‘joining the dots’ of your applications and systems – the benefits of integration
DESCRIPTION
It is widely acknowledged that data is often an organisations biggest asset. In order to maximise the potential benefits of the data held, effective integration of applications and systems is essential; whether internally across your enterprise or externally with other businesses and customers via public APIs. Using the right combination of strategy, architecture and technologies is the key to building a successful integrated IT platform; one which can not only improve collaboration between staff, partners, customers and suppliers but deliver genuine improvements in productivity and efficiency.TRANSCRIPT
@Waterstonsltdwww.waterstons.com
‘Joining the dots’The benefits of
IntegrationPresented by
Richard BeggLead Specialist: Integration & Software Architecture
Agenda
@ A typical SMB IT landscape challenges@ How using Integration can help@ Importance of Integration strategy@ Forms & Approaches of Integration@ Conclusion
Typical SMB IT Landscape
Typical SMB IT Landscape
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
Bespoke
CRM Data
@ Contacts@ Customer Interactions@ Sales Orders@ Sales Invoices@ Products@ Incidents
Customer Relationship Management
ERP Data
@ Sales Orders@ Sales Invoices@ Products@ Inventory Levels@ Shipments
£Enterprise Resource
Planning
Bespoke Data
@ Anything
Bespoke
SMB IT Landscape Challenges
@ Customers and employees working with data that could be incorrect or out-of-date
@ Employees being less productive due to the need to interact with multiple systems to do common tasks
@ Customers and employees not having the right information available in a timely manner
@ IT unable to adapt to changing business needs
How does Integrated IT help?
@ Reduce data replication and increase data currency@ Make more use of your data and business functions@ Increase the agility of your IT@ Improve business process monitoring and manageability
Integration Strategy
Integration Strategy
@ Using the right strategy is critical@ Integration projects are often large and complex@ Smaller Integration projects delivered in an iterative manner are
more likely to succeed@ The correct architecture and technology choices allow the solution to
grow to meet business needs
Forms of Integration
Forms of Integration
@ Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)@ Integrating applications within your Enterprise
@ Business-to-Business (B2B)@ Integrating your business with other businesses
@ Cloud Integration@ Integrating with Cloud-based resources
Using Cloud Software as a Service
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
BespokeCloud-based Customer Relationship Management
Using Cloud to Scale
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
Bespoke
Utilisation
Using Cloud to Scale
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
BespokeBespok
e
Utilisation
Using Cloud to Scale
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
BespokeBespok
e
Utilisation
Forms of Integration
@ Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)@ Integrating applications within your Enterprise
@ Business-to-Business (B2B)@ Integrating your business with other businesses
@ Cloud Integration@ Integrating with Cloud-based resources
@ Public API@ Providing an interface into your business
Public API
@ Exposes your business functions and data via a documented web service API (REST/SOAP)
@ Allows third-parties to add value to your business@ Public doesn’t mean open access (e.g. OAuth)@ Decreases complexity by providing a common API to all parties@ Large growth area
Public API - Examples
@ Google Maps API@ Facebook API@ Twitter API@ National Grid UK Energy & Gas Flow API
how are you? Public API
Approaches to Integration
Approaches to Integration
@ Each form of Integration can be realised using different approaches@ Not one right answer@ Using a combination of approaches can give greater flexibility
Point-to-Point Bespoke Integration
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
Bespoke
Point-to-Point Bespoke Integration
Pros@ Simple to implement@ Simple to operate
Point-to-Point Bespoke Integration
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
Bespoke
£
Point-to-Point Bespoke Integration
Pros@ Simple to implement@ Simple to operate@ Initially simple to implement
Cons@ Difficult to implement a resilient
and scalable solution@ Difficult to monitor and manage@ Changing a component is
challenging.
Point-to-Point Vendor-Supplied IntegrationPros
@ Easier to implement/setup@ Provides some resilience to failure
Cons@ Integration possibilities defined by
the vendor@ Further lock-in to the vendor@ Difficult to monitor and manage@ Changing a component is still
challenging.
Lightweight Integration Framework
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
Message-Oriented
Middleware
Bespoke
Lightweight Integration Framework
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
Message-Oriented
Middleware
Bespoke
Lightweight Integration Framework
Pros@ Provides failure resilience and
scalability features@ Simplifies routing@ Out-of-the-box monitoring and
management
Cons@ Limited flexibility of the solution@ Transformation may still be
required at each point.
Using an Integration Platform
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
BespokeIntegration Platform
Using an Integration Platform
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
BespokeIntegration Platform
Integration Platform
Using an Integration Platform
Integration Platform
• Content Based Routing• Business Process Management• Business Rules Engine• Business Data Analytics
Content Based Routing
Integration Platform
Content Based Routing
Integration Platform
Message is an OrderMessage is an Invoice
Message is a Customer Enquiry
Content Based Routing
Integration Platform
Invoice
Invoice
OrderInvoice
Customer Enquiry
Content Based Routing
Integration Platform
Order
Order
OrderInvoice
Customer Enquiry
Using an Integration Platform
Customer Relationship Management
£Enterprise Resource Planning
BespokeIntegration Platform
£
Integration Platform as a Service (IPaaS)
@ Provides Integration Platform in the cloud@ Windows Azure BizTalk Services@ MuleSoft CloudHub
@ Should be used for@ Integration entirely in the cloud (Cloud <-> Cloud)@ Hybrid cloud Integration (Cloud -> On Premise, On Premise -> Cloud)
@ Not suitable for on premise only Integration
Integration Platform as a Service (IPaaS)
£Enterprise Resource Planning
Trading Partner
Trading Partner
Integration Platform
EDI
Integration Platform as a Service (IPaaS)
£Enterprise Resource Planning
Trading Partner
Trading Partner
Integration Platform
XML
JSON
Using an Integration Platform
Pros@ Provides a flexible solution@ Capable of scaling to meet changing
business needs@ Simplifies routing and transformation@ Out-of-the-box monitoring and
management@ Reduces effort required to develop
Integration solutions
Cons@ Specialist knowledge required@ Upfront cost.
Using an Integration Platform
Pros@ Provides a flexible solution@ Capable of scaling to meet changing
business needs@ Simplifies routing and transformation@ Out-of-the-box monitoring and
management@ Reduces effort required to develop
Integration solutions@ Simplifies infrastructure complexity and
cost@ Payment by subscription lowers TCO
Cons@ Specialist knowledge required@ Possible legislative or commercial issues
regarding data in the cloud@ Only suitable for Integration in the cloud.
Conclusion
@ The right combination of strategy, architecture and technology is key to building a successful integrated IT platform and allows the solution to grow to meet business needs
@ Integration maximises the availability and currency of data and business function across the enterprise
@ Integrating services in the cloud lowers TCO and increases the agility of your IT to respond to real-time demands.
What’s next?
The Business case: why bother?Friday 28th March 2014, 11:45amJo Adair