Blog

An integration platform: quickly and easily extracting more value from data

The transition to an integration platform can raise a lot of questions and even resistance. But in doing so, they ignore the fact that standing still is a step backwards and that digitizing today will already be beneficial tomorrow.

The transition to an integration platform can raise a lot of questions and even resistance. Companies are afraid of high investments, are afraid of an endless implementation process, or fear that an enormous amount of adjustments to existing systems will be required. “It's not important enough for us right now,” they say. But in doing so, they ignore the fact that standing still is a step backwards and that digitizing today will already be beneficial tomorrow.


Integration is inevitable in this day and age. Everyone wants to innovate with data, but with the growth of applications, cloud environments and devices, valuable information is stored everywhere and nowhere. Bringing everything together saves a search through systems and departments and makes cutting and pasting unnecessary. By combining and analyzing data, new insights are created and a data-driven working method becomes possible.

In addition, a platform offers the connectivity required for electronic exchange of data with suppliers, customers and other partners. Paper orders, invoices and packing slips are no longer necessary.


Companies are hesitant

Although there are plenty of reasons to switch, companies sometimes still adopt a wait-and-see attitude. In addition to costs and implementation, there may be concerns about:

  • Security and compliancy;
  • Gathering knowledge;
  • Loss of functionalities in legacy IT that provide distinctiveness.

To start with the latter: a major player such as Boomi is able to ensure that old and new environments of each brand work perfectly together quickly and easily by integrating. Everything is aimed at reducing the complexity of integrations1. Boomi meets all security and GDPR requirements. For example, artificial intelligence is used to check whether data remains within national borders and whether data does not flow to places where it is not allowed. Action can then be taken on this2.


Benefits of working with a partner

When it comes to knowledge: a specialized partner has this in-house, of course. Because such a party has experience with implementation processes, they know what is needed to quickly establish links, protect data and adequately manage and maintain the solution.

As an expert in the field of electronic data exchange, ECS is, for example, closely involved in iSHARE, a system of agreements for the logistics sector. This also uses a platform that can be linked to Boomi with a connector. Identification, authentication and authorization are tightly regulated. The owner of the data determines who sees which data and for how long.


Instant savings

Because ECS has already connected many players in many industries, making connections is usually not a matter of weeks or months, but rather hours or at most days. Purchasing an integration platform as a service also means that no major upfront investment is required and that costs are predictable. There are immediate benefits to be gained:

  • Collect data at lightning speed in one place;
  • Gain new insights by combining and analyzing large amounts of data;
  • Fast updates;
  • Develop new applications quickly with low-code;
  • Saving time by automating work processes such as the automated exchange of messages.

The latter saves costs because working paperless saves time. Furthermore, the chance of (typing) errors is of course greatly reduced. A platform is scalable and helps to manage and orchestrate data more easily, to extract more value from data and to connect processes and people. This produces better and faster results.


Want to know more? Take a look on www.ecsinternational.eu/producten/Boomi'. Or contact us today to find out how an Integration Platform can help you.


Sources:

[1] https://www.techzine.nl/blogs/cloud/423214/dell-boomi-haalt-met-ipaas-software-de-complexiteit-uit-integraties/

[2] https://www.techzine.nl/blogs/devops/434148/boomi-staat-aan-de-vooravond-van-het-nieuwe-integratietijdperk/