Analyst Insight: Warehouse management system vendors have used the slower market demand of 2009 and 2010 to invest in improved architecture and functionality. Today, the WMS market has seen a robust return in upgrades and new solution selections. Leading WMS application providers - from integrated ERP solutions to best-of-breed suite applications - all tout upgrades in architecture, new user interfaces and robust operational support. - Kevin Hume, principal, Tompkins International

Understanding the Power of a Shared Online Network to Connect Global Partners and Achieve High Data Quality Levels.

Financial-Supply Chain convergence requires that supply chain personnel and financial personnel start working more closely.

Analyst Insight: In recent years, Software as a Service and hosted solutions have made some significant in-roads in the supply chain application space, but their success has been somewhat limited. Continuing IT budget and resource constraints are causing many firms to take a serious look at on-demand supply chain applications. And software vendors have responded by increasing the number and variety of services provided. This mixture is expanding the horizon of on-demand supply chain IT solutions. - Tom Singer, principal, Tompkins International

The cloud offers the potential not only to transform how supply chain organizations procure IT capabilities but also to fundamentally change how they manage business processes.

An increase in the number of suppliers, customers, carriers and countries is changing the importance of collaborative synchronization between all parties in the multi-tiered global supply chain.