Connxio - Integration as a Service
Ranja Ovedal
For most of us, it goes without saying that the systems we use on a daily basis will communicate with each other. For this to work seamlessly, a plethora of integrations are needed. This is one of the concepts Evidi has been working with for over 25 years, and which is now being launched - Connxio, Integration as a Service.
What is Connxio?
- Connxio is a product that allows us to quickly specify, develop and manage integrations, begins Kjartan Halstvedt.
He is Director Cloud & Managed Services at Evidi, and has helped build Connxio from an idea to a finished service. Kjartan explains that around 70% of all integrations developed are "milk and bread" integrations. These are integrations that are frequently used, and that are relatively simple. The challenge is that even simple integrations require a lot of time and expertise to develop, in order to function well over time.
- Connxio is a solution to that. Rather than writing all the code for the "milk and bread" integrations each time, we have created a product that allows you to get away with very little coding, Kjartan explains.
- This means that you save an large amount of time. Not to mention, it removes a lot of the risk factors. The Connxio engine is assembled by experienced integration consultants, based on Evidi's collective expertise, which means that the service takes into account variables that consultants often do not have the time or experience to handle.
A to B, and the part in between
- Imagine that you have a file going from A to B. An integration consultant will usually retrieve the file from A, and put it in B. Thus, the integration is considered fully developed, and the consultant moves on to the next project. Connxio does the same, but with an important difference, Kjartan explains.
- Let's say the file is retrieved from A, but B, which is supposed to receive, is down. What happens then? Often the file fails, and IT consultants have to search extremely complex architecture to find the error. This often requires large resources, and the file may still need to be resubmitted. Connxio is put together so that if you retrieve a file, it persists. Even if the receiver goes down, Connxio will take care of the file and if more are sent, these will end up in a queue. Once B is up and running again, the files will be forwarded from the queue to where they need to go. This takes place without the customer noticing, and without the need to spend large amounts of IT resources on management.
Proven architecture
Kjartan explains that Connxio is designed according to the concepts of "proven architecture". This means that considerable time has been spent on patterns, scaling, and error handling. Therefore, integrations in Connxio are much more robust and fail less frequently than integrations governed by a project budget.
- Customer projects often have great time pressure and limited funds. This means that the effort invested in the development of good and robust integrations rarely is sufficient. With Connxio, the groundwork is done, and you won't be in a situation where you have to need shortcuts to finish within the projected time, he points out.
In addition to setting up integrations, the Connxio team takes care of further management. At the end of the project, ambiguities often arise regarding the division of responsibility for management and further development, which can lead to considerable use of resources in the future. Here, the Connxio team steps up from the get-go and ensures that integrations meet today's standards.
Partner model
With Connxio, we deliver integration as a service, from A to Z. We take responsibility for the integration with the customers of our partners, and we manage the integrations ourselves. Thus, management is safer, creating the integrations is safer, and in addition, you write minimal code, because the code is written in advance," explains Kjartan.
Evidi has so far delivered Connxio as a central building block in the digital service platform. Now the model has been expanded for small and medium-sized businesses.
- We now offer a partner model for companies in the SME market that sell software, but need integration to succeed. The result is simplified interactions between the partner and their customers. Those we partner with can thus focus on the development of their core product and leave the integration work to a service provider, Kjartan states.