Communication is everything. The moment we’re born, the labyrinth of neurons in our brain starts processing and distributing information. Strong neural connections help our brains to expand their function so we can make smart decisions and reach our potential. Our well being relies on quick, efficient messaging. If the right connections aren’t made early on, our brains miss vital input that would otherwise instruct or protect us.

Business software integrations are similar, except a well-conceived integration delivers information with efficiency and consistency that vastly exceeds human potential.  Integration makes it possible to tap into the tangle of business processes to get information wherever it resides and make it useful wherever it’s needed. If the diverse software applications you use don’t connect at logical points, you miss opportunities for efficiency that enterprise content management (ECM) and business process management (BPM) software allow. If you’ve read the first article in this series, you know that data is the basis of any ECM implementation, helping to drive work and decision making efficiently across your organization. The number of integration points and their thoroughness determine how easily and effectively your information can be pushed and pulled enterprise-wide. Thorough integration assures that data is available wherever and whenever it’s needed. It helps to drive processes forward based on real-time information, dramatically increasing accurate messaging and efficiency. If you’re not connecting your business systems, you’re not engaging in effective ECM or BPM. Simply said, without thorough integration, you’ve missed the point.

Benefits of thorough integration
One of the many benefits of ECM is its ability to secure files according to rules that you establish. When BPM is added and you integrate it with multiple systems, those security rules are followed. This allows workers to access work-related documents based on permissions you set in place. Integration advances BPM beyond process automation: it draws and pushes data to and from software applications to where it’s needed, significantly enhancing and expediting processing as well as making work easier.

It helps workers to:

• Access information without leaving applications they’re using to search for data elsewhere;
• Retrieve data that’s been stored in other
• systems and inaccessible for years;
• Maximize the usefulness of their line-of-business software, drawing real-time data and objects into selected applications for timely decisions and appropriate action;
• Leverage existing data to automate processes, enabling staff to use their time and talents for more meaningful work;
• Navigate work efficiently rather than wading through multiple logons, passwords, systems, and screens.

Employees, partners, and customers can:

• Engage easily in self service, getting information they need (via a portal or website) in a secure, convenient format;
• Engage in straight-through processing via website or portal integration.

Integration makes your information accessible, dramatically improves turnaround time, and provides you with an in-depth overview of your process efficiency.

The role of Web services
Web services are powerful, which is why they’ve been a hot topic for several years.  Universal, flexible, and built with a reusable interface, they work seamlessly and effectively with multiple systems after the services have been built. 

The universality of Web services means they’re able to talk to any other application that leverages web services. If you construct a service that returns an image, that same service can be used with multiple applications to perform the same function elsewhere. This contrasts with hard-coded integrations, which are powerful but extremely inflexible, and must be coded for each individual use or application to work. When a single API service is updated, all identical services are simultaneously refreshed, making administration of changes significantly easier.

Jim Thumma is Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Optical Image Technology. This article is part of a five-part series called Enterprise ECM: Strategies for Success. For more information on document imaging, document management, and workflow products visit www.docfinity.com.