Friday | 21 November, 2008
CRM's Integration Blues
On-demand applications like Salesforce.com have many advantages, but can they integrate easily with your other core apps? Results still vary
Web Services Prove Key
Most CIOs who deploy on-demand CRM should expect to use Web services as the primary integration mechanism across applications. Unlike the situation about three years ago, Web services APIs are now common in current versions of both traditional and on-demand applications. Web services-based APIs provide a common framework for accessing various applications' capabilities, which makes integration easier for IT developers. The use of Web services also discourages the use of custom code that requires ongoing maintenance once deployed. But not all functions are exposed as Web services, so it can be harder, or even impossible, to integrate with some functions in your legacy applications.
The reliance on Web services does require a different kind of developer than many IT shops have, says Schumacher's Menefee. That's why he maintains two development staffs: one that's experienced with custom code to handle the traditional applications, and one that's experienced with Web services to handle modern applications and SaaS applications. But he mixes up their work to ensure that developers can work with both types of applications since they'll coexist for years.
The key to successful use of on-demand CRM is understanding the integration needs up front at the business process, technology infrastructure and application portfolio levels, says Tina Phillips, a principal at Deloitte Consulting. Only then can you tell if it's the right technology for sales-force automation. "Unfortunately customers still typically see it as a bandaid."
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