Analyst Insight: Advisors are often asked what's the best system to develop a product. Time and again our data indicates that simple spreadsheets just don't cut it - commercial packages and internally developed systems provide the real-time visibility into the data that organizations need to succeed.

Analyst Insight: Companies no longer have the luxury of being able to expend significant resources to have a multi-phased demand management process and technology roll-out. They need to be laser-focused on the right mix of processes and tools suitable to their unique environment. The two key determinants are: type of supply chain and the planning window.

Analyst Insight: The automotive industry has one of the most complex supply chains, upstream (hundreds of part and accessory suppliers) and downstream (thousands of car dealers, repair shops, etc). Most, if not all, automotive manufacturers use different software systems in different locations, but even at the same location, for different purposes. Often, these systems are old or incompatible, which makes integration difficult.

Analyst Insight: The recent, highly publicized food incidents and drug recalls have eroded public confidence in the FDA's ability to protect consumers from harm. The goal of the new Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, is to restore public confidence in the process. To do so, she is enacting new procedures designed to enforce existing laws.

Analyst Insight: SaaS and new enterprise software offerings have created a new dynamic for enterprise software selection as opposed to traditional software selection. The cloud evaluation process for software and services must consist of different and a more focused approach, including such factors as importance of methodology, model differentiation, industry-specific expertise and total cost of ownership.

Analyst Insight: The number one strategy for companies in the chemical and energy industries is to improve demand orchestration as the economy recovers. Planning processes must manage pricing, capacity allocation, and inventory positioning to manage margins. In addition, operational processes must have visibility and business rules to manage commitments and respond to volatility. These industries are more mature than others in their approach to asset management, energy management and compliance.

Analyst Insight: With broad and expandable carrier networks, outsourced service providers seem well positioned to either make educated decisions as a provider of outsourced carrier selection services or to serve as an educator of shippers, to inform them of available options and potentially provide competitive performance information.