Data Virtualization Links CRM, ERP and SCM
Data virtualization could be the next big thing in the customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise applications space.
If you can imagine an environment where you can integrate on-premise, cloud and SaaS applications quickly, easily and securely, you're on your way to understanding the potential of data virtualization. Next, imagine that you can automatically link your PeopleSoft, Vantive, Salesforce and SAP systems to provide a single continuous view of the customer.
These pretty radical concepts are already available in a product from Queplix, a leader in data virtualization. Other players in the field include Informatica, Pervasive Software, Composite Software, DataFlux and VisionWare. And the giants are also on the move.
“IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and SAP are all data management big guns with interests in the cloud, master data management and enterprise applications,” said John Abbott, co-founder and chief analyst of The 451 Group.
Abbott said IBM (NYSE: IBM) has made a series of integration acquisitions, while Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) acquired product data-quality vendor Silver Creek Systems earlier this year to boost its data management credentials. And SAP (NYSE: SAP) is in the process of assimilating Sybase.
But what exactly is data virtualization? Well, Wikipedia defines data virtualization as “the presentation of data as an abstract layer, independent of underlying database systems, structures and storage.”
Data virtualization allows companies to get critical customer care, sales force automation and other important CRM applications working together to improve business operations and provide better service to their customers, said Michael Zuckerman, chief marketing officer of Queplix.
Last month, Queplix released Queplix Virtual Data Manager (QVDM), a product that can manage a simple integration between two applications or scale easily to integrate multiple instances of a complex application such as Siebel or SAP.
The core of the product is its persistent metadata server, which is accessible to all applications and provides a common source of data information and truth, said Zuckerman.
“Data virtualization offers a fundamental change in the way application and data integration problems can be solved,” said Abbott. “Once virtualized, the data is available for secure reuse, with potential incremental return on investment with each application.”
