CRM, ERP, and Business Intelligence Software

Hadoop is a popular way of managing Big Data – but it is not the only one. Here are five alternatives to the relational database that may belong in your optimal information infrastructure.

• Finance Departments Need More Advanced Analytics
• 9 Business Intelligence and Analytics Predictions for 2015
• Analyzing Big Data: General Purpose Tool or Domain-Specific App?
• 10 CRM Predictions for 2015
• Mobile Business Intelligence: Hot, or Not?
• 7 Enterprise App Trends for 2015

Big Data vendor provides $50M worth of Hadoop training for free.

• Distelli Raises $2.8 Million for App Deployment as a Service Platform
• Teradata Buys Mobile Marketing Specialist
• GraphLab Becomes Dato, Raises $18.5M for Machine Learning Tech
• Salesforce Offers Tool for Enterprise App Stores
• Hachicorp Raises $10M to Advance Open Source DevOps Vision
• Mesosphere Raises $36M for Application Data Center OS

Microsoft's Visual Studio 2013 provides solid tools and a wide range of capabilities for enterprise application developers, says reviewer Paul Ferrill.

• Review: Microsoft SQL Server 2014
• Review: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013

Will a general purpose data analytics tool or a domain-specific app help you get maximum value from Big Data? You may well need both.

• 10 CRM Predictions for 2015
• Enterprises Are Leading the Way in Wearable Technology
• The Down Low on Data Lakes
• Business Intelligence Getting More Pervasive: BARC
• Loyalty Program Leaders Leverage Data Analytics
• Consumers Love Mobile Marketing, Location-based Services

Finance departments must lessen their reliance on spreadsheets and look to advanced analytics to become more strategic, experts say.

• Analyzing Big Data: General Purpose Tool or Domain-Specific App?
• 10 CRM Predictions for 2015
• Data Analysis Enables Omni-channel Marketing
• Forget Big Data; Focus on Relevant Data
• The Down Low on Data Lakes
• Business Intelligence Getting More Pervasive: BARC

Many ERP systems lack key channel management capabilities – a problem, given that many companies earn more than half of their annual revenues through channel partners.

• Savi's Sensor Analytics Software Gets Predictive Capabilities
• Analytics Playing Greater Role in ERP
• Process Automation a Key to Business Value
• IT Service Management No Longer Just an 'IT Thing'
• Infor Bolsters Cloud Suite with Saleslogix CRM Buy
• Cloud ERP Buying Guide

Wearable technology is catching on more quickly in the enterprise than with consumers, largely because of the compelling business use cases.

• Office 365: Is It Right for the Enterprise?
• IoT Driving New Business Models
• Data Visualization: Old Practice, New Value
• App Integration Underpins Customer Engagement
• Is SAP's HANA Gaining Traction with Platform Approach?
• Chief Data Officers Put 'Strategy' in Data Strategy