Accountability in higher education institutions has been an on-going national issue over the past decade. Control of costs, elimination of duplication, and evidence of other inefficiencies are the focus for legislatures and higher education regulating and coordinating agencies. Spurred by rising college costs, higher debt service, diminution in quality and productivity of higher education, and questions about higher education institutions’ mission and its relative value, policy makers are shining a spotlight on this topic.

Much like the Clash of the Titans, an epic battle has unfolded among productivity suite providers. For those unfamiliar with the term, productivity suite providers help individuals and organizations deliver information – whether in the form of a document, presentation, worksheet, database, charts, electronic music or digital video. Common examples include Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, Corel WordPerfect Office, Apple’s iWork, and Lotus Symphony.

Microsoft SharePoint is one of the most ubiquitous software platforms – ever. According to Microsoft’s blog, “SharePoint supports 2 out of 3 information workers in the enterprise." Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s General Manager, revealed in a conference that SharePoint brought about “double digit growth for each of the last 18 quarters,c – faster than other Microsoft products.  A Google search of the term returns 38 million results (in .93 seconds, if anyone is counting). By comparison, the most searched Google term of 2016, Powerball, returns 11.8 million results.

It’s February 9th, and as it happens every year, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner (dare we suggest, lurking? ☺).  For some of us, this holiday is one that we look forward to as we anticipate sending or receiving flowers and candy, getting gussied up, and heading out for a romantic night in town.  For others, the emotional response may not be as rewarding.  Regardless of your relationship status - or your relationship with the holiday - Valentine’s Day is a good opportunity to take stock of the important connections in your life.   

Over the past year, the term blockchain is one which is garnering much attention. The concept of a cryptographically secured chain of blocks, however, is not of something new. Dating back to 1991, Stuart Haber and Scott Stornetta questioned the prospect of time-stamping on digital documents. So, why does this matter and what is the impact on the world of contract management?

Welcome back – it's been a while!  As we're heading out of the dog days of summer, we wanted to get right back on the horse and tackle a more challenging topic - not the management of your contracts, but rather the management of the many supporting documents which are either part of the initial contract or subsequently impact your contracts.

Welcome back! Our focus this week is on Line of Business or LoB integration and the role that this topic plays in contract management. As a provider of contract management software, a question frequently posed to us is: "Can you integrate with our LoB system?" As the leading provider of a contract lifecycle management software powered by the SharePoint and Office 365 platforms, the answer is "yes". However, before removing this item from your checklist, let's review some important considerations.

Hello again!  Thank you for joining us for the newest edition of This Week in Contract Management.  I came across a thought provoking article regarding Knowledge Management (KM) that warranted attention.

Hello Everyone!  Thanks for tuning in again to This Week in Contract Management  As you may or may not be aware, we host a monthly webinar series where our CEO and President, Russ Edelman, analyzes c urrent industry issues and best practices, as well as the role contract management plays in allowing organizations to identify and address immediate operational inefficiencies.  The focus of our most recent webinar, Contract Management | Buy-Side, Sell-Side & More, was the commonalities of Buy-Side, Sell-Side and other contract types and how they can harmoniously exist in a single managed repository.

Understanding your company's competitive advantage or advantages is critical in today's fast moving economy.  When one contemplates competitive advantage, they do so in the context of greater sales or improved margins.  Rarely does one consider how your contract management processes can contribute to your company's competitive advantage from a sales perspective. And while contract management extends across all contract types, the focus of this post is all about sales contracts and the impact that they have on your business.  Consider this: IACCM, the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management, cites that almost 10% of gross revenue is lost on poor contracting processes.  For the disbelievers out there, cut this figure in half, and if you feel compelled, cut it in half again.  The impact to both your top and bottom line is staggering.