Understanding the Importance of Business Process as a Service

Companies have been automating business processes for decades. Originally, they were forced to do so either manually or programmatically. For example, if a company wanted to make sure that a management system for orders looked up a credit check before issuing a transaction, the company built that request into a program. In some cases, entire business process outsourcing companies might implement processes either manually or through automation. With the advent of cloud computing, this approach is starting to change. Increasingly, companies are starting to look at a more service-oriented approach to leverage services. Rather than assume you need a packaged application that includes both business logic, data, and processes, it’s possible to select a process application that’s not tied into a single application. There is a practical reason to select a business process service. First, an organization can select a process that matches business policy. It can then be used in many different application environments. This ensures that a well-defined and, more importantly, a consistent process exists across the organization. For example, a company may have a complex process for processing payroll or managing shipping. This service can be linked to other services in the cloud such as SaaS, as well as to applications in the data center.

Business Process as a Service is any type of horizontal or vertical business process that’s ...

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