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What is On Location?
On Location
Blog 
How To Innovate In A Low-Tech Industry
IT manager at family-owned Bremen Castings discusses how the firm capitalizes on new technology in the old-fashioned foundry business.
Torelli's Triumph: Getting 'Hands On' with Customers Means Going 'Hands Off' with Inventory
The success of a small business often comes down to trust: Can your customers really trust you to deliver? No one knows that better than CEO Todd Linscott of Torelli Bicycle Co., the subject of this season's InformationWeek SMB On Location Technology Makeover Series.
Can SMBs Really Afford ERP?
It's a question folks like Jeff Stiles get pretty often. Stiles is senior vice president of small and midsize enterprise marketing for SAP AG, so he comes across a lot of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that feel they have outgrown their current, single-purpose bookkeeping application, or are tired of reading canned reports and trying to reconstruct some semblance of their day-to-day transactions and run rates using static spreadsheets. The burning question is: "Can we really afford an ERP system?"
Torelli's Big Takeaway: Get Help!
If you've been following this season's saga of a very special small to midsize business (SMB) getting its big break into the realm of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, you've probably already picked up on a recurring theme - one that continues to emerge in this collection of associated blogs, videos and "how to" articles. The lesson is: When it comes time to implement a new ERP solution for your SMB operations, seek professional help.
Like Having Steve Jobs Show You How to Use Your iPhone
In a recent InformationWeek SMB On Location webcast, the grateful employees of Torelli Bicycle Co. discussed details of their successful enterprise resource planning system deployment. The feat was accomplished through the help of ERP solution provider SAP and Navigator Business Solutions, a premier SAP integration partner that specializes in serving the small and midsize business (SMB) community.
Tips for Installing 'Big Business' Applications on an SMB Scale
In this series, we've been following the exploits of a particular company in the small to midsize business (SMB) category as it implemented the type of enterprise resource planning solution typically associated with Fortune 1000 firms. In fact, with its four full-time employees, Torelli Bicycle Company in North Hollywood, Calif., may be among the smallest companies to ever install an integrated ERP system from a leading software provider such as SAP.
Surviving 'Mack Truck Syndrome,' Part II
In our last installment of the InformationWeek SMB On Location blog, we talked with Torelli Bicycle's Product Design Manager Christian Feldhake about the benefits of his company's new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
Torelli's ERP Platform: Protection from 'Mack Truck Syndrome'
What's the best part of having a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system running your small business? For Torelli Bicycle Company's Product Design Manager Christian Feldhake, it's all about taking the guesswork out of operating the business.
Torelli's 'Uncloudy' Cloud Moment
There is an old folk song that talks about the promise of "an uncloudy day," a time and place where everything is clear, serene and peaceful. Sounds pretty tempting - especially if you operate a typical small to midsize business (SMB), where clarity and serenity are seldom the order of the day.
ERP Perspective: What Is and Isn't Unique about Torelli Bicycle Co.
In our previous installment, we revealed that SAP chose Torelli Bicycle Co. to be the recipient of a brand spanking new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution because Torelli is, in fact, pretty typical. It's a little counterintuitive, I know. But when it was explained by Mike Coleman, SAP America Vice President for North American Distribution, Direct Marketing Resellers (DMR) & E-Store, it begins to make sense.
FEATURED WEBCAST
InformationWeek SMB On Location Makeover: Torelli Races for the Finish Line with New ERP System
Learn how a sweeping technology makeover is helping Torelli rev up its revenue, reduce costs and streamline operations across the board. Find out how small businesses are applying proven ERP best practices to beat the odds and achieve success, despite today's tough economic environment.
Feature Stories
How To Innovate In A Low-Tech Industry
IT manager at family-owned Bremen Castings discusses how the firm capitalizes on new technology in the old-fashioned foundry business.
British Startup Targets 'White Van Man'
Powered Now offers tablet-based administration solutions to U.K.'s small service businesses.
SMB Keeps IT Simple With 30-Second Rule
The COO of FedArb says if he can't explain a new technology or app to his users in 30 seconds, it fails. His users are retired federal judges.
Ship Ahoy: Inside Blueseed's 'Googleplex Of The Sea'
Blueseed's "Googleplex of the Sea" for international startups and entrepreneurs has a waitlist of more than 350 companies and 1,100 workers who want to come aboard.
Craft Brewer Likes Taste of SAP Business One App
A small brewery dumps spreadsheets in favor of software built specifically for beer makers on the SAP Business One platform.
WebEx Meetings Move Beyond SMB Offices
With an eye on small and midsize business users, Cisco adds mobile tools, a persistent free account, and collaboration features to its online meetings suite.
Torelli's Triumph: Getting 'Hands On' with Customers Means Going 'Hands Off' with Inventory
The success of a small business often comes down to trust: Can your customers really trust you to deliver? No one knows that better than CEO Todd Linscott of Torelli Bicycle Co., the subject of this season's InformationWeek SMB On Location Technology Makeover Series.
Can SMBs Really Afford ERP?
It's a question folks like Jeff Stiles get pretty often. Stiles is senior vice president of small and midsize enterprise marketing for SAP AG, so he comes across a lot of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that feel they have outgrown their current, single-purpose bookkeeping application, or are tired of reading canned reports and trying to reconstruct some semblance of their day-to-day transactions and run rates using static spreadsheets. The burning question is: "Can we really afford an ERP system?"
Torelli's Big Takeaway: Get Help!
If you've been following this season's saga of a very special small to midsize business (SMB) getting its big break into the realm of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, you've probably already picked up on a recurring theme - one that continues to emerge in this collection of associated blogs, videos and "how to" articles. The lesson is: When it comes time to implement a new ERP solution for your SMB operations, seek professional help.
Like Having Steve Jobs Show You How to Use Your iPhone
In a recent InformationWeek SMB On Location webcast, the grateful employees of Torelli Bicycle Co. discussed details of their successful enterprise resource planning system deployment. The feat was accomplished through the help of ERP solution provider SAP and Navigator Business Solutions, a premier SAP integration partner that specializes in serving the small and midsize business (SMB) community.
Slideshow: InformationWeek SMB Makeover Goes "On Location"
Low tech and high tech collide at Torelli Bicycle Co. in Los Angeles as the old-school bike maker gets a major technology makeover from business software specialist SAP.
Related News
Top 10 Misconceptions About SMB Technology Needs
Growing companies face constant pressure to do more with less and to improve IT capabilities to keep pace with competitors. With every dollar crucial, IT and business decision makers can't afford any of these missteps.
Top 5 Tech Trends For 2011
Big ideas heard at the InformationWeek 500 conference include a renewed focus on innovation, the importance of data visualization, and the ongoing agony of maintenance fees.
Global CIO: SAP Shares Corporate Treasure With Customers
SAP's turning its massive database of customer best practices into a rich knowledge base for customers looking to turbocharge the performance of their businesses.
Cloud-based ERP Solution Helps Prognosys Improve Project Completion Times
Company attributes 20 percent of its revenue growth to its adoption of a cloud-based ERP solution from SAP.
Global CIO: SAP's Sweeping Turnaround: Exclusive Co-CEO Interview
Vowing to create "people-centric software," SAP's retooling for greatly accelerated development, deployments, and time to value, says Jim Hagemann Snabe.
