Enterprise Software Laboratory

Enterprise software is software that is used to support and control business processes. A major focus is on internal company processes supported by traditional ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems. But also cross-organizational processes, e.g. in the areas of supply chain management (SCM) and customer relationship management (CRM), are becoming increasingly important. Ideally, these systems should be embedded in a systematic Business Process Management (BPM).

Theoretical and, above all, practical knowledge in the above-mentioned subject areas is a central learning goal of Business Informatics and represents a significant success factor for the later career entry of graduates of (Business) Informatics.

For these reasons, the Business Software Lab (USW-Lab) was created for students of (business) computer science:

• The laboratory offers access to current systems in the above mentioned topics (especially ERP, BPM and CRM). Both open source systems and commercial products are considered.
• The laboratory serves as a working environment in which students can carry out project and final theses in the above-mentioned subject areas.
• The laboratory serves as a platform for further research in cooperation with companies and public clients.

Hardware equipment:

The actual laboratory room (2/505) has 8 PC workstations and an LCD monitor, which can be used by students for individual and group work.

However, an essential part of the laboratory is hidden - like an iceberg - and consists of a powerful VMWare ESX server installation on which any virtual machines can be created that contain the actual software systems. This concept allows the laboratory's software systems to be used from other computer rooms.