Bridging the Gap: Connecting Modern Integration to Business Value

Organizations are on a quest to a modern technology stack. This includes integration, which is the glue that brings it all together. Yet, selling the value of integration can get technical too quickly and hard to articulate. Understanding the business and technical benefits of integration and how they translate into business value is key to building the case for investment in this technology and in a broader digital platform.

In this episode, Shari Lava, Research Director at IDC, discusses with Emily Mui, Sr. Director, Solution Marketing at SAP, the IT and business value of integration, and how you can tie it to business objectives and measure the business impact of integration.

Speakers: 

Shari Lava - Research Director, IDC

Emily Mui - Sr. Director, Product Marketing Lead For SAP Integration Suite

CTA's:

Modernize Your Integration Landscape Virtual Summit https://bit.ly/3S8UUmM

The Integration Scoop Podcast

Introduction:

• Special edition presented by SAP and Let's Talk Data podcast.
• Focus on game-changing technology and strategies for innovation through business application and process integration.

Guest Speaker: Sheri Lava from IDC:

• Sheri leads marketing strategy for SAP's iPASS solution (SAP Integration Suite).
• Sheri is the Research Director of Automation at IDC, covering AI, automation, API management, and integration markets.

Integration Market Overview:

• Integration market reached $8.5 billion in 2022, expected to reach $18 billion by 2027.
• Shift from on-premise to cloud-delivered solutions.
• Importance of integration in becoming a digital business with connected, data-driven systems.

Why Integration Delivers Strategic Business Value:

• Connectivity is the bedrock for building a strong foundation for digital businesses.
• Importance of having data driving decisions for better customer solutions, service offerings, and decision-making.
• Integration crucial for process automation and resilience.

Challenges and Growth:

• Integration market growth driven by the need for data connectivity in digital businesses.
• Transition from on-premise to cloud solutions.
• Overcoming challenges in translating technical benefits into business value.

Business Challenges in Implementing Integration:

• Change management for developers adapting to new ways of working.
• Historical concerns about product suitability.
• Importance of defining success uniformly across the organization.

Business Outcomes and Objectives:

• Translation of technical benefits to business value.
• Examples include lower operating costs leading to greater efficiency, improved customer satisfaction, and increased revenue.
• Focus on efficiency, reducing integration sprawl, and achieving a 360-degree view of the customer.

Low-Code and Measurement of Success:

• Evolution of low-code tools and their impact on traditional metrics.
• Emphasis on business outcomes and value instead of lines of code written.
• Generative AI enhancing low-code tools and improving efficiency.

Integration for Automation:

• Integration as a key player in holistic automation strategies.
• Addressing challenges of integrating processes with business partners.
• Ensuring the integration stack is strong and ready for future automation initiatives.

Trends in Integration:

• Significance of AI in integration solutions, enhancing capabilities like error detection and prediction.
• Importance of a bi-directional relationship between AI and integration.
• Caution against investing in AI without addressing integration challenges first.