Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)

1. Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES • Describe necessity and characteristics of Enterprise Application Integration(EAI) • Define EAI and its aim, benefit and challenges • List principles for Enterprise Integration • Describe the advantages of E-Collaboration scenarios,IS Integration and E-Collaboration platforms

3. Agenda A. Introduction B. E-Collaboration scenarios C. IS Integration D. E-Collaboration platforms

4. Enterprise Application Integration • Enterprise Application Integration • Definition: The process of integrating multiple applications that were independently developed, may use incompatible technology, and remain independently managed. • By this definition, EAI would include: • Business Process Integration • Enterprise Information Integration

5. Agenda A. Introduction B. E-Collaboration scenarios C. IS Integration D. E-Collaboration Platforms

6. Motivations • Merger and Acquisition • Expansion of inner IS • Governments’ trends • Cooperation Alliance

7. Guiding Principles for Enterprise Integration • Clear IT Strategy mapped to Business Strategy • Mapping of corporate process and data models • Plan ahead for EI - investment vs. cost justification • Formulate an EI architecture based on integration characteristics • Establish clear lines of ownership and accountability • Evaluate vendors on commercials, stability, references, strategy • Evaluate technologies - scalability, flexibility, customization, standards • Invest in the right skills - Solution & Integration Architects • Pilot the desired solution, but in a real environment • Ensure tools and processes in place for end-to-end service mgmt

8. Agenda A. Introduction B. E-Collaboration scenarios C. IS Integration D. E-Collaboration Platforms

9. Enterprise Integration Taxonomy

10. Common Layers of EAI Solutions Business Intelligence Provides real-time and historical data on performance of processes and assists in making decisions. Business Process Management Manages and tracks business transactions that might span multiple systems and last minutes to days. Messaging Ensures the reliability of data delivery across the Enterprise or between systems. Adapters Provides “open” connectivity into data sources while allowing filtering and transformations of data.

11. A sample of Integration Methodology

12. IS Integration Approaches Motivation • Technical considerations for web services • Service scenarios (services, business processes) • Process model (heuristic) • Extending EAI concept into an inter-organizational direction • EAI provides different levels of integration (from loose coupling to very tight integration) • EAI is a concept, I.e. independent of programming languages, technical infrastructures etc.

13. Enterprise Application Integration Aim Integrate existing - both intra- and inter-organizational - applicationsusing a common middleware rather than recreate the same business processes and data repositories over and over again.

14. Enterprise Application Integration Reasons • Saving development costs • Retaining existing value of legacy applications (but “ancient” technology) • Increasing need for integration by popularity of packaged applications such as SAP R/3 • Need for a comprehensive integration system rather than creating interfaces and integration points between every application and data source

15. Enterprise Application Integration Benefit • Reuse of integration objects • Modeling business information corresponds directly to business model • End-user / SME driven changes • Multiple presentations for single piece of information • Lower cost of integration • Initial • Maintenance

16. Spaghetti integration Source: [Linthicum 1999, 9]

17. The way to EAI Source: [Pinkston 2001, 49]

18. EAI vision Source: [Linthicum 1999, 10]

19. Levels of EAI Source: [Linthicum 1999, 19]

20. Implementation of Inter-EAI • User Interface Level • HTML Frames • Content syndication • Method Level • Web Services • Application Interface Level • Middleware (e.g. CORBA) • Jave RMI • SAP R/3 business objects • Data Level • EDI standards (e.g. EDIFACT) • XML standards (e.g. BMEcat, openTrans)

21. Web Services Source: [Linthicum 1999, 19]

22. XML Web Services Source: www.microsoft.com

23. Web Services Benefits • Loose application coupling • Independent application evolution • All vendors are pushing for web services • (Some) interoperability • Standardization of integration technologies • Convenience APIs and tools • Enable ASP (Application Service Providing)

24. The Web Service Architecture Web services Application services Application service Application service Application service Application service Service grid Shared utilities Security, auditing and assessment of third-party performance, billing and payment Service management utilities Provisioning, monitoring, ensuring quality ofservice, synchronization, conflict resolution Resource knowledge management utilities Directories, brokers, registries, repositories,data transformation Transport management utilities Message, queuing, filtering, metering, monitoring, routing, resource orchestration Standards and protocols • Software standards • WSDL • UDDI • XML • Communication protocols • SOAP • HTTP • TCP/IP Source: [Hagel/Brown 2001]

25. Agenda A. Introduction B. E-Collaboration scenarios C. IS Integration D. E-Collaboration Platforms

26. E-Collaboration Platforms • Platform (technical infrastructure) for offering web services • Possible platform concepts • Corporate portal • Co-operation platform • Electronic marketplace • Application Service Providing • Selection decision is affected by • Standardization issues • “Richness” of service portfolio • Customer acceptance

27. Corporate portal • Internet portal • (Closed) platform owned and provided by Siemens ICN • Relationship: One-to-some/one-to-many • Low/moderate investments on customer side (Web browser) • Offering tailored (proprietary) services • Low standardization demands

28. Corporate portal • One front-end for whole service portfolio • Requirements analysis/implementation according to Process Portal Methodology • Most firms (Dell, Cisco, etc.) providing their web services on a corporate portal • Less a competitive advantage rather than a “must have” • Customer acceptance regarding one more proprietary platform?

29. Co-operation platform • Co-operation platform • (Open) platform hosted by Siemens ICN, a third-party or a consortium • Relationship: Some-to-some/some-to-many • Low/moderate investments on customer side (Web browser) • Offering (more) generic web services • Standardization is more important • Various business models possible • Negotiations between platform providers neccessary • Examples: Covisint, … • Conflict resolution (e.g. negotiation of standards)? • Reduced service portfolio • Customer acceptance should be higher

30. Electronic Marketplace • Electronic Marketplace • Open platform hosted by a third-party or a consortium • Relationship: Many-to-many • Not only market transactions but also value-added services (financial/logistic services) • Low/moderate investments on customer side (Web browser) • Offering standard web services (e.g. service call) • High degree of standardization (industry/provider standards) • Offering valued services on Electronic Marketplaces where ICN products are already offered • ICN is “only” a service provider • No specific service portfolio (just general web services) • Customer acceptance (regarding marketplaces)?

31. Application Service Providing • Outsourcing model • IS integration • Access either via Web or via IS integration/coupling • e.g. implementation uses web services • Supporting various applications/systems (ERP systems as well as Web browsers, even mobile devices) • Might require high investments on both sides • Underlying technology/infrastructure (web services) is standardized, demand/customer specific application services

32. Application Service Providing • New business models possible • Offering communication services rather than selling and maintaining communication systems • PBXs can be hosted either on Siemens or on customer side • Customer can configure its PBX via Internet (similar to web hosting) • Specific service portfolio (based on web service standards) • Customer acceptance (proliferation of web services)?

33. References • Special thanks to 1)Lehrstuhl für Wirtschaftinformatik und Interorganisationssysteme (IOS) Prof. Dr. Stefan Klein Universität Münster Institut für Wirtschaftsinformatik 2) http://www.integrationconsortium.org