Vertical application integration a reality with SOA and BPM

By Keith Fenner for Sage Enterprise

Johannesburg, 28 Nov 2008

According to Softline Accpac sales director Keith Fenner, one of the advantages of a SOA-BPM partnership is that it enables better integration between disparate vertical applications, adding more value to an ERP system and making organisations that much more agile.

Whilst SOA and BPM have traditionally been distinct, they are now being seen as more complementary than ever before. The reason for this new partnership, says Fenner, is that SOA can give BPM new life, helping it to deliver on the promise of agility, while at the same time, BPM puts a business face on SOA and helps it to bring business and IT closer together.

“If an organisation has one set of technologies, all of which speak to each other, then integration and agility is not as much of an issue, however this is not always common. Most businesses, as a result of legacy systems or different user approaches, have disparate systems that have to start speaking to each other. This makes the SOA-BPM partnership ideal for enhanced collaboration and integration at a vertical application level as well as from a business process modelling perspective,” explains Fenner.

Experts agree, saying that if you are going to embrace SOA you should be taking a business process modelling perspective from the start, and your design starting point should be one where you ask what business processes you want to execute.

Underpinning Fenner's opinion that SOA and BPM can also add value to ERP in addition to enhanced collaboration and integration is research house Aberdeen. It reports that SOA technology is the glue that 67% of research survey respondents indicate they will use to tie BPM to ERP and other enterprise applications, while 62% acknowledge the driver of their SOA initiative is “the need to support new, agile business processes”. Aberdeen says commitment to and interest in both SOA and BPM can spell the difference between best- and worst-in-class organisations.

Fenner says the combination places much-needed focus on process flexibility, enabling an organisation to better meet customers' immediate and customisation needs. “When used together, SOA and BPM allow the enterprise to achieve process flexibility by reusing existing automation from disparate systems. SOA makes the connection between process design and process implementation an operational reality. Enterprises can use BPM suites to adapt to their process design while SOA allows IT to implement those process changes at the speed needed by the enterprise,” concludes Fenner.

Softline Accpac

Softline Accpac is a global provider of business management solutions including financial, distribution, service management, retail, warehouse management, manufacturing and CRM to the mid-range market. Its solutions are delivered to 130 countries exclusively through its global network of solution providers including over 150 throughout Africa. Softline AccpacC's product line includes: Accpac ERP, Accpac CRM, Accpac RMS, Accpac Warehouse Management System and Accpac Insight.

Softline

Softline is a leading provider of accounting, payroll and CRM software solutions to small, medium-sized and large companies. Founded in 1988 by Ivan Epstein, Alan Osrin and Steven Cohen, Softline was established during the formative years of the software industry and listed on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa in February 1997. Softline expanded to establish a strong position within its area of focus in South Africa and Australia.

Focused on the development of accounting, payroll and CRM software solutions, Softline has a 16-year track record as a market leader. The group has a broad range of products offering users a variety of software solutions to run their businesses efficiently. Softline's leading brands include Softline Accpac, Softline Enterprise, Softline Pastel (Accounting and Payroll) and Softline VIP. The combination of the group's product offerings provide Softline customers with comprehensive, well-branded accounting, payroll and CRM software solutions.

In November 2003, Softline was acquired by Sage Group, an established FTSE 100 company. The group includes market-leading businesses throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia, supplying business software to the small, medium-sized and large business community.

Softline has a solid track record of profitability and cash generation. The group delivers quality accounting, payroll and CRM software solutions that improve the efficiencies of businesses around the world.

Sage Group Plc

The Sage Group is a leading supplier of accounting and business management software solutions and services to 5.5 million small and medium-sized clients worldwide. With over 13 900 employees, the Sage Group comprises market-leading businesses throughout Europe, United Kingdom, North America, South Africa and Australia. Its products and services are sold through a global network of 25 000 reseller partners, 40 000 accountants as well as directly to clients from Sage companies throughout the world. For the financial year ending 30 September 2007, the Group's revenue grew by 30% to lb1 175.6 million.

Editorial contacts