By Charles Greenberg, Senior Global Product Marketing Manager, Software AG

Why 2020 Will Be Big for B2B in the Cloud

Long-neglected on-premises B2B integration is about to be given a new lease on life next year - in the cloud.

On-premises B2B integration has been around for so long that companies sometimes forget where the server is located. Chugging along like the little engine that always could, we treat B2B like the proverbial light bulb, taking it for granted that our EDI solutions will work when we need them. Until the day that the B2B bulb dims or flickers and becomes a disruptive and costly link in our supply chain.

That's when organizations begin to think about what they want from their B2B integration: lower infrastructure costs, better synergy with other apps, an easier user experience? These are just a few things to consider.

Part of this wish list will likely be moving B2B capabilities (and your partner ecosystem) into the cloud. This will be a big feature in 2020 and here are seven reasons why:

1. Cost reduction: Companies will want to reduce the infrastructure, maintenance and personnel costs associated with older, on-premises B2B solutions.
2. Pay-as-you-grow: A cloud-pricing model will attract CIOs who can buy only what they  need, empowering solution owners to tightly regulate and control costs.
3. Unify B2B with APIs and Integration: Companies will continue to take a broader view of cloud-computing, adopting a multi-function iPaaS (integration Platform as a Service) that supports not only B2B integration, but APIs, hybrid integration - and even the IoT.
4. Quick B2B scalability: While on-premises scalability can be executed typically through an additional sales cycle, companies will see the benefits provided by a fully-hosted cloud platform that enables them to quickly ramp-up B2B transactions, trading partners and industry standards.
5. Improved user experience:  Best-in-class, SaaS-based,  EDI solutions will attract users by providing improved ways to easily manage transactions across your partner network, through clear and well-organized, user-friendly interfaces providing intuitive accessibility, easy navigations and even fewer clicks.
6. Rapid partner-onboarding: Accelerating the speed of onboarding has been the life-long mantra of EDI managers. Substantially improving the user experience will speed up new profile setups, associated documenta­tion requirements and communication preferences for trading partners. The goal? Onboarding is accomplished not in days or weeks - but in minutes.
7. Hybrid connectivity: Companies want on-premises, cloud and mobile data (wherever it is), readily available to consistently populate business documents with contact, document-types and standard protocol information to accelerate the speed of doing business.
   

2020 will be the year of B2B integration in the cloud. Get ready for it.

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About the Author

Charles Greenberg is the Senior Global Product Marketing Manager for at Software AG.