Pronto Connect Preparing for a more connected future. White Paper

Transcription

1 Pronto Connect Preparing for a more connected future White Paper

2 Enhancing Pronto Xi for the era of mobile and web services Pronto Software is a leading vendor of enterprise resource planning (ERP) business solutions, including our flagship product, Pronto Xi. We are constantly adapting our products to better equip our customers for prosperity as technology trends change. One of the most significant changes is that the world is becoming increasingly mobile. Advances in mobile communications have made data transfer, smart phones and tablet computers inexpensive and widely available. Users now expect to access information at the touch of a button, anywhere and at any time. Web-based technologies have also advanced in recent years to meet this demand. In particular, the introduction of HTML5 has made it possible to create dynamic, adaptive user interfaces and platforms that consumers can access seamlessly across devices and operating systems. Further, the technologies connecting these platforms to your business management systems and ERP platforms have matured. Leading companies such as Google and Facebook have set fresh standards in the utilisation of web-services technologies, adopting new protocols to make real-time data transfer to and from platforms faster, more reliable and more secure. There are now literally thousands of web services available today and this growing eco-system of web-based technologies rely on the same technology fundamentals that allow business platforms to integrate and communicate with third-party applications freely and seamlessly. Connectivity is now key Seamless connectivity between business applications has become critical, especially for larger companies and those with mobile workforces. As your business grows, so does the volume of data and the number of applications your employees use. app mobile web Figure 1: The customer/user now expects applications to function across all touchpoints Without connectivity, sharing information between applications becomes cumbersome. Users have to switch between applications, re-enter data multiple times, share data with colleagues manually, and spend more time asking questions and searching for key details. These process inefficiencies increase as the business grows, resulting in less productivity and more mistakes, lower satisfaction among staff and customers, and most importantly less profit. As a business owner, you need to be able to give customers the information they need as quickly as they expect it. Similarly, your team must be able to access and interact with data away from the office, without the limitations of traditional desk-based computer systems. The technology that enables businesses to achieve these goals is no longer an expensive luxury it s now a key investment for meeting customer expectations and maintaining a competitive advantage. For all these reasons, we have developed Pronto Connect, a new web services architecture that allows the connectivity between Pronto Xi and external applications. Page 2 White Paper

3 Pronto Connect: enabling connectivity Pronto Connect is an industry-standard web services architecture that helps you integrate applications and platforms with Pronto Xi. It enables you to protect your investment in existing cloud-based or on-premises software tools by providing the interface between them and your back-office Pronto Xi platform. Making information flow work When your business needs to exchange data between two unconnected applications or processes, manual double entry can lead to inefficiency and insecurity. The introduction of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) has simplified this process. An API specifies how software components should interact with each other. APIs are commonly used to specify the remote calls exposed to external applications and make it easier to develop graphical user interfaces (GUIs). They help developers create ways for applications to exchange data freely and efficiently, without human intervention. This reduces data doublehandling and human error, allowing for substantial increases in productivity and cost-efficiency. APIs come in a variety of formats or protocols the most common being representational state transfer (REST) and simple object access (SOAP). APIs that adhere to the REST protocol are called RESTful APIs. Need? Dynamic connection and data flow between systems Benefit Streamlined business processes & operational efficiency Pronto Connect offers standard, out-of-the-box RESTful APIs as well as a development environment that lets you modify existing APIs or create custom ones to improve your information flow. Pronto Connect s use of RESTful APIs streamlines interactions with Pronto mobile and web applications and underpins integration with external applications, affording you greater operational efficiency. Adapting, not force-fitting In the past, updating a core system also meant refreshing tools or undergoing complex and painful integration measures. However, new technologies such as APIs mean that businesses no longer have to replace tools that still serve a purpose when the core technology fails to meet business needs. APIs allow businesses to avoid force-fitting existing tools to new applications, instead allowing them to gracefully adapt and integrate the two. Connecting applications to Pronto Xi using Pronto Connect APIs also takes the stress out of application upgrades. Pronto Connect removes the possibility of database table changes affecting integration points, saving you unnecessary hard work and protecting your investment. Problem? Poorly connected systems and disjointed processes Solution Open architecture with business logic exposed through RESTful APIs Pronto Software Page 3

4 Innovations in web and mobility Pronto Connect supports the data connectivity and exchange between mobile and web-based applications and the Pronto Xi Runtime. Supported on both Windows Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating systems, Pronto Connect uses a web services architecture to broker data requests between calling applications (web or mobile software applications) and Pronto Xi. The software works on a token-based authentication system, using Active Directory (LDAP) to allow secure and encrypted access to data. This ensures users only see data they are entitled to see, which makes operations more secure and efficient (see Figure 3). Speaking the same language Pronto Connect s APIs present information as XML documents. XML is a mark-up language that is widely used in web technologies. XML s format is appropriate for publishing APIs as it offers a human-readable description of the functions available to external, or calling applications. XML describes actions in simple terms, such as give me detailed information for that account or update this account s contact details. Pronto Connect s use of XML means more information can be retrieved in a single call. This provides faster and more efficient data retrieval than other legacy API connectivity models. The Pronto Xi Mobile CRM application provides an example of this methodology in action: when a customer record is selected by the user from the application, all related customer details are collected at once (customer name, , phone number and address, for example) meaning the data retrieval is quicker and the user interface is more responsive. Pronto Xi Server Pronto Connect Server Connected Applications Pronto Xi Runtime Execute API XML Response Pronto Connect (Service & REST Client) Execute API XML Response Web Mobile Database Active Directory authentication (LDAP) Cloud Desktop Figure 3: How Pronto Connect interacts with Pronto Xi and connected applications Page 4 White Paper

5 Channelling key information services Pronto Connect enables real-time connectivity and data exchange with published web services. With Pronto Connect, you can channel useful data from external information sources straight into your custom Pronto Xi tables in real time. This allows you to enhance products and services with comprehensive and timely information to help customers make better informed decisions. For example, Pronto Connect could enable you to retrieve and display live shipping rates from logistics partners on your web shopfront. It could also help you get real-time exchange rates from banks to calculate prices for your customers in their own currency. Making life easier for developers Pronto Connect s APIs act as meta-data layers between databases and developers, translating raw data into business information that is easy to understand and use. This removes the need for developers to have a deep technical knowledge of databases, simplifying development and resulting in more efficient and reliable applications. Pronto Connect also gives application developers the freedom to code in their preferred language without constraint. Pronto Xi Rapid Application Development (RAD), a software development kit, gives developers the freedom to extend Pronto Xi business logic and create custom APIs specific to your business integration needs. Future proof There are many benefits of using the Pronto Connect web services architecture over traditional flat file or field-based API connectivity approaches. These include: real-time information exchange, meaning processes can be completed using up-to-date information, not yesterday s data secure data exchange through mandatory user authentication, meaning only those who are entitled to access and view data can do so no flat file transfer mechanism maintenance, which saves time and money fewer upload or synchronisation errors thanks to a reliable messaging system that ensures requested data is delivered as expected. Most importantly, Pronto Connect makes your Pronto Xi platform ready for a future filled with modular web and mobile applications. Contact us If you want to learn more about Pronto Connect and how it can help you prepare for the future or if have a solution that might benefit Pronto Xi and want to become an integration partner get in touch with one of our product managers. Contact us today on info@pronto.net. Pronto Software Page 5

6 Tailor-made business software solutions. Pronto Software has been developing award-winning business management software for over 30 years. With in-built intelligence, flexibility and an easy-to-use interface, its flagship product, Pronto Xi, enables users to discover rich business insights PRONTO ( ) Find your moment: pronto.net Pronto believes in the power of actively listening to clients, adapting our product to meet their needs and finally revealing the best solution. It s how we continually surpass client expectations, delivering moments of utter surprise and delight.