April 21, 2014

Interactive Analysis Tools (calculators)



Enterprise Applications Integration

Before you begin

Keep in mind the following caveats before you begin the EAI test and review the answers:

  • This calculator is not meant to be precise. Consider the answer to be a back-of-the-envelope guess.
  • While the following eight questions reflect the main issues that will primarily determine the level of EAI your organization may need, other unspecified challenges may tilt the equation in one direction or another. For example, the following factors may play a large role in determining if EAI is appropriate:
    • the number and type of legacy, client/server, and Web-enabled applications currently in your portfolio;
    • the industry your company serves and its level of online sales activity;
    • the size of your organization; and
    • the extent of centralization or decentralization.
  • Furthermore, the values in the calculator are based on current practice. Over time, more companies will rely on the Internet and e-commerce as a primary sales channel. For those companies, adopting EAI will be a necessity, not a strategic option.
  • Legal disclaimer: Microsoft Corp. and Aberdeen Group provide this calculator solely for self-evaluation. The calculator is offered "as-is."

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about the EAI test, please contact the editor of The Enterprise from Microsoft at: entfeed@microsoft.com. Please note that technical support of Microsoft software products is not available at that e-mail address. Support questions should be submitted to www.microsoft.com/support/.

 

Question 1
What percentage of your organization's annual revenue will be derived from online sales in calendar year 2001?

  0-  4

  5-14

15-24

25-34
35-44

45-54

55-64

65-74
75-84

85-94

95-100


Question 2
What percentage of your company's sales will be derived from joint ventures and other special partnerships in 2001?

  0-  4

  5-14

15-24

25-34
35-44

45-54

55-64

65-74
75-84

85-94

95-100


Question 3
What percentage of sales is derived through repeat customers?

  0-  4

  5-14

15-24

25-34
35-44

45-54

55-64

65-74
75-84

85-94

95-100


Question 4
What percentage of your organization's sales is dependent upon your customer acquiring another product or service that you do not sell or control (sales dependence)?

  0-  4

  5-14

15-24

25-34
35-44

45-54

55-64

65-74
75-84

85-94

95-100


Question 5
What percentage of your firm's sales revenue is derived from products that are dependent on a third-party supplier (supplier dependency)?

  0-  4

  5-14

15-24

25-34
35-44

45-54

55-64

65-74
75-84

85-94

95-100


Instructions:
For each of the following questions, insert a number from 1 to 10 that represents the level of impact on your organization of the action in the question. The greater the impact, the higher the number.


Question 6
What will be the impact of expanding supplier partnerships for your business over the next three years?

1

2

3

4
5

6

7

8
9

10


Question 7
To what extent are support costs (people, training, documentation) the major issue that prevents a broader sales distribution strategy?

1

2

3

4
5

6

7

8
9

10


Question 8
Is your business at risk from a competitor that could establish a business relationship through a nontraditional distribution agreement? In other words, what impact will disintermediation have on your organization?

Imagine you're in the consumer battery business and a competitor organizes a joint venture with a major handheld video game maker to co-brand their products. The video game maker's packaging says the product works best with the competitor's batteries. What would be the impact on your business if a competitor did a similar deal?

1

2

3

4
5

6

7

8
9

10




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