2007, A Year of Achievement and Change, 2008 The Year of Opportunity

2007 was a year of tremendous achievement and success for all of us at B2B Workforce. Our renewed focus on driving strategic value to our clients was rewarded. We started the year with three very focused strategic objectives:

• Drive growth of our IBM and SAP America Relationships
• Continue to expand and tightly manage our Accenture Relationship
• Enhance our profitability by leveraging our assets more fully

The B2B Team, which includes all of our consultants, executed on all three of the objectives exceptionally well. Our IBM account team increased our billable consultants from 81 to 131. This incredible increase of 61.7 % has positioned IBM to challenge Accenture as our largest account in 2008. Last winter B2B, under the leadership of Brad Elster, undertook a strategic review of SAP America as a client. The team clearly defined the challenges and opportunities for this account and built and executed an account strategy geared to significantly growing this important relationship. The SAP Team's efforts were rewarded with a 90+% growth in billable consultants on SAP America's projects. This unique relationship also resulted in over 40 jobs direct with end clients as a result of SAP America's introductions.

2007 presented unique challenges to our Accenture Team. After a stunning growth in excess of 100% in 2006, the Accenture Team has a hard act to follow. Early in the year, the team quickly understood this and developed a plan that recognized the challenges and opportunities ahead. Their focus on penetrating the SAP business at Accenture while continuing to grow our Oracle business was insightful and critical to our ongoing success.

The ultimate measurement of success is the profitability of the business. B2B enjoyed revenue growth of over 30% in 2007. By careful management of our business, we were able to leverage this revenue growth into bottom line results that doubled our 2006 results. This tremendous financial performance allows us to start 2008 firmly in control of our financial destiny.

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SAP in the news

SAP May Say Fourth-Quarter Profit Slips on Increased Spending: Click here

Wawa: Need retail software, will travel: Click here

BI Vendor Stays Itself Under SAP: Click here

New SAP Podcast!

Jon Reed Interviews Steve Strout, ASUG CEO, Presented by B2B Workforce. "A Frank Discussion of the Challenges SAP Users are Facing and How ASUG Can Help"

Jon Reed speaks with Steve Strout, CEO of ASUG, the SAP User's Group, about the key issues SAP customers are facing in the NetWeaver and eSOA era. Jon asks Steve about the different perspectives SAP customers have concerning upgrades and how ASUG can make an impact on SAP project team education and support during the upgrade cycle. Steve also talks about how ASUG is impacting SAP's product evolution and he shares his vision for ASUG in 2008 and beyond.

To listen Click here

Ask the SAP Career Expert

Q:If you could add just one SAP tool to your skill set, what would it be?

JR: In the NetWeaver and eSOA era, there are all kinds of nifty SAP tools to add to your skill set. From Visual Composer to the NetWeaver Composition Environment (CE), from Enterprise Modeler (formerly Aris for NetWeaver) to Master Data Management (MDM), there's all kinds of tools you could expand your skills for greater marketability. Of course, which tool you pursue next will depend on the opportunities on your project and the focus of your current skill set.

But keeping in mind that one-size-never-fits-all in SAP, one tool stands out above the others: Solution Manager. What I can tell you after having attended dozens of workshops at SAPPHIRE and TechEd, as well as sitting through more SAP webcasts than a rational person would advise, is that Solution Manager gets mentioned more than any other tool.

Click Here to read the rest of Jon's answer to this question and more.

Oracle in the News

Oracle Software as a Service Platform Leveraged by Agistix, Leading SaaS Logistics Management Automation Provider : Click here

Analyst Firm Ranks Oracle as Leader in Customer Relationship Management Applications: Click here

Oracle Grows India and Asia Pacific Relational Database Management Systems Market Sharess: Click here

Health Tip from WebMD

New Year's Resolution: Get Fit Resolved to exercise and get in shape? Here's how to actually do it.

By Dulce Zamora

You needed neither that second serving nor the extra round of drinks. Yet you indulged. Aren't the holidays about good times with loved ones, great food, and merrymaking? Anyway, beginning Jan. 1, you will eat healthier and work out. Starting then, you will get fit. This will be your New Year's resolution. Life will be better after December.

Sound familiar? It should if you're one of the millions of people who find themselves unsatisfied with their excess body weight or sluggish physical condition at the turn of the calendar.

In fact, about a third of New Year's resolvers make weight loss their primary goal, and about 15% aim to begin an exercise program, suggests a small study John C. Norcross, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Scranton, Pa.

To view the full article on WebMD.com: Click here

FUN STUFF

Now that we have rung in 2008 and made our champagne toasts let's take a minute to see how much we actually know about this long-standing holiday celebration.

• New Year's Trivia Quiz