| Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)
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EAI technologies provide a software integration infrastructure within an enterprise that allows the systems to “talk”
to one another and allows new IT-based applications and business processes to be easily and efficiently deployed. The integration framework is built using EAI products (middleware and other software tools). An EAI solution typically is needed in large organizations that have multiple systems that need to be integrated (i.e. intra-company software systems. Examples might include custom developed, legacy, and commercially available systems such as financial packages, ERP, HRIS, logistics, CRM, manufacturing systems, etc.).
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| Business-to-Business Integration (B2Bi) |
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~ B2Bi is an offshoot of EAI that provides a platform that allows system-to-system integration between partners, vendors, and buyers (i.e. inter-company software system integration).
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| Enterprise (end-to-end) Software Application Development
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This type of custom development entails writing custom code to develop a system from scratch, typically needed when there is not already a satisfactory commercial application available.
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Custom Components, Frameworks, or Modules that interface with existing applications or systems.
The nature of this development can range anywhere from building a web-front to a legacy system, to writing a custom module on top of a commercially available system, to writing a reusable component such as a leasing calculator, a product configurator, a pricing engine for an online catalog or a shopping cart. A certain amount of custom code is needed as part of any typical EAI, B2Bi, data warehousing, portal/business exchange, or document management project.
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| Data Warehousing/Data Marts/Business Intelligence Solutions
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A data warehouse is a specialized type of data repository used to extract and store data from multiple systems in order to provide an organization with more robust reporting and analytic capabilities. A business user or research analyst then can manipulate the data to get a 360-degree view by using an analytic system that presents the information stored in the data warehouse in a useable way. Data warehousing can be used in conjunction with an EAI infrastructure.
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| Business Intelligence (BI)
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BI typically refers to powerful analytic software that is used for data manipulation, analysis, forecasting, and predictive modeling. Frequently this type of system is used at the “C” level (CEO, CFO, COO, etc) of a business organization or in scientific research.
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| Decision Support System (DSS)
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DSS refers to a less robust system that is used more frequently at the middle management or division level of a company.
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| Enterprise Portal Solutions
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A portal has been defined in different ways over time, but basically it is an on-line community of some kind. A portal typically provides some sort of information that can be personalized, may provide on-line collaboration capabilities, and frequently a portal will allow users to conduct online business transactions. Portals and EAI, B2Bi, data warehousing, custom development, and/or document management solutions are not mutually exclusive. Additionally, a portal can be any or all of the following:
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| Intranet Portal
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A portal can be an intranet for exclusive use within an organization. An intranet portal can be designed so that is usable for all employees or built as a special purpose intranet for a particular work group.
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| Extranet Portal
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An Internet Portal can be either public or private. AOL built one of the first private portals for its subscribers. Public access portals, such as myYahoo or myMSN, are open to anyone who wants to sign-up and use them.
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| Business Exchange
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A business exchange is a type of portal that provides services to buyers and sellers. The exchange can be either public private and frequently include the type of transactions that use B2Bi technologies.
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Software Systems Integration Solutions