When talking about an on-demand or even more advanced supply chain service architecture, most people think only of technology. We think of IT as well. And we don’t stop there. Let’s talk about the four key factors that made us design IntelliChains on an SOA basis.

Time factor: no installation time, no update gaps

Accelerate! Ordinary IT systems take their time: to design, to set up, to test, to install, to roll out, to maintain. In an on-demand framework like IntelliChains, everything is accelerated. It still takes time to integrate another partner or define a new process—but this time is measured in days rather than weeks.

Cost factor: no installation fees, no licenses, no internal system-maintenance-costs

IntelliChains is a complete on-demand application accessible over the Internet. This cuts down costs, because there is no need for you to invest in hardware, software or system-maintenance. Another advantage is the pay-per-use concept, which protects you from the unnecessary high costs of providing an infrastructure.

Synchronization factor: easy access for every collaborative partner

Because IntelliChains puts no access barriers from a cost or technology perspective, it is much easier to motivate your collaborating partners to join. This was and still is one of the crucial points in SCM: how to get all the partners onto the platform. With IntelliChains, it’s easy for them to collaborate, and it’s easy for them to see the benefits of full transparency and real-time information.

Integration factor: no barriers to any application

Last but not least, the concept of a supply chain service architecture provides another boost: Instead of looking for a software system that is able to cover most of your requirements, service-oriented architecture opens the horizon. Now it’s easy to plug in operational features from ERP or other legacy systems. This is not a stopgap—this is the concept.