Cole
What is “the next big thing” in the systems integration space?
Covington
Since the early days of EAI (enterprise application integration) and middleware, vendors have endeavoured to provide programmers with visual tools for development. This was because they knew that efficiencies could be gained via “drag and drop”, rather than coding, and non-technical people could better understand the integration implementation. But even now the tools are limited to accelerating code development and not the execution of visual models.
Tighter margins and increased competition means very large-scale, high-risk project coding is being done offshore to lower labour costs. Trying to build real reusable services in an SOA strategy will enable systems integrators to develop reusable (or at the very least, easily changeable) IP/interfaces via model driven architectures that expand to the integration.
The key to execute reusable models as the integration interface giving key flexibility and risk reduction in the integration to accelerate and better align the technology and implementation to business requirements.
Covington
J2EE-based platforms have become more and more complex and require additional hardware to run properly. How do you justify any increase in hardware infrastructure cost and potentially limited scalability?
Cole
We don’t tend to agree with this assertion. Hardware has been getting faster and cheaper consistently and the containers into which we deploy applications have been getting more specific and therefore better performing. Configuration tools will take away integration pains because it acts as an enablement layer exposing information assets therefore making it highly scalable and message driven.
Cole
How is E2E’s go-to-market strategy responding to its vision of systems integration?
Covington
E2E’s ability to create re-usable IP/inter-faces is enabling systems integrators to build greater efficiency in the deployment of integration projects thus eliminating or reducing the need to go offshore. The use of MDI will assist both customers and integrators to reliably and consistently deliver integration projects on time and on budget.
E2E’s go-to-market strategy therefore focuses on helping system integrators migrate successfully through this transformation.
Covington
According to Gartner: “BEA, IBM, Oracle and SAP offer most features out-of-the-box, but for many classes of composite applications application platform suites are overkill”. What’s your comment on this?
Cole
It depends on what an organisation is trying to do. Complex problems require complex thinking and solutions, and sometimes out-of-the-box tools are imperative to achieve that. BEA’s commercial offering is structured in such way that you only need to buy tools that you need.
Cole
What is E2E’s strategy behind growing its integration partner network?
Covington
Quality before quantity—which transcends in our partner choice. A good example in Australia is Supply Chain Consulting, a company known for project excellence and on-budget delivery of solutions for companies of all sizes. The company targets specialist vertical markets where there is a need to simplify and speed up the process of developing interfaces to third-party logistics providers, customers and other key partners in the supply chain. Its approach and expertise in SAP enterprise application, integration and consulting solutions is a perfect fit for our solutions.
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