Enterprise Integration

Traditional Integration

Before discussing “Enterprise” integration it may be helpful to speak about traditional integration.

Traditional integration techniques consisted of hard linking one key system to another in order to share information. These integration approaches required the identification of key data, which, in most cases, could be used in the replication of data from one system to another. This style of integration can occur in both manual and automated systems. The traditional approach to integration is inflexible, intolerant of change, and extremely cohesive [brittle]. When the integration in the enterprise is brittle, the enterprise itself is brittle.

The reason why integration is / was performed as in such a brittle fashion, is for the most part, an artifact of the times and the technology. Enterprises are increasingly implemented in technology and as this shift occurs, the role the technology serves in the enterprise are changing. Integration is being revolutionized.

Integration Revolution

You may be thinking that it is technology that is reshaping the shores of the integration landscape; but technology is only a means to an end. Yes, enterprises are now being implemented heavily in technology, and yes, technological advancement is making it easier to “integrate” the enterprise. However, technology such as middleware and XML are only changing how we implement integration, they are not what is revolutionizing what enterprise integration is.

What is revolutionizing integration is the business realization; that integration is not merely about sharing information between systems; integration is the substrate of the enterprise.

The realization is two fold. First, enterprise integration knits together much more then just data, it integrates the enterprise [the system]. The system is the people, processes, procedures, and assets/information within a domain. Second, because integration is the substrate of the enterprise; it is the place to monitor the pulse of the enterprise, and insulate and facilitate change within and without.

Examples of Integration in Nature

One example of integration that exists in nature, which is particularly revealing is the biological cell. Cells are composed of all kinds of components. Some of these components are more like systems (e.g. nucleus) while other components are more akin to integration mechanisms (e.g. cytoplasm and the cell wall).

Traditionally we tend to think of integration as pulling our systems together. The cell’s integration system exhibits this behavior, and something else as well. Integration facilitates growth. The cell membrane and cytoplasm are integral components in the process of cellular mitosis (process of cell division).

The Nature of Enterprise Integration

Enterprise integration is the integration of the enterprise [didn't’t see that one coming]. The enterprise is the composition of its system(s). The system(s) are the people, processes, procedures, and assets/information within a domain. The question remains: what is integration?

Integration is generally thought of as a process of achieving completeness by bringing together disjoint things. It may require a kind of force to bring two distinct “systems” together. Once together, there must be a management of the forces that would cause them to separate. It becomes clear that while integration is a process of achieving completeness, it is much more. Enterprise integration is the process \ mechanism, through which enterprise forces are managed. Enterprise forces include the following:

• Inertia
• Change
• Growth
• Entropy

Enterprise integration is the process \ mechanism, through which enterprise forces are managed, it is one of the most valuable assets in an organization. Integration, while performing its primary concern of the management of se forces, is also the place to gather metrics on the enterprise (e.g. system health monitoring, BI (business intelligence).

Through an integration strategy our enterprise should be transparent. We should be able to understand and measure its current course, health, and metrics (inertia), understand and manage strategic course correction (change), facilitate distribution and acquisition of future systems (growth), and fight back the natural destabilization process (entropy). In terms of completeness; we need to be able to view the enterprise as one large system, without disrupting the ability to drill down to any particular endpoint.

Does My Enterprise Need A Integration Strategy?

Your enterprise is: The system(s) are the people, processes, procedures, and assets/information within a domain. Unless all of these things are met with a single cohesive implementation (good luck), you need integration. I submit that every enterprise needs an integration strategy, no matter what implementation they have (i.e. ERP). But that’s another topic.

Comments

[nick]

I WANT MORE!!! MORE NANABLOG! It's too good to just sit in your own head!