Although this is good news – and a vast improvement over last year’s 22% decline – the picture is far from rosy. The Deepwater Horizon disaster has put everything into question and oil and gas companies are bracing for an impending wave of new regulations and taxes. The article goes on to say that increased safety and regulatory guidelines will undoubtedly lead to higher operating costs.

These increases are expected to occur gradually, over an extended period of time. That means the time to develop your containment strategy is now. Oil & gas companies that start cutting costs now will have the flexibility and capital reserves to grow in an uncertain future.

It’s been said that good businesses only focus on the things they can change. In today’s oil & gas, it seems there’s more and more things that are simply out of our control. From the price of oil and consumer demand to government regulations and environmental disasters, oil and gas companies are at the mercy of many moving targets.

One of the few dials left that we do have control over is cost containment. How much unmanaged money is going out your door every day? How much inventory sitting unused in dusty warehouses across the country? How many budgets get overrun from poor planning and a lack of accountability? How many of your contracts are actually being honored by vendors?

Nobody was asking these questions when oil was over $150 a barrel. But now, oil & gas companies are finding out that it’s cut or die. But if we start getting answers to these questions now, we’ll be ready for the future, regardless of the climate.

Kevin Zirkle
Verian Technologies
kzirkle@verian.com

More business is being done on mobile devices than ever before. Not only can we send and receive emails, generate and review documents, synch calendars and host conference calls while away from the office, a new breed of software is bringing new mobility to complex business applications.

Cloud or SaaS (software as a service) solutions, among others, have removed the barriers that once stood in the way of creating truly mobile business applications. No longer do employees need to be chained to a networked desktop computer to create expense reports, procure items, process approvals or have access to budget reports and other key business metrics.

Paving the way is rapidly-evolving mobile device technology. After decades of ever-shrinking cell phones, the needs of consumers and businesses dramatically boosted the capabilities, functionality and size of mobile devices. If the latest iPad, iPhone and Droid products are any indication of the future, mobile devices will continue to get bigger – and more capable.

So what does that mean for the average business? It means paying for less office space. It means a happier, more productive workforce that can work flexible hours and spend more time with family. It means getting things done faster and more efficiently. It means real-time sharing of critical business information.

Put simply, a mobile workforce can react, deliver and grow faster. Ten years from now, we’ll look back at the desktop computer as an anchor that held us back. But there’s no reason to mourn – the death of the desktop will breathe new life into a truly mobile workforce.

Jay Wick
Regional Sales Manager
Verian Technologies
704.972.4946
jwick@verian.com

There’s no doubt that Webster is right about IT spend in the retail industry. In fact, one of America’s oldest and largest department store chains uses automation solutions to conduct all of its IT spend.

Webster goes on to say that “the most challenging aspect will be getting your IT people to modify ‘the way it’s always been done.’” A very salient point, for sure. IT already works under a shroud of mystery because most people within an organization aren’t really sure how all of it works. As long as email is working, the Internet is up and there’s a dial tone, we tend to give IT what they want.

Companies are slowly but surely changing the culture within IT to improve sourcing and reduce spend. The numbers are too great to ignore.

But why stop there? Other large retailers are using intelligent purchasing automation solutions beyond IT to save on big-ticket indirect goods including cash registers, POS systems and security equipment.

As the recession continues unabated, retailers will continue to look for ways to reduce spend and increase profits. Are there savings to mine in your IT spend? Although IT may not hold all the answers to reducing costs, it may be a great place to start.

Robert Cherrington
Retail Director
Verian Technologies
704.602-3377
rcherrington@verian.com

“Every day, our employees come to work and share their unwavering love of the outdoors and help others experience the wonders of nature,” said Sally Jewell, REI president and CEO. “And that is what makes REI a great place to work and what has earned us this prestigious honor, year after year.”

REI grew from a group of 23 climbing friends to the nation’s largest consumer cooperative with more than three million active members. A Verian customer since 2005, REI utilizes both Purchase Manager™ and Invoice Manager™ modules.