Rapidly integrating Accolade with third-party applications via reusable APIs
Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, Sopheon delivers software solutions that empower global businesses to create innovations and products that change the world. One of the company’s key offerings is Accolade, an innovation management solution that helps organizations consistently identify, evaluate, and execute against the right strategic priorities.
Innovating with APIs
To help new clients unlock the value of Accolade faster, Sopheon has embraced an API-driven approach to integration powered by Amplify Integration Builder, part of the Amplify API Management Platform.
“By using APIs, we avoid the need to install additional applications on each client’s Accolade server, which speeds up the deployment process and reduces ongoing management and maintenance requirements,” says Tattersall.
Bauer elaborates: “Axway delivered on all the capabilities we were looking for in an API management platform. The Amplify platform offers out-ofthe-box connectors for many of the most widely used software solutions, including SAP S/4HANA, Jira, Salesforce CRM, and more. And with the low-code interface in Amplify Integration Builder, it’s fast and simple for our consultants to adjust those connectors to meet the unique requirements of each client.”
Accelerating integration
Following a successful proof-of-concept, Sopheon has adopted the Amplify platform to integrate its Accolade deployments with third-party solutions via API.
Tattersall comments: “Every Accolade implementation is slightly different because no two clients’ environments are exactly the same. We can configure our APIs to support different use cases and requirements — and because everything is web-based, there’s no need for custom integrations that must be managed and maintained.
Cutting time-to-value
By using the Amplify platform to support an API-powered approach to integration, Sopheon is confident that it can accelerate deployments and deliver value to clients faster.
Annette Lombardo, Product Marketing Manager at Sopheon, says: “Although we’re just getting started with the Amplify platform, we’re already seeing the benefits of having more than 170 reusable software connectors. For example, one of our clients is a Fortune 500 company that brings data from SAP ERP into Accolade to make cost decisions about its products. In the past, the client manually re-keyed this data into Accolade, increasing the risk of human error. Today, we offer them an API that delivers SAP data to Accolade every 30 minutes — saving many hours a month and helping them evaluate their portfolios effectively.”
Looking ahead, Sopheon plans to explore new ways to harness Amplify to enhance its offering — for example, by enabling event-driven services.
“Our work with Axway is making it easier to forge relationships with new prospects because we can show them that we already have standard connectors for their core applications,” concludes Tattersall. “Accolade has been supporting clients around the world for more than two decades, and we’re confident that the Amplify platform will help us deliver even greater value in the decades to come.
