Major transformational technology initiatives such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects are typically big, costly, and complicated. Even today, many fail to live up to expectations. As consultants, we’ve spent countless hours helping clients avoid or recover from mistakes – and unsurprisingly, avoidance is always less painful than recovery. In the spirit of helping you avoid costly mistakes in your transformational technology initiatives, we would like to share with you five expressions we commonly hear that tend to indicate there are problems on the horizon.
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In support of restarting the economy and the lifting of stay-at-home orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Liberty Advisor Group has developed an automated contact tracing solution called Virtual PPE designed for companies looking to ensure the safety of their workforce as they re-open operations.
Read moreManufacturing Execution Systems (MES) enable shop floor operations while helping producers to increase yield that meets QA criteria. Purchasing and implementing such a solution, however, is an expensive and time-consuming initiative that will disrupt business for months. To improve the likelihood of a successful program that delivers operational benefits, Liberty Advisor Group’s Alex Jay discusses what manufacturers should consider prior to starting an MES transformation.
Read moreAs many states look to reopen and lift stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations are looking to protect their employees while re-opening up their business operations. Yet, what will the new normal look like?
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The relationship between PE firms and portfolio companies is delicate. General Partners (GPs) often have strong operational experience, something that translates into detailed thought on how to run the businesses they own. But strong managers don’t want to be micro-managed. To attract and retain top talent, funds, therefore, aim to be additive vs directive. With…
Read moreTimes of crisis in the business sector can often lead to an overall improvement if one takes insight and a little courage to make changes. Leaders must build adaptive organizations that rapidly respond to changing conditions, in order to deliver customer value and stave off competition and remain relevant.
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Principal Consultant Dave Leopold has won a Consulting Magazine ‘Rising Stars of the Profession’ Award in the ‘Client Services’ category. The award recognizes the achievements of consultants aged under 35.
Read moreRead this article from Reader’s Digest that outlines the ‘8 Places You Should Never Use Free Wi-Fi’ where Liberty Advisor Group’s Armond Caglar is quoted with his perspective.
Read moreEconomic disruptions like the Coronavirus demonstrate the growing need for the digitization of critical business functions. Liberty Advisor Group explores how to transform into a more resilient company.
Read moreDuring the COVID-19 crisis, Liberty continues to partner with our clients to help them create collaborative, virtual workspaces while ensuring they protect and secure their businesses.
Read moreAs the coronavirus expands globally, Liberty provides an update on the current state and steps Liberty recommends your business takes today.
Read moreAs the Coronavirus continues to impact businesses globally, Liberty recommends that companies outline a business continuity plan for their employees. In this article, Liberty outlines Four Critical Steps to protect your employees and business.
Read morePrivate equity (PE) has traditionally been a sector that focused on fundamentals: what are the earnings and how can they be increased? While that remains the case today—healthy profits are required to pay down debt service from the acquisition and give PE firms room to breathe as they look to improve the underlying business—we are…
Read moreAcross our clients in our Financial Services practice, Liberty saw three major trends in the financial services sector in 2019, and forecast these to continue into 2020: increased consumer credit, end-to-end digitization, and conversational commerce. Trend 1: Increasing Consumer Credit and Emerging Signs of Trouble Even though the economy has been strong, with unemployment at…
Read moreThe consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry is changing rapidly. With new technologies shifting the way consumers shop and companies do business, there is a growing demand for CPG companies to accomplish more with less and drive business value using technology and data. Innovations in technology are driving new expectations and behaviors among today’s consumers. To…
Read moreThe US and China comprised nearly half of global car sales in 2019 but economic conditions may stall future growth. Understanding the regional factors affecting these auto-markets and how they may impact OEMs is the focus for Part 2 of Alex Jay and Ed McCarter’s automotive industry analysis.
Read moreThe new decade presents a precipitous landscape that few in and outside of the automotive sector have previously experienced. To help make sense of this captivating, yet complicated industry, Liberty Advisor Group’s Alex Jay and Ed McCarter investigate the major trends impacting the global car-manufacturing business.
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Our data and analytics experts understand how to unleash the power of data and realize the highest value through large-scale data and reporting solutions.
Read moreSophisticated sales processes and commission structures are no reason to limit how a company seeks new sales via the web. Failing to provide a good experience on the web opens the door to competitors who do.
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The approach to delivering disruptive hi-tech automotive products and features in today’s business environment has dramatically changed over the last decade. It is no longer sufficient for OEMs and suppliers to solely rely on traditional product management and engineering capabilities to win in the marketplace.
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Companies don’t think about data readiness efforts for their large scale software implementation until its too late. Begin readying your data as soon as possible, before official program launch, to avoid costly delays or program failure.
Read moreMore than a billion people were affected by corporate cyber attacks in 2018 with the global average cost of $13 million per attack. In addition to the financial costs, the intangible damage to brand value, customer relationships, and intellectual property can be vast. Liberty Advisor Group is proud to announce the launch of Cybeta™, a suite of intelligence products and services designed to help keep your business off the Cyber X.
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Recently healthcare data breaches have grown in both size and frequency, with the most significant breaches impacting as many as 80 million people. Medical data can paint an intimate picture of a person’s life, which makes the information particularly valuable to cyber actors looking to exploit victims. As the healthcare industry continues to adopt new technologies, the volume of sensitive data that can be extracted through existing security gaps grows exponentially.
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Cybersecurity risk oversight is a major focus for boards and one that will remain front and center on their agendas. In recent years, boards have often underestimated cybersecurity risks, resulting in large breaches with significant costs despite significant investments in defensive technologies. Looking ahead, it is helpful to examine the reasons for this uncalculated risk and to identify steps to improve cyber quantification for boards of directors.
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An athletic clothing design company was looking to strategically select a mix of technologies to power their e-commerce sites while ensuring that protection against cybersecurity threats was top priority. Cybeta’s tools were used for a technology attack chain analysis, yielding an objective and predictive measure of how each layer of the e-commerce platform would perform as a stack. The right mix of technologies optimized breach likelihood, return on investment, and potential breach damages.
Read moreThe Ask A Food Manufacturer engaged Liberty Advisor Group to identify procurement process gaps and improvements. The areas of opportunity had resulted in an over-inflated procurement organization, missed discounts due to late payments and vendors threatening credit hold. The Business Problem The company had grown via acquisition, failing to consolidate processes in the procure-to-pay space…
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“We are proud to be Great Place to Work-Certified™,” said Chad Smith, CEO and founder of Liberty Advisor Group. “Our people, with their innovative spirit and ‘do-whatever-it-takes’ attitude, make Liberty great. This certification is a testament to their dedication and hard work and the outcomes they achieve every day for our clients.”
Read moreContinuous improvement and process optimization is something all companies must work at to maintain their competitive advantage. These initiatives must be well thought through from the top down to ensure they are successful and align to the company’s strategic goals.
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There are numerous applications for blockchain in cyberspace – all of them capitalizing on the fundamental security provided by decentralization and data immutability.
Read moreThe operational potential of a blockchain-based decentralized ecosystem is something every enterprise should explore mindfully.
Read moreWhy will using blockchain prove more effective than using a normal database? Satisfying that query will signal that blockchain’s role will be more than a curiosity.
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Implementing an ERP is usually a long, arduous and expensive endeavor. Good answers to the ‘Why’ question are imperative, in our mind, to justify moving forward. We frequently see firms choosing to invest in an ERP for the wrong reasons.
Read moreERP solutions comprised the lion’s share of a global estimated $405 billion in enterprise software spending in 2018. However, year after year, ERP initiatives prove to be a game of Russian roulette, with unpredictable risks and rewards. Before starting an ERP project, it is essential to evaluate your organization’s ability to take on the initiative.
Read moreWith technology trends continually changing and advancing, it is paramount that you consider all factors when analyzing or updating your ERP landscape, such as business and technology requirements, cost vs. benefit analysis, your current technology landscape and data architecture, and your current organizational structure. Liberty can help you review all possible ERP software options and find the right fit for your business’s needs.
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Robotic process automation which uses computers to tackle repetitive tasks—has very human benefits for mid-sized banks. It frees up staff for higher value work, streamlines operations, reduces costs, and plays a vital role in the digital transformation needed to compete with larger retail banks.
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Achieving real, measurable outcomes from your organization’s analytics practice is pivotal to remaining competitive in today’s data-centric landscape.
Read moreTo enable differentiated experiences, companies must build connected strategies on a strong foundation firmly rooted in user experience design, integrated operating models, process efficiency, digital systems and technology, and robust data sets.
Read moreWhat is the key to capitalizing on the power of AI? Having a good understanding and taking care of the enabling foundation work before diving into AI implementation.
Read moreLiberty Advisor Group created a roadmap for a Fortune 100 World Global Manufacturer Company to improve the value coming from IT.
Read moreA Fortune 100 Financial Services company discovered a need to establish and mobilize a solid program/value management and governance organization to plan, track and measure the success of the investment.
Read moreA wily type of malware that has been around for 30 years, ransomware seems like it would have been obsolete by now. But the rise of cryptocurrency has helped ransomware gain ground as identifying the receiver of payments becomes harder.
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Seeking a competitive advantage, many financial services providers have developed innovative products and services for their customers based on analyzing large volumes of data. Investing heavily in creating the infrastructure to pull together and analyze disparate data – only to discover that the expected return on that investment has not materialized. We have found that clients struggling with how to optimize their current and future investments in data and analytics must overcome several hurdles that cross the boundaries of technology, skill sets, and organizational readiness.
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Liberty Advisor Group has been honored by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE as one of the 2019 Best Workplaces in Consulting and Professional Services.
Read moreTo build cybersecurity, attention must be focused on persistent, predictive, real-time analysis of the entirety of discoverable technologies. Data should be compiled from dozens of sources, and partnerships forged with specialized groups, including local, state and federal agencies.
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Liberty Advisor Group was named one of the 2019 Best Places to Work in Chicago by Crain’s Chicago Business. “This recognition further confirms that Liberty Advisor Group truly is an excellent place to work, with our unique team of senior, results-focused consultants working to solve clients’ toughest business and IT problems.”
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Omnichannel is neither a technology solution nor a means to an end. Rather, it is a transformational way of doing business that connects disparate processes and technologies around an integrated, customer-centric operating model.
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Through enabling new technology, enhancing systems integration, and implementing a new operating model, Liberty assisted a client to achieve customer-centricity in a new omnichannel environment.
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A client asked Liberty to investigate opportunities, consolidate procurement spend and generate savings, but had not previously been successful due to decentralized operations across various locations.
Read moreQuantifying the value a foundational project brings to your organization may be challenging, yet it is important to demonstrate impact not only on the bottom line, but also to functional business areas and overarching corporate strategic initiatives.
Read moreVulnerability to cyber threats is starting to be a key element in due diligence process – as Yahoo found when two massive cyber breaches led Verizon to reduce its purchase price for the Internet company by $350 million.
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Liberty Advisor Group’s Principal Consultant Maggie Ross has won a Consulting Magazine ‘Rising Stars of the Profession’ Award in the ‘Leadership’ category.
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Liberty Advisor Group aids clients by helping them make informed business decisions and execute a data and analytics strategy that is aligned with the desired business outcomes effectively.
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The travel industry has been an attractive investment area for Private Equity, showing around 5% growth every year. PE firms should take an extra look at any of their portfolio companies in the travel, hospitality, loyalty space and take the necessary steps to ensure customer data is protected. Applying a strategic approach to security will empower companies to identify and prioritize their sensitive assets so they can proactively safeguard them.
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Founded in 2008, Liberty’s world-class and award-winning team has an average of 15 years’ experience. Our mission is unchanged: to do the right thing for our clients, our people, and our loved ones at all times.
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Failed IT projects continue to occur at higher alarming rates and impact business efficiency and growth. Here are six factors to keep in your back pocket when planning large-scale IT transformation project for success.
Read moreWith cold winds blowing in and heavy snow on the horizon, Cyber winter is coming. It is more important than ever for companies to have basic cyber precautions in place.
Read moreRecent chatter in dark web forums is trending to attackers developing and testing new schemes to gain access to systems using vulnerability chaining.
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GDPR will evolve as an opportunity to reshape the personal data landscape and businesses will necessarily adapt. While much focus has been on enforcement mechanisms and potential fines, the fact is businesses around the world have invested significant resources moving their organizations towards compliance – but the effectiveness of those investments remains to be seen.
Read moreCompanies are realizing technical debt at a growing rate. Technical debt will never go away and if you are not currently working on reducing it, you are potentially increasing your risk profile and reducing your ability to innovate and compete.
Read moreGlobal Business leaders need to accept the reality that today’s intellectual property is always at risk. Taking a long-term view of their cyber security and supply chains will enable them to secure their most valuable assets – intellectual property.
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Supermicro is the latest hack to affect the business world. Liberty’s Triton Cyber team has developed some key thoughts to get you up to speed on what is happening and if you could potentially be impacted.
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Most enterprises can expand their enterprise value 10% to 15% by achieving reasonable levels of digital synchronization. These results come from increases in EBITDA tracing to better productivity—fewer employee hours required around many operations—and better and more responsive experiences for customers, which helps fuel sales and reduce churn.
In short, smart applications of technology will almost always offer the best way of putting incremental capital to use in a portfolio company. With the right technologists and operators, investments here will lead to better yields.
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Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a method of budgeting in which all expenses must be justified for each new period. The process of zero-based budgeting starts from a “zero base,” and every function within an organization is analyzed for its needs and costs. Liberty gives you the Pros, Cons and four keys steps when implementing this budgeting process.
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The autonomous vehicle industry is hot, and, as OEMs, tech giants and startups vie for a piece of the market, a fundamental question remains: how do we commercialize autonomous vehicles? Liberty Advisor Group’s Alex Jay explores the path to commercialization in this unchartered industry.
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“What is/are the correct hosting options for my business?”. Cloud IT platforms have gained millions of customers for good reason, but they’re often only a part of the best solution for an enterprise. Liberty suggests a few additional things to consider in order to make a more informed decision.
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As we consistently see customers expectations shift and new experiences occur, the dynamic omnichannel ecosystem must be continually evaluated and optimized. IT functions must continually optimize processes and improve technology-enabled capabilities that enhance the customer experience through speed, choice, and convenience.
Read moreAs with electric trains of the early 20th century, the emergence of smart mobility in the past five years is a major paradigm shift in the world of transportation. Ultimately, the gains of adopting smart mobility will far outweigh the initial monetary costs. Cities with effective smart mobility programs will see a decrease in death and injury caused by human error, a decrease in congestion, and increased economic advantage.
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Corporations need to expand their cybersecurity footprint from employees that are on-premise using corporate equipment and must prepare against the newest trend in advanced threats: citizens as cyber weapons.
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Technology strategies can assist in mitigating a potential downturn in the hospitality vertical. Liberty covers that in addition, we review the future state of this booming industry.
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Part 2 of our Omnichannel series, Becoming Customer-Centric, outlines key tenants to architect meaningful, authentic, and seamless omnichannel experiences.
Read moreThousands of companies continue to have issues with individuals downloading known vulnerable software and companies need to figure out better ways to protect themselves and their customers.
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Omnichannel is a transformational way of doing business connecting processes and technologies around an integrated, operating model becoming more customer centric.
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The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which takes effect May 25, 2018, is designed to unify data privacy requirements across the European Union (EU).
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Liberty is proud to announce Dan Izzo as one of Consulting Magazine’s “Top 35 under 35” for the category of Excellence in Operations Management.
Read moreBusinesses continue to pursue and grow through a number of different strategies, both organically and through M&A activity. With transaction levels near all-time highs the demand for fundamentally sound businesses forecasting is paramount. One overlooked cost with M&A activity is Stranded Costs.
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In the wake of the Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor data breach, it’s a reminder for firms to be vigilant in protecting user and payment data and the repercussions of not investing in security.
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The roundtable exercise at the 2018 MAPI conference challenged senior risk managers with the tasks of finding, isolating, and remediating the security incident affecting production operations.
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Organizations must be prepared, responsible, strategic and proactive when it comes to protecting themselves and their networks. From the new reality where the technical barriers to entry continue to lower for new attackers while the toolsets at their disposal quickly proliferate and strengthen.
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CheckedUp, a specialty point of care company, today announced that Liberty Advisor Group, its retained technology assessment partner, has completed a review of their patient engagement platform.
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Liberty is proud to be named one of the top 25 BI and Analytics firms of 2017 by CIO Applications Magazine.
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Equifax, one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies, disclosed on 7 Sep 2017 that hackers had successfully obtained unauthorized access to sensitive privacy and financial information of upwards of 143 million American consumers.
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Read our perspective on the growing dark web threat from Liberty’s own Armond Caglar in CSO Online.
Read moreAs another new year begins, organizations are busy compiling their assets and liabilities to prepare their annual reports. However, there is one critical liability that likely will not make it on most balance sheets — technical debt.
Read moreEven when a transaction makes sense strategically and is valued appropriately, poor merger execution can prevent a company from achieving success. Over the following pages, the “7 Deadly Sins” of merger integration will be explored, presenting the most common execution pitfalls and how your organization can mitigate the risk of M&A hell.
Read moreHow transparent is your cyber risk landscape? Liberty has compiled a simple health check enabling executives to self-evaluate their exposure.
Read moreMay 17, 2017 – Another day, another devastating cyber incident with global reach that is leaving companies and organizations around the world reeling. Isn’t that how the expression goes? If not, it sure does feel like it.
Read moreMarket leaders who exhibit a relentless appetite for innovation and change achieve the twin benefits of increased sales and total shareholder returns. Remaining vigilant to this pursuit over time, these leaders are big winners in both the marketplace and with their customers, as compared to their peers.
Read moreAnalytics and Big Data are all the hype these days, just as it seems that traditional Business Intelligence has reached maturity. The diversity of solutions and cacophony of voices can be paralyzing when considering the costs.
Read moreThe mandate for improved profitability has become more intense over the last five years thanks to external pressures and internal demands. But where will this profitability come from? Waste and reduction in virtually every area have left few stones unturned. The last hold out often turns out to be sales and marketing.
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CHICAGO, January 16, 2017 – Liberty Advisor Group, a top-tier business and technology consultancy and a 2016 fastest growing firm, announced today that it has completed its acquisition of G²S Global, an Indianapolis-based security advisory specializing in business threat intelligence and cyber monitoring solutions.
Read moreOctober 17, 2016 – CHICAGO, IL – Liberty Advisor Group is pleased to announce it has been named to Consulting magazine’s Fastest Growing Firms at the 2016 annual gala and award dinner. Liberty grew 196 percent from 2012 to 2015, earning them the 16th place on the list of combined domestic and international firms.
Read moreOne of the most common questions clients ask is, “How do I go about hiring a CIO/CTO?” An organization’s technology decision maker plays a critical role in shaping its future; choosing one is a delicate process, as the decision will have an immeasurable impact on your business’s ability to grow and evolve.
Read moreFor the better part of 20 years, investment in packaged ERP systems has been big business. According to Gartner, worldwide spending on ERP program implementations, upgrades, and maintenance totaled an estimated $120.4 billion in 2012. The ability to systematically integrate functions of your business into a streamlined application has promised to provide greater operational efficiency, advanced data capabilities, and competitive advantages
Read moreAs part of the due diligence process, private equity investors are increasingly focusing on the security of the potential investment’s technology infrastructure and critical business information. However, that same scrutiny is often lacking when investors look at the systems and processes of companies already within their portfolio.
Read moreLarge corporations’ failures with large IT projects are – if not stemming from precisely the same issues – still failures in kind. By far the largest overarching mistake that corporations make is the tendency to view their transformational projects as belonging entirely beneath IT’s umbrella. As a result, they fail to accord these projects whole-business importance, and thus they lack active top-level business support and commitment, as well as a clearly defined economic business case.
Read moreAs calendars turn to July and August, thoughts often turn to summer weather, baseball games and weekend getaways. However, in the hearts and minds of executives, this time of year also signals the commencement of another annual planning cycle.
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