The SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) has been in use in many companies for a long time and therefore covers some very complex integration scenarios. However, the shortage of IT specialists and the resulting loss of expertise are making it increasingly difficult for companies to maintain the complex system professionally - which can have fatal consequences. Medium-sized companies that want to ensure smooth operation and thus their competitiveness despite a shortage of skilled labour are therefore best advised to opt for comprehensive external SEEBURGER BIS support. Reliable basic support should be just as much a part of the service offering as the further development of technically complex scenarios and the integration of new business partners.
The shortage of IT specialists is rapidly worsening in all sectors: according to a Study by Bitkom Research there was a shortage of 137,000 IT specialists in German companies in 2022 - compared to only 96,000 in the previous year. This corresponds to an increase in IT vacancies of almost 43 per cent compared to the same period last year. On average, a vacancy remained unfilled for 7.1 months. Some of the 854 companies surveyed were even looking for a suitable employee for longer than twelve months.
IT skills shortage makes professional system support difficult
The shortage of IT specialists and the ever-increasing skills gap are becoming a serious problem, particularly in medium-sized companies, and are significantly slowing down the digital transformation. Professional support and regular maintenance of existing IT systems are also falling behind.
However, an uninterrupted IT infrastructure is essential for unhindered business operations and driving innovation. Even a minor system failure is enough to paralyse the entire IT operation and thus your business-critical processes. Interruptions to operational processes, financial losses and damage to your reputation are just some of the consequences you can expect.
Platforms in particular, which play an essential role within your company and have been closely linked to your business processes for many years, therefore require comprehensive support from experienced IT specialists. This also includes the SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS 6): If it is no longer fully functional at some point due to a lack of or inadequate system support, reliable data exchange with business partners and smooth networking of internal systems will no longer be possible - not to mention the inability to respond to new customer and market requirements. As a result, there is a risk of system, delivery and production failures, which are ultimately associated with high costs.
Outsourcing enables a rapid gain in personnel and expertise
So what do you do if experienced employees leave your company and the expertise you have acquired over many years with your SEEBURGER system is lost because no successor could be found? Outsourcing your on-premises system support to a competent IT service provider is a quick way out of this impasse.
By utilising external SEEBURGER-BIS support, you gain access to a team of experts with industry and process experience in the shortest possible time. This team supports your IT department with all tasks that can no longer be performed internally. Complete outsourcing of system operation is also possible.
As a result, your company benefits from these advantages:
- You save huge amounts of time and money that you would otherwise have to invest in training and recruiting suitable staff.
- As your IT department no longer has to worry about time-consuming routine tasks, your employees once again have sufficient capacity to drive important projects forward.
- If you need additional staff at short notice due to an increased workload or staff absences due to illness, you will quickly receive the support you need.
- There is often a lack of in-house expertise to make adjustments and further develop the system yourself. An external IT service provider closes this expertise gap so that you remain fit for the future.
When outsourcing, however, the choice of the right IT partner should be carefully considered. In addition to sufficient manpower, certifications and good availability, technologically and procedurally competent consulting right through to your ERP should be a matter of course. Only if the provider has comprehensive, holistic consulting expertise and fully understands your requirements can you be sure that the services will ultimately be optimally tailored to your needs.
Ideally, you are free to decide whether you want to outsource the entire SEEBURGER system support or only certain individual services. If you use SAP ECC or S/4HANA as your ERP solution, the SAP expertise of the service provider also plays an important role. After all, high system stability can only be guaranteed if the EDI requirements are harmonised with your SAP system right from the start.
Your SEEBURGER BIS 6 in CONCETO Managed Service: SAP expertise included
CONCETO's IT specialists offer customised system support to ensure the smooth operation of your SEEBURGER BIS 6. With integration expertise, process knowledge and industry know-how, they not only ensure the trouble-free functionality of the system, but also take a professional approach to enhancements.
SEEBURGER-BIS support is essentially based on the following main components - unless full support is required:
- The Basic support includes the installation of updates and patches so that the BIS 6 platform is always up to date and protected against cyber threats.
- The Incident Management ensures that faults are recognised and rectified in good time - before they have a negative impact on your business processes.
- The Project planning enables the realisation of individual changes, for example the connection of new partners or systems.
Especially for users who have an ERP from SAP in use, it is worth taking a look at the range of services on offer: as a long-standing SAP and SEEBURGER partner, CONCETO combines cross-system expertise from both worlds - and thus achieves a low error rate and consistent data quality. As the highly specialised teams of experts tackle complex support and project planning tasks with routine, they are able to achieve high-quality results quickly. For SAP users, this in turn means greater cost efficiency, flexibility and competitiveness.
The support package: basic services meet customised additional options
CONCETO has developed a customisable basic support package to ensure that SEEBURGER-BIS support is as individual as possible. This offers a basic scope of service that can be expanded with additional services depending on the customer's requirements. In the end, the customer only pays for what they actually need.
The basic version includes the following services:
- The Active monitoring includes 24/7 technical monitoring of the system and visual inspections during support hours.
- The Dedicated Team consists of a team of experts who are specifically geared to your needs and can act quickly accordingly.
- One Optimum accessibility is guaranteed by a professional support ticket system and personal contact by telephone.
- To the regular business hours The team is always available from Monday to Friday between 9:00 and 18:00. Individual service times are possible by arrangement.
- As part of the Update consulting important patches are agreed with the customer and implemented promptly.
- During the Familiarisation phase Within the first three months, both sides coordinate their activities every month in order to familiarise themselves with each other.
In addition to the standard services, there are numerous Customisation options to choose from. From safeguarding operations outside of agreed business hours and shorter response times to customised system extensions or the planning and implementation of innovative digitalisation requirements, basically anything is possible. Are you perhaps planning to integrate EAI and API scenarios in addition to existing EDI integrations? CONCETO's team of experts brings the necessary SEEBURGER integration expertise and thus ensures future-proof solutions that fulfil all your innovation-driven business requirements.
Find out more about the SEEBURGER-BIS support from CONCETO
