Why enterprise system integration is inevitable
Željko Panian · Annual Conference on Computers · 2006
Enterprise system integration refers to both the tasks of integrating data and applications, as well as to software products that provide integration frameworks and associated tools. Integration has become popular because most traditional enterprise applications and systems were custom-built to address a specific business need. Integration solutions unlock existing assets and share them across multiple applications and business processes, providing the framework for real-time enterprises networks. There are several benefits of using system integration solutions such as immediate cost savings and data integrity enhancement, but integration can also have forward-looking benefits such as an instant, real-time view of all company's data and operations, which can lead to better and more informed decision-making. There are four basic categories of integration projects or initiatives: Data Coordination, Business Process Orchestration, Business Activity Monitoring, and Composite Application Development. Each of them should be supported by the appropriate integration platform characterized by seven favorable capabilities: Connection, Abstraction, Coordination, Storage, Orchestration, Development, and Management.