Enterprise Applications

and system integration

By: W.V.S.K.Wasalthilaka
Lecturer(Temporary)
Department of Computing and Information Systems
Contents
1. Enterprise Applications
I. ERP
II. Supply Chain Management System
III. Customer Relationship Management System
IV. Knowledge Management System
V. Other Similar Enterprise Applications
2. Characteristics of Enterprise Applications
3. Performance of Enterprise Applications
4. Enterprise Application Integration(EAI)?
5. Objectives of EAI
6. Application Integration Tools
7. Categories of EAI
8. Types of EAI
9. Components of EAI
10. Benefits of EAI
11. Drawbacks of EAI
12. Future of EAI
Intended Learning Outcomes
• Assess how enterprise systems provide value for businesses and
describe how they work
• Assess how supply chain management systems provide value for
businesses and describe how they work
• Assess how customer relationship management systems provide
value for businesses and describe how they work
• Assess how supply Knowledge management systems provide
value for businesses and describe how they work
• Explain how enterprise applications can be used in platforms for
new cross-functional services
• Identify the challenges posed by enterprise applications and
management solutions
Enterprise Applications
Enterprise Applications
• Enterprise Applications (EA) are a software solution that provide
business logic and tools to model entire business processes for
organizations to improve productivity and efficiency.
• Enterprise applications integrates a related set of functions and
business processes to enhance the performance of the
organization as a whole.
• There are 4 major enterprise application such as;
• Enterprise System /Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
systems
• Customer Relationship Management Systems
• Supply Chain Management Systems
• Knowledge Management Systems
Enterprise System / Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) systems
• Model and automate many business processes, with the goal of
integrating information across the entire company and
eliminating complex, expensive links between computer systems
in different areas of the business.
• Can be shared the information of business processes in
manufacturing, accounting, human resources, and other areas of
the firm.
• Discrete business processes from sales, production, finance, and
logistics can be integrated into company-wide business processes
that flow across organizational levels and functions.
• The enterprise system collects data from various key business
processes and stores the data in a single comprehensive data
repository where they can be used by other parts of the business.
• Managers emerge with more precise and timely information for
coordinating the daily operations of the business and a firm-wide
view of business processes and information flows.
Enterprise System / Enterprise resource
planning (ERP) systems
• Enterprise systems integrate the key business processes of an
entire firm into a single software system that enables information
to flow seamlessly throughout the organization.
• These systems focus primarily on internal processes but may
include transactions with customers and vendors.
Supply Chain Management Systems
• Help businesses manage relationships with their suppliers.
• Provide information to help suppliers, purchasing firms,
distributors, and logistics companies share information
about orders, production, inventory levels, and delivery of
products and services so that they can source, produce, and
deliver goods and services efficiently.
• SCM systems increase firm profitability by lowering the
costs of moving and making products and by enabling
managers to make better decisions about how to organize
and schedule sourcing, production, and distribution.
• They are one type of interorganizational system because
they automate the flow of information across organizational
boundaries.
• Firms that skillfully manage their supply chains get the right
amount of products from their source to point of
consumption with the least amount of time and the lowest
cost.
Supply Chain Management Systems
Customer Relationship Management
Systems
• Focus on coordinating the business
processes surrounding a firm's interactions
with its customers in sales, marketing, and
service to optimize revenue, customer
satisfaction, and customer retention.
• They consolidate customer data from
multiple sources and communication
channels to help firms identify profitable
customers, acquire new customers, improve
service and support, and target products
and services more precisely to customer
preferences.
Knowledge Management Systems
• The value of a firm's products and services is
based not only on its physical resources but
also on intangible knowledge assets.
• Some firms perform better than others
because they have better knowledge about
how to create, produce, and deliver products
and services.
• Knowledge management systems support
processes for discovering and codifying,
sharing, and distributing knowledge, as well as
processes for creating new knowledge and
integrating external sources of knowledge.
More Enterprise Applications
• The most common types of enterprise applications are as
follows.
• Enterprise Messaging System
• Payment Processing
• Email marketing platform
• Service desk applications
• Content management system
• Business continuity planning
• Business analytics and intelligence platform
• Accounting system
• Automated billing system
Characteristics of Enterprise Applications
• Usually involve persistent data
• A lot of data
• Many people access data concurrently
• A lot of user interface screens to handle it
• Enterprise applications rarely live on an island
Performances of Enterprise applications
• Response time
• Responsiveness
• Latency
• Throughput
• Load
• Load sensitivity
• Efficiency
• The capacity of a system
• Scalability
Enterprise Application
Integration (EAI)
Enterprise Application Integration(EAI)?
• Application integration is the process of linking together two or more
software applications to share data and work together.
• The integration of one system with another can be achieved through
many different methods, including messaging protocols, middleware,
or database replication.
Enterprise Application Integration(EAI)?
• EAI eliminates redundant data entry, reduces errors, and promotes
seamless communication between systems.
• Data may also be shared using databases that store data in multiple
locations, requiring synchronization techniques when changes are
made to the same record at each location.
• Application integration can be a challenge because it requires careful
planning and execution to ensure that the various applications work
together as seamlessly as possible.
• However, application integration can provide several benefits when
done correctly, such as increased efficiency and productivity, reduced
costs, and improved customer satisfaction.
Objectives of EAI
• Vendor independence: Rules of specific business applications or
business policies need not be re-implemented even if one of the
business applications is replaced with a different vendor’s application
• Data integration: Ensures consistent information in multiple systems
• Common facade: Users need not learn different software applications
because it provides a consistent software application access interface
Application Integration tools
• Ex:
• Mulesoft
• Tibco software
• Informatica
• Dell Bhoomi
• Workato
• Celigo
• Cloud Elements
• InterSystems
• OpenLegacy
• IBM
• boomi
Application Integration tools
• Factors to consider when selecting EAI tool
• The size of your company – If you are a small or medium-sized company, you
will likely need a more affordable and user-friendly tool.
• Your budget – It is important to find a tool that fits within your budget.
• The features you need – Make sure the tool has all the features you need,
including communication tools, project management tools, and task
management tools.
• Ease of use – Make sure the tool is easy to use so that you can get up and
running quickly.
• Customer support – Make sure the tool has good customer support if you have
any questions or problems.
Categories of Enterprise Application
Integration
• There are four major categories of EAI.
Categories of Enterprise Application
Integration
• Database linking- databases share information and duplicate
information as needed;
• Application linking– the enterprise shares business processes and
data between two or more applications;
• Data warehousing– data is extracted from a variety of data sources
and channeled into a specific database for analysis;
• Common virtual system – the pinnacle of EAI; all aspects of
enterprise computing are tied together so that they appear as a
unified application.
Types of EAI
• EAI can be classified into the following three types:
1. Message-oriented middleware (MOM): MOM is a type of software that helps
integrate two or more applications by handling the communication between
them in messages. In MOM, each application is represented by a process that
sends and receives messages.
2. Data-level integration: This integration involves moving data between
different applications and databases. It can populate a database with data
from another source or consolidate data from multiple sources into a single
database.
3. Application-level integration: This type of integration uses software to
combine the functionality of two or more applications into one system.
Components of EAI
• Many components have merged to initiate communication between
enterprise applications.
• Hence there are no standardized components for enterprise
application integration.
• However, it has some methodologies to transfer data and facilitate
communication between software programs.
Components of EAI
1. Point-to-point integration
• Effective with the small number of applications.
• But when the number of applications increases, it is difficult to program and
maintain the protectorate to integrate the system thoroughly.
2. Hub and spoke model
• All the enterprise applications and captures are connected to a central hub in.
• It re-formats and decides where that data should be distributed.
3. Bus architecture
• To run away from the problems caused by the hub and spoke approach, a new
model evolved.
• It runs without workforce interference.
4. Middleware
• A tool that sits between the operating system and the application user interface.
5. Microservice
• Latest and standard EAI that deployed in the cloud.
Benefits of EAI
• It increases the speed of communication between Enterprise apps.
• The organization on premise can host it with its data center, or it can
be hosted in a private cloud server.
• EAI allows the information to flow between the different software
programs within a company. Thus it integrates data and avoids the
repetition of collecting and storing data.
• It helps to take less time to search for complete, up-to-date
information.
Benefits of EAI
• It allows individuals and departments to collaborate effectively.
• EAI helps to automate the process. For example, the
information in the CRM can be integrated with the E-mail
management to send messages to the customer based on the
demand.
• It enables new applications to work effectively with already
existing applications.
• It enables the organization to identify and react quickly to
opportunities.
Drawbacks of EAI
• It fails when the person who manages the implementation of EAI is
not dynamic.
• It needs more technical and skilled persons.
• It is not a tool, it is a system, and it should be implemented as a tool.
• There will be a chance of losing details.
• Because of a lack of consent on interface design, you need to put
extra effort into mapping between systems data requirements.
• It is necessary to have clear accountability because all departments
have different requirements.
The Future of EAI
• The future of EAI is rapidly evolving and growing as the need for
companies to connect their backend systems becomes more
prevalent.
• In addition, with the advent of big data, SOA, and cloud-based
solutions, EAI is becoming more critical than ever before.
• The EAI future looks promising.
• Here are three reasons why:
1. The explosive growth of big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving
the need for enhanced integration capabilities. Organizations need to
quickly and easily integrate data from a growing number of sources to
make timely and informed decisions.
2. EAI platforms are becoming more agile and easier to use. This makes
them more accessible to a wider range of users, including business
analysts who might not have had coding experience in the past.
3. As companies move towards cloud-based solutions, they are increasingly
looking for EAI platforms to accommodate hybrid environments.
Conclusion
• Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) merges applications to create a
more efficient system.
• It can be used for anything from synchronizing data between systems to
integrating enterprise-level software like ERP and CRM with other
business applications, such as Salesforce or Market.
• The goal of EAI is not just integration but also coordination so that all
parts work together seamlessly.
End