Analyst Insight: Neither a lack of cogent definitions re: what these services and technologies are nor confusion in pricing models is slowing down interest in cloud, SaaS and on-demand solutions. Our research shows a consistent increase in buyer adoption of enterprise and consumer applications - cloud-accessible - from desk top, smartphones and tablets of all size companies in all industries. - Ann Grackin, CEO, ChainLink Research

Analyst Insight: For the past 30 years, sales and operations planning (S&OP) has been espoused by the Oliver Wight organization based on its founder's concepts. It has manifested itself to include inventory (SIOP) and has morphed into integrated business planning (IBP). However, only within the last five years, has it been heralded and crossed the chasm to mainstream business practice. We think it may only be the tip of the iceberg though, not the core solution to step-change improved performance. - Rich Sherman, Supply Chain Discipline Expert at Trissential

Analyst Insight: Sales and operations planning (S&OP) still remains a challenge for many organizations. In Aberdeen Group's recent report, S&OP: A Critical Process for Superior Performance, we identified that more than half of the companies (56 percent) that are not best-in-class do not yet have a formalized S&OP process in place. The question becomes "Why and what are the differences between best-in-class and all others?" The answer can be found by examining differences between them for process and organizational capabilities. - Bryan Ball, Vice President and Principal Analyst, Aberdeen Supply Chain practice

IT organizations can expect to see small increases in operating budgets for 2013, even as cutbacks continue across other parts of business services, including finance, HR and procurement, according to new IT key issues research from The Hackett Group Inc.

Wider adoption of standards is key to supply chain efficiency and meeting new consumer needs, according to a report entitled The Future of Standards in the Consumer Goods & Retail Industry: Cut Costs and Meet New Consumer Needs. The authors call on the industry to introduce simplified programs to help users embrace and deploy standards while enabling provision of standardized product data to consumers.

Analyst Insight: As traditional retailers feel the sting of Amazon's long tail whip, e-commerce and retail are merging into omni-channel strategies. In the Connected Age everyone is always connected to everything, always on, and location based. Just as the power shifted from manufacturer to retailer, the power in the retail channel has now shifted to the consumer who can buy anything from anyone, anytime, from anywhere. You better know your customer and your market to succeed. - Rich Sherman, Supply Chain Discipline Expert at Trissential

Analyst Insight: Retail is in a dramatic transformative phase. Consumers' multichannel access and shopping and web commerce vs. in-store shopping have retailers experimenting with many new approaches and technologies. Multi-merged channel expectations put fulfillment front and center as a major concern - no more relegating supply chain to the backwaters of retail management! - Ann Grackin, CEO, ChainLink Research

Total IT spending on hardware, software and IT services across 15 enterprise industries is forecasted to grow by 6 percent in 2013, to approximately $474bn, according to research by International Data Corporation (IDC).

Analyst Insight: For the better part of 40 years truly leading-edge firms have made supply chain design/redesign using network optimization models an integral part of their overall corporate strategy. The focus has gradually evolved from a myopic consideration of the number and location of warehouses to a comprehensive examination of the entire supply chain, from sources of raw materials to the customer. The principal impediments to success are myopic scope and failure to institutionalize the process. - Jeffrey J. Karrenbauer, President, Insight Inc.