We have just passed the mid-year point. This can be a very busy time of year for all of us with companies focusing on vacation coverage, re-assessing their budget and wrapping up 3rd and 4th quarter projects by the end of the year. This is also the time of the year that most of our clients are reflecting on how the first six months has impacted their business in order to propel them to greater heights in the remainder of the year, so they can finish strong!
When I came to REMEDI this past summer, I was excited for the opportunity to work in a professional setting and do meaningful work for the first time in my career. Cleaning tables and preparing food was about to be a thing of the past, and I wasn’t complaining. I had a very basic understanding of EDI and how it impacted the economy and business world, but I was interested to see exactly what REMEDI’s role in the process was. I can remember looking through the CRM my first day and seeing a lot of company names I recognized. As I continued to scroll through the list, more and more brands popped up, including some that I use a lot in my life. When I realized REMEDI played a big role in the EDI department of so many impactful brands, I knew what I was doing could actually make a difference.
When REMEDI started as a business twenty-one years ago, our focus was solely on EDI - integrating data from/to a trading partner from/to a company's business software. EDI software basically did what data integration software does today, but on a limited basis and it was strictly business-to-business. As companies began choosing software packages instead of developing applications in-house, the need for internal data integration grew and software developers answered the need with, what was then called, middleware. These days integration software satisfies the needs of business-to-business and application-to-application data exchange.
Logic versus Syntax – Different Approaches for Different Phases.
Here are two quick thoughts to consider the next time you need to hire an EDI professional.
Screen for Syntax
In the early stages of the hiring process someone within your organization will likely conduct initial screening calls of applicants for a position you need to fill. Sometimes this can be done by HR and sometimes, based on the complexity of the role, it will need to be conducted by someone with a technical EDI or Data Integration background. During these initial calls, screening for a meaningful command of relevant syntax is important.
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Often times when helping companies modernize their B2B integration, I get a glimpse of their old systems and gain insight as to why they felt the need to modernize. One of the most common reasons is to get all their integration software onto one comprehensive package. Generally, companies add additional software tools one by one as needs arise in their EDI department for requirements which older existing tools will not accommodate. In the instance of IT backlogs, Line of Business folks will procure integration solutions as a work-around to the capacity limitations of their IT department. Acquisitions frequently result in overlapping systems as well. Over time, more becomes less as complexity and inefficiency rise with each additional integration tool- a typical case of too many cooks.
