R.I.P. ERP – Long Live Modern Enterprise Systems

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the loss of a process that businesses have utilized for decades. I’m sure everyone reading this has their own story of a time when Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) came through for them, and this is certainly a loss that affects organizations of all sizes and industries.

I remember when ERP was just an infant, almost 30 years ago. It was 1990 when Gartner, Inc. coined the phrase, and back then, ERP was a way to catalog material requirements and manufacturing resource planning. But it wasn’t long before ERP started to grow and came to mean so much more. By the end of the decade, ERP was a much more inclusive system, incorporating accounting, supply chain management, and other internal business functions. I was so proud when communication channels became more agile, and Enterprise Resource Planning started to cover customer relations operations as well.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen reports of the death of ERP—it was Gartner itself that announced the loss and a successor in 2000, with the rallying cry of “Long Live ERP II”—but they were greatly exaggerated, as this was merely an expansion of what ERP entailed following years of technological strides. But in 2019, it has become clear that ERP has a younger sibling that has surpassed it.

(Modern Enterprise Systems) MES: The Future is Now

Of course, ERP isn’t dead. It’s just growing into something bigger and better. “ERP is now becoming more intelligent,” says Bade Dahunsi, Sr. Vice President of ERP at Katalyst Technologies. “The solution has evolved to more than just the back office.” The advent of social media has allowed for more immediate and direct communication that shifts expectations for businesses and consumers alike. “You look at crowdsourcing as, how do I improve this process to make it better? Before you didn’t have that,” Dahunsi says. “Instantly from my social media platform, I can give you what my experience is. That can also tie into seeing what I was doing wrong from the customer perspective.”

Modern Enterprise Systems (MES) give hope for the future. MES are even more dynamic and wide-ranging application that essentially unifies a business’s entire needs under one umbrella. While ERP Software often required costly, energy-absorbing computing and the resources of a responsible IT department, MES is typically cloud-based, and for that practical storage solution alone, it can save companies time and money. That also increases the capability to link different components of an organization’s processes, leading to greater transparency and communication between each chain. It’s no surprise that 38% of businesses say that integrating data across platforms is a priority, and 31% are focused on modernizing their technology.

With data management becoming an increasingly complicated process, having an updated system is essential to ensuring companies operate efficiently. Data lakes could be an ideal format to incorporate into an MES strategy. Other benefits of upgrading applications include increased security, faster access to information, and reduced costs.

How to Approach MES

Plan ahead – As with any situation involving an organization’s structural evolution, careful planning is key. The longer a system has been in place, the more difficult and time-consuming it will be to adjust. By getting a head start and grasping the challenges and opportunities the new approach will offer, you can prevent unnecessary delays and frustration in the implementation stage. “is what problem are you trying to solve,” Dahunsi says. “You can’t chase everything. What process needs improving? Is it your back office, or is it the front end? What are you trying to solve?”
Adapt – Stay on top of trends to consistently determine what makes sense for your business. Be open to adjusting long-term practices, including potentially shifting the way different parts of the organization communicate. Leaders of an MES-based organization need to be directly in tune with every aspect of the company. This awareness will allow them to determine what is working and what can be improved.
Analyze – Take full advantage of the data coming in to obtain clear, concise knowledge of how the business operates. By nature, MES allows data to be interpreted in real time, and with absolute accuracy. With MES, leaders can make more confident and informed decisions on moving forward. “Data is the new oil,” Dahunsi says. “Oil is meant to be the main commodity. The new commodity now is data. The people that have the data are the ones that are going to have the power.”
Katalyst Can Help

While you take a moment to grieve for ERP, we know we must move forward. That’s what ERP would have wanted. By reaching out to the experts at Katalyst, you can discover how your organization can stay on the cutting edge of technology. We can help you find the best solution for your enterprise planning in these trying times and in the future.

An Endless War: Fight Against Hair Loss

For many people who lose their hair, this weakens their confidence in their identity and feelings, although the fact is that millions of men and women are suffering from hair loss. According to a 2014 survey by the International Society for Hair Restoration Surgery, approximately 35 million men in the United States suffer from some types of hair loss, and approximately 21 million women are affected by it.

Causes of Hair Loss
There are three most common causes. The first is mental health disorder. When people have huge stress emotionally, the scalp hair muscles contract, and the capillaries that transport nutrients to the hair follicle contract, causing local blood circulation disorders, thereby causing ecological changes and malnutrition.

The second cause of androgen-induced hair loss is related to heredity and androgens. It is characterized by progressive loss on the forehead and the top of the head. It is more common in men who are engaged in mental work and often begin to lose hair around the age of 20-30. The progression is slow, and female patients usually have mild hair loss with their top part sparse, thin and soft.

In addition, seborrheic alopecia is also very common. This is a type that occurs on the basis of excessive sebum overflow, often accompanied by increased dandruff, greasy scalp, and itching. It usually occurs in young adults with strong sebaceous glands. The hair becomes thin and soft, and some are accompanied by scalp seborrheic dermatitis. The patients gradually start to lose hair from the top of the head, then spread to the forehead.

History of Hair Loss Treatment
The earliest documented treatment began in 1550 BC in the unearthed document Ebers Papyrus. In ancient Egypt, pharaohs invented a method for preventing and controlling hair loss. They boiled the mixture of onions, honey, alabaster and the fats of animals such as hippos, crocodiles, cats, snakes, etc., into a paste, which was then applied to the scalp. This ancient method certainly has no scientific basis. Modern treatments have made great progress. In addition to relaxing and creating a comfortable spiritual world, drug treatment and hair transplantation have been proven effective methods.

Drugs commonly used are minoxidil and finasteride. The former can be applied to the scalp to dilate blood vessels, stimulate hair follicles and promote the growth. Finasteride can inhibit a substance called 5a reductase in the body, thereby reducing the body’s dihydrotestosterone(DHT), thereby preventing hair loss. However, these medicines have some side effects, such as causing a rapid heartbeat, not applicable in pregnancy, and rebound effect.

Hair transplantation transplants the follicles in its dense area to the loss area, and generally transplants the follicles in the posterior occipital area which are not affected by androgens to the loss area. After transplantation, the follicles will grow on their own, no special maintenance is needed, and they can be trimmed, dyed, and permed without falling off. But the cost is higher and the operation is not without any risks.

Future of Hair Loss Treatment
The struggle between humans and hair loss continues. On June 3, 2020, a new study published by Harvard researchers in Nature brings hope for patients with hair loss. The researchers used human stem cells to grow hair follicles and successfully grow hair on mice.

As it is mostly caused by damaged hair follicles, so the most effective treatment is to transplant new hair follicle tissue. Researchers at Harvard University achieved this treatment by using human stem cells to successfully cultivate skin organoids in petri dishes. The researchers said that these stem cells can form any type of skin tissue. After transplantation into mice lacking hair, more than half of the grafts grew 2 to 5 mm of new hair, which is almost the same as natural hair.

In the not-too-distant future, with the development of the Internet, big data, hardware, and optimization of software, many technologies that cannot be implemented now will benefit us well. It is believed that these new technologies will introduce safer and more effective weapons to win the battle with hair loss.

Herbal Remedies To Control High BP In A Safe Manner

If an individual has been diagnosed to have high blood pressure, he/she might be worried about how to bring down the numbers in a natural manner. Experts are of the opinion that lifestyle can play an important role in treating the high BP issue. Besides making some lifestyle changes like reducing salt in diet and exercising, the individual can rely on herbal remedies to control high BP as these remedies are safe and they do not increase dependency as well. Let us get into the details about such an herbal remedy called as Stresx capsules.

What can Stresx capsules address?

These capsules besides acting as the ideal herbal remedies to control high BP, can bring the following benefits to the users:

1. It can bring down restlessness and fatigue problems

2. It can correct the poor functioning of heart

3. It can address issues like sleeplessness and insomnia

4. It can facilitate healthy flow of blood to the central and peripheral nervous system

5. It will maintain healthy arteries.

In general, patients with high BP will experience the above-mentioned problems and this is why they are recommended to use Stresx capsules as the one-stop solution for all these issues.

What are the ingredients in Stresx capsules?

As most of us know, we should choose any herbal remedy only after gathering details about the ingredients in the capsules. So, here are the details about ingredients that contribute towards the effectiveness of Stresx capsules:

Arjuna:

1. This ingredient in Stresx capsules is known to promote healthy vasoconstriction and vasodilation. This in turn will aid in healthy blood circulation all through the body.

2. The stimulating property of this herb will help in improving blood circulation and can bring down the risk of heart attack.

3. It will help in maintenance of healthy cholesterol level in the body.

4. It is also known to have a substance called casuarinin, which can inhibit breast cancer cell growth in the body.

Brahmi:

1. This ingredient in effective herbal remedies to control high BP can be beneficial for improving brain functions.

2. It can improve memory, mental deficiency, anxiety, depression and stress, thereby reducing blood pressure levels in a natural manner.

3. It is also a cardio tonic and its diuretic properties will help in elimination of unwanted wastes from the body.

Shankpushpi:

1. This ingredient can improve brain functions in a natural manner.

2. It is known to be effective in treatment of hypertension, hypotension, stress and anxiety issues.

3. It can improve nerve tissues and quality of bone marrow.

4. It can provide excellent relief for hypothyroidism.

5. It can remove certain types of fatty acids that are harmful to the body.

Not just these ingredients, these herbal remedies to control high BP are made out of many other ingredients like ashwagandha, ganjwan, sudh shilajit, aam, chotachand, jyotishmati, jadwar, vacha and safed musli. All these ingredients can address the different issues contributing towards high blood pressure, thereby bringing complete relief to the patients.