B2B Data Integration and Transformation Blog

We have posted in past blogs the different challenges that exist when seeking full-time or contract talent in a competitive, or less than competitive, environment.  In our experience, the market for data integration professionals has become decidedly more competitive. From our position, client demand has risen sometimes delaying data and business integration projects that could simply be delayed no longer. Also, the financial positions of many organizations have gotten better and many are seeking resources for 2015 projects. 

Since many of us are winding down the work week in preparation for the holiday and to entertain family, travel, or just watch football I thought I'd share a few fun facts about the Thanksgiving.  While these aren't necessarily related to B2B, MFT, or EDI sometimes we need to rest our brain on the day before a holiday!  So staying in the spirit of Tracy's fun blog yesterday...

Every once in a while you attend a presentation or seminar that is really impactful.  The exceptional ones resonate in your personal life and in your professional life.  Several members of our team at REMEDI, including myself, attended such an event just last week.

The event was the Smarter Commerce Leadership Forum in Dublin, Ohio, hosted by IBM.  The speaker was Eric Greitens, a Navy SEAL, award-winning author, Rhodes Scholar, humanitarian and Founder and CEO of The Mission Continues.  Eric spoke about living with resilience and leading with strength and compassion through adverse circumstances.  His work these days is filled with efforts that transform how America views its veterans, and how they view themselves particularly through his organization The Mission Continues.

The premise of his talk, his personal efforts, and those of his organization revolve around inspiring and guiding veterans who have served their country, to a related life of service to country, community, family, mankind, etc. after military service and/or injury. 

I cannot possibly recount all I learned from this event, but here are a few key life and business lessons that were take aways from the leadership forum...

While many of you may have already started your holiday shopping, Black Friday is right around the corner and the "true" shopping season begins.  This year there is a lot of debate about stores opening earlier and earlier.  Instead of the holiday shopping season starting on the Friday after Thanksgiving, it seems starting ON Thanksgiving is the new trend.  I, for one, will not be shopping on Thanksgiving; the thought of having to fight the masses after cooking, eating, and cleaning up is not appealing to me.  With the expected growth in online shopping and the "extended" shopping season how will retailers be affected by supply chain visibility or the lack there of?

IDC, a leading technology research company, recently published the “Worldwide Business-to-Business Integration Gateway Software 2014 Vendor Assessment”.  In the vendor assessment they included Axway, EXTOL, IBM, Informatica, OpenText GSX, Oracle, SEEBURGER, Software AG, and TIBCO.  They focused on these nine vendors that have products or suites that support comprehensive trading partner collaboration.  While they outline specifics for each software vendor, they also had some general findings with regard to ROI and what to consider when you’re exploring your options.