Although systems integration has been around for many years, the advent of open computing has brought it into the spotlight. The hallmark of open, client-server computing is an environment that can be truly multivendor. The name on the box may be Sun or Hewlett-Packard; the applications that run your business might include SAP, Oracle and Microsoft. To reap the benefits of client-server, each disparate element from each different vendor has to work together seamlessly.
As more companies look to open, client-server computing for productivity and functionality gains, more companies are finding they need client-server systems integration skills. Yet most corporate information systems (IS) professionals are as new to client-server as are their executives.
The proof is in the pudding: Systems integration (SI) in 1993 was a $28.4 billion business. By 1997, that number could reach $46.8 billion, according to International Data Corp., a Framingham, Mass.-based market research firm. Today, there are as many definitions of SI as there are people talking about it. Whichever definition you use, one thing is certain: Systems integration goes hand-in-hand with client-server computing.
By far, the greatest need for systems integrators today rests with mainframe-based companies attempting to migrate business applications to open technology environments. With mainframe technology becoming obsolete and too expensive to maintain, businesses are struggling to remain competitive. In an increasingly global marketplace, companies have multiple offices around the world and employees working from their homes, cars, hotels and far-off countries. In turn, more and more organizations need some way to link remote sites and transfer significant amounts of work and information.
Open, client-server computing with capabilities such as global messaging is often the answer. In broad terms, SI is the blending or fusion of technology and professional services to create a custom solution that solves a business need. Professional services itself has many components, including business and technology consulting, technical integration, project management, client-server migration and application development, and education and training.
The first thing to know is this: Don't call an integrator because you think you might need integration services. Call when you have a business need that technology may be able to solve. Is your company losing market share because a competitor is quicker to market? Is your company losing customers because your customer response service is too slow or inflexible? Is your company slow to respond to shifts in the marketplace because important sales and market data are inaccessible or hard to find? Is your company spending too much money on overstocked inventory warehouses?
Finding the best integrator
A savvy integrator will show you how effective use of technology can create a customized solution that will address your business need. But which integrator should you choose? How do you find the one that's right for your needs? Here are the most important elements to consider in choosing your integration partner.
Relationship
It's not a minor thing to want to like the people your integrator sends to your office. Gone are the days when an integrator would deliver a packaged solution and then ride off into the sunset. Integration projects today last until the customer is satisfied, and if outsourcing your IS function is part of the deal, your integrator truly becomes your business partner. As such, you'll want a partner that you'd trust with the future of your company.
Perhaps the most critical factor to consider in selecting an integrator is who their "friends" are. No one company can be all things to all customers. When skills or technology is called for that isn't core to your integrator's areas of expertise, your project could be delayed or even put off track unless the integrator has close partners on whom to call. Look for an integrator who can tap into a variety of reputable SI partners to deliver a complete solution.
Integrators place varying degrees of importance on industry focus. Consider whether it's possible to have indepth knowledge of every industry. It's one thing to implement global messaging in a process manufacturing environment; it is quite another thing to implement global messaging in a banking environment. Look for an integrator with application- and industry-specific integration experience. Equally important as industry experience is project management experience. The project manager will manage the relationships with SI partners and shepherd your project around obstacles and potential pitfalls.
Understanding your needs
Your best bet is to go with an integrator who's going to spend the time to understand your business needs. Don't hire an integrator merely to integrate. Integration providers can solve business problems and help make your business more competitive -- but only if they understand your business.
There's a shortage today of true client-server experts. Look carefully at your prospective integrator's technical qualifications, which become even more critical if your business is downsizing from a mainframe environment.It's usually the case that a mainframe shop does not have sufficient client-server expertise in-house to successfully transition to open systems alone. Once the technologies are in place, that expertise -- your integrator -- should be available for maintenance and ongoing support seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Don't just ask for references. Call them. Visit their sites. While you're there, learn from their experiences. Don't hesitate to ask for financial references, as well. Not every integration business is in sound financial health. You'll want an integrator who will see your project through completion and who will be around should you have questions or needs once the project is done.
What to Expect
There's no such thing as by-the-book integration. An open-systems integration project is an ongoing process that requires flexibility, determination and vision. Having said that, here's a road map that notes the four major checkpoints along the way to your final destination.
A formal or informal needs assessment is often an important tool for matching technologies with improved processes. Four basic questions to explore with your integrator are:
How to ensure success?
This industry has seen plenty of cases in which customers receive exactly what they requested, but not what they wanted. Rather than leaving integration solely in the hands of a qualified outsider, the in-house IS manager has a significant role to play in making the integration of open, client-server computing a success.
So, what can you do to tilt the odds further in your favor?
Work with your integrator to educate the enterprise
Forrester Research, a market research firm based in Cambridge, Mass., polled 25 client-server pioneers and found that the two most common problems in migrating to client-server are retraining IS staff and training end users.
Education makes financial sense, as well. The cost of not training can be six times greater than the cost of just-in-time training, according to studies by the Stamford, Conn., market research firm Gartner Group.
Education and training, at every level of the organization, are critical to surviving the transition to client-server computing. Executives need to be aware of the new technologies to act as effective sponsors of change.
Middle-level IS managers need to understand the connection between the business vision and IS strategies to sustain process and technology changes within the organization. Technical professionals, especially application developers and data center personnel, need significant retraining to effectively apply the new technologies.
Manage your management to ensure organizational commitment and adequate resources.
Another contribution you can make to the success of the integration project is to attain top management's involvement and commitment. You and your integrator should first work with top management in the strategic planning phase, educating them on how client-server technologies can achieve business objectives.
Early management understanding translates into project support, financial and other resources that determine how fast technology is implemented, as well as organizational commitment to success.
Most integration projects are controlled by an executive steering committee, charged with overseeing the project. In most cases, that executive steering committee comprises middle- to lower-level executives with limited authority and influence. The higher the level of steering committee executive, the higher the chances of unqualified success.
Manage your integrator through participation and communication. There are many critical success factors that can make the difference between success and failure. At the top of the list, along with the integrator's capabilities and timely investment in education, is your participation. The best way to maximize the return on your investment is simple: Get involved and stay involved. Plan to get your hands dirty; participate in the definition, in the testing, and in the project team meetings. Key to participating in the integration project is making an effort to communicate with the integrator on a regular and frequent basis.
In sum, open, client-server systems integration can help your business become more competitive by solving business problems. Before reaching that goal, you'll meet many challenges along the way. Having the right integrator by your side and maintaining an active role increase your chances of success immensely.
Linda Johnsen and Paul Zander work for the Hewlett-Packard Co.
Do.....participate in the project. Your close involvement with the integrator is the best way to ensure a return on your investment. Get involved in defining and approving the detailed requirement and stay involved through the pilot testing and roll-out.
Do.....be suspicious of low bids. Be careful not to underestimate the cost and effort involved in creating a successful solution. Your organization's unique environment -- your technical professionals and your end users current skills and their ability to migrate -- should all be taken into consideration when determining the cost of an integration project.
Do.....make certain the project's business goals are common knowledge. Management and business-unit support will dwindle if the business benefits of the new system are not communicated.
Do.....make the effort to create a good contact. Hammering out a comprehensive contract at the beginning of an integration project will reduce the possibility of delays or misunderstandings.
Do.....consider the different levels of financing flexibility your business needs. A few integrators not only offer financing for equipment, but also entire integration projects with software, support and a range of professional services. This level of financing flexibility, however, is not available through all SI providers.
Don't.....constantly change project requirements and specs. Experienced integrators know: The fastest way to ensure disaster is to make constant modifications. Requirements do change, and it takes flexibility and stamina to keep focused on the project objectives.
Don't.....ignore the end user. Migrating the people, as well as the systems, requires planning and training. Involve end users early in the process to seek their input, gain their support, and ensure the new system meets their business needs. Then, provide adequate timely training to ensure successful and cost-effective use of the new system.
Don't.....try to do everything at once: Prioritize. Utilize pilot projects and alpha and beta testing to achieve incremental results and ensure a successful final solution.
Don't.....plan incessantly and lose momentum: just do it.