Here are a few steps that will make your job easier.
Annoying scenario #1: Your salespeople are forced to do double-entry bookkeeping. Shouldn't you leave that to your accountants? Because your Salesforce.com isn't integrated into your SAP or Oracle systems, your top sales people are also data entry clerks, duplicating information among systems instead of closing more deals.
Annoying scenario #2: Your support team is receiving calls from Customer X about a problem they're having with your solution. Their support system only shows that Customer X has called twice in the past month with the same problem. If they could also access your ERP, they'd be able to see that Customer X ordered every part he needed except for critical Widget Y. Meanwhile, he's tweeting and Facebooking away about how your tech support stinks.
I can come up with more examples, but I think you've got the point.
Integrating your disparate systems allows you to streamline processes, automate mundane tasks, and provide easier access to more complete, relevant, and real-time information. For example, by integrating your ERP and CRM systems such as JD Edwards to Microsoft CRM or to Salesforce.com or by extending info from your system of record into a front-end system such as SharePoint, you'll enable your sales and customer service personnel to enjoy a 360 degree view of your customers – providing them with easy access to the critical data they need to do their jobs better and more effectively. And your business will gain a few more additional benefits. You'll increase productivity, reduce errors and costs, enhance customer satisfaction and service, all while improving overall organizational efficiency.
That's got to help your bottom line.
And the good news is that integration complexity can be greatly reduced without resorting to manually programming or overly complex "middleware" approaches.
After years of experience in the implementation of integration projects that streamline business processes, I can assure you it really isn't as daunting as it sounds. You don't have to put up with "silos" of information that don't work together. You can and should fix this!
Here are a few steps that will make your job easier:
1) Evaluate: Don't do anything, don't touch anything, don't promise anything until you've taken time to analyze the situation. Make sure you review the current set-up. What systems do you have? How will integration help prepare for the update of your software systems? How secure is your existing infrastructure? What needs to be connected? What do you want the end result to look like? How can business processes become more agile and responsive?
2) Discuss: Ensure that you meet with the stakeholders. What do they want to be able to do? How?
3) Prioritize: Construct a logical sequence based upon need and time. Focus on business critical systems that differentiate your company and provide proprietary value first, while considering commoditized operational systems and assets later.
4) Plan with the Future in Mind: Create a realistic implementation plan with appropriate timelines and budgets, taking into account all of the above. Be sure that your plan incorporates sound approaches that will flex with future changes in technology and architecture.
5) Choose Smart Tools: No shortcuts or ill-conceived patchwork! Find integration architecture that spans versions and is compatible with everything you have. Make sure your integration tool has certified connectors for the ecosystems you are integrating (e.g. SAP, Salesforce.com, Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, etc.). Do not take system A and try to mix it with system B by hard-coding your own software connections. Manual point-to-point integration projects require developers to deal with multiple complex APIs as well as challenges of integrating on-premise and cloud-based systems. As a result, manually coded projects frequently create an integration environment that is confused, inefficient, non-scalable, and difficult to maintain. Also, don't confine yourself into a single architecture. You don't want to add even more time and aggravation to the process or lock yourself out of tomorrow's technologies.
6) Don't Do It Alone: Collaborate with experienced vendors. They have done this before. Ask their advice. Many offer formal professional services, preventing you from making common – and expensive mistakes.
As long as you take the same logical approach to integration as you have with the many other projects you've completed, it will be fine. I know. I've helped hundreds of customers through this same process. After all was said and done, they were glad they did it. You will be, too.
Regev Yativ is President and CEO of Magic Software Enterprises Americas.
More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.
TRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now! Request Now.
Forms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.
Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
LATEST COMMENTS
MC Press Online