In a previous article, I mentioned that in order to truly leverage the power of a (cloud-based) application, an API (application programming interface) should be available to allow you to integrate and share information between systems easily. In other words, if you have a great software application and want others to interface with your software, you should have an API that may extend the reach beyond what you can, or want to do with your product.

An example might help; I’ll try to keep this simple. Here at eBridge Connections, we integrate data (eCommerce, EDI, CRM and others) with accounting systems. A company that sells an invoice billing system recently approached us.  They recognize the value in having invoices from their customer’s accounting system automatically populate their billing system and are looking to eBridge to facilitate the link because eBridge already connects to 40 different accounting systems. eBridge can provide API access to the partner to allow them manage the integration between their billing system and the eBridge integration platform. Everyone wins in this case: the end user doesn’t have to manually key invoices into the billing system, eBridge gains an integration customer without having to do any development, and the partner has a more compelling offering to help promote their product.

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Technology Corner Mike C

In part one of my 2010 year in review, I looked at the impact social media is having on society and what it means for business owners of all sizes.

It seems like 2010 is also the year I.T. had their heads in the cloud (computing, that is). While most of us already use cloud-based services (Facebook, Gmail, Flickr and YouTube are all examples), the general acceptance of cloud-based software within the business enterprise seems to have reached a point Read more…

Technology Corner, eBRIDGE Blog Mike C

I have a confession. Ok, so it’s not very interesting or news-worthy but considering the statistics and the fact that social media is part of my job, it is a bit embarrassing. Ready for it… Read more…

Technology Corner, eBRIDGE Blog Mike C

Inventory levels…check
Promotions, deals and coupons…check
Extended hours…check
Gift wrap…check
Data capture and mining…what?

First off, I’m assuming you have a website. You DO have a website, don’t you?

There are dozens of things you should be doing to optimize traffic to your business through online and retail channels. I won’t get into any of those this time (see the end of this post for links); instead I want to make sure you’re aware of two tools you need to use to improve your website and your understanding of your website visitors. When February rolls around and you want to analyze your sales, you’ll be glad you had the foresight to start gathering this information now!

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Technology Corner Black Friday, ecommerce 2010, Mike C, Shopping, stats, website traffic

Last month, we announced the new design for our website. Since then, there has been an enormous amount of work going on behind the scenes. Now that the beta testing is finished, we’re pleased to announce the launch of the new version of ePortal – our Online Integration Platform.

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EDI Integration, Technology Corner, Webstore Integration ePortal, new

Part 3: Inventory Management

By: Mike Catalfamo

Over the past few weeks, we have been looking at some of the pitfalls you might encounter during an integration project and I have provided some ideas about how to approach them. If you haven’t read the earlier posts yet, you can start with the first post here.

My goal for this post is to highlight some things to consider about inventory as it pertains to integration. Selling ice cream is not the same as selling clothing which is not the same as selling books or services so I will try to keep this high-level. If you have any more specific questions or feedback, I would love to hear from you.

Updated: Since posting, I received some feedback that I didn’t provide some clear tips about how to handle unit/pricing conversions. Comments and feedback are encouraged!

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EDI Integration, Technology Corner, Webstore Integration, eCommerce eCommerce, ecommerce integration, Knowledge, Mike C, Series

Part 2: Creating Orders Automatically

By: Mike Catalfamo

The goal of the order posting process into the accounting system is to automatically create a document such as a Sales Order that would reflect the same order details in the eCommerce cart that also satisfies the accounting and business systems requirements.  Refer back to the steps in the previous post, Overview of Order Fulfillment Cycle as we consider the following:

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EDI Integration, Technology Corner, Webstore Integration, eCommerce eCommerce, ecommerce integration, Knowledge, Mike C, Series

Part 1: Introduction

By: Mike Catalfamo

Being a business owner can have many challenges, particularly for small and medium sized companies.  Those who attempt to leverage the vast and rapidly-changing sea of technology can realize substantial operational efficiencies, gain valuable market insights and increase their competitive advantage; all of which translate into increased profits.

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing some ideas about what you can do as a business owner to minimize work and potential errors when working with data in disparate formats or systems.  To help illustrate this, I’m going to use an example of integrating an eCommerce cart with an ERP/Accounting System.  Throughout the series of articles, I will illustrate how Sandy our fictitious eCommerce owner runs her business and overcomes the challenges of re-keying data.  Before we begin, here are two important things you can do prior to undertaking an integration or automation project:

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Integration, Technology Corner, Webstore Integration, eBRIDGE Blog, eCommerce eCommerce, ecommerce integration, Knoweldge, Mike C, Series

Good morning everyone, I’m currently trying to gauge interest in accounting integration for Sage X3? 

Leave a comment if you are looking for an integration solution to Sage X3 – I’d love to hear your feedback.

Thanks,

Dave Malda.

CRM Integration, Integration, Integration as a Service, Technology Corner, eCommerce

eBridge is proud to offer a new opportunity to all Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors. We are inches away from launching a new plug-&-play integration product for eCommerce customers that run QuickBooks software. In order to facilitate the launch, we are recruiting a team of ProAdvisors to work with customers to implement and oversee the project.

If you fit the profile and are interested in teaming up with eBridge or would like some additional information, get in touch with us!

On the Phone: 1-800-755-6921

By Email: Sales@ebridgesoft.com

On the web: http://www.ebridgeconnections.com

Thanks!

Integration, Technology Corner, Webstore Integration, eCommerce eCommerce, Integration, ProAdvisor, QuickBooks