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Crocus and Oracle joint seminar on OBIEE

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:18:54 +0000

Crocus recently held a webinar for those seeking greater insight into the power of Oracle BI (Business Intelligence). For those delegates who wish to trial the technology, they can take part in an experiential, hands-on assessment of the system at the purpose built Crocus Test-Drive facility in the Midlands.

Download the event webinar here.

http://alumnivideo.s3.amazonaws.com/Webinars/Oracle_Crocus.wmv

Crocus Webinar On Oracle BI Offers Experiential Follow Up Test-Drive

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:19:05 +0000

Crocus Consulting (www.crocus-consulting.com) a Gold level member of the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), will be holding a webinar for those seeking greater insight into the power of Oracle BI (Business Intelligence). Following the webinar, those delegates who wish to trial the technology, can take part in an experiential, hands-on assessment of the system at the purpose built Crocus Test-Drive facility in the Midlands.

The webinar which will be held at 2.00 p.m. on March the 8th 2012 will explore the trend of using Business Intelligence as a means of optimizing the enterprise with actionable insight. This ensures that users have the ability to go straight from a dashboard and drill down into the data to manage specific issues; such as transactional anomalies for example. This powerful facility, demonstrates that systems technology has moved beyond mere reporting and into the realms of providing a powerful management tool set that boosts the operational effectiveness of the business.

Crocus will also present an in-depth casestudy of a customer already reaping the rewards of Oracle BI. This will also demonstrate how choosing an effective implementation and support partner can ensure that BI technology delivers maximum ROI to the business using it.

Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) applications, which are used by 82% of the Fortune Global 500 companies are complete, prebuilt BI solutions that deliver intuitive, role-based intelligence throughout an organization. The webinar will highlight how these solutions enable organizations to gain greater insight from a range of data sources and applications including Oracle E Business Suite, PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, Siebel, and third party systems such as SAP. Oracle Business Intelligence Applications support over a dozen different functional areas with complete, pre-built, best-practice analytics, and a rich set of KPIs, metrics and analytic workflows.

Crocus Consulting Launches Oracle PeopleSoft Upgrade Laboratory For Financial, Payroll and HCM Users

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:06 +0000

Crocus Consulting, a Gold level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), has announced a new Upgrade Laboratory facility for UK PeopleSoft customers. Users, who send copies of their PeopleSoft Financials, Payroll or HCM systems to the lab, can have their system upgraded to PeopleSoft 9.1, the latest release of the software. The files are then returned to the user for their own internal testing and deployment. Should the user require it, Crocus Consulting can also host the new version for users seeking to reduce the cost of ownership. The new scheme is seen as representing a risk free and low cost route for users to ensure that their PeopleSoft systems are kept up to date.

Crocus believes that by upgrading, users not only benefit from the latest features and security standards but that they also have the potential of integrating with Oracle’s new OBIEE analytics product set. This will ensure that not only are users operating with the latest technology in place but in being able to access OBIEE they can boost decision making and business process optimisation. It is also an ideal platform should users that want to consider Oracle’s latest Fusion products.

Crocus Consulting Extends Its Oracle Offering With Oracle On Demand

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:26:33 +0000

Crocus Consulting, a Gold level member of the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) and a provider of hosting and support services for Oracle’s PeopleSoft in the UK, today announced that it will now resell Oracle On Demand as part of its offering. Oracle On Demand provides a cost effective IT solution that gives customers access to the world-class Oracle technology stack via Oracle's cloud services. Oracle On Demand enables customers to deploy software and systems according to their own specific needs and budget requirements and to extend the solution as business needs change.

Customers selecting Crocus Consulting already get the advantage of dealing with a specialized and highly skilled Oracle partner; fully trained and equipped to help Oracle’s PeopleSoft customers get the most from their investment. Now Crocus can add additional value to their customers’ applications by letting Oracle On Demand keep their applications secure and updated with the latest features and functionality.

Crocus Consulting Launches BI Test Drive Centre For Oracle PeopleSoft Financial And HCM Systems

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:50:29 +0000

Crocus Consulting, a Gold level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), focused on the licensing, implementation and support of Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise Financials, Human Capital Management and Payroll applications, has announced the opening of a new BI (Business Intelligence) Test Drive Centre at its Leicester Head Office. The centre which is due to open during October 2011 will enable visitors to try out Oracle’s BI Analytics with PeopleSoft Financial and HCM applications. Separate test drive programmes will be available for both business management and technical staff.

Crocus was chosen to host the UK-wide centre as the company has achieved OPN Specialization for Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools and is centrally located. The new centre reflects a significant, long term investment by Crocus; with the emphasis firmly placed on ensuring that visitors have everything they need on hand to make their Test Drive experience as effective and productive as possible.

Commenting on the news, Vince Blockley the Support Centre Director at Crocus Consulting noted, “We are delighted that Crocus has been chosen to host the new Test Drive Centre, which we believe is recognition of our trusted partner status for Oracle PeopleSoft and BI applications and we will be working closely with Oracle to ensure that our clients get everything they need from their visits to us.

Vincent Blockley, Support Centre Director

The road to RTI is paved with great intentions, but...

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:57:29 +0000

HM Revenue & Customs is one of the brightest government departments with a reputation for utilising IT in positive ways. Having met department representatives recently at a senior level about Real Time Information (RTI), they impressed me. However, three areas cause concern:

1. The amount of non-payroll information demanded through RTI
2. A single view of technology that has yet to recognise how technology has changed for many
3. The timing and speed at which organisations can change their systems through IT providers.

As with all idealistic schemes, the principle is fine. VAT, for example, has now been transferred to electronic submission successfully. RTI supporters say, then, it’s a natural development to move to centralised deductions. However, as fine as the principle is, the business impact of introducing RTI is still potentially onerous and expensive.

Mandated
When I asked HMRC if it had done cost benefit analyses for employers or return on investment (ROI) modelling for business, it was inclined to use the word ‘mandated’. This attitude is reflected in the type and quantity of information needed. The information required in the first consultation document for the RTI return included 100 separate items. However, this is currently around 120, and growing! And the nature of items included will have the effect of ensuring that the HR and payroll systems will need to be far more closely integrated, with huge organisational ramifications.

More importantly, some areas of technology have moved on from the initial assumptions held at HMRC. We now have a plethora of other ways that organisations run HR and payroll functions, including cloud computing for example. Outsourced payrolls too, used by so many, will now need to get closer to internal HR.

Out of the blue, BACS has been decided upon as the only system for information transfer but we believe this might have to change, as EDI will rear its head to nullify the risk of having just one system. Though none of these factors have been thought through properly at all.

Time is short
It’s the timescales that make this so scary. Large employers are ‘mandated’ (that word again) to comply by January 2013, medium-sized organisations by April and SMEs August that year.

If one looks at users of large systems such as PeopleSoft, Oracle or SAP there could be over 100,000 employees in multiple locations being paid with information from numerous HR systems! To change this is time is very tight.

So within super-tight timescales, organisations’ IT suppliers have to specify system changes, although these can’t happen until HMRC finalises its specification. Once that’s agreed suppliers have to rewrite large chunks of internal systems – which might take 12 months! The main IT supplier companies don’t just do HR and payroll, and are not just concerned with the UK – their priorities are global.

Add to this that they are unlikely to make any revenue from RTI work as the forced changes are probably covered by existing user agreements, and you start to see just how worryingly tight timescales are. These IT suppliers might be doing RTI work for every other UK organisation, and have resource issues when it comes to your organisation!

Crocus Consulting Achieves Oracle PartnerNetwork Specialization for Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise People Tools

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:45:30 +0000

2 August – Crocus Consulting an Oracle business solution company and Gold- level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), today announced that it has achieved OPN Specialization for Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise People Tools.

To achieve this specialized status, Oracle partners are required to meet a stringent set of requirements that are based on the needs and priorities of the customer and partner community. By achieving a specialized distinction, Crocus Consulting has been recognized by Oracle for its expertise in delivering services specifically around PeopleSoft through competency development, business results and proven success.

According to Paul Grant, Sales and Marketing Director of Crocus Consulting, “Crocus is at the forefront of delivering Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise solutions; which we now provide alongside other Oracle solutions including BI (Business Intelligence) and Oracle WebCenter tools. We are delighted that our focus on the PeopleSoft arena has been recognized by Oracle through Specialization and look forward to building even further upon the high levels of expertise we have already demonstrated.”

Alan Hartwell, VP Technology Solutions & Channels, Oracle UK added, “We are delighted Crocus Consulting is growing their relationship with Oracle by achieving Specialization within Oracle PartnerNetwork. This achievement further differentiates them in the marketplace, giving them a competitive edge over non-Specialized partners. We look forward to working with them.”

New Payroll System? Beware the secret spreadsheet!

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:54:46 +0000

Paul Grant, Commercial Director of Crocus Consulting

How does one measure the success of a new payroll implementation? It is, of course, particularly problematic in the case of payroll; where you are effectively replacing functionality on a like for like basis. Well to me, one fundamental criterion of success is to monitor the use of secret spreadsheets. The more secret spreadsheets there are, then the more problematic the system is and potentially the more problematic the installation and deployment of any new system will be.

Often these spreadsheets have of course come about due to structural change or sudden budgetary amendments in the past. We also find it’s especially common where organisations have disparate systems such as a separate HR and payroll. In such cases, the chances are that the payroll is kept up to date with essential payroll information but nobody updates it with anything more than that. The HR system usually lags behind and in some extreme cases falls into complete disuse because nobody really trusts the information held anymore.

“HR and payroll departments resort to running their own disconnected mini-databases held on spreadsheets; their own version of the truth that enables them to get through the day. “

The result, of course, is that individuals within HR and payroll departments resort to running their own disconnected mini-databases held on spreadsheets; their own version of the truth that enables them to get through the day. In cases where this becomes normal working practice the organisation concerned is in deep trouble. Accurate reporting becomes impossible and mistakes are routinely made, for example failures by HR to inform payroll of last minute updates such as adhoc bonuses or even dismissals lead to costly and time consuming reparations and energy sapping recriminations. From our consultancy work, we have discovered that secret spreadsheets are a far more common occurrence than even many payroll managers realise. Just the hidden staff costs and time utilisation of maintaining these files should be deterrent enough but somehow they persist. Heaven help those organisations where –a key individual leaves and access to the spreadsheet that they have been maintaining or key information about the data in it is lost.

Crocus Consulting Strategic Focus

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:24:29 +0000

Crocus has for some time seen itself as more than just a consultancy. In 2008 it started offering support to its clients and more recently hosting.

In terms of product coverage the company has expanded its scope into Business Intelligence and Document Management.

The company has also added technical skills to its current very strong application skills. In particular the company has been pleasantly surprised by the customer adoption of the Crocus Database Administration service.

Given the complete skill set and areas covered by the company’s services Crocus has now developed an all inclusive package to include all aspects of Application and Technical Consultancy, Support and Hosting. This offering is targeted at the mid market PeopleSoft user who needs all the benefits of Peoplesoft, but would like to keep the running costs within tight budget constraints.

Crocus is evolving into possibly the strongest Oracle Partner in terms of comprehensive service and application integration.

Chris Smith Managing Director of Crocus added; "We have come a long way in a very short time and I believe this new focus and direction is imbedded in our new image and profile.”

HSBC choose Crocus for important payroll assignment.

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:26:23 +0000

During 2011 HSBC is embarking upon a project to upgrade PeopleTools from 8.47 to 8.51 and convert its DB2 database to Unicode. This project will impact every aspect of their PeopleSoft HCM system and, as this is the source for all payroll data, potentially impact the payslip of every one of its 300,000 employees around the globe.

Therefore HSBC recognised the need to have someone take responsiblity for all the payroll processes across the 88 countries in which they have offices to ensure a seamless transition to the new version. On the back of their long and trusted relationship HSBC choose Crocus for this important role.

M.D. of Crocus Chris Smith said “I’m delighted HSBC have chosen to entrust this important task to Crocus. It is indicative of the strength of the relationship between the two organisations”.

Top Management Additions to Crocus

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:26:18 +0000

Steve Swift (former Vice President of PeopleSoft Europe) and Peter Jenkins (former Sales Director of PeopleSoft UK) have joined the management team at Crocus. Steve and Peter have been independent management consultants as directors of NewGen Associates for the past 10 years since their time at PeopleSoft.

Steve and Peter are charged with developing the commercial strategy of the business and advising the directors through a period of sustained growth for the business. The roles also include a “hands on” approach to the development of relationships with Oracle and the PeopleSoft customer base.

Chris Smith Managing Director of Crocus added; "Steve Swift and Peter Jenkins bring with them considerable experience of our market and have a proven track record, as NewGen, in taking organisations forward to the next stage of growth. We are delighted to welcome them to the board.”