What is ISA-M?
ISA-M is short for Integration Solution Advisory Methodology, since its introduction in 2014, numerous global organisations have successfully applied this methodology. Its main goal is to simplify the integration of system landscapes and help enterprise architects to manage their complexity. It helps raise the integration maturity of your organization by using a systematic approach on integration.
Step 1: Identify your integration domains
In many organisations, multiple IT systems coexist: SAP and non-SAP systems both on-premise and in the cloud. In order for these organisations to gain a competitive edge and become more efficient, these systems need to be integrated with each other. However, depending on the system you are using, this requires different methods: User2Cloud, Cloud2Cloud, Thing2Cloud, OnPremise2Cloud and so on. Determining which of these is applicable to your organisation and planning which integrations to tackle in what order are the first steps towards full integration.
Step 2: Define your integration style and use case patterns
Next up is determining the style of integration most suited to your organisation. Each style has different requirements in terms of architecture, support, technology and more. For each type, SAP provides multiple use cases as well as “cross use cases”, which are compatible with more than one integration style. For example, API Management can be used to monitor both process and user integrations.
The five main integration styles are:
- Process integration: connect business processes across applications
- Data integration: synchronise or access data across applications
- Analytics integration: combine data from various sources
- User integration: connect user-centric apps (mobile) with applications
- Things integration: connect real-world objects (sensors, machines, etc.) with applications
Step 3: Map out integration technologies
The final step is connecting specific integration technologies to these use cases. To do this successfully, you will need to consider:
- Both your existing and future application landscape
- Your overall IT strategy
- Availability of pre-packaged integration content
- Existing investments and skillsets
- Any other factors that might impact your integration journey
In some cases, this connection between the integration technology and the use case will be obvious. For example, if you have a data-driven integration style, SAP Datasphere is probably the best technology for your specific track. However, for companies combining multiple integration styles, this might not be as clear cut. That’s where Flexso comes in: based on our expertise and our years of experience as an SAP Gold Partner, we are perfectly equipped to help you make the right choice for your organisation.
Ready to start your cloud integration journey? We are here to help you make the right choices.
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