For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: B2B Service Providers, Q4 2009

GXS, Inovis, And Sterling Commerce Lead, With Seeburger, Axway, And Crossgate Close Behind

by Ken Vollmer, October 29, 2009

In Forrester's 85-criteria evaluation of B2B service provider vendors, we found that GXS, Inovis, and Sterling Commerce led the pack due to the comprehensive nature of their business to business (B2B) hosted document exchange and managed services offerings . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Shift In Ownership: Protecting Data Outside Your Four Walls  (1.6 MB PPT)

by Robert Whiteley, October 28, 2009

In September 2009, Forrester hosted a two-day event designed to help security and risk professionals understand the top three shifts impacting their job heading. This document summarizes the key recommendations we made to help master the shift in ownership . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Case Study: How Wyeth Upgraded Its B2B Operations To Support A Global ERP Strategy

by Ken Vollmer, April 17, 2009

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals recently completed a major upgrade to its business-to-business (B2B) capability that supports a global rollout of a single-instance SAP implementation. The upgrade resulted in a more agile B2B operation, labor savings in excess of . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

2009 Update: Evaluating Integration Alternatives

Scenario-Based Guidance For Choosing Products That Provide Application, Process, And Data Integration Features

by Ken Vollmer, Rob Karel, Larry Fulton, Noel Yuhanna, January 26, 2009

Technical innovation and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity continue to drive the evolution of the integration marketplace, leading to a market with a significantly different array of features and tools than what existed just 18 months ago. In . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Use A Comprehensive Set Of Criteria When Selecting An IC-BPMS Tool

Targeting Products That Support Integration, BPM, And SOA Efforts

by Ken Vollmer, Henry Peyret, June 25, 2008

Integration-centric business process management suites (IC-BPMSes) are the most comprehensive tools available to assist enterprises with their service-oriented-architecture-based (SOA-based) business process management (BPM), business-to-business integration . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

B2B Integration Trends: B2B Modernization

Using SOA And BPM To Improve The Value Of B2B Exchanges

by Ken Vollmer, December 10, 2007

Many enterprises are still supporting their B2B requirements with basic electronic data interchange (EDI) technology that is more than 20 years old. While this technology still provides value, its ongoing use in isolation from newer alternatives will . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

B2B Integration Trends: Message Formats

Alternatives Grow, But EDI Standards Remain The Leading Option For B2B Messaging

by Ken Vollmer, July 6, 2007

Electronic data interchange (EDI) technology gained wide acceptance by providing basic electronic document exchange capability that was crucial to enterprises in many sectors. This technology was well suited to dealing with highly structured data that . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Justifying B2B Integration

by Ken Vollmer, February 9, 2007

Many organizations with a significant number of B2B interactions with customers and suppliers still do not use any form of automated, electronic document exchange technology due to the difficulty in identifying benefits that could be used to justify the . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Integration-Centric Business Process Management Suites Are A Good Choice For SOA

IC-BPMS Vendors Have Added Key SOA Features

by Ken Vollmer, July 19, 2006

Integration-centric business process management suites (IC-BPMSes) are comprehensive products that can address not only enterprise application integration (EAI), business-to-business integration (B2Bi), electronic data interchange (EDI), and business . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Microsoft Announces BPM Enhancements For BizTalk Server 2006

BizTalk R2 Will Include Office Server Adapters And Native Support For EDI And RFID

by Ken Vollmer, Colin Teubner, July 5, 2006

Microsoft has been a popular choice in the integration space for some time, but BizTalk Server has lagged in its direct support for electronic data interchange (EDI) and its human-centric business process management (BPM) features as compared with most . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Ranking Supply Chain Management Tools And Services

Users Rank ERP Vendors And Accenture Highest In Customer Satisfaction

by Noha Tohamy, June 26, 2006

Forrester surveyed 167 supply chain decision-makers in North America to find out their current satisfaction with supply chain software and services and their plans for additional investments. We found that 41% say they will rely on their ERP vendors for . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Axway Acquires Cyclone Commerce

Look For Increased Competition In The Integration Software Market

by Ken Vollmer, Henry Peyret, February 6, 2006

Axway's acquisition of Cyclone Commerce will create a company with comprehensive integration technology and a strong global presence. This move will ratchet up the competitive pressure, especially in the North American B2B integration arena, as Axway . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Trends 2006: Electronic Data Interchange

Still The Most Widely Used Form Of Automated B2B Interactions

by Ken Vollmer, October 21, 2005

The use of electronic data interchange (EDI) data formats for the exchange of standard business documents, such as purchase orders, invoices, advanced ship notices, benefit claims, and electronic payments, continues to grow in the vertical industries, . . .

B2B Web Sites Fail The Usability Test

by Bruce D. Temkin, January 12, 2005

Over the last 14 months, B2B sites received an average score of -1.1 on Forrester's Web Site Review — well below the scores for B2C sites. Both groups of sites received their lowest scores on our Navigation criteria.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

GXS To Grow Via Acquisition

Francisco Partners To Buy IBM's EDI Unit And Combine It With GXS

by Ken Vollmer, November 2, 2004

The proposed combination of Global eXchange Services (GXS) and IBM's EDI units is a positive move that will create new opportunities for each company's customers due to the increased availability of advanced integration technology. This in turn will enable . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Trends 2005: Electronic Data Interchange

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

by Ken Vollmer, November 1, 2004

The use of electronic data interchange (EDI) standards and value-added network- (VAN)-based document transport continues to expand and will be the mainstay of commercial B2B activity for the foreseeable future.

BT's Coming Takeover Of Radianz: A Win For All

SAVVIS And Other American Providers Should Watch Out

by Lars Godell, October 27, 2004

British Telecom (BT) looks set to replace Equant and Reuters as shareholders in Radianz, the loss-making joint venture set up to provide extranet connectivity to the global financial services industry. Forrester thinks this three-way deal, once concluded, . . .

For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

Your Intranet And Extranet Are Obsolete

Upgrade To Portal Technology To Deliver Extra Value

by Nate L. Root, August 4, 2004

Five years ago, firms treated intranet and extranet sites differently because overlaps in user needs were few, and technology did not meet both needs neatly. Today, the user-controlled ease of intranets and the application integration of extranets have . . .

Three Tools For Direct HIPAA Connections

Innovation's Impact On Claims Clearinghouses

by Eric G. Brown, March 24, 2004

Direct connections between healthcare payers and providers promise to cut transaction costs and open up better, real-time communications. Vendors like CorePolicy, Ivertex, and Post-N-Track are offering up technologies to take the direct-connect revolution . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Hubspan Innovation Delivers Flexible Data Exchange

by David Metcalfe, March 19, 2004

Firms continue to exchange EDI messages across value-added networks but are also buying into interoperable data exchange services from vendors like Advanced Data Exchange, Elemica, and Global eXchange Services. Hubspan, a startup providing an outsourced . . .

Surging Elemica Signals The Rise Of The Networks

by David Metcalfe, Ken Vollmer, Andrew Bartels, January 12, 2004

Elemica, a technology provider founded by chemical firms, grew rapidly in 2003. Its customers vaunt recent successes with hosted apps for supply chain management and logistics. Software vendors must track and combat the rise of network-based hosted apps.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

IT Trends 2004: Electronic Data Interchange

by Ken Vollmer, November 17, 2003

Some XML-based data standards are gaining traction in some sectors, but even in these sectors EDI will continue to be the most widely used standard for B2B activity for several more years.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

IT Opportunities and Issues for Insurance: ACORD XML Will Be the Dominant Data Standard ... Eventually

by Ken Vollmer, August 4, 2003

Although conversion to the new standards will not be necessary for some time, insurance industry clients should plan for the adoption of the applicable ACORD XML standards to take advantage of their data management benefits.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

ACORD XML Standards for Linking Insurance Carriers With Agents Gaining Traction

by Andrew Bartels, July 15, 2003

Insurance carriers looking to better integrate with independent insurance agents need to make ACORD implementation a priority. The time is right — many independent agents already support ACORD, and other carriers are moving ahead with ACORD support.

ACORD Insurance Standards Are Still A Year Away From Critical Mass

by Andrew Bartels, Bill Doyle, Jeremy Sweeney, July 14, 2003

ACORD XML standards promise a solution for electronic integration between insurance carriers and their agents. The recent ACORD conference marked progress in standards development and adoption. But ACORD is still a year away from reaching a critical mass . . .