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What is Interoperability?
Interoperability is the both exchange
information and to use it.
Without a way to exchange information .. high-tech systems
literally can't communicate with each other. And, if
they can't communicate, they can't work - interoperate - with
each other.
Information Systems often speak different languages or dialects.
And it happens not only when the products come from different
suppliers, but even among different generations or variants
of the same product.
 Dotcom
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Just imagine a situation where one critical part of your car
.. like the steering wheel .. couldn't communicate with another
part .. like the wheels. For consumers the problem is
resolved by the car-maker who delivers a fully integrated
product. The car-manufacturers goal is often to develop
the best car by using "best of breed" components
from different vendors, and making them all work together.
The same is true for many large information systems.
Dotcom
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Interoperability Matters to
the User
Dotcom
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While an interoperability problem might be just a minor incompatibility
.. its impact on a system can be dramatic .. and getting
all the relevant parties to participate in solving the interoperability
problem can be a nightmare.
Within a given company, there are usually many different systems
that all talk different languages. At the same time,
companies are spending huge amounts of money buying and testing
new systems, so that they can get them to interoperate with
their existing infrastructure.
It all combines to create a critical need for information
technology products to be guaranteed to interoperate.
This can only be achieved if those products are built to something
known as Open Standards.
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Access to Information
Dotcom
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For many years, now, organizations have literally hoarded
their data, building complex repositories for every kind
of information. This makes access to this information difficult,
often restricted to a select few, with wall of paperwork
and incompatible systems separating it from the people that
need it most. And for anyone who tries to integrate
data from different locations, there was no alternative but
to manually translate and re-key it from print outs, just
to move it from one incompatible system to another.
Today, information is the fuel that runs the global economy.
But to access this stored information, modern systems have
to be able to interoperate .. with those around them.
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Sharing of Information
Dotcom
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Information for design, manufacture, sales, distribution,
and accounting should no longer be held in a compartmentalized
manner; in today's business environment the information has
to be shared quickly and accurately across the organization.
A key enabler for sharing of information is the joining together
of the information technology systems and processes.
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Distributed Processing and
Supply Chain Management
Dotcom
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The fact is, companies face a serious risk and cost penalty
whenever they integrate a new system. But the problem
doesn't stop there. Today, many companies are more dependent
on outside suppliers and partners than ever before .. and
are, in many cases, linked to their systems. But getting
the whole system to run smoothly requires a tremendous amount
of communication and coordination. And that can be next
to impossible without Open Standards and Interoperability.
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Interoperability Also Matters
to the Supplier
Dotcom
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The benefits to customers seem obvious from this but what
are the benefits to suppliers of computer systems?
If customers are writing, testing and implementing custom
software the time it takes for them to deliver new applications
is longer than it could be, the cost is higher and the risk
greater. There is a consequent delay in satisfying end user
needs, and the return on their investment is not as good as
it could be.
If the industry could deliver systems systems based on open
standards which interoperate with one another then the return
would be improved. Customers of information technology products
would be able to invest more in the value-added technology
reducing the amount they spend on custom software. They would
also feel able to replace outdated systems sooner. The overall
market for computer systems would grow and suppliers would
enjoy their share from the enlarged market.
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Solutions
Dotcom
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Write custom software that does the
translation
It is expensive to write custom software for every join between
applications; it requires time to develop, test and implement
custom software for each join; operational risk is introduced
when running applications with custom software; security
risk is introduced.
more
Insist upon products that conform to
Open Standards
Obviating the need for custom software, use of open standards
overcomes all of the issues that arise with custom software
interpreters and therefore lowers the barriers to integration:
time, cost and risk.
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Dotcom
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The Role of The Open Group is
discussed here
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