The software can analyze and detail, from a business process flow standpoint, how the interface is actually working. Furthermore, products with more limited capabilities exist that can serve as message carriers. They enable interface integration to address the transport of information from one system to another in order to complete a business transaction. The business requirements for information integration should drive the middleware decision. If all you need to do is share information between two systems in the same company or across companies, it isn't necessary to invest in more than a basic piece of middleware.
Prices vary with each product, but most are very cost effective for the services they provide.
Outsourcing As businesses ponder the costs and benefits of investing in digital business integration, they are basing their final decisions on a variety of factors, including size and scope, risk to shareholders, and new business potential. A company may pursue a business model in which it acts as an auction site, enabling it to reduce costs by auctioning off excess inventory. For example, say a golf course in North Carolina has an abundance of fertilizer and would like to sell a portion of it for extra cash. It can turn to its auction site and offer the fertilizer to the highest bidder, which may turn out to be a golf course on the West Coast. The company's staffpower and time is not compromised, as the ASP manages the auction site operation.