B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

102 B2B Integration — A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce
situation has never been more apparent than with the swift rise, and
even swifter fall, of the Internet dot-coms. Both old and new economy
companies rushed into the 'sexiest' Internet technologies without any
regard for ROI, revenue or shareholder value. Today, with one eye on
the enormous implementation costs and another eye on the failure of the
dot-coms, many companies have taken a more cautious approach. As
the saying goes: "the more things change, the more they stay the same."
The benefits of EAI are great, but so are the pitfalls, if one does not
approach it in a systematic, cost-effective manner.
4.5. Types of EAI
EAI solutions can take on many forms and exist at many levels. The
appropriate level of EAI can be dependent on many factors including
company size, company industry, integration/project complexity and
budget.
There are three types of middleware solutions to EAI:
• User Interface Integration;
• Data Integration;
• Function or Method Integration; and
• Business Method Integration.
A brief overview of each of these levels of EAI include:
4.5.1. User interface integration (Refacing)
Refacing is the process of replacing the terminal screens of legacy
systems and the graphical interfaces of PCs with one standardized
interface, typically browser-based. Generally, the functionality of terminal
screens applications can be mapped on a one-to-one basis with a
browser-based graphical user interface. The new presentation layer is
integrated with the existing business logic of the legacy systems.
Enterprise business portals may also be considered a sophisticated
refacing solution. A business portal consolidates the presentation of
multiple applications into one customizable browser-based interface. A