Are QR Codes Fading Out? Only If Self-Absorbed Businesses Will Allow It

The Changing Nature of Technology
If one thing is for certain, it’s that technology is ever-changing. Being far from immutable in all senses of the word, technology is always shifting and flowing as it marches onward. Perhaps these QR naysayers do have some validity to their claims; although not to the extent that they probably imagine. While it’s true that virtually all technology will get replaced eventually, it’s not true to say that the technology in question is not going to have a strong run… and QR technology is fresh in the industry.
So What’s the Problem?
So why do people think that QR codes are going to get replaced before they’ve even had a chance to fulfill their full potential? It’s because people use them stupidly. That’s right: stupidly. Most businesses and companies have been using QR codes like narcissistic drama queens. What’s the bottom line? People don’t care about your website. Many people don’t bother to scan QR codes because there is simply no reward for doing so. Think about it from a consumer’s point of view: if you’re sitting in a pub, drinking a pint of your favorite beer, and you happen to catch a glimpse of a poster on the wall for a beer company, and on that poster is a QR code, are you really going to pull out your smartphone, activate the camera, and scan the QR code? For what? So you can be brought to a webpage that promotes Miller Genuine Draft? No. You’re not going to do that. Why? Because there’s absolutely no motivation for it.
So What’s the Solution?
The solution to this should be obvious to all: offer the consumer a good reason to scan your QR code. The aim of marketers needs to be to make QR codes as ubiquitous as possible – that way, people won’t think about the effort it takes to take out their smartphone and snap a photo. It will become second nature to them. But giving users no motivation will not achieve the ubiquity of QR technology. Companies need to start using QR technology in intelligent ways. They can do this by offering things like coupons, promotions and contests that will spark user interest. If businesses will wake up from their self-absorbed, megalomaniacal coma, they can together start creating the well-deserved buzz that QR codes should already be fostering.
QR technology provides limitless ideas to marketers – and it’s their responsibility to use it to its full potential. So what’s the conclusion of all of this? If companies don’t smarten up, then the naysayers may be right. Innovative and intelligent technology will die if not used in an innovative and intelligent fashion. Let’s start using this useful technology in more creative ways. By doing so, it is certain that QR technology will undoubtedly have a long shelf-life.…

Benefits of Open Source ERP to Small and Medium Businesses

Considering its robust platform, many developers have come up with beautiful web based solutions including ERP. ERP on this platform is not really new. It has been around for some years now. However, looking at its acceptability, one of the open-source ERP has also received venture funds recently. It proves that ERP on Open Source is a viable business solution not only for the industry users but also for investors.

What makes Open source tick?

Huge technically well qualified community

Very definition – Open to change from users

Free – all Open Source components are either free or nearly free

Maintenance is today available from third party vendors, though at a cost

Free regular upgrades

Backing by mighty software vendors like Google, Facebook etc.

Thus, any software developed on Open Source proves to be less costly to implement, though not free as many people imagine. Only negative is that there are no standards, or in other words, there are too many standards. But, with proliferation of vendors in this field, it is possible to work around given standards, say Suse Linux from Novell or Red Hat etc.

All this has made it possible to develop large complex applications like ERP on open source. With some years of experience on Open-source based ERPs and alternative revenue models that have emerged, it is possible for a user to opt for this ERP. Outside India there are many such ERPs today in the market. In India too, ESS has taken the lead by releasing an ERP based on LAMP stack.

How does such LAMP based ERP make sense to small & medium sized companies?

User does not have to worry about license cost of third party components like O/S, Database etc. nor does the user have to worry about AMC for these products. Third party vendors do provide AMC for LAMP based products also, but user has an option. If he/she is technically savvy, he/she may chose to maintain the system by self. If however, user is not tech-savvy one may chose to go with a vendor for regular support.

With support of large community of developers it comes with features that are much more user friendly many times than what people imagine.

Because of the quality of developers, generally the software is lighter to work on and maintain.

With technology base of Open Source, products built on this platform are more suited for Cloud computing structure than other heavy weight products in the market.

It is light weight as compared to other available proprietary technologies, thus consume lesser hardware and network resources.

With Cloud computing coming up as the next wave, ERPs built on LAMP stack have natural advantage in exploiting this technology.

Thus, it makes eminent sense for Open Source ERP for SME. The users can look at various alternatives available.…