EAI is a process that integrates business computing applications to increase functionality and performance. It shares data between applications, provides data warehousing, and creates a common virtual system. EAI is used by large companies for new technologies, e-commerce, and electronic communication. The EAI Industry Consortium regulates and sponsors the use of EAI.
EAI stands for Enterprise Application Integration. This is a process that brings business computing applications together under a common programming umbrella to increase functionality and performance.
In its most basic form, EAI shares data between applications and can serve several purposes. It can connect databases, share data and provide a backup database in case something goes wrong. EAI can also provide data warehousing, funneling data from several databases into one for optimal use. Businesses also use it to complete a single business transaction across multiple systems.
The most innovative use of EAI is to create a common virtual system. In other words, the process can merge a number of applications and/or databases into one cohesive operating machine. This is undoubtedly a more powerful option than a server that runs on its own.
There are several reasons why companies would like to do this. Among the reasons is to take advantage of new technologies, such as the Internet and intranet functions. Related to these are e-commerce and electronic communication, such as email and video conferencing. The vast majority of EAI users are large companies that have large data sharing requirements.
One well-known use of the EAI is by credit card companies and regulators whose goal is to catch credit card thieves. The EAI allows these companies to efficiently track millions of bits of data and extract that data for a specific purpose. Another popular use is by financial institutions that want to help their customers complete foreign exchange transactions online.
To help regulate and sponsor the use of EAI, members of companies around the world have formed the EAI Industry Consortium (EAIIC). The EAIIC is committed to getting the most out of the process, seeking to ensure that industry best practice is maintained. EAI begins in earnest in the 1990s when companies discovered the need for more consistent software solutions to their data sharing and integration problems. It has steadily gained in popularity and seems to be here to stay as a solution to the problem of merging complex systems towards one goal.
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