Editorial Reviews
Book Description
About This Book The task of developing and managing information systems is no longer dominated by new code development; it is dominated by the integration of new and old, custom and off-the-shelf, and internal and external systems. Organizations need to become expert in the art of integration in order to meet their business needs and compete effectively. At one time, some thought that a silver bullet technology would solve our integration problems without much effort. Unfortunately, integration is a much more complex subject, with as much need for processes as for technologies that can be applied to solve a problem. This book is our attempt to guide you through the world of integration-;from understanding your problem, to designing your system, to selecting the most appropriate technology. Our hope is to simplify this inherent complexity and provide examples of best practices to enable your success. The Integration Dilemma Integration is not a new problem. As soon as computing moved off the mainframe, there was a need to synchronize information across systems. The advent of the network and PC further exacerbated the problem, complicating access to information. The rise of packaged application software increased the need for integration, as these packages needed to interact with other systems. In fact, integration loomed as such a large problem it began consuming up to 70% of project budgets. Although integration technology was originally created to ease the burden of hand coding point-to-point interfaces between systems, the nature of integration problems has changed, and so has the technology. Today, integration is not merely a technical issue, and integration technology is not merely a more efficient way to solve the hand-coding problem. Integration is fast becoming a core enabler of business agility. The focus of integration solutions is starting to shift from the IT technician to the business manager. In short, integration technology provides the enabling infrastructure for the real-time enterprise. It is fast becoming essential infrastructure for many new types of business solutions: providing self-service applications for employees and customers, supply chain integration, and mobile applications; enabling a unified view of the customer for customer relationship management and call center operations; optimizing business processes and managing them in real time; and implementing packaged industry and compliance solutions. Indeed, the reach of integration solutions is wide, but integration technology is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Just as the business solutions are far-reaching and have different requirements, there is a myriad of integration technologies now available on the market, from hundreds of vendors. The problem is, if companies merely view integration as a tactical solution, there is a likelihood of creating a great deal of redundancy in the infrastructure, which translates into increased operational costs. Moreover, companies will not gain the business agility they seek unless they reuse infrastructure services on new projects to implement a solution quickly and efficiently. Bringing Simplicity from Complexity A significant amount of thought, discussion, and consternation went into choosing the title for this book. The topic and the terminology of integration are overloaded to the point where words no longer have clear meaning. Integration, enterprise integration, business integration, process integration, and application integration-;the list of terms and marketing jargon is endless. Taken in its entirety, this book is about how good integration can have a profound effect on the business of your enterprise. This book is about how your enterprise can solve its strategic and tactical integration needs by applying the most appropriate process, architecture, and technology. With this context in mind, we wrote this book as a guide that begins by helping to tie your integration architecture to your specific business strategies and tactical needs. This book will help companies create their enterprise integration architecture while implementing tactical solutions. Using templates, reference architectures, best practices, and case studies, this book will guide organizations through the many decisions that need to be made when implementing business solutions that use integration technology. It will help you reduce risk and increase your return on technology investments.
From the Back Cover
“The book’s use of real-world case study vignettes really does go to the heart of the subject matter. This stuff is real, it has real applicability to real problems, and, as with most things in life, it shows how it all comes down to real money in the final analysis. This book shows you what your peers are doing to drive costs out of integration projects and to build new applications without re-inventing the entire wheel—just a few new spokes and off you go. This is a good book. Read it.”
     —Peter Rhys Jenkins, Complex Systems Architect, Candle Corporation“When you get two long-term, acknowledged experts on integration and interoperability together to lay out the current state of the IT universe you expect an immediate return on investment—and this book delivers. It’s common knowledge that 90% of total software lifecycle cost is in maintenance and integration, and that needs to drive IT decision-making. With comprehensive coverage of the integration technology landscape, and clear case studies presented at every turn, this book belongs on every IT manager’s, every system architect’s, and every software developer’s bookshelf.”
     —Richard Mark Soley, chairman and CEO, Object Management Group“Today’s myriad of integration technologies and alternatives can be daunting. This book presents a framework and process for the evaluation, design, and selection of the appropriate integration technologies to meet your strategic business needs. You will find the templates a particularly useful mechanism to jump-start documentation and drive your decision-making process.”
     —Ron Zahavi, CIO, Global Business Transformation, Unisys Global Transformation Team; author of Enterprise Application Integration with CORBA“It is refreshing to read a book that presents a good business approach to the integration challenge facing most business leaders today, while at the same time educating them about the major components of the required technologies and management practices changes required. The narrative, examples, and templates establish a common reference point between the business and the technology organizations. A must-read for senior business leaders challenged with the complexities of business integration, as well as Senior IT Leaders challenged with shrinking budgets and lower tolerances for failures.”
     —Chuck Papageorgiou, managing partner, Ideasphere“Integration has, and will continue to be, one of the success indicators of any enterprise project. Failing to understand the nuances of integration is a critical mistake managers cannot afford to make.”
     —Marcia Robinson, author of Services Blueprint: Roadmap for Execution“A much-needed book; it ties together the business and technology aspects of information system implementation, emphasizing best practices for really getting things done. I believe that both the technical and business communities will benefit from the in-depth material provided in this book.”
     —Dr. Barry Horowitz, professor of systems and information engineering, University of Virginia (former CEO, Mitre Corporation)Integration of applications, information, and business process has become today’s #1 IT investment priority. Most enterprise integration books simply explain the technology. This one shows exactly how to apply it. It’s a step-by-step roadmap for your entire project—from the earliest exploratory stages through analysis, design, architecture, and implementation.
Renowned enterprise integration experts Beth Gold-Bernstein and William Ruh present best practices and case studies that bring their methodology to life. They address every stage from the decision-maker’s and implementer’s point of view—showing how to align business requirements to specific solutions, systematically reduce risk, and maximize ROI throughout the entire lifecycle. Coverage includes:
The authors provide detailed plans and specification templates for application integration projects—both in the book and on the CD-ROM. These projects include identifying business drivers and requirements; establishing strategy; and integrating services, information, process, and applications.
Enterprise Integration was written for every member of the integration team: business and IT leaders, strategists, architects, project managers, and technical staff. Regardless of your role, you’ll discover where you fit, what to do, and how to drive maximum business value from your next integration project.
Enterprise Integration : The Essential Guide to Integration Solutions (Addison-Wesley Information Technology Series),Beth Gold-Bernstein,William Ruh,Addison-Wesley Professional,032122390X,Computer Bks - General Information,Computer Books: General,Computers,Computers - General Information,Information Management,Information Technology (Engineering),Information resources manageme,Information resources management,Management Information Systems,Systems engineering,Computers / Management Information Systems
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