The New Data Integration Model The Next Real B2B Integration Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
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In this E-book This E-book highlights a new framework called the New Integration Model created to help System Integrators (SIs) and VARs increase recurring revenue and efficiency with their client s B2B document exchange. 4 B2B Document Exchange 5 Does this sound familiar? This new model helps businesses automate and digitize all areas of paper-based B2B document exchange through integration-as-a-service. This E-book also provides an overview of how SIs and VARs can benefit from reselling the new integration options connected to the Connected Business Network a global cloud-based integration hub. 8 The New Integration Model 10 The Connected Business Network 12 EDI 13 einvoicing 14 Purchase Order Automation 20 About TIE Kinetix & ObjectifLune 16 18 earchiving Resellers & New Integration Model 19 Benefits for Clients
B2B Document Exchange Today
80% of transactions are managed by paper today DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR? Did you know 80% of transactions are managed by paper today? That s right. Everything from invoices, purchase orders, work orders, advanced ship notices, etc. are all managed by paper manually. For many companies, B2B document exchange is still a slow and costly process. Everything between people and paper adds to the overall sluggish and costly nature of this outdated process. Some organizations leverage simple forms of electronic document management, but aren t really taking full advantage of what they could be. Did you know 96% of companies are planning to increase their number of electronic partners? Also, between 2010 and 2015, the global top 2000 enterprises are expected to double their B2B integration data exchange volume. Clearly, this is a challenge businesses are acting on today. 5 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
Did you know, the average American office worker is estimated to use a sheet of paper every 12 minutes? DO YOU KNOW A BUSINESS STILL STRUGGLING THROUGH MANUAL, PAPER-BASED PROCESSES? Many larger organizations have already moved to some simple or advanced form of electronic B2B document exchange. A popular option most typically use is EDI. But, when we look at the massive long tail of SMBs, there lies a different story. Most small and medium sized businesses haven t moved toward an electronic supply chain and rely on a manual paper trail to drive their business. Did you know, the average American office worker is estimated to use a sheet of paper every 12 minutes a ream per person every two and a half working weeks and disposes of 100-200 pounds of paper every year. The pure cost of this for any business should throw up a red flag. The problem lies in challenging the norm. SMBs look at this process as the only way of doing business. The next step for SMBs is identifying a better way. The need is clearly there. 6 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
SYSTEM INTEGRATORS & VARS - WHY IS WORK MORE DIFFICULT OR FEELING FLAT THESE DAYS? Just like the paper-based businesses, the daily job of SIs or VARs isn t getting any easier. The marketplace for add on products and cloud services are increasingly eroding away opportunities to add additional revenue lines to the business. Customers are constantly demanding solutions that add value, and these needs must be easily understood and bring a swift return on investment. As a solution provider, your business is constantly on the hunt for new technology, strategies and services to enhance business value to the client. It s a hard job. There s a good chance SIs and VARs face some of these obstacles every day: Difficulty creating demand for new business (accessing new budget within current customers or through new customers) It is often challenging to create cross sell and up sell programs that easily fit into day to day processes Finding new technologies to increase results for clients Cash flow is unpredictable with project based work Margins are thin, and SPIFs are lite from suppliers There s a better way. 7 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
The New Integration Model
The Connected Business Network INTRODUCING THE NEW INTEGRATION MODEL & THE CONNECTED BUSINESS NETWORK System Integrators and VARs today have a big opportunity on their hands. In a recent Stanford study, the majority of companies reported a 10% increase in their B2B budget over the last 3 years. With such high demand associated with data sources being connected to ERP and Accounting systems, organizations see integration as an immediate business need. What is the New Integration Model? For solution providers to truly solve their clients data obstacles, they need to extend past the boundaries of traditional integration. Whether data is coming from a trading partner, a retailer or a delivery truck, businesses need an updated integration framework to identify and connect exactly where data originates across the supply chain. This is the New Integration Model. Data comes from all directions throughout the supply chain, and it s our job to connect all of these data sources to power your client s business. What is the Connected Business Network? The Connected Business Network leverages two critical items: the new integration model and a cloud-based B2B Integration solution stack. This cloud-based solution includes industry leading data standards, einvoicing processes and other applications designed to convert paper-based documents into data from any point through the supply chain. Equally as important, data exchanged through the Connected Business Network can also be converted back into human readable formats like paper, email and web interfaces to close the loop in both B2B and B2C settings. 9 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
The New Integration Model WHAT S IN THE CONNECTED BUSINESS NETWORK? The Connected Business Network was created to connect and converge all data points to and from a business s ERP or financial systems. That means many different document types from many different entities both internally and externally. Here s an overview of different opportunities businesses have with the Connected Business Network: EDI: Exchange many different types of electronic documents across your business network of trading partners with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). The Connected Business Network supports all secure types of communication and covers all of the global standards ranging from industry to industry. einvoicing: Streamline the entire billing process electronically with all of the workflows, legal requirements and signatures needed. Purchase Order Automation: Make it extremely easy for your business partners to send electronic documents (by printing to the cloud) and automatically importing that data into your business system. earchive Put in place an electronic storage process that records both inbound and outbound documents with precision and ease. The Connected Business Network also supports human readable format, so at any point, the business can retrieve and review any document. As noted, documents can also be distributed as paper, email and web interfaces to close the loop for any type of business model. 10 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
THE CONNECTED BUSINESS NETWORK SIs and VARs now have an expansive B2B Integration portfolio from the cloud to fulfill all of their clients needs. EDI edocs einvoicing etablet earchive YOUR CUSTOMERS Push and Pull Data with Compliance, Legal Control and Digital Signatures YOUR BUSINESS Business System (ERP / Accounting) YOUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY 3PL Financial Institution Retailers Field Trading Partners 11 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
EDI LEVERAGE 24/7 B2B INTEGRATION SUPPORTED BY A TEAM OF EDI EXPERTS Over the years, several industries made inroads to standardize and simplify the way information is sent and received across the supply chain. By making Electronic Data Interchange or EDI a requirement for vendors and suppliers, it has globally become known as the standard of efficiency to support complex supply chain systems. Shipping systems, large logistics firms, and big box retailers have all come to depend on the benefits offered with EDI. Increased document precision through removal of human typing errors Condensed order processing costs by submitting electronic transaction sets Quicker order-to-payment cycles improving cash flow Business Systems Today buyers and retailers are placing much greater demand on their suppliers to comply with increasingly complex trading requirements. Businesses working with multiple buyers with different business practices can make satisfying these requirements a difficult process. Having a solution that can maximize a broad range of requirements is essential to do business Archive & Exchange EDI within the Connected Business Network Suppliers gain immediate access to prebuilt integrations with buyers and distributors Post to the Web Archive Fax Email Print Update data system through our secure SaaS platform. Our integrations are proven against thousands of customer scenarios, and are maintained by the same team for 100% compliance, driven by customer need and demand. 12 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
einvoicing AUTOMATE INVOICE PROCESSING & DECREASE MANUAL INVOICE COSTS UP TO 50% Electronic Invoicing or E-Invoicing involves the exchange of invoicing einvoicing within the Connected Business Network With over 25 years of proven e-invoicing experience, customer driven development and extremely high rate of customer satisfaction, the Connected Business Network has brought the invoicing process into the modern era. documents between buyers and sellers. In a normal B2B process, buyers procure goods and services using a purchase order which is sent and processed by the seller where products are shipped and the buyer is eventually billed for the purchase. When all documents are sent back and forth, payments are made and the lifecycle begins again. Today buyers and sellers are placing a greater emphasis on integrating key business processes around invoicing such as: Any Transaction Type Document Automation Integrate invoice documents from a print stream, email, pdf, web or other document INVOICES Streamline sending and receiving order information Automatically matching order and invoices before they enters your business system Archiving, digital signature and audit compliance Business Community EDI EDI DOCUMENT CONVERSION VALIDATION ADVANCED DATA CAPTURE SHIPPING ORDER DOCUMENTS CONFIRMATION Any Data Output EDI PDF Your Business AUDIT & RISK COMPLIANCE WEB API Back to Sender 13 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
Purchase Order Automation DIGITIZE B2B DOCUMENTS THROUGH THE CONNECTED BUSINESS NETWORK Standard ordering processes are often susceptible to errors, and the Purchase Order Automation within the Connected Business Network Connect to your trading partner s systems without having to change any core systems by simply printing the current order over the cloud to the Connected Business Network. Additionally, the same process can be reversed where documents can be converted back to a human readable PDF format that is sent to the purchaser via Email. In effect, the purchaser still uses paper (no change to their system) and the supplier has moved to a fully integrated process. most common type of error is related to entering data by hand. For example, if your business manages more than 500 inbound documents per month, there are substantial hard cost savings that can have a dramatic impact on cash flow and give your business the edge it needs to be competitive and efficient. Any Transaction Type Document Automation Today, businesses have typically used the following tactics PAYMENTS to manage high volume documents: Manual keying of the orders into their back office system Business Community ORDERS ORDER REMITTANCE Any Data Output VALIDATION EDI Your Business Use of external contractor resources to rekey information Developing a scan / OCR process that is complex, not reliable and expensive EDI PDF ADVANCED DATA CAPTURE DOCUMENT CONVERSION Forcing smaller suppliers and customers to buy expensive software and services Back to Sender WEB API AUDIT & RISK COMPLIANCE Document Exceptions 14 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
earchiving EASILY AND SAFELY ARCHIVE INBOUND AND OUTBOUND DOCUMENTS In today s work environment the use of paper documents is becoming more and more obsolete. E-Archiving provides the ability to store all your important documents in a secure online portal. This solution will significantly reduce costs and optimize your business. Safe and Secure E-Archiving is the storage of documents in a secured system. The storage is secure in a sense that documents cannot be amended and can only be retrieved by the owner or recipient of the documents. This is required by law in many countries. These rules apply for both the original business document and the readable document. Legal Regulations The period of time documents are legally required to be archived varies by country. Particularly the electronic invoices should be carefully dealt with. Each business is required by law to archive the financial documents for later reviewing by auditors. User Portal E-Archiving features a portal which allows users to log in with a unique username and password. Here documents can be found based on information such as sender, recipient, document number, document date and more. 15 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
Resellers & The New Integration Model
Resellers & The New Integration Model HOW DO SYSTEM INTEGRATORS & VARS LEVERAGE THE NEW INTEGRATION MODEL? Here are specific examples how SIs and VARs can leverage the New Integration Model to: increase recurring revenue, maximize upsell potential per client and identify other revenue or cost saving opportunities. Goals for Resellers Opportunity for Resellers Example Improve Profit Margin Recurring Revenue Improve Profit Margin Upselling Improve Profit Margin More Services One time customer opportunities are good, but they re unpredictable. The New Integration Model creates a recurring stream of revenue for VARs. Once a client is hooked into the Connected Business Network, VARs have the option to extend their investment into other areas of the client s supply chain. SIs and VARs can immediately benefit by providing wrap around integration services and training to enable software and connectivity to the Connected Business Network. The Connected Business Network is a cloud-based Software-as-a- Service. When a customer signs up for any module and produces volume, the VAR receives a cut of the monthly recurring revenue for the life of the client s contract. Once the customer signs up for any of the available services, VAR s can get access to valuable business analytics that can give clear ROI and insight into how the customer would benefit from additional capabilities and modules. The Connected Business Network allows businesses to digitize data from their field organization. Digital form creation and training with tablets is recommended as an additional service opportunity. Improve Profit Margin Reselling Connectors Improve Service Delivery Expand Partnerships Improve Compliance If you have designed a standard integration for a specific business system and would like to have the opportunity to resell this to other systems integration firms, VARs or direct to consumer, we have a royalty program in place that can give your business compensation for users that utilize your connector through our network. Minimize risk and gain more visibility into your client s trading partner relationships to better integrate your service level agreement. Accelerate recurring revenue, minimize risk and reduce work by partnering with a leader in the B2B integration marketplace. Assure that all processes, transactions, and data flows are protected, audited, logged and available for compliance review. If you have developed a connecter to a specific ERP or finance system like Microsoft Dynamics, for example, you could resell that connector to other businesses on the Connected Business Network. The Connected Business Network constantly monitors trading partners to ensure highest service levels possible. Things always come up. When they do, our team is immediately alerted and work on a prompt resolution to the issue. The Connected Business Network was created as a global solution from the beginning. It supports all character sets from around the globe. The Connected Business Network has over 25 years of EDI and compliance experience built into the platform. 17 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
Benefits for Clients WHY WOULD A CLIENT CONSIDER JOINING THE CONNECTED BUSINESS NETWORK? Client s Business Goals Client s Strategic Objectives for B2B Integration Why Choose the Connected Business Network? Improve Profit Margin Increase Capabilities Lower back office operating costs by minimizing paper, reducing manual touch points and moving transactions from paper to digital. Ensure business processes, personnel and technology scale to handle more transactions and transaction types. Reduce the cost of managing document workflows in the cloud with the Connected Business Network by removing the human element and associated errors. The Connected Business Network scales based on your business s supply and demand. Customer satisfaction is extremely high and the platform is rock solid. Increase Business Intelligence Improve Service Delivery Accelerate visibility by centralizing and connecting both paperbased documents and digital data from your supply chain to your business system. Reduce risk and gain more visibility into trading partner relationships. Eliminate or resolve problems faster and more efficiently. The Connected Business Network exchanges and archives any document both paper and data based. Businesses connected to cloud can access and leverage the most up to date information to drive their business. The Connected Business Network constantly monitors trading partners to ensure highest service levels possible. Things always come up and, when they do, our team is immediately alerted and work on a prompt resolution to the issue. Improve Customer Satisfaction Improve customer satisfaction by leveraging customer communications management tools to deliver content in any form a client needs. Leverage simple document composition tools that allow for great looking customer communications in any format: print, web, email, etc. Expand Partnerships Improve Compliance Adapt personnel, process, technology and data capability to handle multiple industry standards. Assure that all processes, transactions, and data flows are protected, audited, logged and available for compliance review. The Connected Business Network has connected to thousands of businesses in a wide array of industries and verticals. If your business is looking to venture into new territory, we often have the connections and maps already in place to reduce the time to provide revenue and value to customers. The Connected Business Network has been designed and maintained from a dedicated team with over 25 years of integration experience built into the platform. 18 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs
About ABOUT TIE KINETIX TIE Kinetix transforms the digital supply chain by providing Total Integrated E-Commerce solutions. These solutions maximize revenue opportunities by minimizing the energy required to market, sell, deliver and analyze online. Customers and partners of TIE Kinetix constantly benefit from innovative, field tested technologies, which are backed by over 25 years of experience and awards. TIE Kinetix makes technology to perform, so that customers and partners can focus on their core business. Visit: www.tiekinetix.com ABOUT OBJECTIF LUNE ObjectifLune transforms customer communications with composition and workflow technology that connects to ERP and Accounting systems. We deliver transactional documents according to the customer s preference and workflow those documents electronically, minimizing human interaction resulting in greater efficiency and accuracy. ObjectifLune has over 240 employees worldwide, serving over 20,000 organizations, that all want to bring their customer communications to the next level. With technical support around the world and 3 R&D facilities in Montreal, The Netherlands, and Australia, we work hard to make business easier. 19 The New Data Integration Model - The Next Real Opportunity for System Integrators & VARs