New technology represents a significant investment for your firm, so you want to make sure you are making the right choice. Finding appropriate use cases is crucial because they demonstrate that these solutions are the best fit for your company.
The same holds true of B2B integration solutions. There are three particularly relevant use cases we have identified:
- The need to retire costly legacy systems that are nearing end of life
- The push to build efficient supply chains
- The demand to migrate to the cloud to scale more efficiently
Use Case 1: Retiring Costly Legacy Systems
As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Yet, that old-time wisdom does not take into account that your infrastructure has a lifespan. Your EDI system will not last forever, even if it seems to be chugging along perfectly fine now.
Eventually, vendors will stop providing support for your legacy EDI system. “Support” refers not only to having a customer helpline or a technician to come out and provide service, but it also means that the vendor will not work on solutions to fix your hardware and software. When support ends, you have no one to turn to if there is an issue.
Because they are newer, B2B integration solutions will be supported for quite a while. You do not have to worry that you will be stuck without support.
Use Case 2: Build Efficient Supply Chains
The second use case is building efficient supply chains. Supply chains have changed drastically in the past several decades. You are no longer just doing business with local partners; you are working with suppliers and customers on other continents. Technology has advanced rapidly; sensors and mobile devices are now part of our lexicon.
B2B integration solutions help you build efficient supply chains by bringing information into one place. You gain greater visibility into what is happening with shipments. Moreover, you can also integrate new streams of information such as IoT sensor data.
Use Case 3: Migrate to the Cloud for Greater Scalability
The cloud offers a number of advantages to companies, including greater scalability. With cloud B2B integration solutions, it is inexpensive to add new users. It is also much easier to onboard new trading partners.
Cloud B2B integration solutions make it easier for firms to grow. Firms no longer have to worry that adding a new user to their EDI system will hurt their budget. In addition, it is no longer a mutually frustrating experience when you want to add trading partners to your network; they can onboard through a web portal.
If you are using a legacy EDI system, there is a good chance that at least one of these use cases applies to you. As technology advances, fewer and fewer vendors will support legacy systems, especially as the cloud offers greater scalability for B2B integration solutions as well as a way to build efficient supply chains.
Why not take a proactive approach and consider a modern B2B integration solution now?
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