Front To Back Integration

Enterprise applications such as CRM (customer relationship management), ERP (enterprise resource planning), and DM (document management) offer enterprises significant timesavings compared to manually capturing data. Pushing enterprise applications out to mobile workers offers additional benefits. But, if your enterprise's vision stops there, you're missing out on a bigger opportunity: enterprise integration. True enterprise integration occurs when a user can access customer data from a CRM application, simultaneously see the status of a customer's order (via ERP), and view corresponding images - such as invoices or shipping documents (via DM) without having to open three separate applications. And, the ideal scenario occurs when an integrated solution is pushed out to field workers who can access content wirelessly on handheld devices. Consider some of the constituents that comprise the integrated enterprise and see how your organization stacks up.

Integrated Enterprise Relies On Storage Network Foundation
It isn't only the converging applications that create the integrated enterprise. Equally important is the foundation these applications are built upon, which is the storage infrastructure. The appropriate infrastructure will typically be a storage network such as a corporate LAN - which may include a NAS (network attached storage) device - and perhaps a SAN (storage area network).

Within the storage network infrastructure, enterprise applications fall into two basic categories: file-based applications and transactional-based applications. File-based applications may include rich media assets, images, and Microsoft applications such as Word and Excel. Examples of transactional-based applications include accounting applications and order fulfillment solutions. Transaction-based applications, unlike their file-based counterparts, commonly run on large databases (e.g. Oracle) and have thousands (and sometimes more than a million) requests coming from various transactions ranging from credit processing to data mining operations. The important point to keep in mind with these applications is that when they are integrated, they can only perform as well as the weakest link. And, if you have applications running on the wrong kind of network, your integration initiative will limp along at best. File-based applications should be run off corporate LANs. If many users access files simultaneously, NAS devices can be added to LANs to keep networks running smoothly. And, to avoid clogging up networks with transactional-based applications, you'll want to pull these applications off your LAN and run them from a server supported by a SAN.

Besides choosing the appropriate network configuration, you'll want to consider the appropriate storage device required for each kind of configuration. "If you use IBM or EMC products, for instance, you may choose to store your midrange applications and data on an IBM FAStT or EMC CLARiiON," says Kevin Schoonover, director of engineering for Arrow Enterprise Storage Solutions, the storage selling division of distributor Arrow North American Computer Products (Englewood, CO). "To support your enterprise-level applications, you could use an IBM Shark or EMC Symmetrix subsystem." One distinction between the two classes of storage devices is seen comparing IBM FAStT900's 772 MB per second throughput to its high-end Enterprise Storage Server 800 (Shark) counterpart's 2 Gb per second throughput. For most enterprises it's unnecessary to run file-based applications on a high-end Shark. Likewise, running entry-level applications on a SAN would defeat the purpose of migrating applications to this environment, which is designed to maintain network performance under heavy loads.

Let Images, Data Work Together
After running applications on the appropriate type of network, it's time to consider tying them together. This kind of integration can be accomplished in a few ways. The first method is the toggle approach. This is the least expensive way of using multiple enterprise applications. In this method, the user opens two applications (CRM and DM, for example) simultaneously, and by pressing keys on a keyboard (e.g., "Shift" and "Tab"), the user moves from one application to another. "This method may be less expensive initially, but it doesn't usually make sense long-term," says Bill Priemer, VP of sales and marketing for DM vendor Hyland Software (Westlake, OH). Priemer offers the following example of a company that replaced toggling with tighter, single screen integration, often referred to as image-enabling: "Instead of taking two minutes to search the DM system for a specific image, the CSR [customer service representative] double clicks an icon installed on her CRM application, which searches and launches a corresponding image from the DM system. On average, this saves CSRs 2.5 hours per week, which translates to 13,000 hours per year in a 100-person call center." Depending on how much information is accessed, enterprises need to consider the value of putting information at employees' fingertips.

Some enterprises are taking a third approach, which is to use a portal. Portals are essentially Web browsers that are capable of searching and displaying enterprise applications. While portals are more expensive than the other two integration methods, they may provide the lowest TCO (total cost of ownership). "Once the portal connectors or 'gadgets' have been developed, they require little maintenance as enterprise applications evolve," says Priemer. "This is not the case with custom integrations, which are likely to require recoding every time a particular software application is upgraded to a new version. This process becomes further complicated if you have IT turnover and your new IT personnel have no idea how to do the recoding."

Besides the choices that need to be made regarding the kind of integration that is appropriate, there are some other factors that need to be considered. "A big mistake I've seen is when enterprises don't spend adequate time on the design phase of the integration," says Suresh Gursahaney, CTO of contact center solution provider MicroAutomation (Chantilly, VA). "It is 10 times harder to make an integration change after the coding phase has begun versus addressing issues in the design phase. For instance, I've seen companies discover halfway into a DM and CRM integration project that the DM system included and supported several image formats but the CRM application only supported GIF [graphic interchange format] images. The additional work required to convert the images in the DM to GIF, so that the CRM application could display them properly, caused the implementation to take twice as long and cost three times as much." By planning ahead, enterprises can avoid costly mistakes and create integrated solutions that are superior to their disparate counterparts.

Integrate Your Enterprise ... Then Go Mobile
Mobile workers can use handheld devices for much more than replacing handwriting with typing. After applications are integrated within the enterprise, it's time to consider how this information can be made available to your field workers. In the beverage industry, for instance, drivers load their trucks with various products and make stops at bars, restaurants, and grocery stores throughout the day. At the end of the day, they may have 10% of their products remaining on their truck that has to be unloaded. That 10% represents an hour of labor to unload and update inventory, as well as possible lost sales opportunities. When drivers are empowered with handheld devices and integrated enterprise applications such as CRM, WMS (warehouse management system), and business intelligence, the scenario can be quite different. "By having access to multiple enterprise applications, drivers can know what products are in stock, know what products customers want to buy, sell more products, and return from their shifts with fewer products to put back in the warehouse," says Dick Busch, VP of North American sales for wireless, value added distributor WAV, Inc. (West Chicago, IL).

There are a few important points to keep in mind before migrating enterprise data to the mobile workforce. First, you have to be realistic about the bandwidth limitations of wireless connectivity. Unlike your desktop PC, which can quickly open a 50 MB TIFF (tagged image file format) image, most wireless connections would choke on such a request. There are two basic ways this dilemma can be addressed. Compression software is one way to solve the problem. "There are plug-ins that can be attached to network servers that automatically compress images and can even reformat them for the mobile devices," says Chuck Bolvin, VP of technology at WAV, Inc. "I've seen these tools compress images by as much as 80%." Another alternative is to store images on the devices, or on CDs, to circumvent the wireless issue. This may be especially useful for field workers who have a higher level of predictability in terms of what customers they will visit and what products they will need to access. By loading images onto their devices, field workers can reserve their wireless connectivity for accessing and sending data.

There are a few ways that mobile workers can be connected to the enterprise - through terminal servers, Web servers, or client/servers. The terminal service, which uses thin client architecture, is the most basic and least expensive option. "This type of connectivity enables workers to dial in to their companies and access data as if they were at the office," says Bolvin. "The problem is that the desktop applications are awkward on the small screens and require a lot of scrolling to find what they need." The next step is to use a Web server, such as Microsoft's .NET services or an Apache server for Linux or UNIX-based systems. Web servers enable enterprise applications to be reformatted for mobile device screens, making them more user-friendly. "Unlike the terminal server example, Web servers require that someone writes applications to run on the server, which adds to the expense of the deployment," says Bolvin. The third kind of mobile connection is a client/server architecture. Using this method, workers can capture data on their devices and upload data during certain times of the day when they are in an area with reliable connectivity. Enterprises need to keep in mind how often they will need to access data and how mission critical that data is. Applications that are not mission critical may be accessed via a terminal server, whereas mission-critical deployments will require a Web server or client/server architecture.

Integrated Enterprise Requires Planning - And Outside Help
Just like erecting a building, enterprises must be built on a firm foundation - a solid storage infrastructure. Next, enterprise applications such as CRM, ERP, and DM must be integrated together after much planning and consideration is given to the proper method of integration. Then, the last phase in creating an integrated enterprise is to enable mobile workers to access integrated enterprise applications. Bandwidth limitations and methods of wireless connectivity must be addressed. In each phase of the quest for enterprise application, it is wise to seek outside integrators that can make heterogeneous components and standards work together and provide you with the best path for integration success.