Implementing Smart Business Network

Organizations interested in implementing Smart Business Network needs to understand the basic road map for establishing the smart business network or reorienting their current business process towards smart business process. The first step is to identify the company who can provide support for installing an IT infrastructure or a network infrastructure according to the target and smart business process requirements defined by the company.

After identifying the service provider the next step is to analysis the management cost and improvement in the productivity of the proposed project. In general there has been reduction in the cost for voice and data communication experienced by the companies without having the smart business network environment. Typical implementation of a Smart Business network would have the following.

(a) Managed Service Provider
(b) Internet
(c) Integrated service router
(d) Other network devices like switch, hub, routers, and Application and file servers.
(e) The client side or the employee side would have a workstation, unified IP phone, facility for instant messaging, access to web based applications, company hosted email services. In special cases companies would also provide a secured wire less Access point in the network for executive level personnel in the company.
(f) With IP communication the system has not only overcome the cost of public toll pass but also enhanced the network security using private links
(g) The set up can also be integrated with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software giving productivity enhancement features including pop-us, call tracking click to dial and many more features.

Managing Smart Business Network

The major challenges foreseen in managing the smart business network are structure of the network, coordination process adopted, monitoring and process used for negotiation and the Information Technology Enabled incorporation. The following points needs to be considered for managing a smart business network.

(a) The core business process should identify the strong and weak ties with their partners against their design, source, logistics structure, distribution system and after sales service. The players in the network should have the ability to interact in plug and play mode and have the abilities for dynamic negotiation.
(b) Policies on managing the agency conflicts and intellectual property should be well defined.
(c) The process of Information sharing among the partners in the SBN partners to coordinate their distributed as well as interdependent activities has to be considered before implementing Smart Business Network.
(d) The coordination process should also include the ability to convert the user requirement into product or service specifications and convert the specifications into items or production tasks.
(e) Linking of knowledge resource over wide geographical areas of the organization.
(f) Incorporation of effective monitoring mechanism to control the various activities happening in the business network.

(g) The system should be long term predictable and has the ability to react to changing situations.
(h) The network should be able to identify the status of the member new entries and old member.
(i) The system should be designed to implement restructuring any portion of the network as per the changing requirement so as to establish alliances and promote effective as well as timely communication of information among the partners.

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