New Developments in Qatar

In the World Economic Forum’s recent report, “The Global Information and Technology Report 2012 (GITR): Living in a Hyper connected World,” Qatar maintained its strong global ranking, coming in as the 28th most networked nation out of 142 surveyed.

Qatar, looking in to the Football world cup 2022, is heavily investing on infrastructure projects ranging from the construction of the most cutting-edge transit system in the world Qatar Rail, to micro-tunneling projects need for utilities.

So all the business segments are thinking how to improve and to be competitive with others using latest innovative solutions. This is a good time to think about possible I.T solutions that solves your current issues in your day to day business.

We are anxiously looking to the market and researching on what are the issues facing by the most organizations and trying to offer them the best innovative solutions for the future.

Laboratory Software in Qatar

In this blog, I would like to write about Argus Laboratory Management Software. The software is implemented successfully in Teyseer Laboratories with several test reports. Creating test reports is a major concern for all laboratories. This software provide a great solution for this major concern by providing a very user friendly and rich user interface for recording the various test results and there by generating the reports out of it. The software also provides a report designer which gives the user the ability to design various templates and use according to the needs.

The starting point for recording the tests is Job Registration. There are two types of Jobs in the system: Soil and Concrete. Both Job registration forms collect basic information on the test material provided by the clients and support registering more than one report (tests) against each sample. Once a job is registered the Job order is ready to accept result entry under relevant tests. Reporting options also are made available once the results are entered.

The system uses the concept of registering a job for the tests to be conducted. When a user brings a material for testing a new job order is created defining the various tests to be done on the material. The software provides the option for registering multiple tests in a single job order. 

Sample UI-Job Order Registration

 Sample UI- Report

Sample UI- Report Designer

Advantages of the system

·         Keeps track of all the tests conducted.

·         Reduces data entry for Customers, contractors and a lot of prefilled information related with tests.

·         Accurate reports as per industry standards.

·         Custom report designer with template feature.

·         User Access control and Audit features.

·         Database backup restore option.

·         Extendible architecture to support more Tests and reports.

Audit Related Features

·         Detailed logging of all the actions in the system

·         Report locking to prevent reprinting of reports

Tests Available in Lab Software

1.       Aggregate Crushing Value

2.       Asphalt Core             

3.       Atterberg Limits      

4.       Binder Content And Particle Size Distribution

5.       California Bearing Ratio (C.B.R)

6.       Concrete Core Compressive Strength

7.       Concrete Cube Compressive Strength

8.       Compressive Strength of Hollow Block

9.       Compressive Strength of Paving Block

10.   Dry Density / Moisture Content Relationship

11.   Elongation Index     

12.   Flakiness Index        

13.   In-situ Dry Density By Nuclear Gauge

14.   Particle Size Distribution for Soil

15.   Particle Size Distribution for aggregate

16.   Particle Size Distribution

o   Type A         

o   Type B         

o   Type C         

17.   Ten Percent Fines Value

18.   The Los Angeles Abrasion

19.   The Particle Density And Water Absorption

20.   The Particle Densities of Filler

21.   The Soundness

Share Point Vs DMS

SharePoint is a Portal solution which will provide a unified view to a customer. It will need OmniScan to scan the documents in batches as per the requirement of the customer and will put them in a desired table format from where the documents can be picked by SharePoint. At the same time SharePoint can store and retrieve the documents in a Document Management system like OmniDocs. 

Apart from having a DMS in the backend one can have many other applications also running in the backend to provide necessary information to the visitor at SharePoint Portal. A Portal and a Document Management system are two different solutions having different functionalities, even though it might seems to be overlapping in some of the cases. One can even have a ERP solution running in the backend from where the Portal can fetch the information and provide to the user of Portal. This does not mean that one can replace a ERP solution by buying a Portal solution like SharePoint, even though some of the functionalities can be common here.

To help you understand more on this let me explain the concept of Portal and Document Management system separately. Kindly note all the features mentioned in a Portal solution or in a DMS solution as mentioned in this document may not be always available through one software product, for eg. For emails Microsoft uses a different software product and does not provide it under SharePoint.

What is a Portal Solution ?

A web portal or links page is a web site that functions as a point of access to information in the World Wide Web. A portal presents information from diverse sources in a unified way. Apart from the standard search engine feature, web portals offer other services such as e-mail, news, stock prices, information, databases and entertainment. Portals provide a way for enterprises to provide a consistent look and feel with access control and procedures for multiple applications and databases, which otherwise would have been different entities altogether. A Portal typically provides personalized capabilities to its visitors, providing a pathway to other content. It is designed to use distributed applications, different numbers and types of middleware and hardware to provide services from a number of different sources. In addition, business portals are designed for sharing and collaboration in workplaces. A further business-driven requirement of portals is that the content be able to work on multiple platforms such as personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and cell phones/mobile phones.

SharePoint is a portal solution which can have a Document Management System in the backend. A user can use the SharePoint user interface to access these documents instead of using the OmniDocs user interface if they wish.

What is a Document Management System ?

A document management system (DMS) is a computer program used to track and store electronic documents and/or images of paper documents. It is usually also capable of keeping track of the different versions created by different users (history tracking). The term has some overlap with the concepts of content management systems. It is often viewed as a component of enterprise content management (ECM) systems and related to digital asset management, document imaging, workflow systems and records management systems. Document management systems commonly provide storage, versioning, metadata, security, as well as indexing and retrieval capabilities.

Refer the below link for more details about DMS http://www.newgensoft.com/products/document_management_omnidocs  

Argus provides the Document Management Solution in Qatar market, tie-up with Newgen Software Technologies

Happy New Year 2012 from Argus Team

Critical Success Factors in ERP

Here in this blog, I wish to discuss more about common pains in ERP Software Implementation. ERP software integrates and automates all facets of business operations. This includes all modules required to an organization such as Inventory Control, Procurement, Sales, Finance and Human Resources. We can define it as a company-wide computer software system used to manage and coordinate all the resources, information, and functions of a business from shared data stored. ERP is very useful as it saves lots of time of every individual within the enterprise.

However, the implementation of ERP is a complex exercise, and many adopters have encountered problems in different phases. Once you decide to buy ERP software what are the steps you have to carry out? Hope most of you already aware that the difficulty in ERP implementation. The high failure rate in the implementation of ERP calls for a better understanding of the process. In order to reduce the failure rate of ERP implementation, a number of studies have attempted to identify the critical success factors in the implementation of ERP.

What is CSF? CSF means critical success factors here describes about success factors in the implementation of ERP. CSFs are the few key areas where ‘‘things must go right’’ for the business to flourish and for the manager’s goals to be attained’. CSFs for ERP implementation bring a concept that helps an organization identify the critical issues that affect the process of implementation. Though a better understanding of the CSFs for the implementation of ERP, an organization can determine the corresponding solution to eliminate or avoid the most common causes of failure in implementation.

You can have an in-depth overview about CSF in the article ‘Examining the critical successfactors in the adoption of enterprise resource planning’. In the article, through a review of the literature across 10 different countries/regions, 18 CSFs were identified with more than 80 sub-factors, for the successful implementation of ERP. The 18 CSFs are as follows:

1.      Appropriate business and IT legacy systems

2.      Business plan/vision/goals/justification

3.      Business process reengineering

4.      Change management culture and programme

5.   Communication

6.      Data management

7.      ERP strategy and implementation methodology

8.      ERP teamwork and composition

9.      ERP vendor

10.   Monitoring and evaluation of performance

11.   Organizational characteristics

12.   Project champion

13.   Project management

14.   Software development, testing, and troubleshooting

15.   Top management support

16.   Fit between ERP and business/process

17.   National culture

18.   Country-related functional requirements

Rely on Argus HRMS Software in Qatar

If you are looking for HR Software, please have a look at the Argus HRMS (you can invite us for a demo), and we assure you that you can find the solution what you are facing in your organization. 

The system is very user-friendly, versatile, flexible, and affordable to any range of SME companies. Also software is developed by the industry experts and it is achieved through lot of requirements from various customers. 

The system includes all major features, that an HCM (Human Capital Management) requires, and can easily customizable to any extend that an enterprise wishes to do.

The system generates system alerts for various HR activities:

·         Employee Cards – Visa, RP, Health, Insurance, Passport, Driving, etc

·         Vehicle Cards – Road Permit, Insurance, Gate Pass, etc

·         Company Cards – CR, Chamber, Computer Card, etc

·         HR Preliminary Status – On Medical Booking, On Medical Check, On Fingerprint, etc.

·         Vacation Status – Expected employee rejoins, Over stayed employees, Vacation employees on exceed limit (6 months), etc

·         System can support more reminders based on a customer specific condition/ requirements

Other major features include:

·         Passport place management – Historical record of passport place whether it is in Office/ with PRO/ Employee/ CID etc.

·         Employee Status – Up to date employee status info like Present/ On Vacation/ Cancelled etc. Option to keep status for employees on – other sponsorship/ permitted outside for work/ abandoned / any

·         Option to change employee status with remarks

·         Employee internal transfers – Company/ location of work (keeping history)

·         Leave application work flow

·         Employee Benefits – Historical data of various allowances with revision date, if any

·         Employee Advances, Deductions & Loans – Monthly recurring deductions, easy option to stop in a particular month and more options to manage various deductions

·         Attendance – Daily/ Monthly with overtime

·         Leave History & easy settlement processing

·         Easy payroll processing & option to verify before processing it

·         Various pay slip format for print

·         Salary transfers with a transfer memo print to submit in the bank

·         Project wise salary distribution

Also easy integration to accounts module - General Ledger Posting through approval

Eid Mubarak from Argus Qatar

Share your files quickly around the world

There are often situations when you want to share files on your PC with friends, family or colleagues. You may know the traditional ways of attaching them to emails, or uploading them to a file sharing website. Here below explaining 2 easy ways you can share files. 

Dushare (www.dushare.com) 
Dushare is different from browser-based files sharing sites like Yousendit and Hotshare because it doesn't involve uploading of files. Therefore, there is no waiting involved; it allows direct, encrypted P2P sharing. Once you select the file to share, it gives you a URL to share with the other person to initiate the direct transfer from your PC to theirs. While the file transfers, you can also chat with the person you're sharing the file with, right in the Dushare window. No sign-in is required. 

Dropbox (www.dropbox.com) 
A little more complicated than the others, but Dropbox also offers a lot of features. Rather than just share, you can sync complete folders with multiple users by downloading the Dropbox application on your Windows, Linux or Mac machine. Any changes, additions you make in the Dropbox folder on your PC will instantly be reflected in the folders of others, as long as they are connected to the Internet. A big advantage of Dropbox is that you can also use it to share files from your mobile phone (apps available for iPhone/iPod Touch, Android & Blackberry) or iPad.

Argus ERP - Inventory Valuation Methods

Inventory valuation is very important for companies, as it is a major portion of assets and part of the balance sheet. So the company should valuate the inventory with most care and aware of the the valuation methods that suitable to their business environment.

When an inventory item is sold, the inventory account should be reduced (credited) and cost of goods sold should be increased (debited) for the amount paid for each inventory item. This works if a company is operating under the Specific Identification Method. That is, a company knows the cost of every individual item that is sold.

The inventory valuation method gives 2 important values 1) Cost of Good Sold (COGS) and 2) Ending Inventory. COGS shows on the Income Statement, while Ending Inventory shows on the Balance Sheet. Company inventory value can be determined as

Ending Inventory = Beginning Inventory + Purchases – COGS

There are three inventory-costing methods that are widely used by both public and private companies (Argus Inventory Software supports):

1.    First-In, First-Out (FIFO) - This method assumes that the units sold are oldest units on hand.

2.    Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) - This method assumes that the units sold are newest units on hand. 

3.    Average Cost - This method assumes that the weighted average of all units available for sale 

Importance of Inventory Valuation

When dealing with inventory items, we know the market shows different trends in trading of various products. The prices tend to increase or decrease, which means the choice of valuation method can dramatically affect ending inventory.

If prices are increasing, each of the valuations methods produces the following results:

• FIFO gives us a better indication of the value of ending inventory (on the balance sheet). It also increases net income because less cost old inventory is used to value the cost of goods sold. But should note that increase the amount of taxes that a company must pay.
• LIFO is not a good indicator of ending inventory value because the left over inventory might be extremely old and, perhaps, obsolete. This results in a valuation that is much lower than today's prices. LIFO results in lower net income because cost of goods sold is higher.
• Average cost produces results that fall somewhere between FIFO and LIFO.

If prices are decreasing then the complete opposite of the above is true.

For your company, you can review these valuation methods and decide one of them suitable to you. The chosen method must be applied consistently from year to year.

Argus Web Development Process Cycle

The internet is becoming part of everybody's life in Qatar, from schoolchildren through to senior executives. Increasing internet access in homes, schools and businesses is a key part of Qatar's economic development strategy, building the foundations for the advancement of its knowledge economy.

I feel the Qatar market is becoming more competitive day by day and most business organizations started to think of taking maximum advantage of suitable latest technologies. Argus is researching the market to know the latest trends and serving our valued customers with most care for the last 3 years. For a business, as you aware, first important thing you need a website. Before developing a website, we know that you set your main objective as - a visitor of your web should get utmost impression or feeling than the one who visit your office/ organization. At Argus, we develop your websites with most care and through well defined life cycle steps.

Like any software, website development also requires standard methodologies and procedures. We would like to engage in a web project after a detailed preliminary study only. Before undertaking any project, there is an introduction and consultation phase, in which we gathered important information about the client’s business and their audience. So that we can set the goals – how can the site best serve the needs of the client and the users?

It is important for you to know and convey the purpose of your website, the intended audience of your website, and the message you want to communicate via your website. These will vary depending upon your line of business and whether you are a commercial business, or are a non-profit or political organization.

We will do a detailed study about client’s needs and how we can create a site that will effectively communicate with the audiences they would like to reach. We will draft a sitemap and discuss with them again with more options and recommendations. We can explain the strategy that we applied in organizing the site and listen carefully your feedbacks for changes and modifications.

Argus website development process can be divided in to different life cycle steps as follows:
1. Requirement Analysis
2. Planning
3. Development Proposal
4. Acceptance & Contract
5. Content Collection
6. Content Writing – optional
7. Concept Design and Approval
8. Development
9. Evaluation and Assessment
10. Final updates and project launch
11. Promotion
12. Maintenance

POS solutions and Accounting Software in Qatar

Are you looking POS (Point of Sales) with strong inventory and financial accounting modules in Qatar? I will try to give you some guide lines to select a good one for your business success in future.

Finding a POS for you is not simple, you can find several ready available POS software, but you are not sure whether which one is good one for you and whether can incorporate your own specified requirements. So how can you choose the best one? It should be based on lot factors, try to find the important questions you should ask your self to find the answers. In every POS you may be find lot of features, some of that one you required, some not required, and some you need to customise as per your requirements.

Why I am suggesting you to think well before selecting a POS, from our earlier experience with customers, most of them not happy with ready available POS, as they can’t customise as per change to the business requirements. It is possible to find a good one as per your requirements which is less expensive as well as increase the profits of your business. Become the leader in your business by choosing perfect software for your point of sales with inventory management and financial accounting integration.

Major 3 objectives of POS solutions are

1) Save time

2) Provide improved control over sales

3) Provide improved service to customers

However most of these solutions available in market, may involve high cost of ownership, complex setup, and rigorous training requirements. So you have to make sure whether your selection removes these barriers with an easy to use, customisable and affordable solution. 

Selecting Accounting Software for your business in Qatar

Present business age, nobody can think of doing business with out using computers. Not only computers, you should have a proper business accounting software to manage your business efficiently. Especially Qatar market is growing rapidly and people looking latest technologies to compete others by improving the business performance in all areas. One of the main concern is to automate your business transactions, say, using a good accounting software. You can see lot of offering from various companies with different look and feel.

Accounting software can not only help you reduce human errors in your calculations, but it can help you gain insights into your business that you couldn't see in paper form such as generating sales forecasts for the next quarter, determining which items are overstocked, and pinpointing your least profitable service.

Finding the best accounting software program for your business can be a challenge, with an explosion of shrink-wrapped software products and online application offerings. In order to choose a business accounting software program, you need to understand some business accounting basics, take a good look at your business and its accounting needs, and assess the products available today. Finding a good one is not easy task, you have to check some factors relate to it and take a decision. Understand your business needs and choose a business accounting software that best suits your business. 

You have to study your primary requirements first. What modules and features you need in the system. Decide first whether basic needs enough or you require in detailed. The major another thing, you should have budget. Budget should balance with your requirement as you can’t expect a full feature one with very less budget.

Before selecting a vendor for your software product, you should consider the following matters to have a right decision based on that: 

1.    The size of your business

2.    Modules and features that you required

3.    Financial resources like budget for software & hardware

4.    Company environment and staffs to adapt the changes with software

5.    Ease of use

6.    Vendor availability and reputation

7.    Post implementation support

All above factors are equal important, other wise, the software may not 100% success in any enterprise. So study first to select a right vendor for a right implementation plan and get continuous guidance whenever required. 

Strategic technologies for 2011

If you are interested in technology, I am sure you heard about ‘Gartner’, the world’s leading IT research and Advisory Company, delivers the technology related insight necessary for corporations, government agencies, to business leaders and professional firms.

On end of last year, Gartner published the report, that top 10 technologies and trends for most organizations in 2011.  David Cearley, vice president at Gartner said: companies should factor these top 10 technologies in their strategic planning process by asking key questions and making deliberate decisions about them during the next 2 years.

The top 10 strategic technologies for 2011 include:

1.    Cloud Computing. Cloud computing services exist along a spectrum from open public to closed private. Vendors will offer packaged private cloud implementations that deliver the vendor's public cloud service technologies and methodologies in a form that can be implemented inside the consumer's enterprise.

2.    Mobile Applications and Media Tablets. Mobile devices are becoming computers in their own right, with an astounding amount of processing ability and bandwidth.

3.    Social Communications and Collaboration.  Social media can be divided into: (1) Social networking —MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Friendster (2) Social collaboration —wikis, blogs, instant messaging, collaborative office, and crowd sourcing (3)Social publishing —YouTube and flickr (4) Social feedback -YouTube, flickr, Digg, Del.icio.us, and Amazon.

4.    Video.  Technology trends in digital photography, consumer electronics, the web, social software, unified communications, digital and Internet-based television and mobile computing are all reaching critical tipping points that bring video into the mainstream.

5.    Next Generation Analytics. Increasing compute capabilities of computers including mobile devices along with improving connectivity are enabling a shift in how businesses support operational decisions. It is becoming possible to run simulations or models to predict the future outcome, rather than to simply provide backward looking data about past interactions, and to do these predictions in real-time to support each individual business action.

6.    Social Analytics. Social analytics describes the process of measuring, analyzing and interpreting the results of interactions and associations among people, topics and ideas.

7.    Context-Aware Computing. Context-aware computing centers on the concept of using information about an end user or object’s environment, activities connections and preferences to improve the quality of interaction with that end user. The end user may be a customer, business partner or employee.

8.    Storage Class Memory. Gartner sees huge use of flash memory in consumer devices, entertainment equipment and other embedded IT systems. It also offers a new layer of the storage hierarchy in servers and client computers that has key advantages — space, heat, performance and ruggedness among them.  

9.    Ubiquitous Computing.  The work of Mark Weiser and other researchers at Xerox's PARC paints a picture of the coming third wave of computing where computers are invisibly embedded into the world. As computers proliferate and as everyday objects are given the ability to communicate with RFID tags and their successors, networks will approach and surpass the scale that can be managed in traditional centralized ways.

10. Fabric-Based Infrastructure and Computers.  A fabric-based computer is a modular form of computing where a system can be aggregated from separate building-block modules connected over a fabric or switched backplane.

Read more http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1454221