Despite differences in the definition of middleware, but it is best understood: the database and application software between layers, so that applications can be connected to each other. Middleware with Web features available for web services (such as Extensible Markup Language XML), so many applications to more easily transfer information.
Many big companies a large number of large applications, they use different systems and formats developed by, and therefore can not be achieved easily exchange information. In addition, many companies continue to push for more applications to the web. Many companies expect Web-based middleware to improve the range: from human resources (HR), supply chain (SCM) to Customer Relationship Management (CRM), which many - may be anywhere in the problem of low efficiency. Just one example, middleware to automatically search for information from different databases in a timely manner, and providing customer service representative in the process, they help reduce the demand for customer service, time is precious.
However, to build a new system, information flows should underlie the planning, automation, and monitored to find any fault. Now with the Web features many middleware packages with this tool: no technology skills for corporate managers to use graphical user interface, define business processes, start building applications. The result is that managers no longer need to be submitted to the IT staff wish list, and then can get the application developed by the technology sector. And because this tool to speed up the process of software development - sometimes the planning and deployment of new processes to reduce the time for several weeks, many companies quickly respond to changing business conditions or customer requirements.
Middleware in the past to point to point application integration, application tries to link with other applications. Now, is used for business process planning.
Of course, no business process improvement projects have constraints, using the Web function of the middleware project is no exception. For example, senior management must be met: business process re-engineering is worth it. Second, corporate managers may be reluctant to dirty their own hands, directly involved in the design of IT systems. Overall, the expected use of packages business process re-engineering Web-based middleware, the best way is to proceed step by step.
The first step: an inventory stock
Start to change business processes, companies can start from an isolated application. The first step is an inventory of the "island", explained the use of business processes. For example, sales, marketing and customer service departments may have different applications and databases. However, if customers ask questions call the data center, then had to come from this for each application to provide data as a Web service, and then automatically sent to staff the call center, this will no doubt go a long way to answering customer questions.
Four years ago, Andres Carvallo named Austin Energy Austin, Texas, power company CIOs (This is the tenth largest U.S. power company.) Carvallo for the company and found five different business units: power generation, transmission, distribution, wholesale and retail energy and energy departments, each specifying its own run IT systems. He said: "There is no common enterprise architecture, there is no data warehouse, business intelligence is not, or the modeling process."
CIOs who are just starting to record all five sectors of business processes. For this purpose, he sent four business analyst met with the 30-day 500 Austin Energy employees. Then, the results of their interviews for the growth of 35-page document, highlight a list of 72 most critical business processes.
Step two: the selection of applications
Once you understand your company's business processes, they must choose to meet their own needs and the most appropriate middleware tools based on Web. There are many packages to choose from, Forrester, divided into two categories: integration-centric BPM suites (Integration-Centric BPM, IC-BPM) and those based BPM suite (Human-Centric BPM, HC-BPM).
Integration-centric Web service pack aims to connect various enterprise applications, business process management suites such as IBM WebSphere. Another important company in this area, including Oracle Corporation and BEA enterprise. Human-centered, interactive package put people into account the design and implementation of business processes between companies such as Pegasystems SmartBPM. To provide HC-BPM Savvion other vendors, including companies and Lombardi Software. Although prices vary, but the basis is very expensive, depending on the manufacturer and the number of modules used: for example, Pegasystems package starts at 125 thousand dollars. Adrian Forrester forecasts in three to five years into the future, both packages can be combined into one product.
Some products can generate Business Process Execution Language (Business Process Execution Language, BPEL), such as IBM WebSphere Business Modeler and WebSphere IDE devices. Developers to use BPEL as the development of service-oriented architecture (SOA) based applications, which make Web services applications that differ from each other so that they seem to call each other when needed to provide information or perform tasks. Savvion and Pegasystems claim that their tools can directly generate the application code, the developer does not require any changes, save time and cost. However, other middleware products (such as Lombardi's Teamworks) can produce the appearance of work processes and business process graph PowerPoint, but it can not only generate the code.
Step Three: Start Modeling
interesting step began. Use BPM middleware package that comes with graphical tools. If you prefer, you can use Microsoft Visio as an independent graphics package, you can use to plan for the business process flow diagram.
Carvallo, said: "You put one by one into the appropriate modeling process that the toolbox and arrow, and then add the nature of the toolbox, such as those responsible for these processes, input and output is expected." He uses IBM WebSphere Business Modeler . By using this method of construction modules can help managers to find a shortcut to save time and money. Some tools have a function module, which allows companies to simulate hypothetical scenarios professionals to assess the impact of the change process.
At this stage, to ensure that the business executives involved in business process re-engineering is very important for IT and business together. Pierre Vedel is a financial services software as a service to deal with student loans, nonprofit organizations ELM Resources CIO, he said: "You want to ensure as far as possible at an early stage projects for sales, finance, operations and human resources, involvement of all sectors, so that they can describe their business processes. They see the problems with IT perspective angle approach may be different. "He stressed:" enable them to participate in a timely manner and understand what they need, and then added to these tools. "ELM is a useful tool for IBM WebSphere Business Modeler.
In some cases, company managers may need to go through training before using graphical tools. But one of the strengths of this tool is intuitive and easy to use interface, which often reduces the cost of training. However, managers should know: he was using this tool, the effort will be long term: once a newly created business process design, we should be monitoring and optimization, which will need their advice.
Austin Energy Carvallo have personal experience, he said, the modeling process time from 10 minutes to 1 hour. After that, it uses IBM's WebSphere tools to create BPEL code, the developer for changes in the code, you can build applications that are needed Austin Energy.
At this stage, a useful tool for BPM middleware is to keep the business process information repository (a repository). Hosted application provider USI is a subsidiary of AT & T, the department is responsible for advanced engineering, said vice president Mike Rulf, USI is using the Oracle Service Registry (developed by Systinet, such as Oracle Fusion Middleware application server component part sales) USI. use it to capture and store business rules for future reference and re-designed business rules for later reuse.
Step Four: Monitoring and Management
After the application is running, monitoring of business process re-design of the actual running smoothly and make adjustments if necessary, which ensures that the daily combination of business and IT is very important. USI using Oracle Web Services Manager, Fusion Middleware's these other components to allow administrators to see which parts of a particular process has been completed.
USI using the framework developed internally to monitor business performance management processes, allocate server resources needed to meet the application requirements. The company is also using IDS Scheer Development, Oracle Business Process Analysis Suite as selling ARIS tool set, this set of tools for production and application of the changes will be reflected on the graph of the original - which is a combination of IT processes and business processes of vital functions.
Austin Energy has 72 goals one at a comprehensive reform process. For now, the company has completed eight of their change process: customer service, mobile workforce, financial management, asset management, inventory management as well as three new customer portal. For each process, Austin Energy has redesigned business processes and legacy systems through BPM middleware is to provide the functionality of the Web to provide data to end users. From the redesigned business processes to monitor the results show, middleware BPM can bring great benefits. So far, the most obvious effect is that, through real-time from multiple systems to gather necessary information, then sent to a service representative screen, reducing the processing time to call customer service.
Carvallo said: "The agreement calls first 4-7 minutes. Now we have the time to 32 seconds." In addition, Austin Energy is now able to handle 5000 calls per hour, but could only manage 400 per hour before the call. This feature in particular, in May of this year came in handy when an ice storm hit the Austin area, 52,000 customers had power outages. Carvallo, said: "Everyone is astonished our service capabilities."
Case: student loan providers manage BPM
In the first decade after its establishment, ELM Resources was built by using the software as a service (SaaS) system to track and manage student loans, the result is a popular system. But two and a half years ago, this non-profit organizations, managers have admitted that the company's operations ELMNet system failures facing the threat of danger, because it is not able to withstand the spike in trading volume, the result of customer dissatisfaction.
Now, thanks to use BPM middleware completely change the business process, ELM Resources will begin to run until mid-2008 new ELMNet system. Company officials hope the system can save millions of dollars each year, and increase customer satisfaction. Oakland, California-based organization in 1600 schools and 1,800 banks to deal with one-third of the total credit.
ELMNet consists of two parts: one is a credit trading system, banks and educational institutions to implement a system to a system of interaction, the other is a credit check system, so that staff can check the financial aid financial aid package is part of all student loans.
ELM Resources was established in 1994, when founder ELMNet thinking only five banks to provide services to 60 schools. With the popularity of these systems, upgrades ELMNet more banks and schools to meet the requirements become more difficult. ELM Resources for application development and support of competent Edgison Marshall said: "The system can not develop. If we want to make changes or add new customers, we must change the entire system." The new customer is added to the system in a long time they used very unhappy. He said: "We hope to accelerate the speed, while reducing operating costs and management costs."
The first step is a business analyst, systems engineer, customer support staff and sales team consisting of members of the original system obsolete ELMNet recorded on paper, this process takes six months. The team put information about business processes ELMNet into ARIS Business Modeler, which is the IDS Scheer's BPM suite of middleware products. ARIS Business Modeler to allow businesses the ability to graphically describe business processes, and can use the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) code that programmers can use this code to build complex applications. BPEL also define business processes and business associate agreement, which helps programmers to process the Web service.
ELM Resources to ask for help from IBM Global Services, which sent 15 employees to help design, install and monitor new applications ELMNet. In addition, IDS Scheer sent a consultant, he then employed ELM Resources is responsible for internal staff training, teaching them to use the product vendor.
In addition to ARIS tool, ELM Resources, also use a lot of products IBM WebSphere software, including Portal, Version 6.0 process servers, application servers, enterprise service bus, and integrated development tools, IBM Rational for application development tools, and operating conditions for monitoring ELMNet IBM Tivoli software.
Edgison estimated cost of 14 million U.S. dollars in this project is expected to save about 2.5 million U.S. dollars in IT maintenance costs, not only accelerate the pace of new customers added to the system, but also reduce costs.
comprehensive business transformation process is another benefit to improve the efficiency of compliance with laws and regulations, as a key regulatory processes to workflow. Gartner Inc. analyst Jim Sinur said: "You can see all aspects of the situation. It helps the audit and compliance." ELM Resources to comply with the "Financial Services Modernization Act," bill for the financial services sector and the consumer is clear right to privacy. Also because ELM Resources need to comply with banking partners, "Sarbanes - Oxley Act," it must also comply with relevant provisions of the bill.
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