Under the iceberg

If the ERP, CRM and other enterprise applications is floating on the sea ice, then carrying large amounts of information flow network is the base of huge icebergs. We have been accustomed to see from above, ERP, now may wish to another point.

ERP supports enterprise business, but what sustains ERP?

We always assume that the network can support the ERP application, but this assumption is not sound. ERP applications facing more pressure, such as from the various application modules - financial, human resources, manufacturing, order management, procurement, communications and so on pressure from local, remote and mobile connection to the pressure, and the time of the pressure - monthly report, the daily transaction processing and data analysis.

And with the continuous expansion of the system, there will be more business need to connect - not just internal employees, sales personnel and mobile workers, there will be customers, partners and suppliers upstream and downstream.

Any successful enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation should be based on a very stable high-performance network foundation. ERP Software includes usually highly scalable IP (Internet Protocol) network infrastructure as a precondition. In order to support ERP, the traditional share-based local area network (LAN) infrastructure must be upgraded to higher performance switching topology. Traditional wide area network (WAN) may need to upgrade to higher speed services to ensure the WAN and remote access connections to reliable application performance. In addition, when critical ERP information flow through the network, the quality of service (QoS) is essential. In order to put together all organizations need a variety of senior management to minimize labor and to ensure 24 脳 7 management of the reliability and data integrity.

Network structure of the three ERP

ERP network infrastructure have capabilities should look like? It depends on what the user selects ERP application, depending on his business model and many other factors. According to 3Com Corporation to provide a data show, ERP systems typically share a basic 3-tier structure - run the back-end relational database management system (RDBMS) in the central server; run business applications software, server cluster; local or remote users desktop or notebook computer. IP is usually the common protocol layer 3 (earlier versions of these packages may use older protocols such as SNA, IPX or DECnet). Therefore, network design and planning needs to solve a problem - to a centralized server to provide high-performance local area network connection, but also to provide users with flexible LAN / WAN / dial-up connection.

RDBMS applications and server networking

Database server and the link between the application server running on IP over commonly used database access protocols, such as Structured Query Language (SQL) or Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) protocol. These interactions have a considerable flow of information, but it is extremely important, requiring a lot of bandwidth and low latency.

In the past, in order to interconnect the back-end database and application server up, you must use a dedicated Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) network. Today, most ERP applications can run well on a dedicated Fast Ethernet (shared type, or exchange-type) and Gigabit links. Back-end servers and redundant links between switches can imitate the inherent redundancy in FDDI networks. Optional network card for the server should support redundant links and multiple links gathering information flow and commitment through a variety of mechanisms for the CPU processing load, so the internal server resources are used effectively.

Application server and the client's network

In establishing a good first step when the park is for enterprise resource planning (ERP) users to upgrade each desktop to provide a dedicated exchange-type connection. Upgrade to a dedicated Ethernet / Fast Ethernet desktop connectivity and high-speed backbone links can significantly increase the available bandwidth.

ERP infrastructure for remote connections, the simulation of wide area network connections at least, is V.90 56Kbps link, for small branch offices and home users as possible using leased lines or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) connection. Digital subscriber line (xDSL) and cable networks to replace the remote dial-up modem is faster approach.

Advanced ERP network

As the enterprise resource planning (ERP) application software manufacturers in adding to their Web interface, users will have the honor to use a consistent browser interface, without having to enable the ERP solution were in the manufacturing, distribution, human resources and other modules of different application. This truly ERP server into the Web server, it must provide users already accustomed to high-speed transaction processing response time, even more than the speed of Web. This requires the network of experts to develop a QoS strategy; the strategy would not only solve the problem of network resources, but also to solve the server resources. Server load balancing helps to ensure that the appropriate server bandwidth, but also provide the necessary redundancy.

The best use of ERP means that you can access business partners - customers, partners and suppliers. This means that the need to increase ERP to Web interface advanced security features, such as public key infrastructure (PKI) and digital certificates. Service providers to provide high priority is being rapidly ERP (relative to the Web information flow) of the virtual private network (VPN) service, and to flow through the public network to provide secure information flow tunnel. Through the VPN QoS and security features in combination, these suppliers will be able to provide between the various companies dedicated Exranet.

The impact of technology on call center

In mature technologies, the greatest impact on the call center may be all kinds of information - voice, data and video already available in the same network to communicate general. A few years ago, 3Com Corporation this technology is called "unified network."

Call center may be the first to adopt this technology and benefit from this technology enterprise applications. The network increasingly standardized (so open greatly enhanced), of Moore's Law continue to come true (for PC more powerful, cheaper price), and the Internet's popularity (the user can get cheap and efficient connection means), all of these technologies mature, so that call centers are highly customizable from a proprietary program, has become a standard hardware platform, forming a package consisting of application, which has a much lower call center costs.

At the same time, these technologies have also evolved several new forms of call centers, such as virtual call centers and Web-based call center.

The so-called virtual call center is to allow the call center staff in the operation of facilities outside of the physical location can also work efficiently. This model has the advantage, for those who call center engineers can not solve the problem - for example, complex products on a particular issue, can be transferred to the headquarters is located in an expert, while the other end of the customer is not feel the contact break and wait. The experts may be employed in an engineering department, but this does not affect the second layer to provide customers with technical support.

If the virtual call center to take full advantage of the company's knowledge base, then, to realize that "unified messaging" benefits must be Web-based call centers to take full advantage of the power of Internet. Now, a call center will not only be able to handle phone calls and faxes, but also can handle e-mail and through the Web, interactive message.

Internet for many customers a new means of communication. Through the Web, customers can make a lot of purposeful self-service, without having the original voice response system through the numerous choices. However, people are always not satisfied. Many customers say they prefer talking with a real person, there are the customers online to submit their sensitive data - such as credit card numbers and mailing address - feel insecure. To draw customers to live this part of the computer and telephony integration (CTI) company has developed a new technology, add a Web page "Call me" (call me) button, the user presses the button, will trigger a traditional phone or IP phone. As long as the user is configured correctly multimedia computer (this computer has been popular for many years), he would see on the screen the call center's engineers, and can dialogue with him. And that all of the information - voice, data and video, are by connecting to the Web's a wire transfer.

And more integrated, will give the call center more features, and thus able to provide customers with better services. For example, the connection with the customer database, will enable engineers to talk about working with their customer information, such as his purchase history, purchase intent, hobbies, etc., which can provide more targeted services and information. This is now a hot customer relationship management CRM. And network equipment, in which no doubt played an important role, not only all kinds of information integration and transmission, just some small feature, it can reflect the ingenuity with which the. For example, the call automatically transferred to free engineers, and even under the call number will be routed to the last phone calls to engineers, to allow customers to hear not only cordial, but familiar voice.

To some extent, the call center is evolving into a "virtual customer care center" (Virtual Customer Care Centers).






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