Software AG Case Studies A New IT Architecture for the Building Industry with ARIS and Webmethods

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	A New IT Architecture for the Building Industry with ARIS and Webmethods Software AG

A New IT Architecture for the Building Industry with ARIS and Webmethods

Software AG

Technology Category	Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries	Finance & Insurance
Applicable Functions	Human Resources Business Operation
Use Cases	Process Control & Optimization Predictive Maintenance
Services	System Integration Software Design & Engineering Services
Challenge	SOKA-BAU, a service provider for the construction industry, was relying on a series of legacy systems that had grown over time to manage its tasks. Although this environment could still meet demands, it was not able to provide fast and cost-effective IT support for new service offerings over the long term. Even small adjustments already took a great deal of effort. Furthermore, the IT infrastructure did not offer centralized data storage, so massive amounts of data needed to be stored and managed redundantly—also consuming major time and effort. For that reason, SOKA-BAU decided on a fundamental modernization to build its IT on a futureproof, scalable basis. Read More
About Customer	Two institutions are under the SOKA-BAU umbrella: the Leave and Wage Equalization Fund for the German Building Industry (ULAK) and the Supplementary Health Insurance Company (ZVK). Both are organizations of parties to collective bargaining agreements in the building industry, which are comprised of the German National Building Association, the Trade Union for Building, Agriculture and the Environment, and the Central Federation of the German Construction Industry. The ULAK is responsible for ensuring leave entitlements and financing vocational training. The ZVK offers pension benefits to balance out structural disadvantages in retirement pensions. SOKA-BAU currently works to protect and support around 77,000 domestic and foreign companies with about 740,000 employees and 380,000 retired workers. Read More
Solution	In this modernization project, SOKA-BAU is investing largely in standardized software applications to also keep down the costs for the systems, their operation and maintenance. However, SOKA-BAU’s business model exhibits a series of unique features that cannot be easily covered with standard software. To unite the benefits of both worlds— standard and custom software—into a future-proof, agile IT architecture, SOKABAU is investing in a consistent process and service orientation (an SOA) over the individual application systems. Software AG carried out a proof-ofconcept beforehand for this solution with ARIS and webMethods, both integral parts of Software AG’s Digital Business Platform. Subsequently the core project team consisting of department employees and members of SOKA-BAU’s IT organization conceptually modeled the basis. The result: ARIS and webMethods are now strategically deployed at SOKA-BAU— ARIS for the complete development and documentation of functional and automation concept models, and webMethods as a platform for process execution and control. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration

Applicable Industries

Finance & Insurance

Applicable Functions

Human Resources

Business Operation

Use Cases

Process Control & Optimization

Predictive Maintenance

Services

System Integration

Software Design & Engineering Services

Challenge

SOKA-BAU, a service provider for the construction industry, was relying on a series of legacy systems that had grown over time to manage its tasks. Although this environment could still meet demands, it was not able to provide fast and cost-effective IT support for new service offerings over the long term. Even small adjustments already took a great deal of effort. Furthermore, the IT infrastructure did not offer centralized data storage, so massive amounts of data needed to be stored and managed redundantly—also consuming major time and effort. For that reason, SOKA-BAU decided on a fundamental modernization to build its IT on a futureproof, scalable basis.

About Customer

Two institutions are under the SOKA-BAU umbrella: the Leave and Wage Equalization Fund for the German Building Industry (ULAK) and the Supplementary Health Insurance Company (ZVK). Both are organizations of parties to collective bargaining agreements in the building industry, which are comprised of the German National Building Association, the Trade Union for Building, Agriculture and the Environment, and the Central Federation of the German Construction Industry. The ULAK is responsible for ensuring leave entitlements and financing vocational training. The ZVK offers pension benefits to balance out structural disadvantages in retirement pensions. SOKA-BAU currently works to protect and support around 77,000 domestic and foreign companies with about 740,000 employees and 380,000 retired workers.

Solution

In this modernization project, SOKA-BAU is investing largely in standardized software applications to also keep down the costs for the systems, their operation and maintenance. However, SOKA-BAU’s business model exhibits a series of unique features that cannot be easily covered with standard software. To unite the benefits of both worlds— standard and custom software—into a future-proof, agile IT architecture, SOKABAU is investing in a consistent process and service orientation (an SOA) over the individual application systems. Software AG carried out a proof-ofconcept beforehand for this solution with ARIS and webMethods, both integral parts of Software AG’s Digital Business Platform. Subsequently the core project team consisting of department employees and members of SOKA-BAU’s IT organization conceptually modeled the basis. The result: ARIS and webMethods are now strategically deployed at SOKA-BAU— ARIS for the complete development and documentation of functional and automation concept models, and webMethods as a platform for process execution and control.

Impact #1	Higher rate of fully automated processing
Impact #2	Greater agility for implementing new requirements
Impact #3	Improved service quality

Impact #1

Higher rate of fully automated processing

Impact #2

Greater agility for implementing new requirements

Impact #3

Improved service quality

Benefit #1	Degree of automation above 90%
Benefit #2	Services for 740,000 employees

Benefit #1

Degree of automation above 90%

Benefit #2

Services for 740,000 employees

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Overview

A New IT Architecture for the Building Industry with ARIS and Webmethods

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit