The Software AG South Africa User Group met recently for the second time this year to hear, among others, Darmstadt-based Rukhshaan Omar outline XML's potential within today's enterprises and how Software AG is ensuring its XML and web services offerings meet the challenge of seamless integration and communication, documentation management, and workflow.
She highlighted that many corporations are having to face up to the fact that their original systems were written to run within four walls; today these same systems are required to interface with suppliers, customers etc but companies have no way of knowing how they systems appear and function beyond the enterprise itself. In addition, companies are charged with managing and publishing more and more content - which comes in various formats - on various platforms, including the internet.
Omar said the question many companies are asking themselves is which to prioritise - integration or content? According to her, both are equally valuable and feed off each other with content requiring integration to be play a relevant role in the organisation, and integration being meaningless if there is not content. She showed how Software AG's XML solutions - EntireX and Tamino - are leading the way.
Another speaker to address both the Johannesburg and Cape Town meetings was J&J Multitier's Johan du Plessis who outlined how Tamino XML Server has technically positioned Tru-Cape to become a global e-business player. Tru-Cape is responsible for marketing the fresh produce of Ceres Fruit Growers, Kromco and Two-a-Day Group, and is Capespan's primary exporter of choice.
Du Plessis said Tamino is the basis of the company's thrust to become established as the leading marketing company servicing local and international markets. In addition, it has strengthened the marketing company's position with its partners.
J&J Multitier chose Tamino because of its ability to exchange and integrate heterogeneous marketing data from four large deciduous fruit packing houses into a single, standardised XML data store, he said. It needed this capability in order to optimise its efficiency in local and international markets.
One of the other important tasks of the day was feedback on the User Group's change enhancement system, which it is using to prioritise and request enhancements to Software AG products. The rest of the speaker line-up included Leanne Green of Dimension Data, Sam Selmer-Olsen of Bateleur Holdings, Sinisa Jovanovic of ITWeb and Diellie Schmutz of AST in Johannesburg as well as Caren Verrynne and Lance Peplar of Dimension Data, Marna du Plessis of Stellenbosch University, Peter Dawes of Cape Town University and Diellie Schmutz of AST in Cape Town.
The Software AG International User Group meeting is taking place in Spain next month. Further details can be sourced from Joe Curran at joe.curran@softwareag.com or Rosa del Rey at rrey@softwareag.es or from http://servline24.software-ag.de/ (click on the Secured Services area then 'Headquarters', then 'Community' then 'Software AG User Groups').
Share
Editorial contacts