So you are all set to start on your first BPM implementation. You have done your homework, that is to say a Business Value Add analysis and have selected a "core" business process that is crying for more visibility and automation as your first implementation. But is that enough? Like the proverbial fat lady that hasn’t yet sung, while process selection is important, the key to success in a new BPM initiative lies in understanding the organizational challenges involved in successful  delivery of the expected business value.

As we move to a service oriented economy, more and more software vendors are beginning to offer their software solutions and infrastructure platforms as a service. Some of these vendors include big names like Google, Microsoft, salesforce.com and Amazon. For example, while salesforce.com originally offered a CRM solution as a service, it has now opened up its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) infrastructure platform to other solutions providers.

I am intrigued by a new development in computing that seems to be getting more traction. Operational Intelligence (OI). What is it? Well, we have all heard of Business Intelligence (BI); collect & analyze your data for an epiphany into market behavior. OI seeks to do the same thing but with Events instead of Data. The key concept in OI is the concept of Complex Event Processing or CEP.

With the unemployment rate rising, the financial bailout program getting worked out and the stimulus bill still in debate with the US Senate we have to wonder where the silver lining is. However there is hope and one global industry that can benefit from this crisis is the IT (Information Technology) sector.