Latest Blog Entries

05/21/2013

Data, data, and more data. Each company has data that is very important to the present and future of their business. According to Estuate Extreme Service, “the lack of a comprehensive view of data and the absence of analytical business data makes it impossible for organizations to use the power of information to their advantage.” What if you had the capability for real-time, interactive access to information? What if you could analyze and manipulate the data? What if you could provide decision makers with easy access to critical business information?

Well you can! Oracle’s Business Intelligence (BI) solution comes with these capabilities along with analyzing historical data to better make strategic decisions. According to a recent study by Forrester, Oracle’s Business Intelligence solution has yielded a return on investment of nearly 97% to businesses. Read more about Oracle’s Business Intelligence solution by clicking on the following link.

The ROI on Oracle BI Solutions

In today’s highly competitive...

Oracle Financials: An Introduction

05/20/2013

If you are a growing business and looking at software that can help manage the financial aspects of the business, Oracle Financials (part of Oracle E-Business suite) may be the right solution. What’s great is that the entire suite of Oracle E-Business doesn’t need to be implemented! This is a great way to get an introduction to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software.

Oracle Financials modules include the following:

Account Payable
Account Receivables
Cash Management
Assets
General Ledger

The great thing about Oracle Financials is the information flow. The data is shared between modules so that you have updated information throughout all the financial modules. I found a great video on YouTube that explains the ERP concept and gives a good introduction to the Oracle Financials. It lasts about 9 minutes.

After viewing the video, if you have any questions about...

Mobile Application Testing

05/14/2013

As part of our testing services here at Lighthouse Technologies, we are offer mobile application testing. We are all doing more and more things on our phones and our tablets. Businesses are also moving to mobile applications and testing it is a little different than testing a desktop application. In this white paper from Keynote.com, the article discusses the following:

Testing “native applications” – these are applications commonly downloaded from an app store.
Devices – the many different devices that users have make testing mobile apps quite a challenge
Networks – there are over 400 mobile application networks. Which ones do you choose to test the app with?
Test scripts – automated or manual?

In many ways, testing your mobile application is as important as anything you do when developing and deploying the app. Consumers today expect the app to be fast, friendly to...

ERP Systems- What is Best for Mid-Sized Businesses?

05/09/2013

Over the past few months we’ve been talking about how best to select an ERP, ERPs for midsize companies, and Agile software. I’ve found an article that encompasses much of what we have been saying right in one article! An article in Computer Weekly.com, written by various authors, talks about the following:

Examines the state of ERP planning and the middle tier of suppliers
Looks at what the new breed of cloud-based ERP systems has to offer
Examines the business case for integrating ERP systems used by larger and smaller companies

Take a look at the link below, let me know what you think. If you have any questions about implementing your ERP, give us a call at Lighthouse Technologies (937.458.0058) or fill out our webform.

ERP Software for SMEs Demonstrates That Size Isn’t Always Everything

The idea behind enterprise resource planning (ERP) is to provide a business with a single product that provides software to support the main business functions in the company. For smaller businesses,...

Oracle Accelerate for Midsize Companies

04/29/2013

Did you know that Oracle had simple to deploy, packaged, enterprise-class software solutions for growing midsize organizations? Well they do! Through their expert partner network (which Lighthouse Technologies is part of), Oracle offers solutions for your organization that are geared just for your midsize businesses. Included in the link below are examples of organizations that used Oracle Accelerate. One interesting story is about a company who implemented a rich Oracle E-Business Suite footprint using Oracle Business Accelerators in ten months, and was able to process 350 sales orders on the same day that the new system went live.

So click on the link to find out more about Oracle Accelerate and give us a call at Lighthouse Technologies (937-458-0058) or fill out our webform to see how we can help “accelerate” your growth.

Oracle Accelerate for Midsize Companies

Why Oracle Accelerate?
Oracle Accelerate is Oracle's approach for providing simple to deploy, packaged, enterprise-class software solutions to growing midsize...

Black Box System Testing

04/22/2013

Although there may be many methods for system testing, one of the most prevalent methodologies is black box testing. This name was coined due to the fact that they system, in the eyes of the tester, is a black box which cannot be seen into. Based on this, a tester can only test outputs of the system, or its functionality based on controlled inputs. Black Box System Testing attempts to find errors such as: incorrect or missing functionality, interface errors, behavior or performance errors, and more. In this article, you’ll learn more about this type of system testing, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as some of the techniques used in this type of testing.

Black Box Testing

Black Box Testing method is applicable to all levels of the software testing process:

Unit Testing

Integration Testing

System Testing

Acceptance Testing

The higher the level, and hence the bigger and more complex the box, the more black box testing method comes into use.

Read more at: http://...

Benefits of Automating the Order to Reconcile Cycle

04/22/2013

One in every three consumer purchases in the United States is made with a credit card. Retail businesses, especially those with an online presence, are expected to accept credit card payments. Cash, checks, and money orders are not always practical or preferred by the buyer. Many retailers turn to third-party credit card processing companies to help facilitate the complexity and compliance requirements associated with credit card payments. Lighthouse Credit Card Processing Oracle E-Business Suite EBS, ERP

For retailers using Oracle ERP E-Business Suite (EBS) for their Order Management and Payment functions, Oracle Release 12 has improved the way funds are captured and how settlement processes are handled. When selecting a credit card processing company, retailers should consider a company that understands Oracle EBS and as a bonus, has the ability to automate the Order to Reconcile cycle.

Benefits of automating the end-to-end Order to Reconcile cycle:

Credit...

What is OATS? (Oracle Application Testing Suite)

04/19/2013

As you may know by now, software testing is a major component of what we do here at Lighthouse. Also, part of our services at Lighthouse is Oracle E-Business Suite consulting. So we are happy to see that Oracle has come out with an Oracle Application Testing Suite (OATS). OATS can be used for testing web applications and your Oracle ERP applications.

The Application Testing Suite includes:

Oracle Functional Testing
Oracle Functional Testing Suite for Oracle Applications
Oracle Load Testing
Oracle Load Testing Suite for Oracle Applications
Oracle Test Manager

Oracle Application Testing Suite

Application Testing Suite is a comprehensive, integrated testing solution that ensures the quality, scalability, and availability of your Web applications, Web Services, packaged Oracle Applications and Oracle databases.

This integrated, full lifecycle solution enables you to define and manage your application testing process, validate application functionality, and ensure that your applications will perform under load. With Application Testing Suite, you can deploy...

Software Process Improvement Using CMMI

04/18/2013

CMMI, or the Capability Maturity Model Integration, is a process model that provides a clear definition of what an organization should do to promote better behaviors that lead to improved performance. This model, made up of five “maturity levels” or three “capability levels” provides a comprehensive look at the elements required for companies to build a great product or provide a great service. In terms of organizational progression, a firm will usually begin with a SCAMPI C Appraisal which provides a gap analysis addressing any weaknesses on a practice-by-practice level. Firms will then usually undergo some training in Process Design and CMMI followed by and evaluation and change of internal firm processes. A firm can then get a SCAMPI B Appraisal and even a SCAMPI A Appraisal to receive a successful CMMI Rating. For more information on CMMI and how to incorporate Software Process Improvement into your company, take a look at the following article:

What is the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)?

The Capability Maturity Model Integration, or CMMI, is a process model that provides a clear...

Software QMS Benefits

04/17/2013

Quality Management Systems are specifications or documentation used to ensure that software development companies will be able to deliver a software product that their clients will be satisfied with. Software QMS is helpful for several reasons: without it, your software development company could be open to liability; imperfect specifications can lead to wasted resources; process improvement can lead to a value-add for your client; and data helps reinforce your company’s reputation. Check out this article for more information on Software QMS and how it can safeguard your business:

Developing Software For Clients: Don’t Start Without a Look at QMS

Software Development is a quality conscious industry, especially due to the difficulties of running or managing offshore software development. It becomes imperative for software companies to define rigid standards & metrics to comply with.

QMS stands for Quality Management Systems. Quality here implies that the product meets the customer’s specifications while the system itself could be a series of policies and protocols put in place for ensuring...