For the past decade, HubBroker has been leading the way in IT integration with its future-proof platform, the HubBroker iPaaS. Today, we continue to help businesses of all sizes and industries tackle their integration challenges and prepare for the future.
The IT industry is facing a significant shortage of personnel, and this shortage will only continue to grow. Companies will find themselves without adequate staff to manage their business integration, even as security, business, and legal compliance requirements become increasingly complex.
Companies will eventually turn to cloud-based solutions to manage their integration needs.
This blog post takes a closer look at the top five integration challenges that businesses are currently facing and provides insights into how to overcome these challenges in the face of staff shortages.
Effortless Onboarding and Connection of Trading Partners
Do you have an integration platform that supports all widely used industry standards and communication protocols, such as EDIFACT, VDA, ANSI x12, OFTP2, AS2, SFTP, VAN, REST, and JSON? Over 5,000 customers trust HubBroker’s technology, processes, and global consulting teams, all equipped to handle the latest industry standards, ensuring that integration projects are completed on time and within budget.
Standard Partner Mappings: What sets HubBroker apart from other vendors is its unique mapping architecture that facilitates seamless integration between systems. The advantages of HubBroker’s mappings over the point-to-point mappings offered by other vendors include the following:
- An extensive mapping library of over 20,000 EDI maps, which are carefully crafted to accurately reflect end-customer’s published EDI specifications.
- The decoupling of trading partner maps from ERP interfaces enables partner connections and ERP connections to be updated independently and integrated into the service easily.
- Faster implementation project pacing and simplified transitions between ERP systems, as only ERP interfaces need to be created or updated.
Partner Communication: This central gateway, managed in the HubBroker iPaaS, routes messages between partners without the need for individual connections. All that’s required is one connection from any system to the gateway, and messages can be exchanged with all partners connected to the gateway via their preferred communication protocol. The Communication Service offers the following benefits:
- Swift and Simplified Partner Connectivity: Both you and your trading partner can connect to the Gateway via your preferred protocol, leveraging the standard partner connectivity already established through the B2B Directory.
- Message Monitoring: Monitor the status of incoming and outgoing messages.
- EDI Validators: Identify and prevent EDI message errors early on before the message is sent. These validators scan for technical, structural, and even some content errors and notify the sender in case of an error, allowing you to intervene.
- Experienced Global Project Delivery Team: HubBroker consultants are seasoned professionals with years of expertise delivering complex EDI migrations and partner onboarding quickly and effectively.
Embrace Industry 4.0 Innovations
In today’s digital era, real-time data has become a crucial aspect of smart manufacturing, particularly in the context of Industry 4.0. With this technology, machines now have the ability to provide valuable data to systems that help monitor production quality, ensuring the traceability of key parts and ensuring that deliveries are completed successfully.
Leading the Way in API and EDI Integration
HubBroker is ahead of the game with its B2B API standards for inbound logistics processes, working in tandem with traditional EDI Advance Shipping Notifications (ASNs).
Without EDI, Just-in-Time (JIT) processes would not be possible. Over the past 40 years, the formats (EDIFACT, ANSIx12) and communication methods (OFTP2, AS2, SFTP) have evolved. They are now being complemented by API technologies (REST, JSON).
In the manufacturing and logistics industry, APIs provide crucial data, such as geo-coordinates and serial numbers of products, which allow for new transport orders to be received and optimized through transport management systems (TMS).
For seamless production processes during times of disrupted supply chains, it is important to know the precise availability of parts and their mode of transport (lorry, ship, or train) and the location at all times (Track and Trace). That is why APIs are becoming indispensable in the automotive industry.
Maintaining Compliance
With HubBroker, you can achieve full compliance to the latest regulations, including:
- System integration – Over 43 criteria for compliance in F3 (High Importance), including automated data exchange with ERP, EDI/Web, barcoding, and quality processes.
- Full electronic data exchange with sub-suppliers – WebEDI.
- Adoption of advanced technologies – machine learning and smart manufacturing.
Securing the Processes and Data
From both operational and security perspectives, ensuring the secure collection and transmission of data in every industry is crucial. Availability and confidentiality must be prioritized to prevent operational disruptions and protect sensitive information. Implementing these measures can be time-consuming and financially demanding, which is why outsourcing EDI and API integration to a secure Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) provider with certifications such as ISO27001, ISAE3402, and TISAX is becoming a trend in the industry.
Promoting Sustainability in the Industry
Sustainability has become a core value in every sector, with the goal of transitioning towards a net-zero economy. This encompasses not only reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions but also fostering a new form of mobility that incorporates renewable energy, connected processes, and shared mobility. To further enhance sustainability, the industry is also focused on reducing the carbon footprint of production equipment and minimizing empty truck runs. This way, the industry can help create a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future.
Optimizing ERP Systems for Maximum Efficiency
HubBroker is dedicated to helping businesses streamline and optimize their ERP systems for maximum efficiency and ease of use. With over 5,000 customers worldwide relying on our integration solutions, our experts are equipped to handle any challenge you may face when integrating your ERP and MRP systems. From SAP and Microsoft Dynamics to IFS and Oracle, our connectors are designed to seamlessly connect and integrate with any endpoint.
Flexible Connectivity for Your Business Needs
As digitalization continues to accelerate, businesses must have quick and efficient integration solutions to connect systems, processes, partners, and data. HubBroker offers a wide range of pre-tested and functional connectors, making it easy to connect any endpoint securely. With adapters for popular ERP systems like SAP, CRM systems like Salesforce, and e-commerce platforms like Shopify, our solutions are flexible and adaptable to your unique business needs.
Questions to Consider When Upgrading Your ERP System
When planning a change to your ERP system, there are a few key questions to consider. These include:
- What systems and endpoints need to be integrated?
- What integration patterns are available?
- What deployment model would best suit your integration platform?
- How can you simplify B2B integration using common formats and content?
HubBroker’s Conversion Architecture
HubBroker has invested in the development and implementation of a proprietary conversion architecture. This approach involves creating a process mapping on the backend side that converts data into a standard XML structure defined by HubBroker. On the partner side, a standard partner mapping is created for each process and partner. This way, any changes made to the partner mappings can be easily maintained and delivered.
Our unique approach was developed to minimize the amount of change required during migrations or the introduction of new ERP environments, ensuring minimal disruption to customers. With this architecture in place, changes to the ERP environment usually don’t require changes to the partner connections, allowing customers to duplicate incoming data and distribute it in parallel to different ERP environments or send outgoing data from different ERP systems to the same partner.
Embrace Cloud Integration Solutions
Managing an on-premises integration platform can be a complex and time-consuming process, especially when it comes to ensuring high levels of security, availability, and flexibility. That’s why it’s important to carefully evaluate the different requirements of your business with the IT department to determine the best operating model for your specific use case.
An integration platform must be available 24/7 and require a team of specialists to handle any process-related issues. HubBroker offers flexible deployment options to fit your needs and by choosing ecosystem integration through HubBroker , you can enjoy benefits such as:
- Cost savings: Only operating costs are incurred instead of investments. HubBroker provides qualified personnel for the 24/7 operation of the integration platform.
- Certified 24/7 operations with enhanced security: HubBroker ensures the confidentiality and integrity of data, processes, and communications through highly secure operations governed by strict guidelines, certifications, regulations, and audits.
- Flexibility: Companies with an efficient IT department can retain as much flexibility and independence as they desire through configurable operating models.
- Support for all common integration patterns and standards: Asynchronous B2B/EDI Integration, Synchronous API Integration, E-invoicing, MFT, EAI, and Internet of Things (IoT) processes are all supported.
- Scalable volume: The HubBroker EDI/B2B service grows as your needs grow, handling anywhere from one thousand to one million files per month.
- Critical business process support: Reliable and high-performance solutions for business-critical processes such as JIT/JIS.
- Defined SLA processes: With full transparency and monitoring, including a defined Service Desk process, incident management, change management, disaster recovery, and real-time monitoring/reporting through business tracking providers.
- Monthly SLA reporting: To provide all parties with a clear understanding of the services being provided by HubBroker, a monthly report is provided with detailed performance and stability analysis, including service availability against contracted metrics.
Revolutionize Your Supply Chain with Digitalization
A supply chain can only succeed if all its components function properly. In the logistics industry, for example, this includes implementing new processes such as tracking transport status and ordering and processing empties, and establishing communication with additional partners like upstream suppliers and manufacturers through EDI and APIs.
One solution to the challenges of supply chain digitalization is cloud integration technology. HubBroker’s iPaaS is a valuable tool that can assist in the digitalization of supply chains.
HubBroker also offers a WebEDI portal to integrate suppliers who are not EDI-enabled into the Cloud EDI Service. This allows suppliers to receive orders, create follow-up documents, and send them back to the customer.
For low-volume suppliers who do not have the necessary resources for full EDI onboarding or do not have EDI capabilities or an ERP system that can handle the necessary processes, the Supplier Portal Service provides many of the benefits of full EDI integration. This service integrates the processes with ERP and accounting systems, reducing the time, errors, and costs associated with manual document processing.
HubBroker’s B2B Onboarding Solution
HubBroker’s B2B Onboarding Service allows businesses to quickly and easily integrate their partners into the EDI system. This solution not only streamlines the process of connecting new partners but also provides a platform for sharing important information, receiving feedback, and updating any necessary changes.
- Easy and Transparent: The self-service feature allows trading partners to manage the onboarding process with step-by-step guidance from SEEBURGER. With the monitoring options, businesses can keep track of all steps at all times.
- Save Time: The pre-defined templates for surveys and recurring steps in the onboarding process are saved, making it easier for businesses to save time. The solution also offers full scalability to support the growing number of partners that need to be integrated.
- Cost-effective: The simple pricing model of HubBroker’s services reduces the need for EDI experts and reduces costs, making it more cost-effective for businesses.
- Trading Partner Support: For suppliers who do not have experienced EDI teams, HubBroker provides ongoing support and management of the onboarding process. The team of HubBroker experts offers direct communication, a support hotline, error handling, and analysis of any missing EDI messages. The service also provides an interface between the customer team and trading partners, making it easier to manage the integration process.
Unlock the Full Potential of Your Ecosystem with HubBroker
HubBroker offers a comprehensive, cloud-based solution for your EDI needs. Its technology stack provides flexible and scalable solutions to streamline and optimize your supply chain, reduce time and effort in your processes, and minimize overall costs.
With the self-service onboarding, partner support services, and easy-to-use trading partner portal, HubBroker makes it easy to integrate and connect with your partners.
Whether you want to digitize your supply chain, manage supplier onboarding, or communicate important updates, HubBroker has the solutions you need to succeed. Contact us today to embrace the power of technology and digitalization and discover the full potential of your ecosystem with HubBroker.
