Baseline

Integration solutions must meet key requirements in terms of usability, efficiency and expandability. Point-to-point integration has long been the conventional solution to building integrated systems. When the number of systems grows rapidly, point-to-point integration is complicated, slow and expensive.

In recent years, many companies have switched to a centralised integration model, which offers clear economic and flexibility benefits. The implementation of such models, however, is challenging. Different suppliers use different architectures to integrate the system, and documentation is often limited or absent. Subsequent changes to the system are error-prone and time-consuming, and can often be carried out by only a few specialists.

Centralised integration is not only a software issue but also a new way to create integrated systems. However, if the architecture is poorly planned, the system may become a point-to-point integration even with centralised integration tools. This results in minimal cost savings. The overall cost benefit of integration services depends on whether the correct architecture solutions allows for the reuse of such services or not.

Baseline is a productised way to integrate systems. Baseline is a product developed by the Swedish company Zystems AB. It is used by dozens of companies in Sweden, including Volvo, Skanska and Scania. Up to 80% of IBM integration projects in Sweden are implemented with Baseline. In Finland, Baseline is used, for example, by the business information provider Dun & Bradstreet Finland Oy (D&B).

At a fixed package price, Baseline offers clear benefits:

• Fast – a ready system integration platform even in a few weeks
• Outstanding return on integration investment if compared with a corresponding implementation based on consulting services
• Unified documentation on the integration architecture and methodology – the user can modify the existing system or integrate new systems consistently and efficiently regardless of the system supplier
• A proven implementation process for each integration project delivers a high-quality integration
• Detailed instructions and notes for each process stage
• Online documentation platform tailored for multi-supplier environments
• Added features available for IBM WebSphere Message Broker – including file adapters