Meet the Experts
Integration has evolved from point-to-point plumbing to a strategic capability for automating end-to-end business processes.
A mature integration strategy depends on reusable, well-governed APIs and clear security policies to avoid redundancy and risk.
Real-time, stable integration is essential to deliver modern customer experiences and support AI-driven scenarios at scale.
In this episode, Holger Himmelman explains why integration has become mission-critical as organizations move from legacy PI/PO landscapes to SAP Integration Suite and highly connected cloud environments. He illustrates how the focus has shifted from simple data exchange between systems to automating end-to-end processes that span ERP, CRM, supply chain, customer experience, and AI-supported scenarios. Using examples like webshop order flows and peak events such as Black Friday, Holger shows how real-time availability, pricing, and logistics updates depend on robust integration design, scalability, and data consistency. He also highlights the importance of reusable APIs, clear governance, and security policies to avoid a proliferation of redundant interfaces and uncontrolled access to core applications. The conversation closes with a blueprint for a mature integration strategy that supports composable business services, AI agents, and long-term business agility in 2026 and beyond.