The fourth industrial revolution

The first industrial revolution used fossil fuels to mechanise industry and make mass transport available; the second saw the rise of mass production; and the third the rise of automation in production. The fourth will see the lines between the physical, digital and even biological worlds begin to blur. What is different is the speed at which all of this is taking place. Businesses that fail to embrace it risk…

Read More

HOW MONITORING CAN HELP TO ENSURE THAT YOUR BUSINESS STAYS HEALTHY

You can only run a business successfully if you understand what’s happening. In the past that’s been relatively easy, but as organisations become larger and more complex and rely increasingly upon technology, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with information to the point where you can’t see the important parts. Many applications, such as ERP systems and customer information systems offer insight into parts of the business, but it’s difficult to…

Read More

RETAIL AND THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INFORMED

In the modern world, no business exists in isolation. In the retail sector, perhaps more than any other, this means that information from customers, suppliers and distributors is vital to delivering effective services. Business to Business In order to succeed, retail and consumer companies are forging ever closer ties. This allows them to make better decisions, get goods to stores in a timely manner, and market them effectively. All of…

Read More

Remove the Barriers and You can Close the Digital Divide.

You might think that as we become increasingly reliant upon technology in our everyday lives, any business would be keen to embrace the technological future in order to communicate better with its customers and improve profitability. However, research last year from the CBI and IBM (http://www.cbi.org.uk/news/digital-divide-among-uk-business-is-holding-back-the-economy/) reveals that there’s a growing digital divide emerging in the UK economy with a little over half of all companies embracing the digital economy…

Read More

Closing the Digital Divide

Closing the Digital Divide – Seven things you need to get right in order to take advantage of the digitised supply chain. More than ever before, commerce today relies upon close collaboration between businesses at all stages of the supply chain. This enables suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and ultimately customers to benefit from a boost in performance, reduced time-to-market and lower costs. Ultimately this means bigger profits, but it also gives…

Read More

Open-Source Testing Tools for API Development – Part 3

Introduction In part 1 of this series, I covered my experience with: API Definition Unit Testing. In part 2, I covered: Calling APIs: Test Clients This will be followed by two more instalments: In this (part 3), I cover: Function and Load Tests SoapUI JMeter This will be followed by the final instalment: Part 4 Mocking back-end services Some of the tools were recommended by colleagues on projects, some I…

Read More

Webinar – The Importance of APIs and Securing the Value Chain.

W3Partnership would like to invite you to our forthcoming webinar, “The Importance of APIs and Securing the Value Chain”. Our Speakers Marcus Langford – Chief Operating Officer of W3Partnership, who are Digital Integration specialist having delivered numerous Integration projects to the Retail, Industrial and Government Sectors. Andrew Howarth – UK Sales Lead for the IBM API Economy. Andrew has 20 years’ experience within IBM and a strong understanding of what…

Read More

Integration Platforms for the Government Sector 2016 Report

  Copyright Copyright subsists in all W3Partnership publications. Except as permitted by Copyright Law, no extract may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior permission in writing from W3Partnership. © W3Partnership Limited (2016) Contact Address: W3Partnership Limited 18A Kendale Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire, HP3 8NN Tel: +44 (0) 845 8685041 All terms…

Read More

The Importance of Value Chains and API’s

Flexibility within a Value Chain is essential. Increasing global competition, accelerating technological change and expanding customer expectation are creating a turbulent environment. Today organisations source supplies and products from around the world and the need for flexibility as they choose the appropriate supplier are essential. Flexibility enables organisations to cope with change in a timely manner. By adopting an API lead approach an organisation optimises flexibility allowing it to adapt…

Read More

The Value Chain and Your Data

APIs add value to a business. They facilitate exposing the value in one organisations data to be re-used in another organisations applications to benefit the Value Chain. An API is a powerful connection between a wide variety of business assets; systems, partners, suppliers, and customers. By creating re-usable APIs, organisations take advantage of the API economy. To benefit from this economy, you must implement a platform that can develop, organise,…

Read More