Tag: salesforce

How To Integrate Salesforce Enterprise Data Using WebSphere Cast Iron

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As I’ve discussed in previous blogs, IBM’s WebSphere Cast Iron is the choice solution for integrating Salesforce data with other applications and/or other data across the enterprise. It’s a functional solution because the various integration paths (called orchestrations) are displayed through a graphical interface and can be managed and maintained by staff members who aren’t necessarily IT specialists. TxMQ helps with Cast Iron deployment, for example, but then hands off the project to internal staff once the deployment and initial orchestrations are in place. It’s really that simple (which, by the way, is one reason Cast Iron is so appealing to limited-staff SMBs).
I did want to take a bit of time in this update to discuss some of Cast Iron’s specific Salesforce integration and data-management solutions. The biggest  issue – especially when an integration involves both internal and external data – is synchronization. Whether your industry is finance, healthcare, transportation,  manufacturing, retail, digital media or any other, you’ll inevitably need to sync your Salesforce data with your customer data, sales data, supply-chain data, logistics data, advertiser page views and so on. Any loss of synchronicity can immediately compile errors and create blockers that munch away at your uptime.
To help frame the possibilities for your company, note that Cast Iron easily connects Salesforce with:

  • ERP including SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, BAAN, QAD, Lawson, Great Plains, etc.
  • CRM including Siebel, Clarify, Remedy, Oracle, Kana, Vantive, etc.
  • Customer support systems
  • All major databases including Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, mySQL, Sybase, Informix, etc.
  • Flat-files using FTP, HTTP(S), Email
  • XML and Web Services
  • EDI
  • Middleware and all major EAI platforms
  • Project management applications including Clarity/NIKU
  • Custom applications
  • And many, many more

Once connected, Cast Iron supports real-time sync between Salesforce and other systems, a few examples of which include:

  • Data migration from other CRM systems
  • Accounts and Contacts with ERP customer master
  • Opportunities with Order management systems
  • Forecasts with other CRM systems
  • Quote requests with Order management systems
  • Leads and Campaigns with marketing automation systems
  • Activity history with external reporting systems
  • Invoices with Billing systems
  • Case data with Customer Support systems
  • Pricing and product catalog data with PLM systems
  • The list goes on…

I’m curious: Do any readers have a Salesforce–Cast Iron use case different from the ones above? Please sound off with a comment and let’s keep the conversation going.
As always, TxMQ is ready to confidentially answer any Cast Iron or other integration questions. For a free initial consult, please contact vice prez Miles Roty: (716) 636-0070 x228, miles@txmq.com.

Four Different Options For WebSphere Cast Iron Deployment

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IBM’s WebSphere Cast Iron cloud-integration product is the industry’s best-in-class solution for two reasons: 1. Its cross-service flexibility, and 2. Its ultra-easy graphical interface.  Deploy Cast Iron then drag and point your different integration preferences.
Cast Iron is perhaps best known for easy and complete Salesforce integration – use Cast Iron to integrate Salesforce data with the rest of your enterprise data – but Cast Iron recently reached a new critical mass centered on the integration and synchronization of mobile-application data and social-media data across the enterprise. Cast Iron is especially effective for integrating contemporary data, like that from mobile and social, with legacy data driven by homegrown applications.
Cast Iron is easy to adopt and deploy and there are four different deployment options. They are:

  • Cast Iron Hypervisor Edition: This is a virtual appliance that sits on existing servers by way of virtualization technology. It’s a great way to speed the path through demo and staging to production, and as of June 2014 it includes Xen server support.
  • Cast Iron Express: A cloud-based version that assists in the integration of Software as a Service (SaaS) data with other data sources. This is the most popular Salesforce solution.
  • Cast Iron Live: This is a cloud-based multi-seat version that’s best for cloud/on-premise hybrid environments.
  • DataPower Cast Iron Appliance XH40: This is real metal – a self-contained, physical appliance that connects cloud and on-premise applications.

TxMQ specializes in Cast Iron integration solutions for businesses of all sizes. For more information, contact vice president Miles Roty – (716) 636-0070 x228, miles@txmq.com – for a confidential and free initial consultation.