Final 500R2 Update Webinar Scheduled for Tomorrow

October has been a busy month at EVS.  We've scheduled a series of webinar's called "What's New with O2" throughout the month in order to give clients and resellers a chance to see what these ERP software products will look like in the not too distant future.

With an extraordinary attendance and feedback during October, EVS has decided to add an additional session to accommodate those who have not been able to get on the call.  This session will take place Thursday, November 1st at 10:00am (MDT).  Registration is limited, so register early.

If you're unsure of what this webinar entails, it will be a short explanation of the new 500R2 project, which includes a re-write of O2 Process Manufacturing ERP software, O2 Mobile warehouse management software, Sage 500 ERP software and the addition of Sage ERP Cloud Disaster Recovery Solutions.

Are Current Manufacturing Safety Regulations Enough?

This is a tough question, but it's one that has probably crossed the minds of consumers recently.  Lately, there have been a number of  recalls, some with serious illnesses and others even involving consumer deaths that are making people think twice about the safety regulations we have in place.

One of the major concerns seems to be the knowledge of problems in facilities prior to recent recalls.  For example, the compounding pharmacy responsible for the meningitis outbreak had a "documented history of mold and bacteria problems."  According to this Washington Post article, "Federal health inspectors say staffers at the pharmacy linked to the meningitis outbreak over the past year documented dozens of cases of mold and bacteria growing in rooms that were supposed to be sterile."  This is sad situation that, it appears, should have been corrected and prevented.

There are a number of precautions organization should (and do) take to prevent these types of situations from getting out of control.  Having a trusted documentation system within your ERP software, process manufacturing ERP software recall procedures and built-in lot tracking and actually following the appropriate sanitary guidelines are just a few.

Recalls are an inevitable part of manufacturing due to a number of variables, but recalls of this nature damage the industry as a whole as consumers lose trust in organizations.  I'd love to hear what ideas manufacturers, regulatory agencies and consumers alike have to improve and prevent situations such as this from happening again.

What's New with O2 Webinar Series Is Coming to a Close

Throughout the month of October, EVS has offered a live webinar presentation to allows clients and resellers a chance to learn more about what's ahead for O2 Process Manufacturing software, O2 Mobile Warehouse and Sage 500 through the upgrade to 500R2.  With only three sessions remaining, we encourage anyone who has not had a chance to listen in and ask their own questions to register for one of these final webinar sessions.

During the webinar, the audience will learn some of the new key features being offered for the process manufacturing ERP software and the warehouse distribution software.  At the forefront of the upgrade is the new .Net framework, which will give users both a technology upgrade and a significant improvement in user-experience.  Further, the Sage 500 ERP software system is also being re-written in the .Net framwork, paving the way for the next technology advances.

One of the great new features for users will include the ability to customize their ERP software system by selecting "apps" that appeal to their business needs.  While the ability to customize ERP software isn't new, the "app" feature is a refreshing change.  What's the difference you may ask?  Simply put, it's something similar to your smartphone.  For example, we may have the same iPhone, but we all have different content downloaded on them.  One of the challenges of customizing ERP software, is that it can be tricky and costly down the road when upgrades are due.  However, with this new "app" approach, the upgrades will operate much like your smartphone, in that your operating system upgrade will not disable your apps.  An occasional tweak to the apps will occur to align them with the current upgrade, but overall it will be business as usual.

To get the full picture of the amazing new features coming available to Sage 500 ERP and the O2 family, be sure to register to attend one of the final three upcoming sessions.

O2 Pharmacetuical ERP Software Assists in Documenting Quality Control, Regulatory Requirements & cGMP

In a recent article from PharmaManufacturing.com, they noted that in early results of a survey that "cGMP Compliance is the pharmaceutical industries top manufacturing goal."  As pharmaceutical manufacturing operations increase in complexity due to regulations or processes, finding a way to monitor and track all aspects of operations in a central location becomes important.

O2 Pharmaceutical ERP software assists pharmaceutical and life sciences manufacturers with tracking and tracing quality and regulatory requirements, as well as monitoring cGMP.  This includes:

• CFR 21 Part 11 compliance
• formula security/management
• restricted lot hold
• enhanced implementation documentation 
• cradle-to-grave lot tracking

In order for pharmaceutical manufacturers to remain profitable while managing these key challenge areas, the pharmaceutical manufacturing software also provides:

• inventory forecasting
• inventory requirement planning
• multiple unit of measure calculations
• certificate of analysis (C of A)
• capacity resource scheduling

Finally, an area of concern for pharmaceutical manufacturers is risk and recall situations.  Pharmacuetical manufacturing ERP software, such as O2 Pharmaceutical ERP offers:

• cradle-to-grave lot tracking
• strong auditing and security features
• validation

While the pharmaceutical and life sciences manufacturing industry is extremely competitive and full of critical regulations, there are ERP software programs built specifically for the industry.  Having a pharmaceutical software system, such as O2 Process Manufacturing ERP software, will help you meet the industry challenges by providing clear, accurate and real-time information across your whole enterprise in a central location.

For more information about this pharmaceutical ERP software, visit www.evs-sw.com.

Food Recalls and Food Safety In the Spotlight Again

There have been a number of large food recalls recently, and all have been fairly widespread. For example, the recent peanut butter recall has grown from peanut butter by a certain brand, distributed to specific stores to a much wider distribution that now includes brands of ice cream, dairy products, raw and roasted peanuts.  What started as a fairly general product recall has expanded to a variety of different brands and products throughout the supply chain.  The food manufacturing industry has been under the microscope due to the increasing number of recalls in recent history.

One of the more frustrating things, especially for consumers concerned about food safety, is that this company was marked by the FDA as having "objectionable conditions" two years before the recent outbreak.  (See the full article by Food Safety News here.)  Although the details of the objectionable conditions haven't been released, more proactive work may need to be done to prevent the widespread outbreaks like this from happening.

While it's important to have the proper industry regulations and inspections in place, it's also important for companies to help protect their production and company from the effects of a recall as well.  EVS works with the food and beverage manufacturing industry daily and work with customers to create products, such as food manufacturing software, that help aid in the food safety operations. As food ERP software developers, they understand the strict regulatory environment and provide a food and beverage ERP software that manages food safety concerns, including HACCP and lot recalls.

Having a food software ERP system that provides cradle-to-grave lot tracking and a one click lot recall is one way food manufacturers can help protect themselves.  For more information on EVS' food manufacturing ERP software, visit www.evs-sw.com.

500R2 Webinar: What's New with O2

As mentioned last week, EVS is presenting a webinar called, "What's New with O2" throughout the month of October.  I now have the official registration information, and you can head over to the EVS "Events" page to complete your registration.

Again, this webinar is to discuss technology and user experience upgrades for O2 Process Manufacturing ERP software, O2 Mobile Warehouse inventory management software and key areas of Sage 500 ERP, including the .Net project (500R2).  Each webinar will also conclude with a live question and answer session.

For more information on the webinar, or any of the ERP software products mentioned above, visit www.evs-sw.com.

The Road Ahead for Sage 500 ERP Software Leads to 500R2

With beta testing underway, we are moving much closer to the full release of 500R2, the next generation of Sage 500 ERP software.  As the developers of O2 Process Manufacturing ERP software and O2 Mobile Warehouse for Sage 500 ERP as well as 500R2, EVS knows many users will have questions as to what the future looks like for the O2 ERP software products as well.  Therefore, EVS is offering a webinar to give users and resellers an inside look at the new system.

Throughout the month of October, the webinar "What's Next with O2" will be available each Tuesday and Thursday morning.  During the webinar, presenter and EVS President, Evan Garber, will discuss:

• Technology and user-experience upgrades Sage 500 and O2
• Sage 500 .Net project
• Questions and answers from the audience

The dates and times are being finalized now, and I'll be sure to update everyone on here when registration becomes available.  In the mean time, head over to www.evs-sw.com for more information on 500R2 and Sage 500.

Is Your ERP Software Included in Your Business Continuity Plan?

Many businesses do not have enough resources or time to protect and maintain their critical data systems, such as their ERP software.  Often times, that means the ERP system is operated with a continuity plan.  A continuity plan, such as Sage 500 Cloud Disaster Recovery will properly protect your data in a managed, redundant, secure and off-site environment.

Let's say a disaster happens, either by natural causes or by human error.  What do you do now?  The Sage 500 Disaster Recovery solution allows you to continue day-to-day business operations while you are restoring your facility.  Decreasing downtime can mean the difference in saving your business or not saving your business.   Post disaster recovery cycle losses can have a significant impact on inventories, customer relations, revenue and cash flow.  Reducing the length of this cycle ensures minimizing the impact felt by your customers, suppliers and employees.

Unrecoverable data loss can be detrimental to many businesses and cost millions of dollars.  Recovering after a disaster can dramatically impact revenue as well as a brands reputation.  By implementing a plan like the disaster recovery solution by EVS, your business can be fully operational within an hour, thanks to a secure, redundant hosting facility.

For more information on this Sage disaster recovery solution for Sage 500 ERP software, visit www.evs-sw.com.  After all, your business survival may very well depend on it.

Avoid Business Disaster by Utilizing an ERP Software Disaster Recovery Solution

As the old saying goes, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  True words for multiple circumstances, including your business plan.  Many times companies are working hard to improve on efficiencies, processes and visibility within their organization.  Implementing an industry specific ERP software system can be a fantastic tool to do this.  However, once implemented the planning should not stop there.  Disasters happen more often than businesses realize, and a simple measure to protect your data can mean the difference in staying in business or going under.

For example, the Sage 500 Cloud Disaster Recovery solution provides Sage 500 ERP, O2 Process Manufacturing ERP software and O2 Mobile Warehouse software users with the protection necessary to overcome a business disaster, whether by nature or human error.  With this disaster recovery solution, your data will always be monitored and backups are performed in a fully managed and dedicated environment.

The statistics are pretty convincing when viewing the failure rate of businesses after being faced with a disaster.  Operating with a cloud disaster recovery plan will put your mind at ease and protect your business.  For more information on the Sage 500 Disaster Recovery Solution, visit www.evs-sw.com.

Food Processor Is Newest O2 Mobile Warehouse Inventory Management Client

EVS is excited to announce another new partnership with their newest client, McCall Farms, Inc.,  McCall Farms has selected the O2 Mobile Warehouse inventory management software system for Sage 500 ERP.

Operating a large farm and processing facility in Effingham, South Carolina, McCalls Farms processes tomatoes, okra, corn, squash, string beans, peas, potatoes, peanuts, peaches and a large selection of greens.  The warehouse distribution software system, O2 Mobile Warehouse, will help provide warehouse management, barcoding and inventory tracking.

O2 Mobile Warehouse for Sage 500 ERP software offers real-time views of your inventory using handheld scanners.  For more information on this warehouse management system or to read success stories from other O2 Mobile Warehouse clients, visit www.evs-sw.com.