Business Consulting Services

Abstract
Business Consulting Services is a professional,cost effective management consulting service for the business and information technology communities.

Typical engagements include:

Green Initiatives - Strategic environmental sustainability and profitability
Strategic Technology Planning and Analysis - Matching your business needs to technology
Human Resource Tools - Easing the management of the employment process
Knowledge Management (KM) - Training and certification
Small Business Assistance - Consulting programs designed for your small business
Other services include: Information systems planning, analysis and design; operations process and workflow analysis; performance improvement, business automation planning; computer hardware and software evaluation, selection and implementation; project management and facilitation; internet and web site strategy; web design; network planning; financial and manufacturing systems; feasibility studies; cost containment; contingency planning.
We would like an opportunity to discuss your consulting needs in more detail. After exploring the pages of interest to you, drop us a line through Contact Us! or call us to arrange a free introductory meeting to discuss your organization's needs.

Performance Improvement

If you are truly serious about improving performance and results, RAPID TRANSFORMATION is a must program. We work with your team to transform your operation and secure the highest return on investment (ROI) for your consulting dollars. Support for Sarbanes-Oxley efforts is also available.
Green Initiatives
Creating strategies to promote environmental sustainability across the enterprise, while improving efficiency and profitability at the same time. This program optimizes the use of process, technology and staffing, which drive the demand for energy and material usage.
Strategic Technology Planning and Analysis
Matching your true business needs with the right technology. Services include planning and analysis, feasibility studies, RFP development, vendor selection and project management, to name a few.
Human Resource Tools

Through our partnership with Candidate Resources Inc. (CRI), we we can now utilize modern technology more effectively, improving your HR decision making, and easing the management of the employment process. With its library of web based assessment tools (the Achiever Series) and applicant tracking system (the Employment Center), we we can reduce costs and utilize HR resources more efficiently and effectively.

Knowledge Management (KM) Training and Certification
As a result of our strategic partnership with the International Knowledge Management Institute, KM training and certification classes are offered to both groups and individuals, with special discounts for multiple registrations. The courses are specially designed for KM Managers, Specialists, Workers and your Executive.

Small Business Assistance
Consulting programs designed specifically for small business owners, with fees and services structured to meet your needs
provide consulting services across a broad range of industries and disciplines


Manufacturing


Technology


Financial Services


Utilities and Telecommunications


Transportation and Distribution


Retailing


Health Care


Government


Non-Profit

Manufacturing
Assisted a chemical company, using both process and make-to-order manufacturing, in the planning, design, acquisition and implementation of a new technology platform. Interviewed candidates for the Information Systems Manager position, with recommendation for hire.

Performed a strategic technology assessment for a security card (Visa & MasterCard) manufacturer, encompassing hardware, software communication and human resource requirements. Assisted the Human Resources Manager in the search and hire of a new Technology Director.

Following its divestiture from a large conglomerate, assumed a temporary management role in the turnover process of a cement manufacturer. Assisted the new ownership team in developing the staffing, planning, control and reporting functions, as well as facilities planning.

Assisted a construction company in the implementation of financial and project management software (Oracle GL, Primavera).
Directed a large bakery operation in the conversion to financial software running on a personal computer-based local area network.

Designed and installed an on-line, real time order entry system used nationwide by a major chemical manufacturer. Various functions performed included order entry, credit checking, on-hand inventory verification, shipment reporting, invoice and bill-of-lading generation, and all appropriate journal entries as required.

Designed and installed a manufacturing data base system used by plant managers nationwide. Applications included payroll, accounts payable, general ledger, bill-of- material, standard costing, work orders (make sheet), on-hand inventory verification, perpetual inventory, and physical inventory processing by class or type.

Conducted short interval scheduling surveys in the assembly operation of a large farm equipment manufacturer.
Evaluated and installed financial software packages such as: general ledger, consolidation, accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets and payroll.
Developed a strategic systems plan for a manufacturer of circuit breakers.
Managed a project to plan, implement and manage a local area network (LAN) for a European engineering firm. In addition, assisted in the design and implementation of a customized data base for project scheduling.

Assisted in a capacity planning study of the data center of a large industrial equipment manufacturer.

Technology
Assisted a small but rapidly growing spectral technology manufacturer and service provider in the evaluation and selection of financial and manufacturing software (Impact Systems).
Assisted a large computer recovery services corporation in the implementation of Oracle Financial software packages.
Assisted a large computer services corporation in the planning, evaluation and selection of LAN-based accounting software packages (MAS-90).
Performed an operational diagnostic study for a manufacturer of personal computers to determine reasons for inventory shortages.
Conducted an operations analysis for an electronics distributor with service centers nationwide.

Financial Services:
Performed an operations analysis of a privately held investment management and trust company. Analysis led to the development of a long term strategic plan for information services, and the design of a portfolio data base.

Evaluated the data processing requirements of a small life and health insurance company and wrote the Request For Proposal (RFP), which was sent to hardware and software vendors.
Conducted a strategic planning study for the President of a small property and casualty insurance company.

Designed a proposed local area network (LAN) for the parent company of a property and casualty insurance company.
Assessed the technology requirements and plans of a legal and financial publishing business.

Utilities and Telecommunications
Managed five application consultants and six users in the implementation of Oracle Financials for a privately held telecommunications company.

Defined the user and system requirements for a centralized accounting and management reporting system to be used by a large hydro-electric and nuclear power utility. Developed an implementation plan to be included in the general design document.
Managed a project team charged with developing the detail design document for the implementation of a purchasing system for a privately held electric utility.

Managed the implementation of an Accounting Consolidation and Financial Reporting system using package software (Consco) for a major communications holding company. Activities included job-stream construction, user training, accounting and functional support.
Performed an operational analysis for a communications company involved in paging and mobile telephones. In addition, conducted a performance review of the major financial systems in use.

Designed, coded and tested a management reporting package that provided financial and operational results on a monthly basis to the Board of Directors and Executive Management of a major communications holding company.

Transportation & Distribution:
Performed an enterprise wide analysis and evaluation of the information systems requirements of a newly merged beverage distribution business. Provided alternative options and recommended a preferred strategy to be followed in structuring technology for the new organization.
Designed an e-commerce type web site, allowing product searches and inquiries by customers for a beverage distributor (wines & spirits).
Designed and implemented a PC based system to control inventory located in an off-site public warehouse.
Designed accounting and maintenance inventory systems for a medium sized trucking company.
Developed the methodology to dispatch drivers which improved driver efficiency.

Performed an evaluation of tank car cleaning methods which reduced operating costs.
Designed and installed a billing and accounts receivable system which reduced the total of outstanding receivables by sixty per cent.
Evaluated and/or installed the following financial software: general ledger, billing, accounts receivable, and fixed assets.

Retailing
Evaluated the Year 2000 (Y2K) plans of a major international footwear retailer. Reviewed the information systems of the international trade department, and developed a strategic architecture design. Developed a method to distinguish between Store and Distribution Center chargebacks for concealed shortages.

Conducted a major systems and operational review for a 35 store supermarket chain.
Designed and installed a centralized receiving operation for hard goods at a new warehouse and distribution center.
Evaluated Point-of-Sale equipment prior to selection by a major department store.
Actively managed two departments of 37 people while automating the manual retail accounting systems of a major east coast department store.

Compiled and published the following operating statements for a major east coast retailer: Open-to-Buy (semi-monthly), Departmental Operating Statement (monthly, 112 departments), Stock Ledger (monthly), Stock in Transit, Daily Flash Sales, Daily Markdown Report and Daily Operating Summary.

Health Care
Managed the installation of a new financial system for a University and hospital health care group.
Conducted an assessment of the information technology needs of a national medical billing management company, which specialized in hospital, physician and faculty practice billing and receivables management.
Performed operational diagnostic reviews of two nursing homes, an acute care center and an intermediate care/ residential facility.

These studies included Materials Management (Purchasing and Inventory), Charge Control (Medical/ Surgical Supplies, Ancillary Services), Business Office (Admissions, Billing, Cash Management, Payroll and Staffing) and Data Processing requirements.
Installed a General Ledger system for a 12 hospital health care group.

Government
Analyzed and evaluated the procedures used to monitor and report awarded grants for the National Institutes of Health, Office of Extramural Research. Designed new reporting techniques and recommended new work processes and procedures to improve the quality and timeliness of grant reporting.

Conducted an organizational assessment of the management and business processes for the National Institutes of Health, Office of Extramural Research. Surveyed the management and staff using on-line, interactive tools, which included Virtual CEO and the Harrison Assessment. Documented and redesigned business processes to ease the workload and increase operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Performed a process analysis for the Office of the Secretary of Health of the State of Delaware. The review, and subsequent redesign of the workflow, resulted in an 80% decrease in paper movement, and introduced the office to advanced technologies, such as document imaging and collaboration software.

Conducted a division-wide process review for a the Management Services Division of Delaware's Department of Health and Social Services, which is responsible for the control and enforcement of the state's welfare and entitlements programs. Redesigned the organizational format to streamline the flow of work, and recommended new technologies to enhance the results.
Developed and RFP for a large county government to identify vendors capable of implementing a wide area network (WAN) across the county facilities. Coordinated vendor responses, submitted an assessment report regarding the quality of the proposals, and sat on the selection committee. After the vendor was chosen, negotiated the final agreement and oversaw the front-end process of implementation.

Managed an operational review and assessment of a county government's information technology function, and delivered a strategic technology plan for future use.

Non-Profit:
Conducted an operations review and work flow process analysis of the administrative function of a children's social services agency. Developed a re-engineered model to reduce paper and work processes.
Reviewed and analyzed the business and financial operation of a large east coast university.

Assisted a Public Broadcasting station in the planning, evaluation and selection of LAN-based accounting and project management software packages.
Designed a billing and payables system for an east coast agricultural cooperative.
Developed an automation plan for an historical museum and library.
Developed a financial chart of accounts for a national membership and lobbying organization.
Conducted an operations review and analysis of the administrative functions of a major Roman Catholic Archdiocese.
Business analytics and optimization
Can you predict and respond to opportunities and threats? Optimize operations to capitalize on new sources of revenue? Proactively manage risk while ensuring efficiency? IBM Business Analytics and Optimization capabilities are your most powerful ally in the new economic environment.

Globalization, massive interconnections and increased risk, combined with an explosion of information, results in a challenging and continuous cycle of inefficiency and operational complexity.

Unfortunately, many leaders are making crucial business decisions based almost entirely on intuition and personal experience rather than intelligent information.
A fundamental shift to a smarter, fact-based enterprise should be on your information agenda. How can this help your organization? A more predictive information strategy paves the way for more intelligent decisions.

Leading edge algorithms, and advanced mathematic assets, methods and capabilities help you develop predictive analytics and business optimization to create new solutions for unique challenges. Discover predictive insights and turn them into operational reality to close the gap between strategy and execution. Harness the power of analytics to help you survive and thrive in these challenging conditions.

Applications on Demand – Development
Help defer costs and speed your project development
Applications on Demand - Development is designed to provide access to secure, fully configured and patched development environments for enterprise applications.

You can realize the benefits:
• Rapid project start - no waiting for hardware procurement and installation
• Deferment of costs related to hardware procurement

• Expertise available as needed
• Your IT staff can focus on maintenance of high production support standards; IBM handles the technical project activities
Development services are available for the following applications:


Oracle

SAP

PeopleSoft

Lotus Notes and Domino


Your IT organizations or systems integrators have full access to an on demand environment -- a state-of-the-art data center with the components required to faciliate stable and reliable development activities. All for a low predictable monthly fee.

Benefits of deploying and supporting your applications with our Applications on Demand solutions:
• Our clients reduce up-front project and infrastructure costs by up to 50% over traditional methods
• Manage your enterprise application deployments with less complexity using our proven tools and methodologies - successfully meeting regulatory compliance challenges is an added benefit

• Our experience and competencies in SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, and Lotus Notes applications help speed your projects without resource investment
Business process outsourcing
IBM Managed Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) offers you innovative options to combine process, people and technology in outsourced delivery models that create real business value.

See feature article on "Global Services" - an outsourcing industry portal and news source. "IBM Reiterates its Services Strategy"
Our unsurpassed global delivery expertise and infrastructure provide solutions for your industry across major business process areas.
• Customer Relationship Management
• Finance and Administration
• Human Resources
• Procurement and Supply Chain Management

Outsourcing your business processes with IBM can help your company address a range of needs through a variety of delivery models:
• Achieving cost savings
• Driving business model change
• Enabling strategic transformation
IBM Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service can deliver continuous improvement of processes, applications and infrastructure. Through our subsidiary, IBM Daksh, we provide improved efficiency and customer satisfaction, targeting reduced costs.
IT outsourcing and hosting
What is IT outsourcing and hosting?
It's the management of your applications and information technology (IT) systems. You strategically partner with IBM to manage and operate your applications and IT systems, under a mutually beneficial agreement. The IT outsourcing agreement may include the transfer of IT employees and IT assets to IBM. IBM provides service level assurances to ensure quality of service is attained and measured.
The facts about IT outsourcing’s benefits
IBM continues to study how companies engaged in information technology (IT) outsourcing realize improved financial health and performance.

To help corporate leaders better understand IT outsourcing’s benefits -- and learn how they too can start reaping the benefits of outsourcing IT -- IBM continues to publish complimentary downloadable executive reports, Web-viewable videos and client case studies.

Subscribe to our RSS Web feed to be notified of future studies and reports on IBM IT outsourcing’s benefits as soon as they become available.
What is e-business Hosting?

IBM hosting delivers the reliability, availability and expertise you need today, plus the flexibility to change as you grow — all without a major investment. We have solutions for e-business of all sizes and the skills to keep you up and running.
What customer value is created?

• Reduces IT costs and improves shareholder value
• Provides the flexibility to transition and transform to the next generation of infrastructure and applications
• Lets companies focus on their core competencies
• Improves service levels
• Gains access to industry, business and technology experts
Why IBM?
IBM is an industry pioneer and has deep and broad experience. IBM is recognized for creating career enhancing opportunities for customers' IT employees. We know how to play the role of a strategic partner -- one that will bring industry thought leadership to the table and proactively contribute to customers' business and IT strategy.

We have one of the largest global infrastructures, which has led to economies of scale that we pass on to our customers. In addition, we have created and can leverage world class methods, tools, processes and intellectual capital to create high service levels. Our excellent IT professionals and our ability to leverage intellectual capital has led to one of the most respected groups of IT skills in the industry.
Integrated communications services
Advances in communications and networking capabilities today offer organizations almost unlimited opportunities to create business advantage by conducting business anywhere, anytime, using multiple types of devices and communications.

Organizations have the potential to create and support innovative new business models—from advanced collaboration environments to customer self-service to mobile workforce support. Yet knowing how and where to start can be challenging. Chances are your company is asking lots of questions, such as:
• How can we use communications and networking to achieve strategic business advantage?
• What’s the best way to support our mobile workforce?
• How do we manage the proliferation of end user devices with voice, video and data capabilities?
• Where can we find skills to handle the new complex communications and networking technologies?
• How can we track high-value assets to enable the swift location of information?

• How can we build the right networking environment to optimize employee collaboration?
• How can we reduce our capital investments and costs?
• How can we ensure that we’re getting the most cost-effective performance from our network?
Integrated communications services focus on designing, implementing and managing your communications and networking environments to optimize them for anytime, anywhere integrated business communications. These services are designed to enable you to support key networking environments and build differentiating advantage through business innovation.
Integrated communications services can help you:
• Create new process models to drive business innovation for competitive advantage
• Conduct business anytime, anywhere using multiple types of devices and forms of communication
• Enhance individual, work group and organizational productivity with collaboration environments
• Enable new capabilities by integrating voice, video and data communications
• Optimize your communications and networking environments for cost-effective performance.


Integrated communications services combine IBM’s IT and business solutions expertise, proven methodologies, highly skilled global resources, industry-leading management platforms and processes, and strategic partnerships with other industry leaders to help you create an integrated communications environment that drives business flexibility and growth.
Maintenance and technical support services
Single-source services designed to help keep your multivendor environment operating at peak performance.
Hardware and application maintenance is critical to keep your systems running. Explore the services tab to see how we can be available 24x7 to support your needs for continuous system availability.
Our comprehensive hardware maintenance and warranty services are designed to protect your multivendor environment during both in-warranty and post-warranty periods. Whether you want to upgrade your service for in-warranty machines or extend your post-warranty maintenance coverage, we offer experienced technicians, an extensive parts network, and flexible service level options designed to meet your specific business needs. Check out our Warranty Services and Maintenance Options, or browse all Maintenance services via the Services folder tab.
Middleware services

Unlock business innovation by optimizing your IT infrastructure
If you’re like most IT organizations, you may be facing significant pressure to use IT to support business innovation. This newfound focus on IT as a key enabler to achieving competitive advantage and growing the business has shed light on the challenges that are keeping IT from being able to deliver greater value to the business. Most of these challenges are centered around:
• Disconnected business processes and applications
• Management of information that is multiplying exponentially
• The ability to run IT in line with business objectives
All of these challenges have middleware in common. Located between your business processes and the infrastructure needed to execute them is the middleware layer. This is where everything — people, processes, information — can come together to create a seamless flow of information and insight across the enterprise.
By enabling seamless integration of the application layer with the infrastructure layer, IBM can help you optimize your IT environment, generate higher returns on IT investments, and yield greater business value and innovation from IT.

Middleware services from IBM
IBM can provide a full lifecycle of middleware services based on our virtually unmatched experience in understanding, leveraging, extending and optimizing existing client assets. We can help clients achieve their goals more quickly and with decreased risk because we can leverage our vast set of best practices, methodologies, tools and proven architectures gained over years of diverse engagement experience with clients in all industries worldwide. Our ability to help create asset-based services can result in faster time to value. We also have bidirectional access to the developers and engineers who designed and built IBM’s marketplace-leading middleware products, ensuring that our clients always have access to our best ideas and technologies.
We offer a comprehensive and broad portfolio of middleware services that lets you leverage a combination of optimization and innovation techniques, so you can run IT more efficiently and transform it to better align with the needs of the business at the same time:
• Services-oriented architecture (SOA): We can help you design, implement and manage an architecture built for flexibility that builds applications and processes in a way that allows for greater integration and reuse of resources.

• Information on demand: We can help you consolidate your information management infrastructure to better integrate information at a lower cost, so you can deliver the right information to the right people when and where they need it.
• Service management and governance: We can help you connect and more effectively manage all of the services efforts across your IT organization with an emphasis on supporting evolving business strategy and objectives. We can also help you create the visibility and accountability needed to ensure that IT stays aligned with the business.
IBM offers the following middleware services:

• IBM SOA Integration Services
• IBM IT Lifecycle Management and Governance Services
• IBM Information on Demand Infrastructure Services
• IBM Infrastructure Optimization Services
Middleware services can help you achieve significant benefits:

• Create an agile infrastructure that enables business process integration
• Increase business flexibility and decrease IT complexity
• Reduce the costs of business integration
• Simplify integration through IBM lifecycle methodologies and tool expertise
• Improve the management of infrastructures
• Improve time to value and make the most of existing technology skills

• Increase visibility and improve management and quality of IT services
• Create an IT infrastructure designed to address regulatory requirements
• Increase the value of existing IT investments
• Enhance information availability, quality and value
Middleware services span the lifecycle of your IT infrastructure. From initial strategy, design and implementation to ongoing management and optimization, we’re able to provide you with services that meet you where you are today and help you get where you need to go for tomorrow
End user services
user environment, including platforms, devices and end user experience. Our IT support services can help you improve end user productivity and satisfaction by ensuring that employees have access to the applications and information they need. And with an efficient end user services program in place, your IT professionals will be free to focus on larger business goals.

Simplified service offerings
You can engage IBM at any stage in the lifecycle of the technology, from assessment and design through implementation and support.
Consulting expertise to help you drive global productivity
IBM is a world leader in end user services, with the depth and breadth of resources that allows us to directly support nearly 4,000,000 end user devices. So if you need to boost end user productivity and efficiency on a global scale, we can provide a comprehensive, end-to-end solution tailored to your needs

References

http://www.consultbiz.com/
http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/index.wss/offerfamily/aod/a1028600

Imprint

Text: syed sajid
Publication Date: 03-18-2010

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
to the almigty