Cloud App Integration .com

SaaS adoption outpacing integration plans says SIM report(information management)

The author here takes a look at emerging integration challenges as detailed in a report from the Society for Information Management (SIM). According to the author, the report states that the rush to adopt SaaS technology has outpaced the creation of integration plans within enterprises of all sizes. The report suggests integration as a service adoption may grow to meet this challenge.

Google’s rapid deployment of SaaS features not loved by all(information week)

An oft-cited advantage of SaaS is the ease of updates. A provider can add new features for the user without requiring on-site installation. But many large CIOs see the frequent updates as a challenge: new features appear too rapidly to be properly evaluated and delegated to the appropriate parties. The author here looks at how Google has slowed down its approach so that enterprise customers can maintain the oversight and control they demand.

SaaS migration is not a simple switch (SearchVirtualDataCentre.co.UK)

Migration from on-premise applications to SaaS applications is complex. The author here warns against the “plug-and-play” mentality; instead his sources suggest that migration to applications requires deep analysis of the technology stack and careful decision making. Integration capability, the author states, may be the most important consideration when choosing whether to migrate to the cloud.

Citrix XenDesktop 5 includes single sign-on access to web applications (Press Release)

Today at Citrix Synergy, virtualization provider Citrix released XenDesktop 5, a new version of the company’s desktop virtualization tool. XenDesktop 5 leverages Citrix Receiver to allow for single sign-on of desktop and SaaS applications. The integration of Citrix Receiver allows users to access a variety of applications in a common manner, regardless of whether the application is SaaS or on-premise.

Google Apps now open to New York schools (Information Week)

Teachers and administrators in the state of New York are now able to use Google Apps Education Edition. The author says that is unlikely that all of the state’s schools will move to Google Apps, but he also points out that in Iowa 30 percent of districts are using Google Apps after only two months of availability. Google Apps Education Edition offers tools for schools to manage web security for staff and students, create integrated calendars to schedule use of limited school resources such as computer labs, and Google Sites is set for use in student projects or as class home pages.

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NetSuite adds Google Apps integration to OneSuite (ZDNet)

NetSuite today released several new features to OneSuite, its cloud ERP tool. According to the author, OneSuite is now better targeted at larger, multinational corporations, not SMBs. The OneSuite enhancements include single-sign integration on with GoogleApps, including Google Calendar and GMail. Read original press release on OneSuite enchancements.

Is it better to use pre-integrated applications or to integrate best-of-breed applications in-house? (ERP Cloud News)

This blog post looks at the advantages of using pre-integrated SaaS tools as compared to integrating best-of-breed SaaS applications in-house. The blog explains how access to platforms can allow for customization of pre-integrated systems, for example, but proprietary development tools can be unfamiliar to third-party users.

Jitterbit releases Salesforce.com integration wizard (Press release)

SaaS integration service provider Jitterbit today announced Jitterbit Connect, a software wizard designed to simplify Salesforce.com integration. The Jitterbit Connect wizard is built into Jitterbit Enterprise Edition and is aimed at helping non-IT users integrate Salesforce.com with other applications.

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Google to take commission on Google Apps sales (PCWorld)

Google will soon be claiming a share of revenue for Sales on the Google Apps marketplace. Currently, all revenue goes to the independent developers of the apps themselves. This will not likely change much from a Google App customer perspective, but it may change how developers package their apps.

Oracle confirms Fusion Applications suite (V3.co.uk)

At Oracle Open World this week Larry Ellison unveiled the long-awaited Fusion Applications suite. Fusion Applications can be deployed on-premise or on the cloud. And with modular deployment options, Fusion Apps allows for integration with existing third party applications, according to this article. The company touts the applications suite as being friendly for business users, underscoring an industry-wide push towards more business involvement in IT.

Cloud requires a new approach to IT delivery models (NetworkWorld)

Integration of a new SaaS tool often requires seeing things in a new way. The author here explains how on-premise CRM implementations, for example were highly customizable while Salesforce.com has a standard schema. For a company to succeed with cloud computing—and more and more that seems to be linked with success overall—a comany must accept that kind of change, the author argues.

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Report shows benefits of SaaS Business Intelligence (Press release)

A recent report from the Aberdeen group concluded that the integration of SaaS BI increases use among employees, specifically self-service users, when compared to on premise business intelligence tools. The report looked closely at San Francisco accessory retailer Timbuk2, who used SaaS BI from PivotLink. According to the report, SaaS BI attracted more users across the enterprise, saved money, and encouraged business agility.

Idea2 CRM now available on Google Apps marketplace (Press release)

CRM provider Idea2 today announced that its customer data management tool will be available in the Google Apps marketplace. The release says that through integration with Google Apps, Idea2 can offer small businesses the same level of sophistication used at larger companies. The release highlights integration with Google Calendar and Gmail.

Hard Dollar and LoadSpring project cost management tools now available as SaaS (Press release)

Software hosting provider LoadSpring Solutions Inc. and cost model developer Hard Dollar today announced the launch of a suite of hosted project cost management tools. Hard Dollar recently announced integration with Microsoft Project and Primavera budget and scheduling tools.

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Cordys used to orchestrate and integrate cloud applications for Daily Telepgraph publisher (Press Release)

Telegraph Media Group, publishers of the UK’s The Daily Telegraph will use Cordys Platform to orchestrate cloud services and applications. Cordys will be used to create processes and applications that work across applications on multiple platforms, including Google Apps and Salesforce. The platform will also be used for the creation of mashups.

Rainmaker announces B2B e-commerce SaaS platform (Press release)

E-commerce and telesales tool provider Rainmaker Systems Inc. today announced
general availability of its SaaS e-commerce platform. The offering includes rules engines, support for 41 global currencies, and multiple file delivery methods. For SaaS integration, the offering contains hundreds of independent API calls and the ability to create custom work flows.

Open clouds are easier said than done (IT Business Edge)

While a lot of the hype around cloud computing centers around easy integration between SaaS applications, take-only-what-you-need storage, and no more vendor lock-in, the reality can be quite different. For blogger Arthur Cole, it seems that a truly open cloud may be more trouble than its worth. He suggests that sticking with your own infrastructure may give you greater flexibility when you begin to incorporate software services.

City of Los Angeles migrating to Google Apps from Novell GroupWise (Information Week)

The government of the city of Los Angeles is nearly finished migrating to Google Apps, according to this case study from Information Week. The city chose to migrate to Google Apps in order to save money and improve collaboration between employees. The switch to Google’s SaaS office suite will cut down on server use, and so save the city $150,000 a year in electric bills.

Oco SaaS BI tool used to prepare for children for first day of school (Press release)

Cradles to Crayons, a Boston-based nonprofit organization that provides school supplies to children in need, has taken a SaaS BI tool and used it to help get more kids ready for school. The organization used Oco BI from Oco Inc. to help allocate volunteers, forecast supplies, and support fund-raising efforts.

Pay special attention to integration when evaluating total cloud cost (spend matters)

According to the author, integration is often responsible for going over budget when implementing SaaS tools. Before choosing to go with a SaaS solution, be sure to determine whether the integration can be done by an in-house team or whether professional services will be needed. Also, determine how integration will affect the functionality of existing applications. Failure to do so can result in unforeseen costs.

Bluehawk Networks releases new version of Force.com-based management service (Press release)

IT service management provider Bluehawk Networks today released InSite 3.0, a cloud-based IT service management application. The application is designed to facilitate incident reporting as well as problem, service catalog and service portfolio management through the implementation of Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) best practices. Bluehawk cites ease of integration into existing systems because InSite is built on Salesforce.com New in the 3.0 version are integrated Force.com survey tools and support Salesforce chatter, a real-time monitoring tool.

Wainewright on “Process first” approach to cloud integration (ebizQ)

Phil Wainewright discusses a “process first” approach to cloud application integration, rather than the “data first” integration scheme that is more widely acknowledged. In particular Wainewright discusses French startup RunMyProcess, which looks to combine process integration with development. According to Wainewright, their approach positions them to compete in the Google Apps Marketplace and for reseller partnerships.

Ten things to ask a SaaS provider before you buy (SAManage)

In this top ten list of what a CIO should ask a SaaS vendor, integration is a respectable 6th. Security is a predictable first, whereas data ownership and availability is second. It’s a pretty straightforward list, but what the SAManage blogger (SAManage is an IT management software provider) says about integration rings true: avoid SaaS tools that require extensive hand-coding requirements and look for open APIs.

KnowledgeTree expands integration of Zoho SaaS tools (Press Release)

Document management SaaS provider KnowledgeTree expanded integration of its service with Zoho Web applications. Zoho, which looks to compete with Google Apps, is a provider of business Web applications. The end-benefit is that KnowledgeTree users can access word processing and spreadsheet applications within the KnowledgeTree document management system, rather than having to juggle separate applications for document creation and document management. That should streamline things a bit.

Accenture’s cloud computing lead discusses his company’s role in SaaS integrations (CRN)

Jimmy Harris, Accenture’s managing director of cloud computing, says that Accenture has done a lot of work in integration between cloud applications and legacy systems, and performed many SaaS implementations. He also confirms the notion that cloud computing is appealing to companies because of lower cost and ease of integration.

Yes but what is the real value of cloud computing? (intelligent enterprise)

Ubiquitous and reliable David Linthicum discusses the “real value” of cloud computing. He doesn’t mention capital expense, but instead concentrates on the lasting, long-term value of better organization and architecture that a move to cloud computing inevitably creates: greater agility, quicker response time, greater flexibility, less infrastructural and integration maintenance.