CSC's Vision for Next-Generation E-Business

CSC Outlines Business Process Vision for Next-Generation E-Business

As Founding Member of Business Process Standards Organization, CSC Helps Establish Language Specifications for Cross-Enterprise Collaboration

FAIRFAX, VA. March 6, 2001.

The next generation of e-business will be defined by unprecedented levels of networking among companies, and will be powered by shared business processes, according to executives of Computer Sciences Corporation attending the Global Internet Summit at George Mason University today.

"The enterprise networking required for next-generation e-business is really about business processes, not solely technology," said Rosie Hartman, senior partner in CSC's Consulting Group. "Companies are exploring how to leverage the latest advancements in technology to produce real value in all aspects of their business. Their use of the Internet is moving beyond simple buy and sell transactions to holistically address integrating their business processes with other organizations' for increased innovation, productivity, efficiency and, ultimately, financial performance. CSC calls this the Networked Enterprise."

Commonly used terms such as "collaborative commerce" typically refer only to enabling technologies such as Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), or to a particular business process, such as supply chain. According to CSC, however, technology must be viewed in concert with all business processes -- such as procurement, product design and development, fulfillment, and customer relationship management (CRM) -- to create dynamic cross-company process networks that can compete in an ever-changing business environment.

CSC acknowledges it is unlikely that companies in the current economy will implement end-to-end networking at one time; rather, they will invest in business components that promise immediate returns to save money and gain greater efficiencies. For example, supply chain processes, such as procurement, which yield a large return with lowered risk, are already largely automated and are among those first shared with partners, suppliers and customers.

"The move toward full-scale Networked Enterprises is evolutionary," Hartman said. "Companies will redesign and integrate disparate systems across enterprise boundaries to include other enterprises, as well as e-marketplaces. In the end, Networked Enterprises will be constructed based on process synergies rather than on purely systems or supply chain connections."

Standards Essential to the Future of the Networked Enterprise

According to CSC, the fact that there is no standard way to represent and manage end-to-end business processes is an important obstacle that must be faced before enterprises can become networked on a global, pan-industry scale.

"In the world of alliances and consortia, companies are increasingly aware of the importance of synergistic, cross-enterprise business processes," said Howard Smith, CSC's European chief technology officer. "They want to know if the partnerships they form will be compatible with the way they work within their own organizations. In order to evaluate and foster such synergies, industry must develop a standard way to describe and manage business processes, so everyone is, literally, speaking the same language."

To standardize these processes and encourage the development of Networked Enterprises, CSC joined Intalio Inc. in August 2000 to found the Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI.org), an independent organization of 75 members devoted to the development of open specifications for the management of e-business processes. BPMI.org defines open specifications, such as the Business Process Modeling Language (BPML) and the Business Process Query Language (BPQL) that will enable the standards-based management of e-business processes spanning multiple applications, corporate departments and business partners, behind the firewall and over the Internet. BPMI.org will announce specifications for BPML on March 8.

"The initiatives undertaken by BPMI.org, including BPML, will allow cross-enterprise networks to really happen," Smith said. "We will have the foundation on which to build agile, collaborative networks that can evolve as technology and business dictates. It is very exciting to help develop and drive this initiative."

Computer Sciences Corporation, one of the world's leading consulting and information technology (IT) services firms, helps clients in industry and government achieve strategic and operational results through the use of technology. The company's success is based on its culture of working collaboratively with clients to develop innovative technology strategies and solutions that address specific business challenges.

Having guided clients through every major wave of change in information technology since 1959, CSC combines the newest technologies with its capabilities in consulting, systems design and integration, IT and business process outsourcing, applications software, and Web and application hosting to meet the individual needs of global corporations and organizations. With more than 68,000 employees in locations worldwide, CSC had revenues of $10.2 billion for the 12 months ended Dec. 29, 2000. It is headquartered in El Segundo, Calif. For more information, visit www.csc.com.

SOURCE: Computer Sciences Corporation

Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive. See: "Business Process Modeling Language (BPML)."

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"The enterprise networking required for next-generation e-business is really about business processes, not solely technology," said Rosie Hartman, senior partner in CSC's Consulting Group. "Companies are exploring how to leverage the latest advancements in technology to produce real value in all aspects of their business. Their use of the Internet is moving beyond simple buy and sell transactions to holistically address integrating their business processes with other organizations' for increased innovation, productivity, efficiency and, ultimately, financial performance. CSC calls this the Networked Enterprise." Commonly used terms such as "collaborative commerce" typically refer only to enabling technologies such as Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), or to a particular business process, such as supply chain. According to CSC, however, technology must be viewed in concert with all business processes -- such as procurement, product design and development, fulfillment, and customer relationship management (CRM) -- to create dynamic cross-company process networks that can compete in an ever-changing business environment. CSC acknowledges it is unlikely that companies in the current economy will implement end-to-end networking at one time; rather, they will invest in business components that promise immediate returns to save money and gain greater efficiencies. For example, supply chain processes, such as procurement, which yield a large return with lowered risk, are already largely automated and are among those first shared with partners, suppliers and customers. "The move toward full-scale Networked Enterprises is evolutionary," Hartman said. "Companies will redesign and integrate disparate systems across enterprise boundaries to include other enterprises, as well as e-marketplaces. In the end, Networked Enterprises will be constructed based on process synergies rather than on purely systems or supply chain connections." Standards Essential to the Future of the Networked Enterprise According to CSC, the fact that there is no standard way to represent and manage end-to-end business processes is an important obstacle that must be faced before enterprises can become networked on a global, pan-industry scale. "In the world of alliances and consortia, companies are increasingly aware of the importance of synergistic, cross-enterprise business processes," said Howard Smith, CSC's European chief technology officer. "They want to know if the partnerships they form will be compatible with the way they work within their own organizations. In order to evaluate and foster such synergies, industry must develop a standard way to describe and manage business processes, so everyone is, literally, speaking the same language." To standardize these processes and encourage the development of Networked Enterprises, CSC joined Intalio Inc. in August 2000 to found the Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI.org), an independent organization of 75 members devoted to the development of open specifications for the management of e-business processes. BPMI.org defines open specifications, such as the Business Process Modeling Language (BPML) and the Business Process Query Language (BPQL) that will enable the standards-based management of e-business processes spanning multiple applications, corporate departments and business partners, behind the firewall and over the Internet. BPMI.org will announce specifications for BPML on March 8. "The initiatives undertaken by BPMI.org, including BPML, will allow cross-enterprise networks to really happen," Smith said. "We will have the foundation on which to build agile, collaborative networks that can evolve as technology and business dictates. It is very exciting to help develop and drive this initiative." Computer Sciences Corporation, one of the world's leading consulting and information technology (IT) services firms, helps clients in industry and government achieve strategic and operational results through the use of technology. The company's success is based on its culture of working collaboratively with clients to develop innovative technology strategies and solutions that address specific business challenges. Having guided clients through every major wave of change in information technology since 1959, CSC combines the newest technologies with its capabilities in consulting, systems design and integration, IT and business process outsourcing, applications software, and Web and application hosting to meet the individual needs of global corporations and organizations. With more than 68,000 employees in locations worldwide, CSC had revenues of $10.2 billion for the 12 months ended Dec. 29, 2000. It is headquartered in El Segundo, Calif. For more information, visit www.csc.com. SOURCE: Computer Sciences Corporation Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive. See: "Business Process Modeling Language (BPML)."