London November 1, 2002 Integration solution provider Sterling Commerce this week released its flagship business process management (BPM) platform in Europe.
Sterling said its Integrator solution supports both enterprise application integration (EAI) and B2B integration, includes both BPM and systems management capability and is based on a core, business process engine. The platform automates the flow of information between employees, legacy infrastructure, enterprise applications and B2B commerce environments.
Teresa Jones, research analyst for the Butler Group, commenting on Integrator, said: "This product addresses a key issue in the integration space: for enterprise-level integration, BPM is becoming increasingly relevant as a means of making integration achievable. By recognizing that the boundaries between external and internal integration are blurring, and the enterprise focus needs to be increasingly on the process rather than the individual applications, Sterling Integrator will stir up interest from enterprises that need to put their processes under the efficiency microscope."
Integrator is built on a services-oriented architecture, offering a modular approach that allows businesses to buy and deploy incrementally as their integration needs evolve, new standards emerge or opportunities arise for advanced collaborative processes.
Sterling said it is already piloting Integrator across Europe with a range of companies in the retail/consumer packaged goods, manufacturing (electronic and automotive) and financial services industries.
For example Leica Microsystems, a manufacturer and supplier of optical solutions, has been an early adopter of Integrator. The company looked to the solution to improve collaboration through the supply chain and increase the efficiency of the service side of its business by replacing the existing manual stock and logistics control system with an automated workflow process.
Leica is counting on the new solution to streamline business process integration and remove administrative delays in the transfer and deployment of spare parts stock from global factories between its warehouse network and its U.S. customer base.
"With Sterling Integrator, we have a finely tuned engine that can correctly manage and monitor the flow of data and applications and ensure integrity of critical business processes," said Derek Payne, fulfillment technology manager at Leica. "This effectively removes administrative delays in the processing and movement of our stock."
