Regardless of size or industry, businesses everywhere are in a similar digital dilemma. Each has accumulated dozens, even hundreds, of business applications that don't necessarily talk to each other. The result is gaps — lots of gaps — in data sharing and decision-making that, if ignored, could cost a company serious market share.
When data is generated from multiple apps and locations, it’s expensive and time consuming to keep it consistent. One result of this technology disconnect is that leaders make decisions and execute processes based on incorrect or false data. This can be seen in simple things like trying to access an employee’s current contact information or job title, to more critical things like a project’s financial position, HR/Payroll details, or business-critical analytics. Bottom line: If a company’s data doesn’t synchronize easily across apps, it’s increasingly difficult to operate efficiently and remain competitive.
A powerful solution to this integration dilemma is the iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service). As discussed in last week's iPaaS primer post, integration solutions like Dell Boomi connect a company's users to all the data that's available across an enterprise. And, it can accomplish this without the high cost and lengthy implementation times of hard code integrations.
If you're contemplating an iPaaS solution, but aren't sure you're ready, here are a few signs, it's time.
You’re swimming in IT requests.
If your IT department is overwhelmed with integration-related job tickets, it’s a sign that inefficiency is taking a toll and you need a smart solution sooner than later. The Boomi iPaaS is a no-code development environment that lets teams work from any location to connect applications in hours and days rather than weeks or months.
Catching up, keeping up feels impossible.
If you are struggling to support your organization's IT modernization demands, an iPaaS solution could be an instant game-changer. Most IT architectures aren't equipped to handle the deluge of cloud, mobile, social, big data, IoT and other next-gen technologies. Boomi allows internal IT teams to get ahead and stay ahead of IT enterprise initiatives and user needs. Boomi provides rich support for SaaS applications and other cloud-based technologies and equally supports existing on-premise systems.
Deployments eat up way too much time.
If you spend too much time managing ESB (Enterprise Service Bus) deployments, then transitioning to the Boomi platform could radically transform your process. Boomi eliminates the need for any on-premise equipment to support SaaS applications and only requires installation of a lightweight run-time engine for on-premise applications.
Maintenance is costing big bucks.
ESBs are expensive to maintain across a global operation because redundant staff and infrastructure resources are required in each additional site. Using the Dell Boomi platform, there is almost no software or hardware to maintain. Also, the centralized view of connected data makes it simple for IT teams to maintain integrations.
Hardware, network costs are climbing.
Most companies own capital investments in hardware, software, storage, and networking resources. Boomi clears out all the "stuff" and replaces it with a hosted service model. Because Boomi runs from the cloud, your staff can focus on connecting your applications rather spending time maintaining data center infrastructure. (Are you thinking ‘mind-blowing’? Then you are on track — Boomi integration is a radically new way of networking across an enterprise.)
Upgrades are a nightmare.
Upgrading an ESB or any internal IT infrastructure can be especially complicated, expensive, and racked with bugs and issues that could disrupt service. Boomi absorbs this familiar IT stress level by managing and guaranteeing upgrades. The platform’s comprehensive regression testing makes it easy to identify and fix bugs or other issues long before any updates reach production environments.
Supporting global operations is a struggle.
When supporting global locations, organizations need to deploy multiple, redundant ESB instances to meet local compliance, security or other requirements. Boomi eliminates this cumbersome protocol by running a single-instance platform that provides full control and visibility across global operations. This single view environment makes it easy for teams to share information and collaborate on development efforts.
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If these system issues continue to mount in your organization, you need an integration strategy as soon as possible. So, give Improv a call today. We are Dell Boomi-certified partners and we’re equipped to help companies just like yours meet today's fast-moving integration requirements.