I believe that one of the strategic IT objectives of all companies is to increase utilization and efficiency of existing infrastructure investments. Most companies have a hodgepodge of systems that each perform a unique set of functions. Sometimes these systems are designed to serve only the needs of either one region, one office, or one department. The problems that arises is a siloed IT infrastructure where multiple systems cannot work together. There is no standardization. There is no commonality that interconnects these disparate systems so they can act as one. This is where integration comes into play.
Imagine if you could better leverage your existing IT infrastructure. Imagine if you could log into one single access point and have the ability to utilize all systems or databases. No longer would you have to log onto one system to perform one task only to have to log onto another system to run a report. This is the beauty of integration.
The companies that provide integration capabilities or open API's are the companies that will develop the strongest long-term strategic partnerships while increasing adoption across the technology ecosystem.
When you take a close look at the Software as a Service market, companies like WebEx have a slew of partners with out of the box integration solutions, as well as, provides open API's for specific customization. The benefit is tremendous flexibility to pick and choose which of your existing systems you want to interconnect.
Increased asset utilization, greater productivity, reduced costs.
Partial List of WebEx Integration Partners:
- Mindjet: information mapping and brainstorming application
- Salesforce.com: CRM
- Viewcentral: event management
- Remedy: case ticket management for customer support or helpdesk
- AOL Instant Messenger: integrated enterprise instant messaging
- GeoLearning: learning management application (LMS)
- Learn.com: learning management application (LMS)
- Xerox
- SumTotal: Docent and Click2Learn merger, performance and learning management
- Plateau Systems: learning management
