Technology & Learning - January 2008 - (Page 22)

ERP That Works: Fulton County, Georgia In 2006, the Fulton County School District in Georgia voted to implement an ERP system from SAP and hired , third-party Capital Partners Group to monitor the implementation with software consultants CIBER, Inc. The new ERP system, to be completed in 2008, is a far cry from the legacy mainframe computers: the old technology was poorly managed— information had to be entered into a separate database for each department and departments didn’t communicate well. The district looked to ERP for integration and functionality. With ERP the information is , entered into one massive database and can be shared by all departments. Fulton County has managed to stay under budget and on time. The success is due to the use of third-party Capital Partners, which monitors both Fulton County and CIBER to make sure they stick to strict deadlines and stay under budget. Before ERP each depart, ment had its own separate database that only they could access. For example, the payroll had a database of all and the employees, includperson isn’t ing salaries and Stats: hired–the past pay stubs. 88,000 students information The finance 12,000 full-time travels department alloemployees across cated money to departments be spent on 93 schools automatically employees, but it because they was the payroll are all connected to the department that issued same database. checks. “People were hired What is Fulton’s key into positions that weren’t part to success? Sipos cites of the budget,” says Charles creating a strong, solid Sipos, Fulton’s executive Request for Proposal as director of IT, adding that peothe crucial step in ensuring ple got new jobs but didn’t the ERP is successful: “We receive pay. spent six months on the With ERP the two depart, specifications so that we ments are linked to one database. Now, if someone is hired had a clear understanding of what we were doing and and there isn’t enough money where we were going.” in the budget to support them, —PG a red flag goes up in finance Introducing the First MP3 Player Designed for Schools! Now the personal media players your students love can be part of their learning environment—thanks to the new Califone® MP3 Player: Maximum playback volume level (85db) and ambient noise-reducing earcups on the headphone for hearing safety—meet American Speech–Language–Hearing Association (ASHA) guidelines. Industry-ﬁrst dual headphone jacks for multiple listeners—supports individual & group learning and stretches your technology budget! Microphone for podcasting, recording vocal responses, testing & tracking student progress. Durable, easy-to-use, and made of rugged ABS plastic to meet the demands of classrooms & libraries. FREE Shipping for MP3 Players Purchased Through Authorized Califone® Dealers Until June 2008! Ideal for nurturing language learning & reading skills, ELL, ELD applications and listening to recorded books and music. The Sound of Education™ califone.com http://califone.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Technology & Learning - January 2008

Technology & Learning - January 2008 Contents Editor's Desk News & Trends Product Guide Reviews Cover Story: Ten Top Tech Trends ERP Makes a Comeback Tossing Out Textbooks LOY Profile Series Higher Ed How To Bottom Line What's New Emerging Tech

Technology & Learning - January 2008

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