Tom Day is the CIO of the US-based Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA). In this short and enlightening video, he outlines, without mincing his words, why his organization has been using Magic Software's application and integration platforms for the past 15 years (yes, that's fifteen!).
He also describes some of the tasks he is currently performing using the uniPaaS application platform and iBOLT business integration suite and how these platforms have enabled his IT team to concentrate on delivering business value without getting bogged down in technology.
Integrating business applications was always an on-premise issue. And then the Cloud came along and made the situation more complicated:
Businesses now need to consider how to adequately integrate and synchronize applications, some of which are on the company's own servers or premises (ERP systems for example), and some of which are accessed via the internet/browser(CRM systems or email systems are highly popular among enterprises).
With around 70% of firms already using SaaS/Cloud apps or considering moving to the Cloud, research by Mimecast (http://www.mimecast.com/) finds that security and integration are two of the main fears of those companies contemplating moving to the Cloud.
Despite the conceptual difficulties involved in thinking about an on-premise to on-demand integration, the reality is that it's no more complex or difficult to achieve than a common on-premise to on-premise integration scenario. Especially if you're using a tool such as iBOLT that comes with pre-written code (saving companies from having to manually write code such as C#) and specially created adaptors for common on-demand systems such as Salesforce.com as well as on-premise adaptors for systems such as SAP, IBM i, JDE, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, HL7 and more..
So at the end of the day, firms considering the acquisition of Cloud and SaaS applications can already strike integration fears off their list of concerns.
Here's a common on-premise to on-demand integration scenario explained visually - enjoy.
The first of two Get IT Together seminars on how to create business results from information technology took place yesterday in Connecticut and was a tremendous success.
In a jam packed, standing-room only event, it brought together Magic Software's customers and prospects to hear about the latest innovations in the world of application platforms and business integration technology.
Here are some of the inital photos from the event (excuse some of the quality here). Thanks to Cathy for these!
Regev Yativ, our CEO and President for Magic Software Americas (seen speaking here) gave a visionary keynote address, laying out the major challenges faced by both enterprise companies and ISVs today.
Eyal Pfeifel (standing, right) our newly appointed CTO, presented Magic Software's technology roadmap.
Attendees at the Connecticut 'Get IT together' seminar. We received excellent customer feedback on the evaluation forms all the way around.
Glenn Johnson, our VP Marketing for Magic Software Americas, explains the workings of the iBOLT Business Integration Suite's Studio.
Regev Yativ, in his keynote address - elaborating on the business advantages of metadata application platforms.
The Get IT Together presenters, (from the left), Eyal Pfeifel, Regev Yativ and Glenn Johnson.
Despite the inroads of Microsoft Outlook, The Lotus Notes application remains a powerful email tool with a dedicated following, and some
surprising advantages over its major competitor.
That's why Magic Software has released a new adaptor for the iBOLT business integration tool: iBOLT for Lotus Notes is designed to provide code-free integration and synchronization of Lotus Notes & Domino with a host of other applications such as Salesforce.com, SAP and SharePoint. (And we already have a nice customer story for SAP Business One and Lotus Notes integration.)
We've also recorded a short integration demo, that takes you through the exact steps to integrate your Lotus Notes address book with your Salesforce.com contact list.
The demo is easy enough for non-technical people to follow also. You'll be surprised at how fast this integration can be achieved - under 8 minutes actually - the same time it would take to make and drink a cup of coffee. (When you watch the demo - apologies for my slightly nasal voice narration)
Anyway, the new Lotus Notes adaptor is the latest in iBOLT's range of adaptors and special editions. iBOLT is has special editions for Salesforce.com, SAP Business One, SAP R/3, Oracle JD Edwards, HL7 and IBM i.
More on the new Lotus Notes adaptor to follow.
HL7 stands for Health Level 7. It's a health care communication protocol that's in service in many countries worldwide. In the US, health care organizations also deal with regulatory standards known as HIPAA, which includes regulations for information exchange based on EDI (for the most part).
IT companies that supply health care applications now have the additional worry of having to comply with HL7. The only problem is that there are already many versions in use. Most versions are 2.1 up to and including 2.7 and the latest 3.0 version. But health care applications are written to support one specific version.
So what happens when a number of health care system providers all approach a hospital, and they're all complying with different versions of HL7?
That's where a code-free integration solution like iBOLT (which now has an optimized adaptor for HL7) can help by translating one version to another quickly and efficiently:
- The Hospitals - With iBOLT they can better integrate the various health care applications they already have - to ensure optimal resource allocation for patients as they come through the door. (There are an enormous range of apps in a health care institution that need to be synchronized and integrated - from the logistics of bed provision to patient food supply, specialist medical system, laboratory testing systems, and more.)
- The Health Care IT System Providers - If they've already OEM'd the iBOLT integration solution into their application they stand a better chance of winning the IT project - as they're application is already fully compatible with all other HL7 standards the hospital may be dealing with.
You can find out more by downloading the White Paper: 'Improving HL7 Integration for Healthcare Providers'.
Here's a screen shot of iBOLT in action translating one version of HL7 data (Source - on the left side of the screen) to another version (Destination - on the right side of the screen).
The iBOLT system is fast, powerful and very intuitive. It offers the following capabilities for the HL7 environment:
- Translation from non-supported HL7 apps to supported HL7 apps
- From HL7 version 2.x to 2.y
- From whatever API to HL7
- From every HL7 version to an API
- From HL7 to Magic Software connectors (SAP, java, .NET, Portal etc) and vice versa..
- All HL7 supported apps are interchangeable - also with ERP, CRM systems etc..
For more resources go to:
iBOLT for HL7
Magic Software Solutions for Healthcare
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is rapidly becoming one of the most important IT technology delivery models.
It's simple to acquire, cost-effective to run, and offers an immediate value to the business.
According to analyst firm Forrester Research, SaaS adoption grew more than 50 percent from 2007 to 2008. And Gartner believes that 25 percent of enterprises will be using SaaS by 2010.
But for SaaS to deliver true value to the enterprise it must be connected with the enterprise's existing IT investments, whether they're on-premise like SAP Business One, or on-demand such as Salesforce.com.
Forrester believes that 65 percent of IT managers recognize integration issues as the top barrier for SaaS adoption.
If enterprises want to give themselves a competitive advantage then, they should consider using a business integration tool.
For the tool to be effective, vendors should ensure it fulfills a number of criteria:
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It must be fast - otherwise there's no advantage over manually coding. Make sure it has plenty of pre-built components and a well-developed technology stack. This only comes from vendors with plenty of experience. Try to avoid start-up integration solutions with few proven customers.
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It must be intuitive enough to allow for rapid and easy customization - at some point, you'll need to make changes to existing IT systems or acquire new systems that will have to be hooked up. If the integration tool is not intuitive and the process is slow and expensive, you're CFO will prevent you from making changes whenever possible. Which means you'll be in less of a position to react to new business opportunities.
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Make sure it supports a high variety of platforms, databases, standards, and middleware. This helps ensure fast project completion with no technical hitches.
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Make sure it's been validated and certified by the well-known application vendors like Salesforce.com and SAP. This is important - you don't want an integration tool that's going to corrupt your applications or create unwanted surprises to their interfaces.
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Try to avoid hardware solutions - your CIO will thank you. The last thing he wants is another box into his work-space that he has no control over. Stick to code - but ideally, use a solution where the hard coding is pre-packaged for you - ideally in a metadata engine.
There's nothing to fear from SaaS adoption and plenty to gain if the enterprise does it right. With a good SaaS integration strategy there's now every incentive for enterprises to take their business to the next level.
While looking to post some more information on current IT trends I came accross this clip from Gartner:
Here, David Cearley mentions 3 of the top ten strategic technology trends he's expecting to see emerge in 2009 and beyond.
His second point is what particularly caught my interest; the importance of business intelligence. He finds that CEOs and CIOs don't really have the information they need to make the right business decisions.
And that's critical since better (i.e. more complete information) in the hands of decision makers can be the make or break of a company in today's economic climate.
The vital question for CEOs and CIOs is how to create this environment of 'better' corporate information without having to go through the expense of replacing existing IT systems.
The answer - better integrate the IT systems that the organization already has.
IT systems often work in self-contained 'silos', keeping their data to themselves. But the whole is greater than the sum of its parts - as the expression goes. In the same way, IT information becomes far more powerful when its shared and combined with other data within the organization - giving decision makers a complete view of their business.
Worth seeing this if you want to find out how enterprises can implement integration quickly and simply.
Well, this is my first start for Magic Software's official blog!
First, a little bit about me. My name is Sam Green. I'm the creative and content manager here at Magic Software HQ. I've been with the company now for almost 2 years. It's been a good 2 years, with lots of positive developments that I intend to share with you as we go.
I'm going to set myself the task in this blog of showing you why I believe in Magic. Everything in good time though. For now, let me introduce you to the basics:
Magic Software is one of the first fruits of the 'Silicon Wadi', a term used to describe the most important concentration of hi-tech companies and industries outside of Silicon Valley.
What does Magic Software do? They provide an application platform for building and deploying business applications - known as uniPaaS.
The company also provides an integration platform, iBOLT, used for integrating and synchronizing the data within diverse enterprise IT applications.
What do these products share in common? They adhere to the following principles (that really define Magic Software too):
The principles that drive Magic Software:
- Hide complexity and facilitate change;
- Automate repetitive tasks, accelerating development and reducing the risk of human error;
- Provide interoperability and sharing through the support of business logic across multiple platforms and geographies;
- Empower business designers as well as the programmers.
Sounds good right? Further on we will be referring back to these points and expanding on them as we refer to our solutions in greater detail.
That's it for now. Just a taster, a small tidbit to keep you coming back for more. And there is more. Lots more!