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Christopher Baum is an information systems expert specializing in the optimization of business processes through the integration of automation. Most recently he was the independent Subject Matter Expert on Voting Systems for Gartner Consulting supporting the Board of Elections in the City of New York’s successful effort to acquire and implement a new electronic voting system. A widely regarded authority on the use of technology in government, he has testified on voting to the United States House of Representatives, House Administrations Committee and the City of New York Select Committee on Technology in Government and the Governmental Operations. He has also advised the United States Department of State, the White House and the Canadian Treasury Board, among others. Mr. Baum has been frequently quoted in the trade press and has been interviewed on CBS Evening News. Prior to joining Gartner, Mr. Baum was Vice President, Research and Analysis Director for the Data Networking and Healthcare Information Systems teams at Datapro, before it was acquired by Gartner. Previous to that, he worked in the manufacturing industry, as a computer consultant, and for Texas Tech Health Sciences Center. He has worked with information systems for more than 35 years. Mr. Baum earned his M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix and his B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Current enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs) are firmly rooted in the requirements, resources, and capabilities of large manufacturing concerns. Smaller manufacturers, however, live in a very different environment. How is ERP shifting to meet the needs of that environment?
Manpower’s Outlook survey reveals that employment in the US should grow about 8% over 2011. That’s good news for the economy, but it won’t drive substantial new demand for core Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) this year. Rather than invest in new systems, firms will better leverage capabilities of existing systems.
By design or by chance, HP is poised to become the world’s most complete supplier of end to end IT infrastructure and business software. The addition of 3Par and Palm extends the firm’s range from high-end storage solutions down to a complete line of handhelds and smart phones. What is missing is software to tie it all together.