Technology Special Report: Business Integration

While the open-environment concepts of Web services and service-oriented architectures have gained popularity in recent years, organizations have been slower to adopt third-party tools to manage their performance. Those that have, however, are finding real results, whether in saved man hours or improved time to market. But integrating Web services management requires serious planning-and an even more serious understanding of your organization’s business strategy. Here’s how to make it work.

  • For Shared Apps, a Private Eye
    Too many companies jump into Web services without taking the proper precautions to oversee their traffic. Here’s how a few technology managers have navigated the waters, and some advice from experts for those about to get their feet wet.

    Company Profiles
    Actional: People Power
    AmberPoint: An Eye Inside
    WebMethods: Staying the Course?

  • CIO Insight‘s 2006 Business Process Improvement Survey: Creating Smarter, Faster, Cheaper Processes is IT’s Main Mission
    Companies are turning to IT to help their operations be more productive, and their strategic planners and knowledge workers make better decisions.
  • Expert Voices: Lynne Markus on Integrating with Business Partners
    The secret to integrating with your business partners, according to Bentley College’s M. Lynne Markus, is to maximize the benefits for them, and maximize the benefits for yourself. Sounds simple, right? So why is it so hard?
  • Technology: Open Source Tools Help Ease Integration Woes
    Small companies like Marena Group see lowered costs and quicker implementation.

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  • Voice of Experience: H&R Block Financial Advisors’ Scott Thompson
    Vendors can offer the world, but can their products walk the walk? Find out what this technical architect found when he put one vendor to the test.
  • Opinion: Why IT Integration is Critical to Merger Success
    Post-merger IT integration can be a difficult, long-term, expensive proposition, but no merger can work without it, say two Booz Allen Hamilton consultants.