The primary focus of our business is information systems software. This involves computers and communication which have given rise to some of the most controversial issues of our age. On this page we offer our own editorial contribution.

System Boundaries

    We all spend a lot of time dealing with boundaries in our everyday lives. Most of our laws are designed to place boundaries on our activities. In organizations, boundaries are  usually defined by departments and traditionally forms have been the visible vehicles utilized for procedural interaction.

Increasingly,  paper is being replaced by electronic mechanisms for communicating over organizational boundaries.  These facilities are usually part of complex computerized business information systems.

    Like people, computerized information systems must interact with one another and activity that crosses system boundaries is usually referred to as an interface. A major question for vendors of business information systems is where to draw the boundaries. The  corollary to the boundary question is... How do we accommodate the inevitable interfaces?

    The customer must be very careful to determine the boundaries of an offering and identify the important interfaces to insure that the system under consideration accommodates the required interaction. A good example in WISL's experience lies with the access of mileage information. ALK Associates offers a product that includes a mileage data base along with facilities to accommodate routing of trips(PC Miler). They provide other application software packages that interface with PC Miler to handle specific needs in the transportation industry(e.g. a fuel tax calculation facility). ALK have also recognized that there are many information systems beyond the boundaries of there own offerings that could interface with PC Miler. To address such needs they have developed a product module designed specifically to facilitate an interactive interface with PC Miler. Through the use of ALK's interface module WISL has integrated access to ALK's PC Miler facilities in several of our product offerings without the need to establish an expensive developmental relationship with ALK and without the need to involve the end user.

    Whereas ALK's approach is to anticipate interface requirements, many software vendors tend to deal with the boundary issue in a defensive manner. In the case of "corporate financial systems"  aka "enterprise resource planning" (ERP) systems vendors in particular, the typical response to a request for an interface often is: "We have a product in development that will address that need." or "We prefer that you utilize the product of one of our business partners."  When pressed they will cite expensive custom programming, detraction from other developmental efforts and the alignment of the planets as reasons to avoid interfacing with third party solutions. An entire class of vendors and corresponding products called "enterprise application integration" employing "integration servers" has evolved to fill the vacuum created by the ERP vendors.  Ironically, the transactional batch interface normally required with a financial system is technically trivial compared to the interactive interface provided by ALK.

    WISL's products tend to be more vertical(function specific) than the fairly horizontal PC Miler but our approach is similar to that of ALK. We recognize the need for planned interfaces and specifically design to incorporate overlapping system boundaries. Usually such interfaces are already thoroughly defined by existing EDI transactions and in most cases WISL provides the capability to send and receive the relevant EDI transaction. In cases where an EDI solution is not possible we accommodate custom requirements. WISL's corporate position on this matter is:

"We fit in"