Middleware software consolidates data responsibility, improves efficiency

June 5, 2003
Business optimization is the Holy Grail for most managers. A key step to reaching this goal is integrating information used across multiple departments and removing inefficiencies caused by duplication. Multiple manual processes on the same data often create silos of disconnected information that should be available to the whole company.

Business optimization is the Holy Grail for most managers. A key step to reaching this goal is integrating information used across multiple departments and removing inefficiencies caused by duplication. Multiple manual processes on the same data often create silos of disconnected information that should be available to the whole company.

This week, the 5th Annual Tibco Energy Conference in Houston showcased removing these inefficiencies. The company's software integrates a company's information and business processes using a middleware software platform. This replaces the "spaghetti" of cross-linked data stores with a "lasagna" of connectedness that allows employees across the business to tap into multiple applications and data.

This cross-communication layer strengthens customer relations, removes inefficiency from the supply chain, streamlines business operations, and brings management flexibility and preparedness. Integrating data and applications along an enterprise backbone makes real-time business integration is possible.

Jerome Beaudoin, chief information officer for Devon Canada, discussed a project that involved synchronizing well data information, particularly the division of interest (Devon working interest and partner interest), which changes frequently. Different business units of the company each tracked this data, which tended to vary across departments and create confusion.

By using a middleware software layer from Tibco, Devon was able to focus the division interest tracking in the land department, which then provided consistent numbers for all departments to use. Collapsing the information silos in separate departments freed up other revenue producing tasks. Efficiency improvements:
• Replaced five data silos with one responsible business unit
• Replaced 20 manual processes with three automated processes
& bull; Reduced information availability from two weeks to minutes (immediate availability).

The project took eight weeks to implement and another two months until the business units within Devon fully adjusted. Surprisingly, the marketing department was one of the most directly affected. Working interest is a key element in the pricing of contracts, so the consistent data was a great aid to their pricing efforts.

Similar examples of inefficiency exist in all companies with many different data types. By identifying the unnecessary duplication, consistent accurate data can be made available across the company regardless of its size or composition.

06/05/03