We have shared with our customers our favor of the numerous benefits of cloud integration in some of our previous posts. As a quick recap:
Cloud integration involves the integration of multiple cloud-based applications into a single ecosystem in support of the business. Cloud integration can also include integrating on-premises solutions (i.e., those operated on local computers instead of in the cloud) with cloud-based applications.
When platforms are used to support cloud integration (examples include smartphone operating systems and household streaming devices like Roku or Amazon Fire TV), we refer to these as integrated platform as a service, or iPaaS.
Cloud integration and iPaaS not only save a great deal of time and money and add efficiency and automation to otherwise cumbersome manual processes, they also support a company’s environmental ESG goals by helping organizations reduce their carbon footprint.
In this post, we want to drive home the point that the benefits of iPaaS and cloud integration aren’t merely theoretical. NITCO has worked with several customers to help them achieve actual business goals through cloud integration. Below are just a handful of examples of that success.
Speeding Up Payment Processing
Getting paid faster is a benefit for any business in any industry. Companies often negotiate payment terms with customers and vendors to optimize their cash flow with respect to accounts payable and accounts receivable.
Unfortunately, it’s often a business’s own internal accounting processes that end up adding additional lag time to their accounts receivable.
NITCO worked with a company whose purchase orders (POs) were created and approved in the company’s manufacturing system. Those POs were required to be in the company’s ERP system for payment processing.
NITCO created a workflow to automate the transfer of the PO data from the manufacturing system to the ERP system. We established an encrypted communication channel to transfer the PO data. NITCO also set up a scheduler to execute the entire automated workflow.
Ensuring On-Time Order Delivery
Businesses often have multiple applications and systems that are interrelated but not integrated into their operations--this lack of integration results in time-consuming and error-prone manual processes.
A manufacturing company partnered with NITCO with needed the ability to pass sales order and delivery data between its warehouse, manufacturing, and transportation systems, which were not integrated to share data.
NITCO used Boomi (an iPaaS platform) to create a workflow to transfer data between these various systems using an encrypted channel for data transportation to ensure on-schedule delivery of ordered products.
Streamlining Insurance Processes
NITCO worked with a manufacturing company whose customer credit information was in an ERP system. The credit information was manually entered into a separate system for insurance processing. As with the previous example, manual entry processes create a host of risks for the business. Even in the unrealistic situation that those manually entering data never make an error, it’s still often tremendously time consuming to do all that work by hand.
NITCO created an API-based solution to allow the insurance system to securely pull the customer's credit information from the ERP system.
Key Takeaways
There are several key themes to note in the above examples. In each case, NITCO worked with customers to identify potential process improvements and implement integration solutions to improve those processes. In addition, NITCO provided these integrations with the added benefits of scheduled automation workflows and secure methods to maintain industry standards.
NITCO offers our customers integration solutions using various iPaaS platforms like IBM Sterling Integrator, Boomi, and Jitterbit. Cloud integration and iPaaS may sound like highly technical and complex strategies used primarily by tech-oriented companies; but these solutions are becoming increasingly mainstream, and businesses of all shapes and sizes are beginning to realize the numerous benefits of cloud integration and iPaaS. As the above real-world examples illustrate, these benefits are well within reach of any organization, regardless of their perceived level of technical expertise and competency. NITCO is a trusted and experienced partner in cloud integration and iPaaS.
Contact NITCO today to see how we can take your business to the next level!