When I was studying IT at university, I remember some class discussions about the 5th generation programming language. Different things were said, and some future scenarios seemed like a horror story for us future software engineers. It felt that 5GL would make computers write code much faster and more efficiently than we students would ever be able to, and that was a depressing thought at the time.
It did not happen in our case. Okay, maybe partly.
Automation redefined the way we work, limiting human intervention and changing the way we create and maintain solutions. And this is not the end: Artificial Intelligence, robotics, improved connectivity, virtual and augmented reality, and other disruptive technologies are changing the future.
At the same time, many solutions and processes that were created years or even decades ago are still working and running the business today. They are often perceived as legacy, and the new generation is not interested in learning how to maintain them. This often puts businesses in very difficult situations.
The ‘Great Resignation’
One of the effects of the global pandemic in recent years has been the labor force-thinning impact of ‘The Great Resignation’. This term referred initially to the job flight that people took for a variety of reasons—to pursue a new vocation, start a new business, take early retirement, seek more purpose-fulfilling work, or to just plain reduce overwork and stress.
But more recently, ‘the Great Resignation’ has morphed into a newer definition. Today, it seems to describe how organizations cope with the talent shortage caused by the loss of skilled and often legacy workers that have needed knowledge and can do work that younger (or less skilled) workers cannot.
How do organizations gain back these workers or replace them, with either human capital or technology-driven processes?
Getting the right talent is an important factor in recruiting, as many HR managers know. Finding the right people for the right jobs takes time and energy. But might other alternatives exist? Can organizations find new ways to tackle the talent flight?
An opportunity for new thinking
Within enterprises, this labor shortage represents an opportunity for new thinking. Whereas API and new integration channel requirements are becoming more and more popular, and EDI usage is growing at the same time, enterprises have an excellent opportunity to solve the ‘great resignation’ problem and at the same time respond to market demands today and tomorrow.
This can be done by moving into an era of digital transformation with a mix of technologies like Cloud, SaaS, and API-enabled EDI and B2B integration systems. A recent McKinsey & Co. study agrees, and shows the path forward may be to advance the digital infrastructure from within.
McKinsey calls this a ‘$1 trillion opportunity’ in new value at stake for enterprises. The consultancy suggests that the dollar figure could grow even higher, as more enterprises adopt emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, blockchain, and augmented reality.
This is certainly enticing. And we see that more and more companies are starting today to move operations into the cloud to save costs, modernize their B2B ecosystems, open up data to suppliers, bolster productivity, and increase scale.
But all of this can take time. The issue is to engage with experts to effectively support ongoing critical operations right now.
Adding more complexity to B2B integration
Industry needs are changing. As suppliers and partners move to the cloud, B2B integration is becoming more complex for enterprises every day. IT leaders are being inundated with a wide variety of options to help them digitally transform their processes.
All of these options promise that their tools will help companies stay ahead of competitors, reduce costs, and create real-time customer communications tools.
But is that true across the board? What platform can really work for your company?
It’s important to know the capabilities of your existing B2B integration infrastructure.
- Does your B2B integration support traditional EDI flows while also satisfying your customers’ API-driven demands in today’s digital economy?
- Does it work in tandem with the shift to the “Integration as a service” model?
- Do you believe that cloud-based B2B integration can reduce your costs by 20, 30 or even 40%?
In these cases, more and more enterprises are outsourcing their B2B integration services to vendors that can help provide end-to-end integration services, along with the knowledge and skills needed to do this effectively. That’s where Axway comes in.
B2B integrating with API-enabled EDI
More enterprises today rely on a balanced mix of API and EDI integrations to support and enhance their data flow. Using Axway services can bring the API technology to support and complement your EDI processes and enable a consistent platform experience.
EDI and API managed cloud processes create more agility for your business, and help to optimize your company in its entirety. Plus, cloud adoption can help reduce EDI risks and quickly scale up key parts of your business.
Axway provides end-to-end cloud-based B2B Integration Managed Services, streamlining EDI and API technology. You focus on the business. We manage your operations.
Watch the video and contact our team to see how it could work for you.
We know the landscape of IT business communications. We work with companies that want business integrations involving EDI and APIs. Isn’t it time you brought us into your operation to show you the benefits you deserve?
Download our whitepaper to see why waiting to modernize your B2B integrations is a risk you shouldn’t take.