Global complexities challenge how IT managers handle distribution

By David Almquist and Lane F. Cooper
BizTechReports.com

Shifting business environments are causing a growing number of IT managers to rethink how they handle distribution management. Growing dependence on extended and diffuse partner networks, for instance is creating new operational complexities that have put a strain on traditional management practices, according to John Ferreira, the industrial manufacturing practice leader at Stamford, Conn.-based Archstone Consulting.

IT managers are wrestling with how to integrate distribution management operations in new geographies with a wide range of systems -- from ERP apps, to inventory management and supply chain management packages. Pulling together information from a variety of sources also carries with it security concerns, including access control.

So how can IT professionals respond to these new realities?

"It helps to focus new distribution management technology initiatives on specific areas and processes where you can drive near-term value" recommends Daniel Hauenstein, Program Director for Lotus Software at IBM. "This keeps you from getting bogged down in massive projects that won't yield results for another ten years."

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