Featured article by Jana Gray, Independent Technology Author
For those business owners hoping to condense application lifecycles, adapt to market shifts, and optimize the company’s supply chain, enterprise application integration may be the long-awaited solution to unachieved business aspirations.
Businesses incorporate several enterprise applications ranging from accounting software, customer relationship management tools, supply chain management applications, marketing information system, and other business applications that automate and simplify business functions. However, as business operations grow in size and complexity, communication among different business apps deteriorates, creating inefficiencies.
To resolve poor communication between business apps, enterprise application integration (EAI) utilizes technologies that foster data flow between applications. EAI streamlines the flow of information without making significant alterations to database configurations and the apps themselves. To condense the enterprise software lifecycle, partner with an industry expert like SUSE, an open-source software company that can automate modern application lifecycle management.
Why you should employ business application integration
If you want to remain ahead of the business world’s competition, enterprise application integration must be in your business strategy artillery. EAI helps your business garner success in the following ways:
Management and sharing of data
EAI blurs the line between different applications and departments. It facilitates interoperability between departments, increasing efficiency and effectiveness. Furthermore, EAI eliminates redundancies and consolidates data collection and storage. EAI becomes the single-entry point for data access, eliminating time wasted when searching for information.
Note that the functionality of each application shouldn’t be affected due to integration. Additionally, due to integration, users shouldn’t share sensitive data across the applications automatically.
Automation of workflow
EAI handles activities and data from various applications, streamlining the process. That way, you can integrate multiple business functions to help you target customers with precision. For instance, you can utilize your CRM database to send emails to customers based on their shopping patterns and demographics. These results can be analyzed using the company’sERP to establish financial feasibility.
Creates flexibility
EAI flattens the employees’ learning curve, as they don’t have to undergo time-intensive training on a wide range of applications. EAI combines the numerous applications’ functionality and data into a single, user-friendly interface, enhancing flexibility that leads to optimal utilization of the IT infrastructure.
Instead of studying multiple applications, EAI grants employees the opportunity to master a single graphical user interface (GUI) that links effortlessly with existing business applications and databases.
Helps in identification of opportunities
EAI provides a business with first-hand insights on supply chain disruptions, marketing trends, and the business environment in general, helping create an agile organization that capitalizes on industry intelligence to stay ahead of the pack.
EAI helps you respond to market insights much faster than your competition.
Increased efficiency and control
Due to improved communication, better functionality, and reduced time and effort, EAI helps increase efficiency. Additionally, because EAI enables business owners to reclaim their companies, entrepreneurs can view their business from a bird’s eye view. This big-picture perspective will help business owners improve the management of different business facets like costs, employees, operations, and so forth.
Final thoughts
Whether your business is large or small, EAI helps you to bridge the gap between departments. Similarly, it nurtures data management through a simplified interface, which eases the operability of different applications. If you want to increase productivity, reduce costs, streamline processes, and respond to changing customer expectations, take advantage of enterprise application integration benefits.
