Systems Integration – at the Crossroad of Life Science & Technology
The world is becoming a more connected place every day. Life Science business and technology are inextricably linked -from back-office operations to front office sales. Technology advancements are making businesses more efficient than ever – and at Apps Associates, we’re helping make that happen for our clients. Most Life Science companies need multiple systems to run their business, and ensuring reliable, secure connectivity across those systems is paramount to success.
At Apps Associates, we understand this need, and have dedicated an entire practice to Business Integration and Automation. This team is comprised of experts in middleware, automation, bots, and more to help businesses streamline their operations.
Integrating with ERP
While having a single Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system may help keep your business areas connected and your maintenance costs low, it’s not always realistic to have a single platform for everything. ERP software has extensive capabilities, but companies typically need some niche, industry-specific functionality that a single platform cannot always provide. Additionally, each department in your organization may be enamored with non-ERP software products for certain functionality. To solve for these needs, it is important to create a tech stack that can work for everyone.
With a diverse tech stack, you next must consider how everything connects. This is where middleware plays a big role. With the right middleware provider, it is easier and more secure than ever to connect other applications to your ERP backbone. We work with many integration platforms that provide quick, secure, and easy to manage web service type integration capability. Integrations can be real time, batch or somewhere in between. Some of the solutions we work with to connect Life Science companies are Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC), Boomi, MuleSoft, Workato, TIBCO, others.
Life Science specific 3rd party systems
At Apps Associates, we work with a diverse set of Life Sciences companies who use a variety of systems to keep their business running. Many of these companies rely on Oracle ERP, and we are helping Biopharmaceutical and Medical Device companies connect their Oracle ERP Cloud systems to:
- LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems) to share non-conformance inspection data
- MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) solutions for Central Weigh & Dispense or Pick / Pack
- Quality document management systems to store batch records and genealogies
- FDA for Medical Device registration
In addition to these industry-specific systems, there are several more common platforms that integrate well with Oracle ERP, such as:
- HR and Payroll solutions like ADP, Ceridian, and Workday
- Travel & Expense solutions like Concur and credit card processors
- Selling solutions like Salesforce.com
- Currency exchange rate solutions like OANDA
- Banks for ACH, Positive Pay, and bank reconciliations
- Distributors and 3rd party Logistics companies for product distribution
Sometimes we are even connecting a client’s Oracle ERP Cloud solution to other or legacy ERP solutions like NetSuite, Oracle EBS, PeopleSoft, or Workday.
Besides just connecting applications, we connect a client’s ERP Cloud to Supply Chain and other business partners. In the Biopharma space, many companies use a 3rd party logistics provider (3PL) to store and ship medicines, process returns and administer wholesaler chargebacks. We often connect our commercial clients to their 3PLs to quickly and securely exchange shipments, sales orders, returns, and chargeback data.
For other companies, we connect their Contract Manufacturing partners (CMO) to exchange forecast and inventory movement data for 360-degree Supply Chain visibility and planning.
For more information about integrating business systems, check out our Business Integration and Automation capabilities on our website. If you are looking for a strategic, consultative partner to get your tech stack working efficiently, contact us today.