SaaS Integration: DealerTrack

DealerTrack is a provider of on-demand software and data solutions for the automotive retail industry. Connecting over 17,000 auto dealers with more than 1,000 lenders, DealerTrak solutions automate and streamline the auto financing process.

DealerTrack offers a range of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions for auto dealers, including a feature-rich Dealer Management System (DMS). DealerTrack’s DMS solution supports transaction reporting, accounting functions (including a real-time general ledger), CRM capabilities, sales tracking and inventory management. DealerTrak also offers dealer inventory solutions for merchandising, appraisal and pricing, website development, stocking and sourcing as well as sales solutions that support eContracting, automated credit applications and pre-approvals. Additionally, auto dealers can leverage DealerTrack’s compliance solutions to implement an identity theft prevention program that adheres to local and state Red Flags Rules.

The DealerTrack product suite also includes software offerings geared toward auto lenders. Banks, finance companies, credit unions, and other lenders can take advantage of DealerTrack’s Credit Application module that connects with a deep network of dealers and supporst lead generation and nurturing, application processing, decision-making, funding activities, and loan servicing. Credit Connection, DealerTrack’s Loan Origination System, automatically integrates credit application data into credit organization systems.

Finally, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) can use DealerTrack’s Chrome product line to create custom online carbooks with build and price comparison tools as well the Accessories plug-in to facilitate accessories sales. From auto dealers to lenders and manufacturers, DealerTrack offers solutions to key players throughout the auto industry.

SaaS Integration Challenges

While SaaS solutions like those in DealerTrack’s product line offer significant advantages over traditional business software to enterprise users (including greater flexibility and lower costs), they also lead to new integration challenges. The growing use of SaaS in recent years means that more and more enterprise data is shifting out of the enterprise into the cloud. Moreover, data becomes scattered across different SaaS applications, leading to the proliferation of cloud silos.

In order to eliminate cloud silos and make mission critical business activities more efficient, enterprises need to seamlessly integrate data and logic from different sources, whether they are in the cloud or on the ground.

DealerTrack solutions, for instance, can be integrated with the following:

• Other SaaS applications such as CornerstoneOnDemand integration and Blackboard integration;
• On-premise legacy systems such as SAP and Oracle; and
• Online credit reporting services and document repositories.

Custom Approaches to Cloud Integration

Application collaboration is critical to a successful SaaS strategy. When SaaS applications first became popular, however, integration tended to be treated as an afterthought. With few packaged integration solutions available, enterprise users employed an ad hoc approach to integration that continues to be the method of choice for many companies. In such an approach, in-house developers or integration consultants write custom code to integrate disparate SaaS and on-premise applications.

While a custom approach allows enterprises to customize integrations to meet particular busines needs, it also comes with a few disadvantages:

• Time and Cost: Custom integrations tend to work best for small businesses with simple architectures. Building connectors for 2 or 3 systems is relatively quick and simple, but the task becomes a much more difficult and complex project when additional systems are added. Large scale custom integration projects require significant time investments, which means that in-house developers have less time to work on other IT projects. It also means increased budgets, especially when working with external consultants.
• Maintenance and Upgrades: Although custom integrations can be quick to build, the work doesn’t end as soon as the codebase is written. Developers need to continually monitor and upgrade custom connectors to make sure that they run properly. Performance monitoring, testing, and troubleshooting require further time and resources and become a burden when the integration architecture grows in size and complexity.
• Flexibility: Custom integrations create dependencies between systems. For example, if two applications are integrated through a custom connector, changes to one application necessitate changes in the other. With large scale custom integrations, you end up building a very rigid architecture that is difficult to change. This diminishes the agility of businesses trying to adapt to changing needs.

iON: Integration for the Cloud Era

Mule iON, a packaged integration solution for quickly and seamlessly integrating across the cloud and enterprise, addresses the burdens associated with ad hoc custom integrations. Mule iON is a cloud-based Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) that delivers integration on demand.

iON features the following integration capabilities:

• Cloud Connectors: Mule iON comes with a rich library of out-of-the-box cloud connectors that enable users to quickly integrate popular SaaS offerings such as Salesforce.com and Magento without writing custom code. Cloud connectors are simple to use, which means that non-technical users can quickly deploy integrations without extensive expertise.
• Development Toolkit: Mule iON also includes a development toolkit for building custom integrations. With Mule Studio, an Eclipse-based flow designer, developers can build custom iApps (integration applications) and share them with other Mule iON users With drag-and-drop tools and a graphical interface, Mule Studio supports a configuration approach to integration, reducing the need for writing custom code and resulting in faster go-live times.
• Secure Data Gateway: In addition to integrating between SaaS applications, Mule iON also supports integration between SaaS applications and on-premise legacy applications. With security being a high priority among enterprises, Mule iON’s Secure Data Gateway enables users to securely access data residing on-premise without compromising the firewall.
• Management Portal: To alleviate the burdens of managing large scale custom integrations, Mule iON provides a browser-based management portal that provides deep visibility into integration flows. The management portal enables users to monitor performance, quickly identify errors, and develop an effective course of action. As a browser-based tool, users can access the management portal without procuring or installing additional software.
• Cloud Essentials: Mule iON is a fully cloud-based platform, providing users with the core benefits of cloud services. These include a multi-tenant architecture for data isolation and security, a elastic architecture for enhanced scalability, on-demand provisioning and flexible pricing.