A Digital Revolution with AB Suite

By Alan Hood, Principal Consultant, Unisys

When it comes to end-user interfaces, we can no longer say “one size fits all” – if indeed, we ever could.

Your users will no longer settle for a terminal emulator or simple desktop interface into your applications. Rather, they expect anywhere, anytime access to their transactions and data – on their preferred device and in a format they choose.

That’s why many Agile Business Suite (AB Suite®) clients have opted to explore digital transformation initiatives.

Digital transformation is more than the act of putting a simple web or mobile interface in front of your applications. It implies a deeper level of integration with newer user interfaces, newer APIs, and newer devices.

It can even mean simultaneously providing multiple connection points and interfaces – all from the same
AB Suite application.

Say, for instance, you’re in the financial services industry. You might have one user who wants to access their bank account using a mobile phone, while another wants to apply for a mortgage over the web. Meanwhile, an investor may want the ability to track several accounts using a cloud-based dashboard.

If you’re in the insurance business, your policy holders could expect to have the ability to include photos from their mobile phones when submitting a claim.

Or if you’re an online retailer, shoppers may be looking for real-time GPS tracking, so they can monitor the location of a delivery vehicle and know precisely when their packages will be delivered.

Have it Your Way

Your AB Suite applications represent a vital part of your organization. But in order to participate in this digital revolution, you’ll need to develop new APIs, expand the access you provide to your transactions and data, and pull in data from external systems.

Over time, AB Suite has provided the latest in client and interfacing technologies. And it continues to evolve to support your ever-changing needs.

For example, with AB Suite, you have for years had the ability to present your transactions as sophisticated .NET or Java based web forms and mobile apps.

You can define your AB Suite application as an OLTP Server, and individual Ispecs as services. You’re able to automatically generate the SOAP and XML interfaces your clients need to call these business services.

But it doesn’t stop there.

You can also import SOAP definitions from other applications, then call them directly from your AB Suite business logic. In short, AB Suite can be both a client and a server for standards-conforming Open DTP transactions.

Combined with other Unisys products, like ClearPath Forward® ePortal, the Application Integration Services (AIS) product, and Java Resource Adaptors, your AB Suite applications can easily interact with the Systems of Engagement – mobile and web apps, point-of-sale systems, smart clients, and others – that present those modern, ever-changing technologies and devices your customers demand.

You can expose transactions as REST and JSON interfaces, as well as call out to other REST services. You can even mix and match different types of interfaces, devices, and client types within the same application.

Plus, you can send data to, and receive it from, the ever-growing data sources that are part of the Internet of Things (IoT), including monitors and relays, industrial equipment, household appliances,
and more.

Just consider this example: A fleet management system based in AB Suite interacts with the on-board systems installed on delivery trucks through a small IoT device connected to the vehicle’s diagnostic port. The system monitors each vehicle’s status, and when scheduled maintenance is needed or a critical fault is imminent, the application notifies the driver via a mobile app.

How are You Digitally Transforming?

It seems like just about every week we hear about new apps, changing requirements, and clever ways companies have satisfied their users’ needs.

So how is digital transformation affecting your organization? Do you find that your users are asking for more access to core applications and data, in different forms and on different devices? Are they expecting to use cloud resources? Native mobile apps? Are you seeing a need to interact with other systems, partners, or agencies far differently than you have before?

The good news is, AB Suite clients are extremely innovative, and the solution provides plenty of opportunities to use this creativity to answer emerging demands and competitive pressures. And even if they haven’t done exactly what you’re looking for, chances are good we’ve learned something working with clients that could be adapted to your needs.

If you’re interested in learning how to jump-start your digital transformation efforts, or would
like to share an innovative project you completed with AB Suite, please reach out to us at
ABSuite@unisys.com. We’d love to hear from you.