Integrations are the key to success with cloud services

Microsoft Ignite is one of this year’s technological highlights for SYSCO’s Microsoft consultants. The message from Microsoft on this year’s Ignite indicates increased complexity in future IT architecture.  

“The most exciting news from this year’s Microsoft Ignite is that Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft) believes that the world has reached the top in terms of centralized computing power”, says Anders Borchsenius, Director of Integration & Development at SYSCO (pictured).  

Together with several of SYSCO’s consultants, including Chief Consultant Pål Stian Bendiksen, Borchsenius closely followed this year’s Ignite. He explains the consequences of the decentralization of computer power.  

“This means that more of the data collection and processing will take place in sensors, devices, and computers in the field, instead of in large data centers. This in turn will place great demands on integration, data flow technology and solutions for analysis of data from many different sources. All of these are areas in which SYSCO invests a lot”, Borchsenius continues.  

He adds that there is no doubt that cloud services are here to stay. By 2021, most businesses have realized that the speed of development projects and the flexibility these services offer surpass traditional on-premises solutions. This is largely about using ready-made solutions instead of building everything yourself.  

“Businesses are using more and more cloud services. This leads to increasing demands for a good integration strategy for linking cloud-based business applications and data sources”, says cloud expert Borchsenius, who has worked with cloud services in both KPMG and Microsoft.  

Precise solutions that solve defined needs 

The technology behind cloud services is not revolutionary in itself. It is more about the delivery model, which is increasingly accepted by Norwegian companies. Companies are buying more and more sophisticated solutions that cover a specific need. You need an application that solves a business process – a simple service to solve a simple task.  

“The challenge for the companies will be to put the building blocks together, to integrate the services with different data sources”, says chief consultant Pål Stian Bendiksen and continues.  

“Moving forward, when you use these cloud services to build your own systems on top of the services, it’s important to remember that it’s the reuse of data that provides great value for the business.”  

A large ecosystem of APIs  

What companies like Microsoft, Amazon and Google have done right over the last 10 years is to connect all these small services together into one big ecosystem through open APIs.  

“The use of modern micro-service architecture is appealing to many companies as it reduces risk in development, connects development more closely to the business and breaks down silos. On the other hand, it places greater demands on a good integration strategy to link an ever-increasing number of business applications and data sources together”, Bendiksen emphasizes.  

Director of Integration & Development, Anders Borchsenius, adds: 

“This was one of the reasons why I wanted to work in SYSCO – to work with, and further develop, perhaps Norway’s best integration company. We now have a team that can realize customers’ needs for making data available – regardless of technology platform.”   

Constantly new services and news  

Much of the technical news on Ignite was more infrastructure oriented. Going forward there will be many exciting news related to data and integration. 23.-24. May is Microsoft Build, and Integrate Remote 2021 will be held 1.-3. June. These are the conferences where most of the news related to development and integration takes place.  

“We will be glued to the PC screen here”, says Bendiksen.  

“There will be massive changes in technology over the next 10 years. What remains important for suppliers such as SYSCO is to help companies see the practical application of technology. It requires a combination of industry knowledge and the ability to realize technological success stories, Borchsenius concludes.