B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

106 B2B Integration — A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce
in middleware and integration technologies have made legacy systems
accessible to today's distributed systems. Consequently, companies are
now leveraging the capabilities of their legacy systems by integrating
them as the backbone of their new B2B infrastructure.
4.6.2. Client/server systems
The advent of the graphical user interface and the workstation gave rise
to a new architectural model comprised of a 'fat' client and a database
server. These systems were made possible through the proliferation of
workstations running Windows or UNIX and the rise of distributed
database vendors such as Oracle, Sybase and Informix.
For the first time, organizational departments within a company
could implement and maintain their own information systems. These
new 'silo' systems allowed managers to exercise more control over
their data.
Beyond the departmental information system, client/server systems
produced many other benefits. The advent of the graphical interface
gave rise to powerful business tools, such as spreadsheets and word
processors, creating a much more productive office worker.
These client/server systems also created a technology savvy
generation. Computing technologies and architectures were no longer
confined to the IS department in a closely guarded server or mainframe
room at corporate headquarters.
Though distributed client/server systems contributed to the EAI 'mess'
found in most companies today, it created a new competitive, innovative
technological environment which has fueled the productivity and
efficiency boom during the past decade.
4.6.3. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) arrived on the scene in the early
90s and has become a core element in the enterprise infrastructure. ERP
is a software solution that addresses the needs of an entire enterprise. It
takes a process-level view of an organization and attempts to tightly
integrate all its functions.