Achieving slick systems integration has been a headache for IT since applications were first built. Now the rise of cloud computing means more pain – and fresh demand for integration skills, according to K2 research.
The number of CIOs seeking help to integrate software as a service with legacy systems will grow over the next two years as cloud usage increases. A third of organisations believe the real challenge for them could kick in by 2013, while a further 12% expect 2012 to be the year they reach out for help. Our panel offers it thoughts:
Grand designs; infrastructure a must
Whilst cloud removes much of the management of services from the enterprise, it does require competency in architecture - in particular integration architecture. Specifically, organisations will benefit greatly from an understanding and experience of the creation of strategies around data, security and messaging integration between on premise and off premise platforms to ensure the different services can be integrated into an enterprise environment.
Nic Merriman, head of Cloud Computing, Avanade
Strategy needs security and data people, too
I believe the key to conducting a successful system integration project is to create strategies for integration which consider all aspects including data, security, messaging and networks. If these aren’t created proactively then integration could become point-to-point and potentially problematic in the medium term. It also leads to long term operational problems.
Nic Merriman, head of Cloud Computing, Avanade
Systems analysts on the march
Good integration is all about process and workflow – and that calls for system analysts. They play a big part in any system integration exercise and there’s more and more call for them. Routes into this work include development, support and infrastructure design. There’s no certification or handy training because each project is unique. Experience is everything.
Robert Rutherford, CEO of QuoStar Solutions
Beware cloud upgrade – have a plan B
You may be pleased when your cloud supplier announces that they are due to upgrade their platform. More reliability and availability, you think. However it could also imply a necessary upgrade to all the application interfaces (APIs) to stay integrated with your own back-end data. That’s a big job, and you’ll need the necessary development skills in-house. If you don’t have these, make sure you’ve got a third party on-hand to help you with any ‘upgrades’.
Robert Rutherford, CEO of QuoStar Solutions
Beware point-to-point nightmare
Common integration practice is to achieve short-term ad-hoc objectives by creating dedicated point-to-point links between the systems or applications everywhere it is necessary. At the next stage of system maturity, new links are created between systems on the business management and control layers. These chaotic point-to-point links make common resources impossible to be used by many potential client systems.
Four Strategies for legacy integration
Takeover and merger is often the context for heavy-duty integration projects. There are four main strategies for legacy systems integration that project managers may consider.
• Keep both systems, and develop them to have the same functionality. Keeping both systems has the advantage of continuity, with little cost required to retrain people in using a new system. However there are several problems with the approach. The main one is having two lots of support staff; meaning no reduction in costs. However if any attempt is being made to merge the brand, or other aspects of the business the problems are increased, as the two sets of systems are adjusted to be similar to each other.
• Replace both systems with a new one. The merged company will operate as two separate companies for considerable time, with the benefits of merging not coming through. The developers will mainly be concentrating on the new system, but this still take a long time to appear.
• Select the best systems from each company and combine them. This approach is often technically flawed because systems have overlapping functionality. In the example if you integrated Company A's Ordering system with Company B's Invoicing system there would be a great deal of overlap which would have to be dealt with. Plus there are the gaps to plug.
• Select one company's systems and drop the other company’s. There can be "political" problems about which to select, though this is easier in a hostile takeover - the winners systems rule. Old systems are not well understood by their existing users, so it is difficult to see what changes have to be made to grow them, and how to train the new users.
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