Without question, modern B2B integration solutions offer organizations must-have benefits in the real-time economy. But like vacationing in a foreign country, the journey to modernization comes with challenges to navigate.
As implementers, we help customers implement iPaaS and other hybrid solutions that use EDI, MFT, and APIs to automate data exchange between apps, systems, partners and marketplaces. These solutions support modern integration requests and consolidate integration functionality from single purpose legacy solutions.
They further eliminate manual errors. They speed up orders and onboarding, as well as order-to-cash and procure-to-pay flows. At the same time, we also help identify and navigate the challenges that come with implementing modern B2B solutions.
This article explains what those challenges are. Without a plan to manage the potential for business disruption inherent to transformative data exchange initiatives, CFOs are less likely to approve the investment they require.
We begin by explaining why you want to convey to decision makers the risks of keeping the integration status quo.
This is the fifth article in our series on Integration Resiliency. At the end, you’ll find links to other articles in the series.
What are the Risks of Not Modernizing B2B Integration Stacks?
No one sets out to build a worse mousetrap, but for many enterprises, evolving integration requirements have led them to use several integration models at the same time:
- Legacy EDI on-premises
- Hybrid EDI in the cloud and on-premises
- Cloud-based APIs and EDI
- File-based exchanges that cover on-premises and cloud
This can result in iterative complexity. Iterative complexity can increase the opportunities for data breaches, errors, and cash flow interruptions to name a few. Integration resilience is no longer an IT-only concern but a business concern.
Not keeping up invites further risks, such as falling behind competitors and missing opportunities to add new customers who need fast and seamless data exchange.
New integration requirements often come about and when not supported by existing solutions this leaves organizations with the choice of:
- Choosing and implementing a modern integration solution that supports evolving integration requirements in addition to traditional ones
- Adding another single purpose solution, meaning another layer to manage and another potential fail point to contend with
When multiple platforms, deployment models, and standards exist without a unified architecture, organizations can face integration sprawl. As businesses integrate more SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions into their tech stacks, they inevitably create more complex connections between systems and applications.
What are the Challenges to Navigate When Implementing Modern B2B Integration?
Challenge 1: Designing a “Future-Proof” Integration Environment
Modern B2B integration solutions are built for agility and help avoid the trap of iterative complexity.
While a degree of complexity is inherent in modern integration environments that are constantly evolving, a well-architected B2B integration stack ensures the connections and workflows remain stable and manageable while supporting the enterprise.
Also, you want to avoid a solution that may leave the business vulnerable to an SPOF (single point of failure). Centralized “hub” models can fail if the core integration layer goes down. It’s essential to confirm the vendor can offer high uptime guarantees backed by redundancy across multiple data centers along with solution fail-over or load balancing strategies.
The design process begins with documenting what you currently have. Remedi offers a free template to help users start the process of defining a “future-proof” environment, and anticipating and planning for how to navigate the challenges of making it a reality.
Future-proofing is related but not identical to modernization. Future-proofing is about making strategic choices. These choices help your integration architecture adapt to changes in technology, regulations, or the economy.
Challenge 2: Skills Gaps
Often, the biggest implementation challenge is accounting for skills gaps. New platforms need technical expertise to set up and manage. Between retirements and constrained hiring budgets, senior players with EDI and B2B integration skills are increasingly in short supply.
Think about your team and their skills. Will you be able to efficiently manage the platform in the long run with internal resources? How will they be trained on new modern tools, and then retained?
Challenge 3: Security and Compliance Risks
Moving data across cloud systems increases the attack surface and risk of unauthorized access. It’s critical to ensure robust security measures are in place, especially with iPaaS solutions.
Also, protecting data and adhering to compliance standards is more complex across the multiple platforms in the modern B2B integration stack.
Challenge 4: Controlling Costs Over Time
With cloud-based solutions, you’ll want to watch out for cost overruns linked to usage-based pricing. Ask if processing more data or adding more connectors will raise costs unexpectedly.
During the implementation itself, you’re at risk for business disruption. As we’ve said in the past, migrating to a new data exchange platform is like replacing the engine on your car while rolling down the highway. Hitting the pause button on business operations is not an option.
Thorough planning and communication is essential during the process to prevent disruption of key supply chain and business data flow such as POs, invoices, shipping notices, and to protect cash flow and trading partner confidence.
Challenge 5: Vendor Lock-In
Vendor lock-in is where a company becomes overly dependent on one provider for critical integration. This may be good for the vendor, but if you’re unhappy with the pricing or service, it’s difficult to change solutions.
You should also consider the impact of hidden costs, such as expenses for premium features, connectors, or managing the platform internally vs. externally.
To be clear, we are strong advocates for modernizing your B2B integration stack. Just be clear-eyed about the potential risks of the investment, so your organization can see maximum ROI post-implementation.
What are Some Examples of Modern B2B Integration Platforms?
No platform eliminates complexity and related challenges by itself, but the leading platforms offer clear architecture and management.
With that said, the internal team needs to have or develop capabilities in a few key areas:
- Integration design and architecture
- Workflow and data transformation development
- Monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance tuning
- Security and compliance
- Partner onboarding and change management
The upside is most of these platforms offer centralized management and visibility, modern integration support, reusable templates, and drag-and-drop tools. Remedi resells and/or supports the following solutions, each of which to varying degrees offers features that can cut down the day-to-day manual overhead that older systems required:
IBM EDI and B2B API Data Solutions
- Strong heritage in EDI and MFT with modern API and hybrid deployment support.
https://www.ibm.com/solutions/electronic-data-interchange
Cleo Integration Cloud
- Emphasizes trading-partner lifecycle management and EDI/API coexistence.
https://resources.cleo.com/video-cleo-integration-cloud
Boomi
- Broad iPaaS footprint with strong cloud-native integration and extensibility.
https://boomi.com/platform/
SEEBURGER
- Enterprise-grade B2B integration with deep compliance and global partner support.
https://www.seeburger.com/integration-platform/business-integration-suite
Conclusion
Modern B2B integration platforms offer a slate of strategic benefits that legacy systems can’t match. They use a combination of technologies (EDI, APIs, managed file transfer, and industry-specific protocols) to deliver speed, flexibility, and visibility.
A solid B2B modernization proposal will be anchored by the concept of future-proofing. Future-proofing is related to modernization but not the same thing. Future-proofing is about making strategic choices. These choices help your integration architecture adapt to changes in technology, regulations, or the economy.
Yet, unlocking these features and benefits requires careful planning and navigation of implementation challenges in order to align with what CFOs are more likely to fund: Solutions that deliver ROI and resilience in an era of heightened uncertainty.
Reach out to discuss consulting, staffing, or software solutions. Remedi has been implementing effective EDI and B2B integrations for customers of all sizes in all industries since 1994.
We can help you build an environment resilient enough to support your business needs today and meet future demands.
Other Blogs in the Integration Resilience Series:
How EDI Managers Can Meet Pressure to Deliver Results Without Adding Headcount
What is Failure to Deliver Syndrome (FTDS) and How Can You Avoid It?
How EDI Teams Support Efficient Platform Migrations and Revenue Growth
What Are the Risks of Legacy EDI Systems?
FAQs
Q1: What is B2B Integration?
A: B2B integration uses a combination of technologies. These include EDI, APIs, managed file transfer, and industry-specific protocols—to connect systems, streamline workflows, and ensure compliance. The goal is twofold. Reduce errors and costs of manual processes. And improve visibility, speed, and accuracy in business-to-business transactions.
Q2: Is future proofing the same as modernizing?
A: Future-proofing and modernizing are related but they are not identical. Modernizing typically refers to adopting newer tools or platforms, such as moving from on-premises systems to cloud-based integration solutions. Future-proofing is about making strategic choices. These choices help your integration architecture adapt to changes in technology, regulations, or the economy.
Q3: What is B2B integration resiliency?
A: B2B integration resiliency is the ability of an organization’s integration infrastructure to maintain operations and recover from disruptions—whether due to system outages, supply chain interruptions, or staffing gaps. It includes having documented workflows, monitoring tools, fallback procedures, and experienced support resources in place to ensure that critical business exchanges continue with minimal impact.
Q4: How do we choose the right B2B integration platform?
A: Choosing the right platform starts with understanding your current and future integration requirements, including trading partner volume, data formats, security, and compliance needs, and whether your workloads are on-prem, in the cloud, or a mix of both. Look for platforms that offer strong governance features, cost transparency, and support for both EDI and APIs. Consider your internal team's expertise and whether you'll need outside help to manage the platform effectively over time.
Q5: What is iterative complexity?
A: As applied to B2B integrations, iterative complexity describes the challenge of managing the repeated cycles of refining, testing, and adapting required to build and maintain seamless data exchange between different business systems in an environment where requirements, APIs, and business needs are constantly evolving.
https://www.remedi.com/b2b-integration-and-edi-architecture-documentation-template
https://www.ibm.com/solutions/data-security#:~:text=Comprehensive%20data%20security%20solutions
