Bridge Solutions was proud to sponsor yet another IBM Commerce-related event this September. As a reseller and implementation partner for the OMS, WMS, and SI suites of products, we found the connections and the information discussed to be invaluable. Smarter Commerce™ was both the theme, and the general topic of conversation at the Marriot convention center in sunny San Diego where the event was hosted. Customers, IBMers, and Partners were brought together in collaborative, instructive, and in otherwise useful ways. Here we will provide a brief overview of the Solutions center, the social aspects, and finally the most helpful sessions and technology roadmaps presented at Summit 2011.
The Solutions Center
Bridge Solutions Group’s Premier Sponsor Section at Summit 2011 displayed our capabilities, products, and services. We were delighted to display our capabilities around implementing Sterling OMS, WMS, and SI to customers, partners, and IBMers. One topic of conversation that was hot at this summit was global sales and consulting services for the IBM Sterling OMS and WMS products. International demand for intelligent commerce products appears to be exploding, and Bridge Solutions is one of the few boutique firms well-positioned to support the needs of global customers and IBM sales opportunities.
Bridge Solutions’ Solutions Architect James Brochu was a key speaker with client SP Richards speaking about their implementation in their customer session. Topics covered included how SPR selected the Sterling package, what their challenges have been so far, and more importantly ongoing challenges they are facing and expect to face in the future. We were proud as a company to get a solid endorsement of our ongoing presence as the partner of choice for SP Richards’ IBM Sterling OMS implementation. If you would like more details on this presentation, feel free to Contact Us.
The Fun
As always IBM put together a lot of fun events as well. The vendor speed dating session was a good time and enabled a lot of networking in a very short period of time. Essentially attendees were sent around the room to other tables with vendors they didn’t know, with the intention of establishing a relationship, and fostering collaboration. Also of note was the outdoor event on the water on Tuesday night where there were celebrity chefs, live music, and great opportunities for further networking. The venue was beautiful, and all meals were well prepared and full of delicious options for everyone.
The Sessions
Several of the breakout sessions were extremely beneficial to attend for several of our key clients, and the keynote speakers in their daily kick-off presentations were engaging, helpful, and worthwhile. Of particular interest is Guy Kawasaki’s presentation during the closing General Session, where he talked about ‘The art of innovation’. He broke down his interpretation of the best practices of innovation into a top-10 list which is as entertaining as it is valuable. An authorized recording of his session can be found here:www.youtube.com/watch?v=AABzzw9REwM.
There were many helpful technical topics covered during the conference as well. Of particular interest were the new enhancements being made to the Sterling fulfillment suite and platform in version 9.2. Key points and enhancements in the fulfillment suite:
- 1. Most of the Third-Party software is being changed to the IBM standard versions. For those of you on 9.0 and below, this will more extensive regression testing and upgrade requirements when you migrate.
- 2. Sterling OMS is adding a lot of functionality. Multi-hop shipments, true zone-skipping, and multiple inventory SKUs for a product SKU make the top of our list.
- 3. More extensive integration between Websphere Commerce’s front-end, and the Sterling OMS back-end, including more robust inventory caching hooks and capabilities.
- 4. Much, Much More! Please reach out to us to hear about what is changing, and how you can best utilize the new functionalities in your new or existing Sterling implementation.
In Summary
Bridge Solutions is very excited about the future and our ongoing partnership with IBM. We can add value to any IBM OMS, WMS, or SI implementation by bringing you the best consultants, teams, and training in the market. Our ongoing focus is enabling and unlocking value in your core business processes, and we not only provide IT solutions but partner with our clients to create and harmonize their competitive advantages. Your IT solutions are there to support your core business, and our team is there to make this possible. Whether it’s a matter of making the software work to fit your process, or determining how to change your processes to best utilize the software, we can help you find the most effective balance between people, processes, and IT within your organization. For more information please Contact Us.