Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) is a natural next step in corporate information technology (IT) development. Companies have over a number of years created a complex web of interconnected applications each with its own means of communicating with other systems. As new systems are introduced, they too must be interfaced with each of these legacy applications, making every step more difficult to perform and more costly. These point-to-point (P2P) solutions often lead to an inability to capture network events and create problems of untraceable revenue leakage and loss or inconsistency of data. This is a particular problem for today’s wireless telecommunication industry.

Players in this sector face innumerable challenges such as increased competition, entry of international carriers, investment in 2.5G and 3G products and services, and much more. These challenges result in revenue slowdown and increased costs. To overcome these, telecommunications firms must identify and eliminate unnecessary revenue loss inherent in their current operating systems. A well-implemented EAI solution can achieve this. EAI seamlessly joins business-tobusiness applications to allow systems to “talk” to one another without frontiers and without separate P2P interfaces. For telecommunications firms that can mean creating end-to-end revenue stream stability that not only addresses revenue/cost leakage but also helps to recover money more quickly.

Using EAI tools and techniques a complete EAI solution tackles and improves:

• inefficiency of disparate data sources
• inflexibility of packaged solutions
• complexity of modern IT infrastructure and architectures
• high cost of developing and supporting P2P solutions

The potential business benefits of EAI are evident but many firms struggle to achieve these when EAI solutions are not implemented in a coherent manner or are hindered by other obstacles such as:

• the desire to integrate all systems and applications at one time. This is an impossible feat and almost always results in a total failure of the EAI solution
• lack of a true internal mentor for the project. The implementation of an EAI solution is a substantial undertaking both financially and in terms of time and effort. Success often hinges on the existence of an internal sponsor who understands EAI and the significant benefits it can bring
• the issues involved in the complex world of governance. EAI touches on all systems and all parts of the organization making it an extremely sensitive operation and one difficult to get wide acceptance for. Again an internal sponsor alleviates these difficulties
• an implementation partner who sticks to a standard template for the implementation of the EAI solution which rarely fits with the firms existing systems and infrastructure or answers their needs

Atos Origin’s unique approach to EAI ensures that every EAI solution implemented fits exactly with each organisation’s individual requirements. There is no “one size fits all” template that can answer every firm’s needs, that’s why Atos Origin has never created one. However, we have developed a proven set of tools and a blueprint that allows us to compress implementation timescales, adding value early on in the business lifecycle.

Our reference architecture covers two major elements: Business Rules and EAI Workflow. Atos Origin is experienced in employing all major EAI/Middleware and Rules technology in building customer solutions. We also have extensive experience in the development and building of EAI adaptors and connector solutions. Based on this experience, we have created our Common Adaptor Toolkit (CAT). Atos Origin’s approach is holistic and our full service team works not only on the technical side but covers all areas of integration including the strategic and business issues too. Atos Origin’s proven approach brings flexibility, agility, efficiency and coherence to your business in a timescale that suits you. More fundamentally, EAI solutions deliver savings of development costs and can reduce operational in comparison to P2P solutions.

Our EAI solutions have already helped to increase data flow and manageability and decrease revenue loss for many firms. These include: Amena, bbned, Euronext, France Telecom, Interbrew, Levi Strauss, Orange, Philips Medical Systems, Telefonica, Telefonica del Peru, Vodafone, Wanadoo.

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