Last week’s news included several new product announcements and many vendor reports. SnapLogic announced a partnership with Syndigo. It is expected to allow enterprises to integrate Master Data Management (MDM), PIM and content syndication solutions.
Eric Laughlin, CEO of Agilsoft, talked with Steve Brooks at Enterprise Times about the recent KKR investment and what it will mean for the company. Laughlin also discussed Agilsoft’s growth over the last four years and its future.
nShift Research published research into the changing public attitudes towards online delivery. It explains how the delivery experience can act as a platform for business growth, customer acquisition and revenue generation.
Precisely has expanded its Wildfire Risk product. It has added access to additional data and modelling tools. This will give urban planners, insurers and fire services greater abilities to assess critical risk factors. One of the additional data sets is environmental factors. It means that customers now have a comprehensive view of wildfire severity and frequency in densely populated areas.
Salesforce has released the results of a recent survey of nearly 500 sustainability professionals. The survey found while almost 4 in 10 worry about AI’s potential negative impacts on sustainability efforts at their organisation. Furthermore, even more (57%) are optimistic that they can balance the negative impact with AI’s benefits.
Azul has released its global Oracle Java Usage, Pricing & Migration Survey and Report. The study was conducted to assess the Java community’s response to Oracle’s pricing, policies and support for Oracle Java.
Cavallo, a provider of order management products, has launched its next-generation solution, the Cavallo Order Intelligence Platform. The company says this AI-powered tool supports product-centric brands and distributors to unlock revenues within high-volume orders, driving significant bottom-line growth.
TINT has launched its new Ratings & Reviews solution. The service is designed to enable brands to collect, display, and generate a consistent stream of high-quality reviews. These services are important because they build trust in brands and can provide valuable feedback. Ratings and Reviews services can help to boost sales for businesses and scale thriving relationships with reviewers.
BICS
Bitė Group has signed a landmark deal with BICS to expand their relationship. The new partnership will see BICS handle all international voice traffic on Bitė’s network and become Bitė’s sole supplier of voice services. It will allow Bitė to optimize and channel its resources into developing new services and technologies.
Gintas Butėnas, CEO of Bitė Lietuva, said. “The market for traditional voice calls is changing with the rapid implementation of VoLTE taking place across Europe. The partnership with BICS will provide protection against fraud, while guaranteeing the quality of BICS’ global network.
“All this will help to optimize and modernize services and develop technological development to the benefit of our customers, who last year performed almost 11 million international calls.”
Certinia
Andy Campbell, Director, Services Marketing at Certina, has published a new blog, The State of the Services Industry. It is a Q&A between himself and Rob Harrison, GM, EMEA, and it covers what Harrison has learned during his first three months at Certinia.
Among the takeaways from the blog is that the service industry is growing at 10-15% per year. That is faster than any economy, and for Certinia, it is something that is reflected by its customers. The biggest takeaway is the need for automation.
Deltek
Denise McDaniel, Deltek’s Product Marketing Manager, gave a Q2 2024 update on Specpoint and Masterspec. McDaniel highlighted the introduction of Ask Dela, an AI-powered digital assistant, as a major new capability. Another big item was the introduction of Smart Reports. She said Specpoint and MasterSpec are a dynamic duo, and the company is planning more this year, including updates to the specification process.
Fourkites
FourKites has expanded its relationship with outdoor retailer Orvis. A long-time FourKites customer, Orvis is now using FourKites’ Order Insights to improve on-time delivery (OTD), inventory management and customer satisfaction.
FourKites Founder and CEO Mathew Elenjickal, said, “Amid the quickly evolving retail environment, it’s never been more important for companies to have granular order visibility as well as actionable insights.
“FourKites’ expanding relationship with Orvis is a testament to what the industry’s best supply chain data can do for companies navigating the challenges of international commerce. Nothing gives us greater satisfaction than seeing them thrive.”
Iplicit
Iplicit has appointed Paula Cooper, Head of Channel, to run its reseller programme. Cooper spent the last 18 years with Sage, where she specialised in channel partnerships.
Paula Cooper, Head of Channel at iplicit, commented on her appointment, “It was the first time in my career that I’d had a chance to review who I’d like to work for. I did quite a lot of research into other companies and I found iplicit was head and shoulders above everyone else in product, attitude, support and vision.”
Rootstock
Rootstock Software has released Part 4 of its comparative analysis of 2023 versus 2024 Manufacturing Technology Survey Results. It explores manufacturers’ evolving expectations for Cloud ERP solutions and highlights shifts in their priorities and desired benefits.
Stu Johnson, VP of Product Marketing at Rootstock Software, said, “This comparison underscores a clear change in what manufacturers want from their Cloud ERP. In 2024, the focus is now on an ERP’s ability to deliver savings and agility.
“Rootstock is committed to delivering a cutting-edge ERP that continuously evolves to meet manufacturers’ changing needs. We aim to help them thrive in today’s economic landscape by supporting their desire for cost control, enhanced workforce productivity, and an ability to adapt to market volatility.”
Workday
New Kainos partnership
Workday and Kainos Group plc have announced an expanded strategic partnership for the development and distribution of purpose-built apps for Workday customers. The apps will be built on the Built on Workday platform. The programme was launched in June 2024 and has already attracted a number of Workday partners.
Doug Robinson, Co-President, Workday, said, “This strategic expansion is an exciting step in our partnership with Kainos, and underscores our companies’ mutual dedication to customers, co-innovation, and the Built on Workday program.
“By collaborating to accelerate app development and distribution, we can help our joint customers recognise even greater value from their Workday investment, helping them keep pace in a changing world of work.”
Strategic partnership with Salesforce
Salesforce and Workday, Inc. have announced plans for a new AI employee service agent. The agent will automate time-consuming tasks, provide personalized support, and surface data-driven insights that help employees work smarter and faster. It will also take advantage of AI in both vendor’s tools, and it will be interesting to see if this gives it an advantage over competitors.
Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce, said, “The AI opportunity for every company lies in augmenting their employees and delivering incredible customer experiences. That’s why we’re so excited about our new Agentforce platform which enables humans and AI to drive customer success together, and this new partnership with Workday, to jointly build an employee service agent.
“Together we’ll help businesses create amazing experiences powered by generative and autonomous AI, so every employee can get answers, learn new skills, solve problems, and take action quickly and efficiently.”
