Stop for a second and ask yourself a question. Is your B2B integration solution flexible, agile, and up for the challenge of evolving partner relationships? If the answer is “yes,” that is great – you can stop reading. However, if the answer is “no,” what do you have to do to change it?
In this article, we will explore what you need to consider when future-proofing your B2B integration solutions. It involves integrating legacy technology, flexible integrations for future information streams, and the ability to use it on more than one kind of device.
Integrating Legacy Technology
Integrating legacy technologies to future-proof your B2B integration solutions might sound counter-intuitive. After all, legacy technologies are the very antithesis of ensuring that your current solutions are ready for the future.
Legacy systems still contain enormous amounts of useful information, though. It is often impossible to do a complete rip-and-replace; very few organizations have the budget for such an endeavor. Instead, consider the “duct tape” approach, in which you utilize cloud-based technologies to bridge gaps between legacy technologies and more modern solutions. The “duct tape” allows you to implement small-scale changes that can lead to big results.
Flexible Integrations for Future Information Streams
There are technologies today that were not available a decade ago, and a decade from now, things will doubtlessly advance further. The Internet of Things, for example, is revolutionizing the supply chain. Even today, you can use IoT to track inventory at a granular level.
No one can anticipate what new technologies are coming down the pipeline, so how can you really future-proof your B2B integration solutions? Focus on choosing B2B integration solutions that are open to flexible integrations. You want solutions that expand your options rather than limit them.
“You want B2B integration solutions that expand your options rather than limit them.”
Ensuring that your B2B integration solutions offer flexible integration options allows you to stay agile. In March 2019, Amazon changed its requirements for vendors. Given that Amazon is a major vendor, no one can afford to not be in compliance with its requirements. B2B integration solutions that offer flexibility help you stay one step ahead.
The Ability to Use B2B Integration Solutions on More Than One Kind of Device
By 2020, the number of smartphone users is projected to reach 2.87 billion people. Those smartphone users are utilizing apps to complete day-to-day tasks; by the beginning of 2018, mobile users downloaded over 178 billion apps to their mobile devices.
In this day and age, you cannot afford not to have B2B integration solutions that work on mobile devices. Future-proofing your B2B integration solutions means that you can access them at any device, anywhere, at any time. That capability allows your employees to be more productive and efficient.
“Future-proofing your B2B integration solutions means you can access them anywhere, anytime.”
Ensuring that your B2B integration solutions are future-proof requires strategy and a vision, so you need an integration partner you can trust. Remedi is here to help.
