Businesses looking to launch a business process management (BPM) project would be wise to consider cloud-based BPM services. BPM as a Service offers a number of benefits, especially to mid-market companies, that are rolling out pilot BPM projects or BPM for development and testing. Learn more about the promise and potential problems of BPM in the cloud in the latest issue of eBizQ’s BPM Quarterly (Note: link opens a PDF).
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Crystal Bedell
Freelance technology writer & content consultant
cbedell@bedellcommunications.com
I’m writing a guide for product managers, business development folks and others in B2B technology on how to write white papers. There is no shortage of information on the topic, but I still see a lot of forum activity and Google searches on how to write white papers. My plan is to dig a little deeper than those other resources and really address the needs of those who know their product/service but do not consider themselves writers.
To this end, I’d like your feedback on the challenges you face when writing a white paper. Is it identifying a topic? Creating an outline? Writing clear and engaging copy? Please email me at cbedell@bedellcommunications.com and let me know what it is you struggle with when writing white papers. Your email will be kept private. I’ll only use your feedback to help shape the content of the guide.
Thank you!
A major pet peeve of mine is when companies make up new words for which there is already a word. Even worse, when you ask a company spokesperson, “What is X?” and he/she is unable to simply say, “Oh, we mean Y.”
The benefits of trying to make something new again are negated when you choose not to clearly define what you are referring to. There is no benefit in attempting to elevate your offerings through convoluted language. IT professionals are short on time. They want to know if your product or service will address their problem. They shouldn’t have to read and reread your collateral to understand what it is you do. And, in fact, they won’t.
Some companies become so entrenched in their messaging that they fail to realize when it has become a detriment to their marketing and sales efforts. The best way to break the cycle? Hire a third party to produce your next piece of marketing material. Tell them what you do and gauge their response. Then tell them you want content that speaks plainly and simply about the problem your offering solves and how it does so. The discussion that follows — and the resulting content — should be enlightening for everybody involved.
Related posts:
How to use jargon — and the dangers of doing so
Take advantage of hype to create compelling content
Know your customers: Don’t tell them what they already know
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Crystal Bedell
Freelance technology writer
cbedell@bedellcommunications.com
Continuous integration is a necessity in its own right. It provides visibility and helps lower software development costs. But continuous integration also paves the way for other software development trends that offer their own benefits. Learn more about these trends and the role of continuous integration tools in this article on SearchSoftwareQuality.com: Continuous integration: Tools and trends.
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Crystal Bedell
Freelance technology writer
cbedell@bedellcommunications.com
IT organizations looking to virtualize their data centers may be weighing the pros and cons of Microsoft Hyper-V vs. VMware. One point to take into consideration is the availability of security solutions for each vendor. The majority of third-party security products are only available for VMware (Read Virtual network security: A vendor comparison).
A third-party security solution is a necessity for virtualized data centers. The security software used to protect a physical infrastructure does not necessarily carry over, and the virtualized infrastructure introduces new threats to the IT environment. Therefore, the availability of a third-party security product should be a consideration early in your virtualization planning.
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Crystal Bedell
Freelance technology writer
cbedell@bedellcommunications.com