarily. Dashboards are great for visually representing data, which is crucial since 90% of information processed by the brain is visual . But data without meaning – as it’s presented in dashboards – is often misinterpreted, leading to poor decisions.

Dashboards on their own are limiting because the insights they present, while nice to look at, lack context and are rarely actionable. They’re unnecessarily complex and fail to help the wider business – not just the data scientists – fully understand what’s happening.

This is problematic, since data is only effective if it’s heard, remembered, and acted on.

What’s missing? Human interpretation (not to be confused with human bias), emotion, and narrative.

Get your story straight

People relate to stories. They stir up emotion and emotion gets us to act.

When you illustrate your data with stories, you bridge the gap between emotion and logic. You remove ambiguity by giving context and weight to your data beyond the figures. And you make it easy for your target audience to make a decision and take action. Combine this with powerful data visuals and watch the magic unfold.

How to tell stories with your data :

How do you build a narrative around the insight you want to convey?

Here are some tips:

Storytelling tips:

Bottom line? Stories get to the ‘why’ faster, so you can be confidently led by your data.

Empower your people with an agile, dynamic, and easy-to-use business intelligence solution that’s fun to play around with and awakens the storyteller in each of them.

For more information contact MWare now, click here.

The post When data and storytelling collide, magic happens appeared first on MWare .

MWARE DEVELOPS BI APP TO BRING LEADING OPERATIONAL INSIGHTS TO ERP CLIENTS

Fri, 24 Jul 2020 06:21:00 GMT

MWare, a provider of end-to-end productivity solutions, has brought advanced operational insights to its ERP clients through the development and implementation of a top-pedigree business intelligence (BI) add-on.

Having identified a need to update and streamline reporting and analytics for MWare’s ERP clients, CEO Mich Martins chose the highly rated vendor-integrator combination of Yellowfin BI and AIGS Insights as its first development partners, citing their “advanced technical and project skills and BI platform”.

The need

Martins says to meet a common need in the ERP space – standardised reports – the MWare-assembled team built an ‘Operational Insights’ app or connector, which the company will offer to its customer base and other ERP providers – to offer to their customers.”

Martins lists many issues with traditional reporting solutions offered by ERP providers:

“To summarise, they are dated; complex; require specific technical skills; and don’t export to Excel in workable formats,” he says. “We needed something more agile, dynamic and easy for users to discover a deeper level of information.”

The competitive landscape

Having selected its partners, MWare opted to make the add-on available to its customers on a monthly subscription model, says Martins.

“We’ll be offering clients a single Report Writer and four Report Viewer licences, with the ability to either add more Writer and Viewer licences or opt for the complete product.”

“We sat down with them to understand their specific ‘Operational Insight’ requirements, and then mapped out and developed the ‘Operational Insights’ front-end.”

Martins says development, implementation and testing took less than three months, and the first of 23 MWare customers is scheduled to go live early July.

He comments that once a customer knows their data, and has done basic front-end training, it’s easy and fun to play around and customise the reporting using the authored views within the BI platform, allowing for the elusive ‘self-service’ BI vendors tend to lead with in their marketing.

Broad audience

Martin says what is revolutionary with the ‘operational insights’ solution is that it gives a broad audience of decision makers access to information that before was only available to top-end management.

“We showed the ‘Operational Insights’ solution and various ratios to our customer’s financial manager, and as soon as we opened the screen the first thing he said was wow – they can definitely see the value this will give them,” explains Martins.

This includes:

Wider client base

Martins says having top BI functionality sets them apart in the ERP market. “We will be marketing this product to our own customers as well as other ERP providers, to help them enhance their customer experience.”

He says the ERP industry stands to benefit as a result. With MWare bringing this solution to market and using embedded analytics to create this app, it changes the company’s role and could really elevate it in the industry.

“By making the ‘Operational Insights’ solution available on a subscription basis, we are widening access to BI at the price of reporting.”

Already, Phase 2 is in planning for operational insights in other areas of MWare’s business and offerings.

The post MWARE DEVELOPS BI APP TO BRING LEADING OPERATIONAL INSIGHTS TO ERP CLIENTS appeared first on MWare .

How to take practical and compliant action in the new “world of work”

Fri, 15 May 2020 11:33:00 GMT

Covid-19 and Lockdown Restrictions have forced companies across South Africa (and other parts of the world) to enter into a new “world of work”. Employees are working remotely , or not at all, and the businesses that are allowed to run need to adhere to stricter requirements. The workplace has changed entirely. It is a demanding time to be an employer (or employee) and in order to manage the employer-employee relationship as optimally as possible, managers need access to updated, industry-specific and highly credible information.

According to Employee Relations specialist and Director of ERGuide Online , Dr. Annelie Gildenhuys, it is important for managers and HR teams to seek online support. “Reaching out to managers and providing online employer-employee relations guidance through various ways of information consumption, might be one of the most effective ways of supporting managers in navigating an appropriate employer-employee response, anywhere, as and when they need it.”

Dr. Gildenhuys believes that on-the-spot mobile referencing and recording of incidents such as warnings and notices and drawing of reports in a newly regulated environment not only saves time and limits errors but also empowers managers.

“Providing managers with updated company regulations, Covid-19 directives, how-to guides, checklists, bite-size information definitions, question and answers, policy frameworks, templates, model based examples and updated Case Law, could go a long way in establishing clarity, consistency and meaningful interaction,” she says.

MWare in partnership with ERGuide Online offers businesses a mobile Employment Relations Management Information Guide . This solution is a practical, country-specific guide that assists Managers and Human Capital practitioners in making informed employment relations decisions and taking practical compliant actions irrespective of time and place.

“Essentially, the world of work has started to evolve long before Covid-19,” says MWare CEO Mich Martins. “Following proper protocol or recording incidents correctly have always been a challenge in the workplace and it needed a comprehensive digital solution. ERGuide is the answer to improved employer-employee relationships before, during and after disaster strikes.”

Dr. Gildenhuys confirms Martins notion saying that the ‘’new’’ social interaction brought about by the International social change, has called for quicker responses and improved ways to interact more effectively. She encourages companies to act with caution because the way in which they plan to adapt to interaction, knowledge sharing, group cohesion, as well as the way in which they address existing and new obligations in the new world of work, are more critical than ever before.

At MWare, it is our goal to give small-to-medium-sized businesses and channel partners the competitive edge through technology-based solutions, automation and end-to-end resource management tools. ERGuide forms part of the MWare Solution Stack , a comprehensive and cohesive range of products and services aimed at solving business problems.

Let ERGuide help your managers and/or HR teams take practical and compliant action in any situation. Gain immediate customised access now, click here.

The post How to take practical and compliant action in the new “world of work” appeared first on MWare .

How MWare Can Help Legal & Auditing Firms Spread Their Wings

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 12:03:00 GMT

Are you worried about your company’s resilience and sustainability during lockdown? Do you have the right measures in place to ensure business as usual during a business “unusual time”? Don’t panic! MWare can help, in more ways than one.

MWare & RUBiQ the answer to turning panic into a proactive approach

Challenging times call for more positivity, resourcefulness and innovation on a personal as well as a professional level. After a second downgrade, and amidst the extended national Coronavirus lockdown, more South African companies are looking for guidance toward online strategies that could improve and streamline processes, whilst ensuring a safe and secure work-from-home protocol.

As a Business Automated Solutions provider, MWare is helping companies across South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, United Arab Emirates Americas, Far East, Australasia etc. do this already. But apart from saving businesses time and money and helping them coordinate processes better, there is another important aspect to our business. Through some of our partnerships we are able to facilitate a distribution model, which allows our customers to earn extra income as resellers.

Introducing the RUBiQ GRC Partnership Development Plan for Legal Firms and Auditors

Business owners work hard to grow and drive their companies forward. Unfortunately, there are risks and threats that could potentially harm a company’s progress and/or its reputation. The only way to circumvent or minimise these risks and threats is to follow a strict Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Program.

At MWare, we’ve partnered with RUBiQ , a Cloud Based SaaS (Software as a Service) GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance) Solution, which takes the mystery, effort and frustration out of a company’s business management requirements.

RUBiQ helps companies identify where they stand with regards to GRC guidelines for their specific industry by doing a maturity assessment, which is followed by a gap analysis. Thereafter RUBiQ Smart Assistant helps to support customers through a step-by-step process until each gap has been successfully closed.

“Since introducing RUBiQ to the market, we’ve had great uptake of this solution’s distribution model,” comments Mich Martins, MWare CEO. “We’ve found that while companies value compliancy, they prefer to leave the GRC aspects of their business to the professionals. That’s why RUBiQ is such an incredible value-add to legal and auditing firms currently offering or looking to extend their offering with this service.

“By investing in the RUBiQ program these firms not only stand to improve their services through the platform but also gain an additional monthly revenue stream, which MWare will help setup and manage for them.”

MWare’s Solution Stack , which addresses every aspect of a business, helps companies do what they do best so much more simply, efficiently and quickly. Now, at this very dramatic point in time, companies need to re-evaluate strategies and take stock of where improvements can be made.

Need some advice? Talk to one of our sales experts. Email us info@mware.co.za

The post How MWare Can Help Legal & Auditing Firms Spread Their Wings appeared first on MWare .

MWare Helps to Unlock Education Innovation in Europe Amidst Lockdown Challenges

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 10:23:00 GMT

The Coronavirus lockdown and social distancing restrictions imposed in countries across the world are affecting many industries negatively. With schools, colleges and universities closed, millions of children and students face education interruptions that could potentially leave a lasting impact. However, amidst the uncertainty there is also hope: Remote learning. A partnership between MWare and Belgian’s U’Hope Company, is making remote learning more accessible and practical to the European market.

Two innovators join forces

As most European countries head into the fourth week of lockdown, some countries, thankfully, have announced restriction lifts . For the majority, though, lockdown still remains a daily reality. While learners are supplied with tons of study material, limited practical guidance is making it intensely difficult to digest. The hard truth is that every day a student falls behind could set them back well after COVID-19 has become something of the past.

U’Hope Company is actively involved in the European education sector, and MWare, a South African Automated Business Solutions company decided to team up to combat this challenge directly.

U’Hope Company offers students remote learning tools through their D@niel solution. With its camera technology, teachers in Europe use D@niel to record lessons, which students can stream live or access at a later stage. The technology allows teachers to record whiteboard drawings and create a more practical and engaging lesson.

MWare’s mLearning platform is a mobile learning application that allows students to use mobile devices to access study material. Together MWare and U’Hope Company plan to change remote education for the better.

“mLearning is already making it possible for students and employees in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa to learn and develop soft skills via our App. Now, mLearning will be able to play an important role in Europe as well, and it couldn’t have come at a more critical time,” says MWare CEO Mich Martins.

“mLearning will provide a hosted backend system for learners to access video content and any other forms of education material such as PDFs, school documents, VR and/or AR and gamification content.”

U’Hope Company CEO Ulysse Baguida comments on the joint venture saying that the relationship between MWare and U’Hope truly is a “win-win partnership”.

“We are incredibly excited about this partnership and have enjoyed MWare’s positive energy and transparency from the get-go. It is a real pleasure to work with the MWare team and we value the guidance and direction they have brought to this project,” Baguida says.

Baguida is confident that MWare’s knowledge of and influence in the African market will not only benefit the European market but will also help encourage adoption of the D@niel software across Africa.

The company was recently recognised for their efforts in education by receiving the “Innovation Excellence Award 2020”. Baguida believes that with the addition of the mLearning software, the collaboration has an excellent chance of winning the next Innovation Award.

The post MWare Helps to Unlock Education Innovation in Europe Amidst Lockdown Challenges appeared first on MWare .

How to digitise your enterprise one process at a time

Sun, 01 Mar 2020 12:41:00 GMT

Every company has a unique process flow behind the way they perform tasks. The larger the company, the more complex each process flow will be. Tried and tested, and improved over years, these processes are perfectly tailored to a specific company, its customers, suppliers and industry. The ugly truth is, however, that if these processes aren’t digitised and automated to the maximum extent, a company will be less efficient and more open to errors.

MWare is therefore excited to introduce the latest addition to the MWare Solution Stack: FlowCentric Processware. FlowCentric Processware is a business process management (BPM) platform that allows companies to build, integrate and evolve an unlimited amount of process-driven applications. The result? Improved process flows and operational efficiency across all s ystems and departments.

“The time for digital transformation is now,” says MWare CEO Mich Martins. “In increasingly competitive markets companies need to stay agile and responsive to get ahead. Simply put, businesses must get better at what they are already doing well. FlowCentric Processware can help companies digitise and automate recurring processes more seamlessly. Instead of manually actioning processes, these are automatically initiated based on data received. This will allow a team to identify and solve any bottle-necks and complete tasks quickly and efficiently.”

Other benefits of the FlowCentric Processware solution:

“With 350 000 users world-wide completing around 1.5 million tasks per month with great success, we are confident that FlowCentric Processware will add considerable value to our customer base,”Martins adds.

To find out more about the solution, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Click here .

The post How to digitise your enterprise one process at a time appeared first on MWare .

The important role productivity plays in the workplace

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 12:09:00 GMT

“The effectiveness of productive effort, especially in industry, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.”

In business, productivity is the ultimate goal. Of course, wisdom, creativity, skill, leadership (and a long list of other things) play fundamental roles too, but an unproductive company is also likely to be unprofitable. Productivity can be obtained in every level of a business to the benefit of the bigger picture.

At MWare it is our mission to provide Business Automated Solutions that help encourage productivity directly or indirectly. Each product in our MWare Solution Stack addresses this core deliverable in some shape or form. The goal? To help businesses function as effectively as possible the least resources possible. The MobiWork MWS ® software solution , for example, helps companies with a remote workforce to obtain better visibility in the field, streamline communication between the office, the field and the customer and essentially deliver competent and consistent service.

“MWare and MobiWork MWS ® partnered in 2001. Over the years we’ve seen how this innovative mobile workforce software can be applied to diverse industries, solve and prevent bottlenecks, and offer companies better control and visibility on the status and whereabouts of drivers, consultants, sales agents, field service agents and countless other mobile workers,” states Mich Martins, MWare CEO.

MobiWork MWS ®: Value-added features to encourage productivity

Apart from enhancing the day-to-day process flow in field operations, MobiWork MWS ® adds value and contributes towards productivity behind the scenes too:

Plug-and-play functionality

Time is of the essence. We respect this. That’s why it is an exceptional benefit that MobiWork MWS ® is ready to use and can be operational in your business as quickly as you want it to be.

Effortless integration

At MWare we don’t believe in ripping out and replacing old solutions with new. Not only does it create confusion, but it also affects productivity. That’s why MobiWork MWS ® boasts standard connectors that integrate seamlessly with your current ERP and accounting software solutions.

No fixed contracts

Things change. That’s why MobiWork MWS ® is billed on a per-user and month-by-month basis to give you the flexibility you require. It also means that companies are free to test the value this software can offer them without needing to sign up for an annual subscription.

Smartphone & Cloud-based functionality

Due to its Cloud-based functionality, MobiWork MWS ® allows workers in the office to track workers in the field, manage and action tasks in real-time. But what happens when field workers are somewhere without connectivity? The solution’s offline capability makes sure that all information is still captured on the device itself and synced automatically in the Cloud once connectivity is restored.

Security

With more companies moving towards digitisation, protecting data is critical. MobiWork MWS ® always provides advanced security and encryption features to ensure the safety of your data and workforce.

To find out what MobiWork MWS ® can do for your field operation, talk to one of our sales representatives today. Click here .

The post The important role productivity plays in the workplace appeared first on MWare .

How the MobiWork MWM ® platform can improve your field operation

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 07:40:00 GMT

In order for businesses to perform optimally, managers need to know what the status of projects is at a moment’s notice. Why? Because this way management can offer direction, improve the process flow, adjust, coordinate and manage customer expectations more effectively. The ability to track and analyze projects in real-time via a web/smartphone interface has, therefore, become the new kind of normal with various business management platforms paving the way for enhanced business results. But what about your workers in the field?

“Complete visibility is even more important when you have operators in the field,” says MWare CEO Mich Martins. “That’s where Mobile Workforce Management (MWM) Software comes in. At MWare we take exceptional pride in our ability to source the best and most valuable Automated Business Solutions available in the world. Through our partnership with MobiWork ® , we are able to offer our customers complete smartphone and cloud-based MWM software that allows managers to schedule, track, monitor and analyse employees in the field. But this is just where the advantages begin.”

Examples of how Mobiwork ® can benefit your business

With MobiWork ® the benefits of complete visibility in the field is far more encompassing than meets the eye. Take logistics for example. Imagine being able to dispatch the nearest vehicle to the exact location (map) for pick-ups and then being able to capture a signature onto a smart device on-site? The benefits will be seen in reduced kilometres and fuel spend, reduced paperwork, reduced errors and ultimately, enhanced productivity.

The Broken Telephone or Chinese Whispers game most of us played as children were hilarious. But there is nothing funny about miscommunication in business. Communication between the office and a worker in the field is often exceptionally challenging but not with MobiWork ®. Take an electrician in the field for example. Using the web app, an office worker can schedule (and make real-time changes to) an electrician’s agenda and can communicate clear and detailed instructions for each and every job. The MobiWork ® smartphone app the electrician in the field can capture data (photos, forms, signatures etc.) and share this through to HQ in real-time. This can lead to quicker, more accurate invoicing, which means fewer delays and quicker turn-around times.

Infield services industries, the bar is often set at meeting customer expectations. However, with MobiWork ® your company can exceed expectations and continue to do so. Through real-time scheduling and dispatching your office workforce can effectively match the right field worker (according to skill, location or preference) to the right job. Better planning, enhanced communication and project execution will no doubt have a positive impact on the customer’s experience at the end of the day.

Every type of field industry has unique challenges. Talk to one of our sales experts about the practical benefits your company can expect to see with MobiWork ®. Email info@mware.co.za

The post How the MobiWork MWM ® platform can improve your field operation appeared first on MWare .

How to succeed with digital transformation

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 07:42:00 GMT

Digital transformation is a topic that is regularly making the headlines. It is the act of applying digital systems to replace manual tasks in order to improve and drive the business forward. It forms an integral part of Industry 4.0 and what’s to come. Therefore, the sooner a company can transform successfully, the better its chances are of remaining relevant. Here are our top tips to manage this disruption as effectively as possible.

Stop fighting it

“The first step to transforming successfully is to accept the value digital will add to your business. Only then can true change take place,” comments MWare CEO Mich Martins. Digital transformation, although disruptive, isn’t the enemy. The benefits associated with digitising processes can help companies remain agile, save time, save money, reduce errors, improve productivity and offer insightful visibility into critical aspects of a business.

Get everyone onboard

While a Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the IT department have important roles to play from a practical and logistical perspective, digital transformation is for every department in the company. All employees need to be trained and be able to comfortably apply new skills. “As with all other core decisions, it is vital that the master driver behind a company’s digital transformation and the particular systems employed should be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO),” says Martins.

Realise that digital transformation is an ongoing change

Digital transformation isn’t a once-off approach. People change. Demands change. And in order to prevent falling behind and to continue to harness its powers for profit, digital processes need to follow suit. Forbes talks about a company’s “digital IQ” and how it is essential for companies to develop this on an ongoing basis through education, training and skills development.

Enjoy the value it will add

“It is normal to be cautious or concerned when faced with dramatic change. However, the great thing is that with the right business automation partner in place, integrating can be seamless and far less challenging, like many of our clients have experienced first-hand ,” Martins adds.

Our latest addition to the MWare Solution Stack, Cflow , is a fantastic example of how digital transformation can add considerable value to your products and services. With Cflow companies can move away from paper and become a digital workspace where workflows are streamlined and automated, errors are reduced and employees and managers can track, review and approve tasks from various devices in real-time.

What are the challenges your company is currently facing? Talk to us to find the right automated solution to make 2020 one of your most successful to date. Click here.

The post How to succeed with digital transformation appeared first on MWare .

An integrated and automated business solution for IQ Construction

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 16:21:42 GMT

Automated administrative tasks, improved turn-around times and enhanced resource management.

As an automated business solutions provider, MWare is passionate about making it easier for businesses to streamline their day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. Less time spent on monotonous administrative tasks for example, means more free time to allocate to core business functions. Due to advancements in technology, as well as the general faster pace in lifestyle, customers expect more from their service providers. In order to give your company a competitive edge, your business can benefit from innovating its processes, and delivering more, more quickly.

IQ Construction, a construction company that repairs, reconstructs and reinstates homes and commercial properties after a successful insurance claim, required a solution that could help them achieve this goal.

While there are some processes and procedures that cannot be fast-tracked in the insurance industry, for everything else MWare has a software solution that will be able add value.

“Any form of property damage can be traumatic to the owners, irrespective if malicious intend was involved or not,” comments Mich Martins, CEO of the MWare Group of Companies.

“Time is therefore of the essence in this line of work, and if any task can be automated, it should be.” he adds.

MWare developed an integrated and automated system that incorporates Sage One, Sage CRM and MobiWork®. MobiWork® is a smartphone and cloud-based mobile workforce management solution that offers exceptional real-time benefits to companies with employees working in the field. The system allows IQ Construction to manage all their accounting, inspections, repairs and other related tasks from one true cloud solution with an active dashboard.

“As a result of the system we are able to cut back on some of our most time-consuming administrative tasks,” says IQ Construction Managing Member Danie Bisschoff.

“For example, in terms of our Service Level Agreements’, Insurance reinstatements have to meet various requirements and are typically administratively heavy. But now with the MWare solution we can give our foreman access to documents on-site and allow our customers to sign documents digitally too. Our office can action the documents in real-time instead of waiting for the foreman to return.”

The added benefit of tracking their employees in the field in real-time has also made it possible for the company to manage its resources more successfully too.

“Ultimately, the solution MWare has designed for us has definitely enabled us to take on more work. We are now able to deal with the administrative side far more efficiently, moreover, it has greatly helped us to both expand and reduce our capacity in a dynamic industry that demands flexibility,” Danie adds.

New MWare Partnership: Automating Productivity and Process Management with Cflow

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 08:23:00 GMT

Enhanced productivity; reduced errors

[17 December 2019, Pretoria] MWare is proud to announce that Cavintek’s Cflow software solution has recently been added to MWare’s Solution Stack. Cflow is a cloud-based workflow management tool that helps companies automate processes, reduce manual paperwork and errors.

Digitalisation and automation is the future of businesses everywhere. Companies of all sizes across the globe can leverage the advantages of automation software. Cflow is a more cost-effective way for SMEs to automate all business functions within hours creating an intuitive wizard-driven workflow that offers enhanced productivity, fewer errors and proactive deadline notifications.

“At MWare, we don’t believe in ripping out and replacing the old with the new. We find it to be too disruptive and costly, and in some cases even counterproductive. Instead, we look at offering our customers advanced solutions that are able to integrate perfectly with the solutions they already use and value. We are very excited about the potential Cflow can bring to the table as part of our Solution Stack,” says MWare CEO Mich Martins.

Cflow’s API and connectors are able to integrate seamlessly with multiple systems and because it is deployed through the Cloud, customers do not need to install or setup any hardware. Simply download the App onto any smartphone or tablet and start using Cflow to manage CAPEX workflows, approvals, certifications, compliance, accounts, field support, logistics, and so much more.

Sivaram Subramaniam, Head of Marketing at Cavintek, comments on the partnership saying: “In business, it is all about keeping your eye on the ball and multitasking like a professional. This is something Cflow can help business owners and managers master. We believe Cflow in combination with MWare’s other phenomenal products could help companies achieve more with less.”

MWare has taken 2019 by storm. The company embarked on a mission to bring its customers more cutting-edge software solutions to combat everyday challenges. It is a dedication that recognised MWare as S age 2019 Partner of the Year and led to the birth of MWare’s comprehensive Solution Stack. Cflow is MWare’s ninth added solution for the year, rounding off one of the company’s most productive and most successful years to date.

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Ways to boost productivity in 2020

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 10:02:00 GMT

Productivity isn’t about getting many things done quickly but about getting the right things done more efficiently. With the new year ahead, we look at several ways that could inspire productivity in your business.

Share goals
In sharing a company’s goals for the year ahead, and keeping employees posted on progress made, employers could instil a better understanding of the business and everyone’s role towards its success.

Reward achievements
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs suggests that a human’s desire to become the most they can be (self-actualisation) can only be achieved once four more pressing needs are achieved first. The first need being physiological (air, water, food, sleep etc.), the second, safety (security, employment, health etc.), the third, the need for love and belonging, and the fourth, esteem (respect, self-esteem, recognition). Rewarding achievement and showing appreciation is, therefore, an excellent way to encourage self-actualisation in your employees.

Create a productive environment
Granted, people are unique and different and therefore gain inspiration and energy from diverse sources. However, studies have shown that a connection to nature, ample natural light and fresh air have an extremely powerful impact on our health, well-being and happiness. Adding some pot plants, with airier, brighter and well-ventilated offices is always a step in the right direction.

Identify productivity “thieves”
Help your employees identify distractions that are counter-intuitive to a task at hand, and brainstorm ways to avoid these distractions at core time frames. For example, phone calls, WhatsApp messages, office chatter, emails and other notifications can perhaps be “silenced” during certain intervals and attended to later.

Upskill your employees
Knowledge is power. Upskilling your workforce will not only benefit your employees but will also add to the success and growth of your business. MWare’s MPowrMe is a mobile learning skills development platform that makes it easier and more convenient for companies to empower employees.

Invest in the right tools
Automation software may help create a productive workflow, reduce paperwork and eliminate errors. This will free up time for more important tasks. Imagine the results if every sales consultant in your business had a few hours per day to chase down leads instead of catching up on admin. MWare’s Cflow automation software , a cloud-based workflow automation tool, can help businesses cut back on mundane administrative tasks and focus attention on the aspects of the business that matters the most.

MWare wishes everyone a highly productive 2020!

Need help? Talk to our sales team. Click here .

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MWare’s Scorecard Software can help your organisation with BEE Compliance

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 13:56:00 GMT

As of 1 December 2019, new amendments to the Amended Generic B-BBEE Codes of 2013 will come into effect. Corporations and companies, therefore, need to make BEE compliance a priority. What is your new BEE score? To prevent losing the valuable incentives and tax benefits associated with your current BEE status, your company has to take action. Compliance software, like MWare’s Corporater , not only assists with Balanced Scorecards but also identifies and improves internal functions in order to realise improved outcomes.

MWare’s wide range of Automated Business Solutions is helping companies across the country and abroad simplify and streamline their internal and external processes. Corporate compliance is often one of the most challenging of deliverables, yet, with the right software in place, this challenge can unlock considerable potential.

Corporater’s Complete Balanced Scorecard Software offers businesses everything needed in a single platform:

For additional clarity, strategy maps can also be visually communicated through the software’s Storytelling functionality.

“Times have changed. Companies need more from the software they invest in. They are looking for solutions that can plug-into and “talk” to their existing platforms and add value to the greater success of the company. Ultimately, the main reason why a strategy fails or why a company fails to execute a strategy effectively is due to lacking clarity. With Corporater, new BEE compliance strategies are easily identified, and translated into an actionable plan that everyone in the business can understand and follow, ” comments MWare CEO Mich Martins.

Corporater’s Complete Balanced Scorecard Software will:

With amendments also made to BEE-related skills development, companies can benefit greatly by looking to MWare’s MPowrMe for mobile learning. MPowrMe is a skills development platform that helps companies offer unit standard and NQF aligned courses to their employees via mobile phones.

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MWare Helps Customers Unlock The Edge With IoT.nxt

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 11:45:00 GMT

Gain an overview of your operation. Digitise it. Optimise it.

[November 2019, Pretoria] MWare is thrilled to announce the newest addition to the MWare Solution Stack: IoT.nxt. IoT.nxt is a next-level Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider able to unlock digital transformation for any industry, any system and any process without disruption.

Businesses across the globe are looking to achieve more with less. The journey to reaching this goal is paved with business automation cobblestones, each of which need the Internet of Things to Things to function optimally.

The IoT is advancing. It is not just about the ability to connect physical machinery and hardware to the internet to gain analytics, it can now also give these devices instructions (bi-directional). The IoT is also growing at a rapid pace. According to IoT Analytics 7 Billion of the 17 billion connected devices in the world in 2018 were IoT devices. At the recent Arm TechCon , this number is proposed to increase to 1 trillion by 2035.

“The Internet of Things is not just a here-today-gone-tomorrow fad. It is huge and it is going to play a fundamental role in business’s ability to adapt, and remain highly productive and resourceful at the same time,” comments MWare CEO Mich Martins.

The company’s recent partnership with IoT.nxt therefore makes a lot of sense. IoT.nxt will help MWare achieve its goal to offer its customers the best-in-breed products. Together with IoT.nxt, MWare can help unlock exceptional benefits within any industry, especially those that are facing the biggest challenges at the moment, such as manufacturing, mining, agriculture and healthcare. The right IoT.nxt application can help companies automate, save time, cut costs, use resources more efficiently, improve safety, predict maintenance, improve productivity and track absolutely anything in the field, from drivers to livestock.

“We are always looking at developing new ways for companies to do the things they’ve always done well, so much better,” says Chiara Oosthuizen, a Solutions Architect at IoT.nxt. “It doesn’t matter what industry you work in or what the unique challenges you face, with our solution, anything is possible.”

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MWare now offers customers Sage 300 People, an advanced HR & Payroll self-service solution

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 10:51:00 GMT

Increase productivity, drive growth and empower your people

MWare is excited to announce that Sage 300 People will now form part of the company’s Automated Business Solutions Stack. Sage 300 People is an integrated HR and Payroll software solution that allows companies to increase productivity, drive growth and empower people.

In the corporate world, things can change overnight. The addition of a new client might require a business owner to employ more people and invest in additional resources. The last thing a growing company needs is to be stunted by the software programmes they use.

MWare has spent a large portion of 2019 honing its services and solutions into a comprehensive Solution Stack that can help businesses in South Africa, and abroad solve day-to-day challenges like HR and Payroll. Sage 300 People is the integrated and fully scalable software solution that helps larger businesses take care of HR and Payroll tasks through a user-friendly dashboard.

“Sage 300 People is the ideal solution for companies that have outgrown their current entry-level legacy programmes and are now looking for something more advanced and scalable. Normally, the next step here would involve developing a custom solution, which naturally translates into a substantial investment and time-delay. However, thanks to Sage 300 People’s innovative solution, together with MWare’s value-added services, this is no longer necessary,” says MWare CEO Mich Martins.

Implementing a new software system can place a company under severe strain. From the physical installation, conversion and training to the on-going support are all concerns that make changing from a legacy system less appetising. MWare’s value-added services absorb the challenges of change so that companies can streamline business processes far better than before.

MWare’s value-added services for the Sage 300 People:

MWare and Sage have been partners for over a decade through Sage 300 Toolkit Financial and Operational Solutions. The innovative Toolkit offers Sage 300 customers feature-rich plugins to simplify tasks and enhance user productivity.

This partnership has led to many achievements for MWare over the years, including the recent Sage 2019 Partner of the Year Award as the Highest NCA Revenue Growth in the Medium Segment.

“With another fantastic Sage product as part of our Solution Stack, we are going to hit the ground running in 2020,” Martins adds.

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MWare Wins Sage 2019 Partner of the Year Award

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 02:43:00 GMT

MWare has recently won the prestigious Sage 2019 Partner of the Year Award at the Sage Africa FY20 awards function, which took place on the 16th of October. MWare was recognised for their achievement over the year as the Highest NCA Revenue Growth in the Medium Segment. MWare also received the highly acclaimed Sage Platinum Status for its software sales in 2019.

MWare CEO Mich Martins commented on their achievements saying: “We are absolutely thrilled to be acknowledged for these awards. Over the past decade that we have been a partner of Sage, MWare has built a strong and dependable name in the local and global marketplace, and it is humbling to be recognised for our hard work.

“With the current economic climate, it has become very clear that businesses are looking for new innovative ways to cut costs. Companies are realising that it is a lot more cost-effective to trust and implement proven ERP solutions that offer a solid base, and to extend this base with functional plugins to achieve similar, and in some cases a lot more comprehensive results, which are easier to adopt and cheaper to deploy.”

According to Martins the company has realised that smaller companies are seeing a benefit in upscaling to ERP solutions from traditional smaller ERP solutions to mid-market solutions that offer a roadmap of at least 5 years whereas larger companies are happy to downscale to mid-market software that offer the same benefits at a fraction of the cost of enterprise positioned software packages.

Sage’s solid architecture with open API integration touchpoints has therefore allowed them to add all of their best-of-breed value-added plugins and secure an enhanced end-user experience.

MWare’s “non-rip-and-replace” mindset has also further contributed to the company’s seamless integration into a new customer’s current infrastructure.

Martins believes that all their successes trace back to incredible solutions, consistent and persistent customer service and a drive to include a wide variety of value-adding tools and forward-thinking technology into their business module.

“It has led to the creation of a distribution model that we refer to as the MWare Solution Stack. These products align and integrate seamlessly with the entire Sage range of products, including Sage One, Sage 50, Sage 200, Sage 300, Sage X3, Sage CRM, Sage Pay and now even Sage 300 People. This synergy between Sage products and MWare solutions gives customers peace of mind and offers longevity and sustainability for years to come,” Martins said.

MWare takes their partnerships seriously, which is why the recent acknowledgements by Sage are part of a string of partnership awards the company has won over the years. The company will be looking to add more functional and feature-rich products and plugins onto the Sage ISV marketplace to extend their existing product offering. Their plans include a variety of new, powerful and exciting products and solutions that will integrate seamlessly with Sage products and focus on customer satisfaction.

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MWare takes Business Intelligence to the next level with Yellowfin

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 07:58:00 GMT

Discover, understand and act on opportunities using the one-of-a-kind analytics suite

[16 October 2019, Pretoria] Over the past nine months MWare has expanded its Solution Stack into 12 carefully sourced solutions. Its latest partnership with Yellowfin, the world-renowned Business Intelligence software company, enables MWare to truly offer its diverse range of customers a comprehensive, value-added and results-driven service.

Analytics is one of the most powerful tools businesses can use to get ahead. But it is about more than just numbers or patterns. It is about future-proofing a company and making it agile.

With the right analytics and the right analysts, businesses can discover, understand and act on all kinds of opportunities (and threats) in real-time. In the right hands, data can be worth gold, but there simply isn’t time or budget for every statistic to be examined and cross-referenced further.

However, Yellowfin Business Intelligence products have made it easier for companies to extract and use data more effectively. “As the only analytics suite that combines automatic analysis with storytelling and collaboration capabilities, we have been eager to bring Yellowfin onboard for quite some time now. We are therefore incredibly honoured to partner with this innovative company and very excited to see what their suite of products can do for our customers,” comments MWare CEO Mich Martins.

The Yellowfin Analytics Suite is made up of five integrated products. Yellowfin’s Data Prep connects and extracts data from various sources, while Yellowfin Analysis uses Machine Learning Algorithms to automatically translate the data into the answers to the questions that companies seek. Yellowfin Dashboards turns data into easy-to-understand graphs that are visually engaging and informative, allowing businesses to track performance in real-time. Yellowfin Stories is where the numbers are given context and narrative. It is a way for various collaborators to unpack a specific statistic, ask questions, add reports and resolve an issue. Finally, Yellowfin Signals offers individuals alerts on noteworthy changes in real-time.

“It is our goal to help companies discover, understand, and act faster on the opportunities buried in their data. Currently over 27 000 customers are doing just this and gaining fantastic results. We are very excited to collaborate with MWare as we believe Yellowfin’s Analytics Suite will add considerable value to the range of solutions they offer,” says Gustav Piater, Sales and Marketing Director, AIGS Insights (Yellowfin distributor for sub-Saharan Africa).

“At MWare we know analytics is important. We also know that some numbers are worth investigating further but, as with all things, time is of the essence. If every interesting statistic had to be a meeting or a full-fledged research project, progress would be limited. Smart automation and clever tools to improve processes and enhance productivity are what we are all about and Yellowfin fits in perfectly with this,” adds Martins.

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Why SLAs are fundamental in the digital era

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 10:10:00 GMT

As more businesses rely on cloud-based products and services for the running of business-critical operations, contracts for service and support are becoming fundamental.

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are legal contracts that outline exactly what customers can expect from their service provider. In this day and age simply promising a great service isn’t good enough. Competition is tough and service providers need to up the ante.

While on the surface it could appear that an SLA is solely to the benefit of the customer, it also has multiple advantages for service providers too.

Benefits to customers

Benefits to service providers

MWare’s Service Level Agreements

At MWare our wide range of diverse Business Automated Solutions are adding value to customers across SA, sub-Saharan Africa, Dubai, Australia and America. Each client is intricately unique in their application of our products, and therefore require a unique approach to support as well.

Our SLA packages – Silver, Gold and Platinum – are therefore customisable so we are able to meet our customers’ specific needs.

For more information about our SLAs please refer to the document by clicking here.

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Syncedbeans joins MWare

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 08:54:00 GMT

Connecting suppliers, customers and accountants in one, real-time network

MWare is proud to announce the latest addition to its growing number of Automated Business Solutions, Syncedbeans. Syncedbeans is an accounting solution that allows businesses to sync commercial information with relevant suppliers, customers and accountants in a real-time network. The result? Error-free invoicing on demand.

In tough economic climates, businesses need to be more resourceful than usual. Lowered costs and higher returns are at the order of the day. This usually means fewer employees, longer hours and more creative, out-of-the-box thinking. Smaller businesses are particularly challenged in an economic downturn, as the resourceful operation is their blueprint to survival. Too few employees are already putting in too many hours and wearing too many hats.

“Smart, automated business solutions, like the many products offered by MWare, allow businesses, big and small, to achieve more with less. It’s not just about substituting human roles when there are too few hands on deck, but also about productivity, saving time and ensuring error-free tasks at every phase of a growing business,” says Mich Martins, MWare CEO.

While errors are wasteful no matter where they take place, it is less than favourable when they occur in the financial side of the business. Accounting systems allow businesses to send invoices and follow-up on payments, but this isn’t always the case when it comes to a company’s supplier network.

“Hundreds of thousands of South African SMEs participate as customers and suppliers in millions of commercial transactions each month,” comments Syncedbeans CEO, Greg Garber.

“Many millions of documents are generated by the parties involved in these transactions of which the accounting systems of the participating businesses are not integrated. Documents, such as invoices, are generated in any of these systems and have to be manually captured in another system. The manual capturing of documents leads to errors and delays, and can become quite costly.”

Syncedbeans integrates with SA’s most popular cloud-based accounting systems and extracts invoices directly from suppliers systems and delivers them electronically to customers’ systems. The system also offers an easy to use the free mobile application and a mailbox to assist businesses that are not using one of its integrated solutions.

“Syncedbeans saves time and money for customers and their accountants. It is also beneficial to connected suppliers who will benefit from faster payments. At the end of the day, real-time, error-free transactions enable growth, scalability and business optimisation for all the parties involved,” Greg Garber adds.

Syncedbeans is MWare’s fourth new product launch in 2019. According to Martins it is only the beginning of the company’s quest to providing their customers with the best and most innovative software solutions available on the market.

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How to be more profitable with MWare [Part 2]

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 11:50:00 GMT

“You have to work on the business first before it works for you.” ― Idowu Koyenikan

A must-have product or raved-about service isn’t necessarily a recipe for a company’s success. Not in the long-term anyway. A company’s success is reliant on everything from concept, finance and manufacturing through to marketing, sales, logistics and customer service. All of these divisions need to work together in unison.

Good management and an effective workforce are therefore the real heroes behind a company’s success, and technology can help managers capitalise on this! Workflow automation is helping companies become more organised and error-free and effective, with time to spare.

That’s where we come in!

Unlock your company’s profitability with MWare’s workflow automation

Manage your workers in the field more effectively with MobiWork’s smartphone and cloud-based mobile solution. Deliverables are pre-configured to meet the needs of any business in any industry.

Kelsa is a cloud based no code workflow automation tool which helps you improve efficiency. Build, run and optimize your business processes all within an intuitive user friendly interface.

Syncedbeans automatically extracts invoices and delivers them electronically to customers’ systems. Your invoices are ready for payment processing and approval earlier and with no effort from your customers.

Why MWare?

As a Business Automation Solutions Provider, MWare is all about best-of-breed software solutions that help businesses prosper as they grow. The MWare Solution Stack features 12 innovative solutions aimed at helping your business become more organised, efficient, secure, successful, and ultimately profitable.

Our holistic approach to business automation means you will be partnering with a company that doesn’t believe in rip and replace. We design, implement and maintain a value-enhancing, integrated and automated solution that solves the challenges you’ve been having. From training and HR to Business Management and data security, we have a solution with your name on it.

What is standing between your business and its profitability? Let MWare help!

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How to be more profitable with MWare

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 06:41:00 GMT

“We aren’t here to make money” – said no CEO ever.

Bottom line: Companies are in business to be profitable. Without profits, a business cannot prosper, and without significant profits, the potential for growth is unlikely. Business owners need to be agile, innovative and open to new ways of thinking. As we move closer to the fourth industrial revolution, digital transformation could be the final nail in the coffin of a company stuck in the past. But it could also be its saving grace.

Data automation has the potential to help companies better understand what is going on in the business. It can help business owners ask the right questions and make the best decisions to influence change.

And here’s where we come in.

Unlock your company’s profitability with MWare’s data automation solutions

As a Business Automation Solutions Provider, MWare is all about best-of-breed software solutions that help businesses prosper as they grow. In fact, over the past several months, we’ve done some growing ourselves. Our MWare Solution Stack now features 12 innovative solutions aimed at helping your business become more organised, efficient, secure, successful, and ultimately profitable.

If you want to gain deeper insights into the “health” of your business in order to make more informed decisions, allow MWare to help through:

Corporater Business Management Platform

Corporater is a Businesses Management Platform (BMP) that gives you a holistic look into every department of your business within a single view. Manage your company’s performance better by having access to real-time data about strategy, risk, operations, quality, projects, processes, HR and finance.

Yellowfin

Yellowfin is a powerful suite of BI and analytics products that will change the way you discover and share insights, so you can make the best decisions, faster. Yellowfin Dashboards powered by Assisted Insights, which allows you to see why sales (for example) are up or down.

Why MWare?

The MWare Solution Stack not only improves various aspects of the business, but the various solutions also complement each other. From enhancing the skills of your talent (MPowrMe, MLearning), and managing your team in the field (MobiWork) to improving Governance, Risk and Compliance (RUBIQ) and streamlining cloud accounting (Syncedbeans) – we offer it all!

At MWare we don’t rip out and replace the solutions you currently have in place. Instead, we partner with you to design, implement and maintain a value-enhancing, integrated and automated solution that solves the challenges you’ve been having. Together we can unlock your company’s true profitability.

But don’t just take our word for it, read what our customers have to say.

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MWare adopts the RUBiQ’s Governance, Risk & Compliance Solution

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 12:46:00 GMT

Implement, manage, monitor & measure GRC policies & activities

Pretoria, 19 August 2019 – MWare is pleased to announce the addition of RUBiQ to its growing bouquet of smart automated business solutions. RUBiQ is a cloud-based Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) software programme.

What is Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC)?

Governance refers to the various processes management has put in place in order to reach the various objectives set out by a business. Risk Management, addresses the business’ ability to analyse and predict threats that affect its’ capability to meet objectives and realise overall business success, and Compliance looks, externally at the various laws and regulations, where an organisation has obligations that it must meet and standards it must adhere to, and internally at the companies defined and communicated policies, procedures and active work instructions that need to be in place to ensure that all employees and management are aligned to the way that the business must and needs to run.

“The diversity of what these three legs speak to is why many corporations traditionally treat and address them separately,” says Mich Martins, MWare CEO. “However, due to their influence on how a business is run, it is undoubtedly something that needs to be managed in unison in order to avoid costly overlaps and inefficiency.”

Strict and cohesive GRC policies and systems are therefore essential to achieve objectives, address uncertainty and act responsibly.

“The RUBiQ Software as a Service (SaaS) solution makes it easier for companies to synchronise information and activity. Now businesses can implement, manage, monitor and measure the GRC systems of the entire enterprise from one convenient location,” Martins adds.

MWare recently partnered with RUBiQ to allow its customers to experience the true value of a connected GRC solution.

“Our RUBiQ solution allows users to establish, monitor and maintain the desired standards of the business and mitigate risks in the process. Once a company’s Compliance Maturity has been assessed and set up on the platform, the RuBiQ solution will automatically create a Gap Audit. Our Smart Assistant will help enterprises close these gaps by providing expert advice and step by step guidance,” says Nicky Dowling, RUBiQ CEO.

MWare’s customers can look forward to combining this highly intelligent software with the company’s wide range of other leading automated business solutions. The RUBiQ platform is one of the many new solutions MWare has planned for 2019.

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How to ensure your new business’ financial survival

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 09:39:00 GMT

Business opportunities in South Africa are plentiful. With a population of over 56-million diverse and interesting people, SA creates a platform from which many unique products and services can surface. However, according to Bloomberg, a staggering 8 out of every 10 small businesses fail within the first 18 months. A statistic like this is enough to scare off potential business owners from ever even taking a chance.

Ultimately, there are many reasons why a new small business could fail. Perhaps there wasn’t a need for the product or service in the market. Perhaps the marketing efforts weren’t powerful enough. But more often than not these businesses fail because they weren’t profitable enough.

Small businesses need to survive financially, and here’s how:

Work from home

Run your small business from home for as long as possible. Use the garage if you must. Even a small home office can fit at least three desks, which could make all the difference at the end of the day. Instead, make use of a website and a virtual office to present your company in a professional manner.

Be resourceful when it comes to staff

Many business owners often mistakenly employ help too soon or try to manage everything by themselves for too long. There are some key areas you might need to look at delegating from some point in time i.e. marketing and admin, but make use of freelancers or part-time help until it becomes necessary to employ someone full-time.

Go paperless

Office stationery such as paper and ink can rack up quite the bill. Save costs by encouraging a paperless office. Various software programmes and cloud storage can help you save everything online. Going paperless simplifies and streamlines a company’s processes and makes it possible for employees to work from literally anywhere in the world.

Use Cloud Accounting

Keeping costs down is only one aspect of your business’ financial health. You need to be able to see the bigger financial picture in order to make informed decisions. Cloud Accounting software (and complementary integration software programmes) is the answer to do this, and more. Not only can these programmes help you gain real-time insights into your company’s financials (from anywhere) but they also allow you to automate recurring accounting functions, making it easy to perform accounting tasks yourself.

MWare offers expert Automated Business Solutions that can complement your business at any stage of its development. Our partnerships with the world’s best and most scalable software technology makes it easy for your business to find the solutions you need in one convenient place.

Our latest addition, Syncedbeans, is an example of how smart accounting software can help your business function even more smartly. Syncedbeans extracts invoices directly from suppliers and delivers these to customers’ systems electronically. SyncedBeans can help your company save time and resources, eliminate errors, streamline processes, scale-up and grow its profits.

Let MWare help you take your business to the next level. Click here: info@mware.co.za

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The Future of Accounting

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 07:40:00 GMT

Emerging technology is transforming our industries, especially those most reliant on data such as the Accounting sector. Automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Blockchain, the Cloud and other forms of Industry 4.0 will reimagine this field in the coming years. It will change the methodology, standards and skillsets of accountants and bookkeepers and adapt the way companies and accounting firms interact with each other.

According to Accounting Today , accounting firms need to look further than location and firm size in order to stay relevant. Firms of the future will be shaped by a value-added client service that will require firms to work in collaboration with third-party software engineers in order to create solutions to the challenges faced by companies. This is, of course, exceptional news for companies, but it could create some concerns with regards to job security within this sector.

Experts believe that technological advancements within the accounting industry won’t make accounting jobs obsolete, but instead reinvent them. Those willing to adapt and learn new skills will advance into more fulfilling, specialised roles. While mundane, repetitive tasks are handled by software programmes, accountants and bookkeepers can devote time to adding value in other key areas. Those less willing will unfortunately be left behind.

How far are we from this future? Not too far at all. Cloud Accounting is already here, and it is reshaping the way companies manage finances, payroll and compliance, allowing them to future proof their businesses for what is to come.

Cloud Accounting allows businesses to:

The benefits Cloud Accounting offers companies are incredibly impressive, and they are sure to set the pace for other technologies to come.

At MWare, we help companies stay at the forefront through our number of advanced business automation solutions. Through SyncedBeans, software that integrates with cloud-based accounting systems, we help our clients extract invoices directly from suppliers and deliver these to customers’ systems electronically. SyncedBeans can help your company save time and money, eliminate errors, optimize processes, scale up and grow profits. Learn more here: https://mware.co.za/product-solution/syncedbeans/

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The role of employee satisfaction in the workplace

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 07:27:00 GMT

The popular John Donne quote, “No man is an island” is just as applicable in a work context as it is in life in general. People need people. And in order to grow and take on more, companies need employees. Employees are a company’s direct link to its customers and as such employees need to carry and convey the company ethos, whatever it may be.

It is this connection that led speaker, entrepreneur and author Steven Van Belleghem to make the following statement while delivering a keynote speech recently: “You can’t make customers happy without happy employees.” According to Van Belleghem an employee’s unhappiness or frustration with management will come across to customers in some way, shape or form.

Customer experiences are the bread and butter of businesses. A good experience often leads to an improved impression of the business, assists with word-of-mouth marketing, and could ultimately see that customer return again, and again. Every employee in the customer cycle can affect this “experience” positively or negatively.

Apart from funnelling through to the customer’s experience, employee satisfaction affects:

The question is then: How do companies make their employees happy? Employee satisfaction can be greatly improved when companies build a culture of trust, recognition and compliance.

Why Trust?

Essentially trust forms the basis of any relationship, personal or professional. Employees need to know that they can trust the companies they work for to look out for them. Without trust, whispers and office politics tend to add insult to injury.

Why Recognition?

Every employee inside the entire company is important. They want to feel significant by gaining the appropriate recognition for putting in extra effort or for achieving certain set goals etc. Investing in employees’ training is also a positive way to show recognition and empower them in the process.

Why Compliance?

Employees have rights and they need to know that the company they work for are compliant to all of these rights, even those behind the scenes. Compliance, trust and respect go hand in hand. Employees that are assured of the fact that a company is following all of the appropriate protocols and procedures will have more respect for the various HR processes.

Compliance is perhaps one of the hardest of the three legs to cultivate in a company as it requires a lot of knowledge and expertise in the field. Luckily, with MWare’s latest partnership with ERGuide, customers can get instant access to a comprehensive employee relationship management guide that encompasses all of this and more.

ERGuide is country-specific, covers everything from employment law principles and compliance to advice on disciplinaries and dismissals, incapacity and poor performance management. It is practical and accessible from any internet enabled device. Learn more about ERGuide. Click here

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Successful Employee Relations Critical To A Business’ Success

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 10:22:00 GMT

Running a business is empowering and at the same time extremely challenging. Managers need to think of and supervise so many things at the same time, all the while looking ahead and steering the business in the right direction towards the future. During all this, employee relations seem to fall through the cracks a bit. Managers and human capital practitioners are often more focussed on finding and keeping talent and not always up to date on employment law principles and compliance.

As a result of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), which is responsible for resolving problems between employees and employers, is busier than ever. The Commission received more than 6000 referrals regarding wage disputes in the first four months of 2019 alone. These referrals are directly related to changes in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act as well as the National Minimum Wage Act.

Putting the right foot forward when approaching any employee-related action, whether it be a warning, disciplinary hearing or dismissal, is daunting, to say the least. An action that might seem justified at the time could cost you dearly in the end. Labour Law is also constantly changing and adapting as the years go by and staying abreast of these amendments is a full-time occupation. While few businesses can afford to employ a Labour Law expert full time, all businesses should make employment law principles and compliance a priority. Why? Because it means:

The above sounds logical enough, but the problem remains: How do managers and human capital practitioners follow the law and adhere to their employees’ rights in a less time-consuming and tedious manner?

MWare has recently partnered with ERGuide to address this particular issue. ERGuide is a country-specific, comprehensive guide on employee relationship management. From employment law principles and compliance to advice on disciplinaries and dismissals all the way through to incapacity and poor performance management – everything is covered via easy to read, practical guides. ERGuide is accessible via any internet enabled device, allowing a manager to comply with Labour Law Acts at any time, from anywhere.

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Cybersecurity: What the board of directors need to hear

Thu, 23 May 2019 09:32:00 GMT

There are many pressing matters on the board of directors agenda, and cybersecurity is one of them. Now more than ever, the board is open to hearing about information protection measures planned for the organisation. Thankfully, many members realise it has become more than just a regulatory requirement but an organisational risk.

While investing in a cybersecurity strategy is open to discussion, it most certainly won’t be an easy sell. At the end of the day, organisations are in the business of making money, not spending it. Here are a few guidelines to help make your case more compelling:

Focus on relevant facts and figures

Limit technical jargon and focus on the facts and figures that would get the attention of the members. Bring the board up to speed on the latest cybercrime statistics in the country as well as on the global front, particularly vulnerabilities uncovered in industries similar to the organisation’s. Provide practical examples of what the organisation is currently doing to manage risk and where it is lacking.

Talk about the benefits

The benefits of information protection are more profound than meets the eye. It is not just about managing risk effectively. It is about protecting your customers. It is about building trust in the industry. It is about adopting digital. And it is ultimately about productivity, profitability and growth – three words that are board-approved. Make sure to highlight exactly how cybersecurity can contribute to where the organisation is headed.

Do your homework and offer a practical solution

In closing, without taking up too much of the board’s time and without going into too much detail, offer the solution. As companies evolve and become more digitally aligned, the digital risk will naturally increase. Take the time to research the solution best suited to your current and future risk profile and give it to them straight.

Today, cybersecurity is the responsibility of every single member of staff with access to data. Corporations need to look to security solutions that are comprehensive, multi-levelled and intelligent. As an Automated Business Solutions provider, online security is extremely topical in our industry. That’s why MWare has partnered with Webroot in order to help provide our customers with next-generation endpoint protection and threat intelligence. Smarter Cybersecurity guaranteed.

The post Cybersecurity: What the board of directors need to hear appeared first on MWare .

MWare announces next-generation security measures for its customers

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 12:37:00 GMT

Smarter cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence with Webroot

[29 April 2019, Pretoria] Without robust security measures to protect data, the considerable and extensive benefits companies are gaining from digital transformation could all be at risk. As a forward-thinking automated business solution provider, MWare realises the critical link between digitisation and online safety. In partnership with Carrera Software, MWare brings its customers Webroot Smarter Cybersecurity and BrightCloud Threat Intelligence. These two superior cybersecurity solutions not only protect customers from existing threats in real-time, but also predict against any potential unknowns as well.

Cyber-attacks are not lingo IT specialists have conjured up to scare corporates into investing more in Anti-Virus programmes, nor is it something only financial institutions should take seriously. Any business with any data to capture is at risk of having it fall into the wrong hands.

“Now, at the cusp of digital transformation, companies need to prioritise cybersecurity more than ever,” says Mich Martins, MWare CEO. “Data breaches are unfortunately a harsh reality, and the sooner companies implement the right protocols, the less cumbersome the process will become.”

Smarter Cybersecurity unlocks next-generation predictive protection for endpoints, networks, and end users via easy-to-implement and flexible integrations. BrightCloud Threat Intelligence offers enterprises a proactive, predictive service that encompasses Web Classification and Web Reputation, IP Reputation, Real-Time Anti-Phishing, Streaming Malware Detection, File Reputation and Mobile Security SDK. Both solutions are powered by the well-known Webroot® threat intelligence software platform.

“Over the years cyber-attacks have become extremely complex,” comments Dean Barkhuizen from Carrera Software. “Simply staying abreast of current threats is a recipe for failure. That’s why we use 5th generation machine learning to analyze 500 billion data objects daily. In other words, Webroot allows us to classify and score 95% of the internet, three times a day. This allows us to predict where threats could potentially occur and automate protection against it well in advance.”

MWare aims to bring its customers more value-added solutions, more aggressively over the coming months. Webroot is the third new product launched in 2019 alone and will play an important role in what we have planned for the year ahead. For more information about Webroot Smarter Cybersecurity and BrightCloud Threat Intelligence click here.

The post MWare announces next-generation security measures for its customers appeared first on MWare .

Your company and cyber security: Is there really a threat?

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 16:57:00 GMT

Most companies and individuals are aware that cyber crimes such as phishing scams and ransomware are real. But just how real are we talking?

Currently, cyber crimes rack up a $600-billion global cost, and this number is estimated to climb to $6-trillion per annum by 2021 . According to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) , SA has one of the highest number of cyber crime victims in the world. R2.2-billion is lost to these types of attacks annually.

What should companies be doing to mitigate their risk for cyber crimes?

1. Realise the threat affects your business

The first step to combatting any problem is first realising there is one. Cybersecurity is no longer only an item on IT’s to-dos, but should be one of the top points of the organisation’s agenda. Why? Because the more your company shifts towards digital transformation and all the benefits this can unlock, the larger this cyber threat becomes. Any business with data to capture, irrespective of its’ size and worth, is at risk.

2. Invest in the right technology

Luckily, there are superior technological advancements to protect a company’s software and hardware. Make sure your company invests in the most appropriate for your level of operation. From firewalls to data encryptions all have a role to play.

Cyber crimes are constantly evolving and trying to outsmart current protocols. It is therefore worth it to investigate Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI). CTI companies will investigate, collect and analyse a corporation’s past, current and future threats so as to offer an actionable cyber risk management solution. This is a proactive approach to prevent cybersecurity breaches.

3. Enforce best practices

In most cases malware programmes gain access to a company’s server as a result of an employee clicking on a malicious link (via email or a pop-up). That’s why it is vital that employees are educated and trained on the threat of cyber crime and the important role everyone has in safeguarding the company’s and its customers’ data.

Smart, cloud-based and automated business solutions form a critical part of a company’s digital transformation. At MWare, we offer businesses a number of cloud-based solutions to simplify and streamline everything from the financial side of your business to its mobile workforce. Now, with our latest product, WebRoot , we can ensure your business’ online security as well.

The post Your company and cyber security: Is there really a threat? appeared first on MWare .

Yale Lifting Solutions – MobiWork by MWare

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 16:16:01 GMT

“We have demanding requirements and need the highest performing software for our large-scale field service operations in remote areas with limited connectivity. MobiWork performs flawlessly, we are continuously impressed with the functionality, support, and performance.”
– Ashley Davis, Services & marketing Manager of Yale Lifting Solutions

The MobiWork® Mobile Workforce Solutions mobile and cloud-based software solution is making it easier for companies with a mobile workforce to manage work orders, schedule and dispatch deliveries and call-outs, to name just a few. As a local distributor, MWare has been offering this solution to companies in South Africa with incredible success.

One such a client is Yale Lifting Solutions. Here is their story…

About Yale Lifting Solutions

Yale Lifting Solutions supplies a range of heavy duty lifting equipment, including hoists, winches, jacks, slings, pallet trucks, and rigging equipment throughout South Africa. In addition to the equipment they offer, they also manufacture special equipment such as tailor-made jib cranes, lifting beams, suspended working platforms and cradles. Their clients include major mining industries, scattered throughout South Africa.

Included in their service offering, are unique on-site inspections and load testing services for all the equipment used. Due to the thorough inspections and documented forms they provide their customers, Yale Lifting Solutions stands out amongst its competitors.

The company is headquartered in Gauteng, South Africa, and is part of the worldwide Columbus McKinnon consortium. Columbus Mckinnon has a 141-year history in designing, manufacturing and supplying reliable and safe lifting products around the world.

Industry: Mining, Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing and Utilities

Regions: Africa

Key facts:

Member of Columbus McKinnon Corporation Group
1,000 asset inspections per day

Headquarters: Gauteng, South Africa

Website: www.Yale.co.za
Email: info@yalelift.co.za

Daily challenges faced by Yale Lifting Solutions

Key Challenges: High-Volume Electronic Forms, Limited Connectivity, Employee Visibility & Customer Satisfaction

The company mostly functions on a contract basis. They provide services onsite for over 360 days a year across 210 sites, with some of these project sites taking up to 17 days to complete. Many of their service locations are in rural and remote areas where there is limited or no network connectivity.

For legal and safety purposes the teams also need to complete thousands inspection, proof load testing and compliance forms daily. They were doing all of the above with an outdated system that was not user-friendly.

In addition to the difficult system they had in place, there was also a lack of support from their software company, and they were unable to create custom fields for capturing information, such as calculated calibrations for example. Often times, the system had difficulties with storage and processing of large amounts of data, and they often had to record data by hand.

Yale Lifting Solutions management needed a solution to provide technicians with the ability to check in on a mobile device, and translate real-time information back to the office.

Because their work locations have sporadic or non-existent network connectivity, they needed an optimised system that would perform well under those difficult conditions and that would reliably capture information in their electronic forms in offline mode.

The system also needed to be user-friendly, and capable of managing high volumes of confidential forms and documents.

Results: Major Transformation Overnight

After analysing the company’s challenges, MWare implemented the MobiWork solution! The business was up and running and managing all of its operations and assets in less than a month.

Ashley Davis, the Services & Marketing Manager who has worked at Yale Lifting Solutions for 15 years said: “Switching to MobiWork was a quick process, we were easily able to import high volumes of data and transfer to them. MobiWork is more user-friendly, has functionality that we never had before, and has better support in place”.

MobiWork was able to help Yale Lifting Solutions save thousands in upfront custom building costs, and get up and running in a matter of days, not months. “The switchover was immediate, so easy to use with extra functionality, and MobiWork made it a less stressful transition for us,” Davis added.

MobiWork quickly generates reports and analysis from the custom data reports, providing the directors with actionable insight to employee and asset performance. The company now successfully completes approximately 1,000 inspections a day for equipment installations, servicing, and repairs. They are thrilled that their forms can now also include images captured from the field, geo-tags, signature, legal and compliance related fields, and the forms can be sent to customers.

With employees working in the field, it’s important that routing and repair maintenance schedules are optimised, and that asset and employee compliance rules are regulated and properly conducted in the field.

“We have more than 50 unique, advanced, legal forms that capture images, location, and signatures in real-time, and are quickly sent out to customers. Our customers love the forms, and we’ve seen a 60% increase in automatic time and administration efficiency,” said Davis.

“MobiWork is an industry grade, reliable, and truly advanced platform that has allowed us to create a configurable and scalable environment. We can process actionable data faster, isolate issues faster, and have better insight in the field”.

In addition, Yale Lifting Solutions is impressed that training is simple and that the technicians love that the app is fast, responsible, and reliable for capturing data, even in offline mode.

By gaining visibility in the field, the company has been able to improve their service to their customers even further. Davis commented: “We are a customer-centric company, the transformation for us is massive, because it’s about empowering our employees and workers, and to do this you need a single platform that allows for scalability and real-time communication”.

MWare’s CEO, Mich Martins is exceptionally pleased about the results the MobiWork system was able to gain for the client.

“At MWare we enjoy nothing more than finding simple solutions to the complex challenges our customers face. That is why we are always looking for the best software solutions available on the global landscape. MobiWork is one of our leading products, and we are excited about the potential it can realise for other companies struggling with similar challenges.”

MobiWork has helped Yale Lifting Solutions deliver asset compliance, visibility of day-to-day activities, and identify areas where they can streamline their business operations. As they expand their reach throughout Africa and other countries, Mobiwork is helping the company reach their vision of becoming the leading special equipment solution provider.

MobiWork by MWare for Logico Unlimited in Swaziland

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 16:19:34 GMT

“MobiWork is a very powerful tool straight out of the box. It is user-friendly and has exceeded our customisation needs. We intend to expand all of our operations and sales aspects to MobiWork.”
– Ian Jones, Financial Manager of Logico Unlimited

Managing a team and company resources effectively is tough; keeping customers happy even moreso. In the logistics industry these challenging tasks become nearly impossible without the ability to track your team in the field in real-time. You need the right solution to simplify and streamline day to day operations. For Logico Unlimited this solution was the MobiWork® Mobile Workforce Solutions mobile and cloud-based software system.

This is their story…

About Logico Unlimited, Swaziland

Logico Unlimited started in 2003 and is headquartered in Matsapha, Swaziland, with nearly 400 employees. It is the largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sales and distribution business in Swaziland. The company distributes thousands of goods from leading national and international suppliers. Logico’s services include field sales, field marketing, warehousing, primary and secondary distribution, reverse logistics, and much more. They have forty suppliers, multiple warehouses and distribution centres across Swaziland, as well as a fleet of “cash vans” that deliver and sell products right in the field. As Swaziland’s economic growth continues, Logico Unlimited strives to increase the supply chain’s visibility and scale their business without increasing costs while also making use of sustainable resources.

Challenges faced daily

Key Challenges: Lack of Visibility, Inefficient Field Sales Operations

As a leading company in Swaziland, Logico wanted to connect its partners, employees in the field, and their customers in real-time. Tracking employees, inventory, and sales orders were a priority so they could implement new strategies in their fast-moving and ever-changing market. Prior to MobiWork, they were using an older system that was slow and didn’t work offline, which caused multiple delays and issues for the entire organization. The Logico field sales team has an extremely busy deadline-driven schedules. They are constantly moving from one end of the city or state to the other. This schedule made it difficult to keep track of sales’ activity. In addition, Logico was also struggling with a lack of visibility within territories, distributors, field sales teams, and customers.

With nearly 11,000 work orders processed per year, Logico Unlimited need to capture a lot of information. They therefore needed a solution that allowed customisable statuses, fields, and was also able to capture large volumes of data for customer history, customer information, as well as product information, such as pictures, notes, and PDFs.

The management team realised that the team needed a solution that would consolidate their systems and processes, a system that also had customisation, offline mode and visibility capabilities.

Results: Smooth Operations, Visibility, Growth and more…

Logico Unlimited found MobiWork to be incredibly adaptable to fit their customisable requirements. After implementation, they found that the administration, management, and field sales team were easily trained and highly satisfied with MobiWork. Their customers loved that they received emails with the product information ready in a PDF form.
Using the MobiWork analytic dashboard, the admin team was also able to identify and isolate problems faster. After using MobiWork, Ian Jones, the Financial Manager of Logico Unlimited, saw a 100% potential gain in productivity, as there were major improvements in their sales processes and operations.

“Thanks to MobiWork, our operations are running smoothly and we can invoice instantly in the field or office. We’ve also saved 50% in paper costs alone this year. We’ve seen a revenue growth rate of 20% across our business. MobiWork has given us a new level of visibility in the field, and I am confident it will allow us to scale in Swaziland’s growing market,” comments Ian Jones, Financial Manager at Logico.

MWare’s CEO Mich Martins believes that MobiWork has the ability to help any company with employees in the field improve visibility and productivity. “All of our MobiWork customers wish they had gone this route earlier because this system is just so simple and convenient to use. Logistico’s results are great examples of how drastically MobiWork can help improve efficiency and growth,” he says.

MWare’s range of services and solutions are not only available in Southern Africa but the company has numerous clients in Canada, United States of America and United Arab Emirates too.

logico.co.sz

Aligning Energy Partners Refrigeration Group for the future

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 16:23:52 GMT

Automated management, real-time technician tracking & data collection

Automated business solutions and data exchange play fundamental roles in Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution. It doesn’t matter in which industry you are, automation and data analysis can help to better align your business for the future. At MWare we are focussed on innovative, forward-thinking business software solutions that make it possible for companies to automate and perfect valuable tasks. In doing so management can streamline processes, improve turn-around times and make more informed business decisions.Energy Partners Refrigeration Group, part of Energy Partners – a subsidiary of the JSE-listed PSG company, recently joined MWare’s list of customers. The Group specialises in designing, manufacturing and installing large-scale energy-efficient refrigeration systems for commercial customers like supermarkets. After 20 successful years in the industry, they wanted a more automated approach to managing some of their day-to-day tasks as well as an effortless way to extract data.

Mich Martins, CEO of the MWare Group of Companies believes that automation can lead to enhanced productivity. “If technicians can spend less time completing administrative tasks, for example, they will have more time available to focus on field work. That’s why there is a global shift towards automating as many processes as possible. Not just automating them but making it easier for managers to monitor and view what is going on in the business in real-time. This is something we knew would add exceptional value to Ryan and his team.”

MWare therefore developed one, fully integrated solution that included Sage 300, Sage CRM and MobiWork®, the mobile workforce solution, to name but a few. The comprehensive product enables the customer to manage stock, keep track of customer service contracts, perform accounting and billing tasks, monitor and track job cards for support, track technicians in the field and much more. All of the above can be managed from one convenient dashboard.

“Now with the MWare solution things like manual job cards are something of the past. Instead of writing a manual review, a photographic typed timeline of what transpired is automatically captured in real-time,” says Energy Partners Refrigeration Group COO Ryan Coldman.

The visual representation of what occurs in the field also assists management to gain a deeper insight into the challenges technicians face, and as a result, come up with better solutions.

While advanced service delivery is an important benefit of the MWare solution, Ryan is particularly impressed with its ability to generate real-time data.

“One of the best advantages of the solution is our ability to collect valuable data and utilise these insights to make informed business decisions,” he adds. “Getting closer to what the customer needs and how we can deliver on those needs are fundamental to our core-business’ success.”

www.energypartners.co.za

Every(ware) with MWare

Sun, 12 Nov 2017 21:06:00 GMT

2017 ACHIEVEMENTS

MWare registers as a MobiWork Mobile Workforce Solutions distributer with a Reseller Channel throughout Africa.
Our appointment by MobiWork Mobile Workforce Solutions as their international integration partner of choice.
MWare Integration Layer functionality is enhanced to include API and SDK integration to exposed MS Dynamics AX web services. Our full list of integration options now include:
Sage (Sage One, Sage 50, Sage Pastel Partner, Sage Evolution, Sage 300, Sage X3, Sage CRM)
Acumatica
Microsoft Dynamics AX
Xero Accounting
QuickBooks Online
In partnership with Bluechip Retail Solutions, MWare’s Asset Management offering integrates track and trace solutions for assets, tools and stock items.
MWare partners with AlviWise Business Consultants, providing world class business & risk management solutions that ensure compliance with Legislation, Legal Requirements, Technology, Best Practice, Workforce, Trade Unions, International Codes & Standards (ISO, OHSAS, NOSA, ILO OSH and Own Standards as well as Legal Requirements).
We expand our solution offering to include cost & time effective e-Learning and m-Learning solutions for continued education and staff empowerment in partnership with NDJ Consultants.
MWare signs a partnership agreement with WTS Global, the leading international tax network.

What to expect in 2018 and beyond:

MWare relaunch & rebranding.
Globally marketed Software Toolkit Bundles.
Trendy training & promotional videos (featuring success stories case studies & testimonials).
MWare-as-a-Service (SaaS based support services on a monthly subscription, ‘no contract period’, ‘pay-as-you-go’ model).
Networking functions and events motivating collaboration between customers, suppliers, resellers and business partners.
Additional global market reach with new international opportunities and shared service offerings.

MWare

Business Process Management (BPM) – Your First BPM Process Part 3 – Fast, Measurable, and Communicative!

Business Process Management (BPM) – Your First BPM Process Part 2 of 3 – Fast, Measurable, and Communicative!

Business Process Management (BPM) – Your First BPM Process Part 1 of 3 – Fast, Measurable, and Communicative!

Business Process Management (BPM) – Five Current Trends Shaping BPM Today!

Business Process Management (BPM) – The State of BPM Technology Today!

Corporate Wellness & Social Performance – Reconcile Well-Being at Work and The Performance of The Company!

What is Corporate Wellness and why do we need it?

Integrated IT Governance Framework - Hybrid Work and Knowing what your GRC Security Threats Are.

2020 - The year that changed everything in the world as we know it.

External Data Vulnerability and Cyber Risk Exposure Scan

It is important to note that any effective and optimised, mature IT Strategy, needs to be supported by the right detection, mitigation and monitoring tools, applicable to the context of your environment.

Expert Guidance and Insights in Production and Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).

Warehouse management is essential to running a warehouse and getting items to customers on time. If you aren’t managing your warehouse with the best practices, then you risk falling behind the competition.

What's Popping With Your POPIA Compliance Status !

Best Practices in Asset Management.

Managing assets efficiently has always been a significant challenge for any business as asset management is a necessity for maximizing business profits.

We Love Our Customers and The Feeling Is Mutual.

Supply Chain - Evaluation & Validation

Supply Chain - Issue The Tender Documents

Once you have selected the companies to participate, you need to send formal documents.

Supply Chain - Supplier Selection

Why conducting a Request for Information (RFI) at this stage in the procurement cycle will help gain insights into suppliers: size, capabilities, financials, strength, and weaknesses.

Supply Chain - Develop Documentation

It’s important to spend time developing your tender documents, including a detailed breakdown of the volumes, service level agreement and terms and conditions.

Supply Chain | Pre - Procurement Market Test and Engagement

Pre - Procurement Market Test and Engagement

Supply Chain - External Environment

Have you Developed a Strategy | Plan

Supply Chain - Stop | Think | Check

What is the Procurement Cycle?

ERP - Effective & Accurate

What is your challenge?

Transform Your ERP

ERP Knock - On Effect

ERP - Health & Safety - IoT

Further Investments to Consider

ERP - The Glue

What's Missing In Your ERP Investment.

ERP Mindset

Build your competitive edge with a clearer understanding of what our MWare Solutions Stack is all about.

COVID and POPIA: A perfect storm is brewing With hackers running riot, data security must top C-Suite agenda.

How to comply with POPIA, on time, in spite of COVID-19

When data and storytelling collide, magic happens

MWARE DEVELOPS BI APP TO BRING LEADING OPERATIONAL INSIGHTS TO ERP CLIENTS

How to take practical and compliant action in the new “world of work”

How MWare Can Help Legal & Auditing Firms Spread Their Wings

MWare Helps to Unlock Education Innovation in Europe Amidst Lockdown Challenges

How to digitise your enterprise one process at a time

The important role productivity plays in the workplace

How the MobiWork MWM ® platform can improve your field operation

How to succeed with digital transformation

An integrated and automated business solution for IQ Construction

Automated administrative tasks, improved turn-around times and enhanced resource management.

New MWare Partnership: Automating Productivity and Process Management with Cflow

Ways to boost productivity in 2020

MWare’s Scorecard Software can help your organisation with BEE Compliance

MWare Helps Customers Unlock The Edge With IoT.nxt

MWare now offers customers Sage 300 People, an advanced HR & Payroll self-service solution

MWare Wins Sage 2019 Partner of the Year Award

MWare takes Business Intelligence to the next level with Yellowfin

Why SLAs are fundamental in the digital era

Syncedbeans joins MWare

How to be more profitable with MWare [Part 2]

How to be more profitable with MWare

MWare adopts the RUBiQ’s Governance, Risk & Compliance Solution

How to ensure your new business’ financial survival

The Future of Accounting

The role of employee satisfaction in the workplace

Successful Employee Relations Critical To A Business’ Success

Cybersecurity: What the board of directors need to hear

MWare announces next-generation security measures for its customers

Your company and cyber security: Is there really a threat?

What should companies be doing to mitigate their risk for cyber crimes?

1. Realise the threat affects your business

2. Invest in the right technology

3. Enforce best practices

Yale Lifting Solutions – MobiWork by MWare

About Yale Lifting Solutions

Daily challenges faced by Yale Lifting Solutions

It is important to note that any effective and optimised, mature IT
Strategy, needs to be supported by the right detection, mitigation and monitoring tools, applicable to the context of your environment.