Does Microsoft Understand Business Integration

1
Does Microsoft Understand Business Integration?

• Simon Thurman
• Architect
• simont_at_microsoft.com
• http//blogs.msdn.com/businessvalue

2
Objective

• Try and answer the question ?
• Explain thinking and approaches
• Any feedback email or comment on blog

3
Agenda

• Is there a problem?
• Definitions
• Approaches
• Integration Model (technology)
• Composite Applications (architecture)
• OBA (productivity)
• Limitations
• Benefits

4
Problem (one of...)

• Unlock value of existing assets
• Gartner The Knowledge Worker Investment Paradox
• 50 - 75 of information directly from people
• gt80 of information not accessible to enterprise
  as a whole
• Individual owns the key resource, what happens
  when they leave?

5
Results Gap

• Business Users live in 2 worlds
• Productivity Applications
• Adhoc, unstructured, individual/group processes
• E.g. Excel, Word, Outlook, ...
• Business Applications
• Structured, rigid, stovepipe
• E.g. CRM, ERP, ...
• Space between what existing productivity tools
  offer and what really happens

6
Whats Required

• Process
• Integrate multiple Business Applications
• Align Business Processes with daily work
• Information
• Timely access to the right information
• One version of the truth
• Applications
• Use existing, familiar desktop apps

7
Definitions

• Interoperability
• Interoperability is connecting people, data and
  diverse systems. The term can be defined in a
  technical way or in a broad way, taking into
  account social, political and organizational
  factors.
• Integration
• Integration is a process of combining or
  accumulating.
• Interoperability makes Integration easier

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Interoperability and Integration Model
Architectural Model
Technology View
Programming Model
Message Format
Data Format
Transport Protocol
9
Integration Capability Model
Business View
Business Process
Line Of Business
Information Repository
10
Capability and Technology Alignment
Architectural Model
Business Process
Programming Model
Line Of Business
Message Format
Data Format
Information Repository
Transport Protocol
11
Software Services

• SOA
• Architectural Approach
• SaaS
• Simply a delivery mechanism
• SS
• Device software
• Capability exposed as a service
• On premise
• Cloud

12
Composite Applications

• Assembled artefacts to fulfil business capability
• Deployed independently and granular
• Components
• Containers

• Presentation Layer

Productivity Layer
Application Layer
Data Layer
13
Office Business Applications
14
Composite Applications
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Limitations

• Not all Capabilities are modular
• Many are contained within a monolithic app
• Not completely at an SOA
• Transference of Control and Ownership
• Modelled process do not implement all activities,
  e.g. Human intervention
• Difference between managing documents and
  business processes
• Transactional v Collaborative
• Structured v Unstructured
• Formal v Adhoc
• Rigid v Dynamic

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Purpose/Benefit

• Reuse
• Reduce cost
• Ensure consistency, e.g. Single view (and
  version) of the truth
• Leverage already deployed software, e.g. Office
• OBA bridges structures and unstructured
• Office platform deployed
• Container for components

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Business Value

• Broaden availability of Information and
  Capability
• Improve view of data which results in a greater
  level of understanding, e.g. Managing the amber
• Exception based processing
• Naturally supports human intervention
• Shorten business process cycles
• Regulatory compliance
• Alignment of systems with the business
• Systems become an enabler to change

18
Summary

• Reference architectures to build OBA
• http//www.microsoft.com/architecture/
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/oba/
• Feedback
• simont_at_microsoft.com
• http//blogs.msdn.com/businessvalue