THE CHALLENGE

A nonprofit, faith-based organization, needed a better way to manage the integration platforms and applications that support their work. The organization works with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students both at home in all 50 U.S. states and internationally in more than 100 countries around the world.

A small, lean IT team is responsible for designing, developing, deploying, and maintaining all existing integrations and applications that the organization relies on. While the client recently chose Boomi as one of their iPaaS  (integration platform as a service) providers, they also rely on various .Net applications and ad hoc integrations. Choosing the right platform for new projects required extensive knowledge of the tangled ecosystem. 

Additionally, this approach made it virtually impossible to provide the business with accurate, real-time data. For example, enrolling new students in activities required more than 24 hours of processing time. Onboarding new staff was equally time-consuming.

THE SOLUTION

The client’s IT team needed a way to achieve real-time, automated data processing for ongoing business operations, so they partnered with Big Compass for a Data Agility Workshop. Clients leave this workshop with a foundation that will help them build a scalable, future-proof Data Agility Strategy. 

For this workshop, we started with an assessment of the current state of the client’s data integration infrastructure. Next, we built a decision matrix the client can use to plan integration patterns, which will enable IT staff to support ongoing projects and deliver operational support more efficiently and effectively.

One specific project these deliverables will support is the organization's ongoing initiative to migrate its ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) platform from Lawson to Workday. Insights from the workshop will be used alongside the decision matrix to ensure that all new integrations are successfully passed along to another team member in the organization.

THE RESULTS

Overall, the Data Agility Workshop was a success. Big Compass built a strong rapport with the client’s team through candid discussions about challenges, strengths, and opportunities. 

They now understand exactly where they can expand their existing Boomi iPaaS usage, which legacy integrations to replace, and how to consolidate redundant processes. Going forward, they can use Boomi’s platform to build a responsive environment that more effectively meets the organization’s needs. Timely execution of critical business processes, like new student registration and staff onboarding, will be possible. IT staff can also be less reactive and more proactive once platforms and applications are successfully consolidated.

This is only the beginning, too — these recommendations are the building blocks of a more holistic and comprehensive Data Agility Strategy.

Do you want to learn how your organization can solve its data-related challenges and become more data agile? Get in touch with Big Compass to learn how we can help your data and systems work together to deliver maximum value.