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VARUNKUMAR - PeerSpot reviewer
Mgr Value Chain Integration/EDI at a non-tech company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Great end-to-end integration, data mapping, and communication protocols
Pros and Cons
  • "We haven't had any issues with scaling."
  • "They have their own private cloud. That's the reason we did not go ahead with managing everything by ourselves or moving into the cloud. They said that they're going to be doing it within the next two years, having access to Azure and AWS. That would be something we would like to see."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution basically for the integration, mostly EDI, and sometimes API. 

The documents would come out of SAP and then go to SEEBURGER, get transformed, and then be sent to the trading partner. 70% or 80% of the business would be this, and 20% is on the API side where we have very high demands from the logistics side of the business.

What is most valuable?

Whatever it is I need, I have. for example, end-to-end integration, data mapping, communication protocols, and integration with the SAP module. Everything is good with SEEBURGER.

It's a stable product.

We haven't had any issues with scaling.

Technical support is responsive. 

What needs improvement?

At this moment, everything is working fine. When we are talking to them, when we are trying to bring all this mapping in-house, right now, SEEBURGER is doing everything for us. 

However, when we are thinking of going onto the cloud, so they are not using any of AWS or Azure which are more stable. They have their own private cloud. That's the reason we did not go ahead with managing everything by ourselves or moving into the cloud. They said that they're going to be doing it within the next two years, having access to Azure and AWS. That would be something we would like to see.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for more than 15 years. 

Buyer's Guide
SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. For example, it is far more cost-effective than OpenText and better, far more reliable, and has very high availability. It's good overall. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The fact that it is on-premises does not affect its scalability. For us, it works quite well and meets our needs. We have 20 to 25 users on the product right now. Mostly, they are consultants. It's used on a daily basis. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support has been great. They resolve our issues very fast. We are satisfied with the level of support we get. They are very responsive.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I'm also familiar with OpenText. 

OpenText is priced higher than SEEBURGER. It's why we were trying to find out a different provider, however, it's a very big task as we have a lot of trading partners on OpenText and it will be a big challenge to move away from that provider. Initially, we were thinking of Mulesoft, however, when I talked to my peers I found that Mulesoft gets costly once you start implementing it. Right now, talks are going on as to how to get rid of OpenText, and whether we move everything over to SEEBURGER. OpenText's responsiveness to the customer service team is also not at par with SEEBURGER. I would rate them at around 2.5 out of five. 

Also, there are a lot of hidden areas where we'll have questions, and they're not providing answers. Maybe they're reluctant to provide answers about the cost or things like that. The transparency is less when you compare it with SEEBURGER. We would like to see, for example, more documentation in regards to some areas of OpenText to understand some areas of the product a little bit better.

How was the initial setup?

We set up the solution 15 years ago. It was so long ago, that I can't recall if it was easy or difficult or what was involved in the process. 

What about the implementation team?

A third party assisted in the initial setup.

What was our ROI?

I can't speak to the exact ROI. The head of the EDI has all this information. I do not have this information.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm not familiar with the exact cost of the solution. I can't speak to how much we pay.

That said, it's my understanding that it is reasonably priced. I'd rate it four out of five. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and an end-user.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten overall. I've been very happy with its capabilities. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Software Engineer at Maersk
Real User
Top 20
A highly stable solution that can be used for B2B integrations and receiving messages securely over the internet
Pros and Cons
  • "SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite is a highly stable solution that offers rich features for our B2B integration."
  • "The solution's documentation is not up to the mark and needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is used for B2B integrations and receiving messages securely over the internet.

What is most valuable?

SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite is a highly stable solution that offers rich features for our B2B integration.

What needs improvement?

The solution's documentation is not up to the mark and needs to be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite for 12 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the solution ten out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution will scale out automatically, but there are some issues with scaling in. Around 100 users are using SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite in our organization.

I rate the solution an eight out of ten for scalability.

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial setup is neither easy nor difficult. You need to have knowledge and experience in order to do it.

What about the implementation team?

The solution's initial deployment would take two to three days.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I've heard that the solution is cheaper when compared to other products in the market.

What other advice do I have?

SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite is deployed on the cloud in our organization.

The solution's documentation is really poor, and we need to rely on their consultants. You can't read the documents and do the setup yourself. You need someone from SEEBURGER to deploy the solution in the cloud in two to three days. Otherwise, it would take weeks.

Other products have very good documentation, and you can follow the steps just by reading the document. However, that's not the case with SEEBURGER. Their document is not up to the mark, and you need to rely on their consultant or someone from SEEBURGER to sit next to you or be available to do the setup, especially when it comes to deployment on the cloud.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Manager at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Helped us to automate processes and save time
Pros and Cons
  • "SEEBURGER BIS helps us automate processes. When something is manual and we have to fix the data, then it is really complicated. However, when it's automated, we trust it and the process in the system, so we don't have to go back and fix it. For example, we had a problem with a partner sending 17 files every week, but a few times a year, they wouldn't send files during a certain window. We would escalate this with them. Then, when they caught up and sent the files again, they weren't authenticated. We had to fix this situation before it became a nightmare because our financials were impacted. Also, it was really messy. So, I worked with SEEBURGER to have something automated to pick up the files within a certain window and validate them as accurate. If the files come outside of this window, then we have to approve the loading of them."
  • "The integration is not so excellent. While I'm not saying there is a problem, there is no pattern. When we start a new project, we have to work with new people and processes every time. The technical side of their system is very good, but their change process is not repeatable. It needs to be rebuilt each time."

What is our primary use case?

SEEBURGER BIS monitors our system servers, i.e., the internal and external communications. It monitors that everything works fine. When I need to configure new trading partners, they take care of the customer map. They already have an existing catalog of customers, and I work with them to build a process map. On their end, they build the map for the customer using specific coding, then we do the same in SAP. This is what they monitor. 

It is in the cloud, but hosted by SEEBURGER. They maintain the process via Message Tracking and other applications.

How has it helped my organization?

We had a problem. One of our biggest customers in North America, Home Depot, was sending us reports of issues with quantities and pricing. These reports were loaded into SAP, but the business people were not looking at them because SAP is cumbersome and complicated. I raised the situation with my contact at SEEBURGER, and we worked on another type of report. We developed a parallel process, which was their idea, and they provided a new report called Jasper. It converts the transaction into a human readable report and is a parallel process. We send these reports via email to the business people, who do pay attention to them now because they can see the information. They can also react much faster to customer requests.

SEEBURGER BIS is excellent for customer mapping.

SEEBURGER BIS helps us automate processes. When something is manual and we have to fix the data, then it is really complicated. However, when it's automated, we trust it and the process in the system, so we don't have to go back and fix it. For example, we had a problem with a partner sending 17 files every week, but a few times a year, they wouldn't send files during a certain window. We would escalate this with them. Then, when they caught up and sent the files again, they weren't authenticated. We had to fix this situation before it became a nightmare because our financials were impacted. Also, it was really messy. So, I worked with SEEBURGER to have something automated to pick up the files within a certain window and validate them as accurate. If the files come outside of this window, then we have to approve the loading of them.

They are audit compliant. They did their own audit and shared it with me, which was useful. If we need a list of users' accesses, then I can make the request of them. I haven't done an audit of SEEBURGER, but when they do provide me their own reports, that is good enough.

What is most valuable?

On the technical side, their process is excellent. When we set up a transaction with them, they have a customer map, so we know for sure that we won't have problems. Once it's installed in production, we don't have to go back and change it again. I really love that. If we started supporting the system ourselves, I'm not sure that we would have the same quality of work.

SEEBURGER BIS provides us everything in a unified platform without needing third-party solutions. They are very flexible, providing us things like API solutions. The API will change the industry for EDI. Our other departments already use API, but for us working EDI, this is something new and SEEBURGER is pushing us this information.

What needs improvement?

The integration is not so excellent. While I'm not saying there is a problem, there is no pattern. When we start a new project, we have to work with new people and processes every time. The technical side of their system is very good, but their change process is not repeatable. It needs to be rebuilt each time.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for eight years, since 2012.

It has been used in my organization for about 12 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is perfect. I sleep well.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is pretty solid.

I plan to keep working with SEEBURGER as long as I can. When we have an integration, they are there to answer questions and work with us. I don't see any problems if we ever need to increase.

There are approximately 15 business users who connect to the SEEBURGER BIS portal to view transactions. 

How are customer service and technical support?

The few times that I have had a problem with employees, I escalated the situation and we tried to improve it. When it did not work, they changed the person. 

With the expertise that they developed, they can answer our needs and understand when we have a problem. That is why I feel like when I ask a question, if they don't know, then there is always someone who does know. They have very good expertise.

They have been very reactive to my requests. I wish that they were more proactive when answering though. Maybe they have too many customers?

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is complex, but for good reason. Of course, I would like to have a simplified process and a customer map that really matches my needs as well as follow their central global team. We have to work with them. That leads to delays and we cannot ask for any changes. It is complex and tedious, but I understand that it is for the good. On the flip side, they are very reliable on the technical end because it's complex at the beginning and they can solve most of the issues.

The deployment time depends on the size of the project. For a simple project, it could take a month to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

At this point, we let SEEBURGER make the decision on upgrades. We don't decide which version we're using, because they support the system. What we're planning to do, because of COVID-19 and internal priorities, is go to iPaaS.

I have a team of two analysts. On their side, I have two points of contact: One person who works on the day-to-day and process side of things and another person who works on the maps.

SEEBURGER installed the latest version.

What was our ROI?

It saves time by doing things automatically.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I had a problem at one time with their invoicing. I told them, then we worked on the process and improved it. 

They installed the connection between SAP and SEEBURGER BIS in Europe first. This was awhile ago. When I came along, I became involved in the project and started working with them. Every time that I made a request, the work was done well, but I was not receiving my invoices. I knew I had to pay for the work and was trying to find someone to send me the invoices or a report of what was being done. From that end, it was really not working. After a few years, I was complaining and not happy. At the end of the year, they would come with a long list of invoices to pay, which was really bad. So, I asked for a change. We worked on the process, and since five years ago, I have worked with SEEBURGER based in North America. 

Now, when I have a question, I know who to contact. They send me a report with invoices every month. They really reacted to my concern, and we improved the process. Since then, I have had no problem. 

What other advice do I have?

You will sleep well, because it's very reliable. They have good expertise and knowledge for providing solutions. If I need an EDI solution, I recommend going with them. I have mentioned a few issues on invoicing and time to answer back, but these are not such a problem. I'm not going to partner up on a technical solution with someone because they are nice in their emails and fast. I want a good, solid technical solution.

When we have a need, I go to them, and usually they have a solution for us.

I would rate this solution as a nine out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1516647 - PeerSpot reviewer
reviewer1516647Works at Panasonic North America
Real User

nice article about process automation

Director at Mylan Inc.
Real User
The solution is flexible when it comes to adding integrations
Pros and Cons
  • "It used to take half an hour to move one file from one location to another. Now, it takes 10 minutes."
  • "The solution is flexible when it comes to adding integrations. It is much easier to use than the other tools we have to move the files. Across the board, we can move files in a short amount of time compared to our other existing tools."
  • "The initial setup is not the straightforward. It took couple of months for us to set up."

What is our primary use case?

This is just to transfer files securely within the Mylan network, and a few instances from the outside too. It is just to transfer files. Like a postman, it moves the files between the systems with no data transformation

We have the on-premise solution and are only using one feature of this product. Most of our solutions are on-premise, as our security team prefers it that way.

How has it helped my organization?

It used to take half an hour to move one file from one location to another. Now, it takes 10 minutes. 

We did not procure this software as a reason to improve our organization. We procured this software to replace the existing one.

We have found this tool useful.

What is most valuable?

The solution is flexible when it comes to adding integrations. It is much easier to use than the other tools we have to move the files. Across the board, we can move files in a short amount of time compared to our other existing tools.

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. We haven't faced any major issues since the implementation of this software.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

From what I understand, scalability is much easier. However, we haven't increased our volumes or interfaces. We are still only using 20 to 30 percent. We are far away from any increase or decrease of the system sizes.

Our users are mostly the technical team. We have five to seven people using the system. It is the technical team only, not the end-users, and most of them are IT engineers.

We have more than 300 interfaces in this platform.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have only requested technical support a couple of times. We haven't faced any issues with them. They are very good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We procured this software to replace webMethods. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not the straightforward. It took couple of months for us to set up.

We had planned to do it in a month and migrate all the file transfer interfaces into this new platform, but it took us two months for installation, then another two months to move the interfaces. It may not be a software issue, because there are so many other factors, e.g., resources, dealing with partners, etc.

What about the implementation team?

We accepted the help of the SEEBURGER team, making it a typical software setup and installation process.

What was our ROI?

We have seen ROI.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing and licensing is very competitive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) and a couple of other tools. We found SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) to be better suited for our organization.

What other advice do I have?

The Active-Active helps handle larger loads without time delays.

Our reaction time has changed by 50% since implementing this solution.

There are so many moving components. Even if it is on-premise, some servers need to be on the DMZ and some need to be inside of the firewall, so working with SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) made it easier.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Choon Hwa Khoh - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Product Test at ams AG
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Easy to configure with no programming skills needed and helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "It is stable and reliable. We have not had any issues."
  • "I find the solution quite confusing to use, especially when looking at the tree structure."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for content conversion and file transfers. 

What is most valuable?

There are no programming skills needed. It's easy to configure. 

The features are great. They have a lot of them.

The solution can scale.

It is stable and reliable. We have not had any issues.

Technical support has been great so far.

What needs improvement?

I find the solution quite confusing to use, especially when looking at the tree structure. I am having trouble with the settings and finding what I need. They are confusing. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I just started using the solution. We started using it about a month or so ago. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. We've had no issues so far. I'd rate it eight out of ten. There are no bugs or glitches. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have less than ten users on the solution right now. We have one admin and an engineer and then a few other users. The scalability is good. There are so many features you can access. I'd rate it eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support has been helpful and responsive. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I did not previously use a different solution. 

How was the initial setup?

I did not install the solution myself. I wasn't a part of the deployment. 

We have a few different use cases, and we have about three people that can maintain the solution to facilitate that.

What about the implementation team?

Our IT department installed the solution. It took them a couple of hours to implement the solution. We did not have any implementors assist us. It was done in-house. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is about 7,000 euros for ten licenses. The startup costs may be a bit more, however, yearly, it may cost up to 50,000 euros on average. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and end-user.

We are using the latest version of the solution. It's been updated. 

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It offers very good features.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
EdiTeamLe477 - PeerSpot reviewer
SAP Global EDI Lead at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
The platform has been very consistent and responsive
Pros and Cons
  • "The platform has been very consistent and responsive."
  • "The stability is world-class. It is as good as any of the other options out there. They have addressed hiccups quickly, professionally, and with an excellent response."
  • "Their traditional model is a vendor flow. We are looking to do a customer-based flow, which which require significant development from SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS). We are working with them to do this using their WebEDI. It is a brand new area for them, but it could be an option in the future."

What is our primary use case?

The company has been using the solution for three years now. I have been onboard for one year.

We are using the managed services, which is cloud-based, and SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) manages this part for us. We do have a modified or hybrid managed services model. We do our own mapping internally, but everything else is through the cloud and SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) services.

How has it helped my organization?

SEEBURGER is a global company who offers a presence not only in the United States, but is also international across the globe. They offer world-class services, a 24/7 support model, and managed services.

We are at about 95 percent of a million files a month SLA. We have 99.9 percent uptime with it. We have a pretty good response with it, normally under four hours, and that is if there is an issue at all.

The platform has been very consistent and responsive.

We haven't had any issues with it. I've worked very hard to address any gaps which were in place when I came onboard. Therefore, we have been pleased with it.

What is most valuable?

The platform, Business Integration Suite (BIS), is a multi-component platform which offers more than just ADI. It has components with WebEDI, manages file transfer, and some other areas as well. We've been able to have a high volume system, though probably not as high volume as some of the eCommerce organizations, but we're getting up there. 

It is flexible when adding integrations. We have a cloud-based service. When adding integrations, it is a single point of access. Therefore, we are looking at expanding and using additional functionality with their BIS platform. I don't foresee any additional issues with this. It is just working out the connectivity with the integration points. We are going an SAP implementation with the next version of their portal, which will need some connectivity and functionality as well.

What needs improvement?

Their traditional model is a vendor flow. We are looking to do a customer-based flow, which which require significant development from SEEBURGER. We are working with them to do this using their WebEDI. It is a brand new area for them, but it could be an option in the future.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is world-class. It is as good as any of the other options out there. They have addressed hiccups quickly, professionally, and with an excellent response.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is world-class. We are pretty high-end and have a good deal of throughput second. 

We have a lean team using the platform, as we have under six using it now. We do have a European presence as well, which is currently under discussion. We are probably molding to a single global team at this point.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support team's response time is excellent. I have had no complaints.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

The company was using an IBM platform.

It was the next step away (replacement) from the previous ADI platform that we were using. While I was not onboard at that time, from what I understand, an extensive review was done, not only with SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS), but with other platforms which they were using with IBM in-house models. The result of that review, including testing, was that they decided and settled on SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS).

What about the implementation team?

SEEBURGER did the mapping development and all the setup. If I been onboard at that time, I probably would've managed it differently so the team would have received a bit more experience. However, there were some time-sensitive project deadlines and project metrics involved with it, so they were able to leverage SEEBURGER's expertise and consulting services in getting maps from the previous platform over and developed. Now, I don't know exactly the time frame for it, but I didn't hear any negative feedback, so I would say it went seamlessly.

For deployment and maintenance, our company runs very lean. We run with a team of about three. This will probably change, but right now everybody sort of does everything.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I did a review of other options out there, as we moved into the future and our SAP implementation, that this would be the right solution. It was very comparable to other manage services out there. Thus, there wasn't any clear-cut reason to go in another direction.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I've been onboard a year now. I revisited our review of competing platforms. All of them had their pluses and minuses. It came down to dollars and cents, especially when we are about to start an SAP implementation.

What other advice do I have?

We plan to increase platform usage by 25 to 30 percent over the next six to 12 months. This does not even include the WebEDI, which would probably add another 25 percent.

We are not utilizing the Business Integration Suite (BIS) platform to its fullest capacity and functionality. 

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Analyst at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Reliably converts our messages but any issues have to be logged with the provider
Pros and Cons
  • "It's the reliability. And the message tracking is quite good, where we can go in and see if we have an issue."
  • "We don't have much access to the logs or what's happening. So we have to log a ticket with SEEBURGER. We only get a message that something has failed... we have to open a ticket with SEEBURGER for them to tell us exactly what the issue is... I would like us to be able to be more self-sufficient."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is EDI: commercial messages such as purchase orders from the customer. We send invoices, credit memos, and we also have a small amount of purchase orders going out to our suppliers and their responses come back in. It's B2B. I don't think we're doing anything "wow" or extraordinary. It's quite basic, traditional EDI.

We get a file from our customers such as an XML file, standard ones from GS1, and that's converted to an IDoc which goes into SAP.

How has it helped my organization?

There wasn't really an improvement moving to the SEEBURGER cloud solution in the sense that the project was to replace what we had, as is. It's pretty much the same functionality from our point of view. However, some of our customers insist that we trade with them through EDI so we have to have a solution in place.

What is most valuable?

It does what it says it does, for us. We normally don't have many problems, so it's the reliability. And the message tracking is quite good, where we can go in and see if we have an issue. It's more having a query utility, rather than reporting, per se. We can query if we have issues or if something's wrong. But it's quite basic stuff.

What needs improvement?

We haven't really found that the solution's unified code base helps with problem resolution. Because it's a code-based system, we don't have much access to the logs or what's happening. So we have to log a ticket with SEEBURGER. We only get a message that something has failed. Sometimes the message is in German and it's very generic, very high-level. That could be improved, to see what's wrong, because often, it can be data-related but we have to open a ticket with SEEBURGER for them to tell us exactly what the issue is.

The error-tracking could be improved. That's a big thing. A customer will tell us they have an issue and we have to find out why it failed, because often it is a data-related issue. Maybe a field is too long or too short. I would like us to be able to be more self-sufficient. But I understand it's a cloud-based solution, so they have to own it. It's a shared system with other customers.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've had SEEBURGER on-premise for a number of years. It's been about ten years and, in 2017, we moved to the SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) cloud. It's now solely via the cloud model.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's pretty stable. We haven't had an outage. Once you have the connection up and running, it seems to work. SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) 5 is more stable than our previous version.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We did add in some extra processes and our volume increase doesn't seem to have caused a problem.

We don't have plans to use any of their additional services, like API management or MST invoicing or IoT at the moment because we've now invested in Microsoft Azure, where logic apps give us an integration tool.

How are customer service and technical support?

Once you get someone assigned, they're reasonably good. It varies. Sometimes you get someone who seems quite junior and you have to explain everything to them, and when they do changes they don't work the first time. And other times you get someone who's really good and they fix the thing very fast.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

It was ten years ago, but we were using a solution called Sterling Commerce. We switched because of cost.

When we made the decision to go with SEEBURGER, our key selection criterion was that the company had history, that it was an established company. But they were also involved in developing our solution so we thought it was a bigger risk to go with another supplier.

How was the initial setup?

We recently switched over to the cloud-based version and that process went on for a long while. It seemed like an initial deployment because they had to rework everything. They didn't lift and shift a lot of our mapping which was done in SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS). They rewrote it from scratch because they have this new method where they convert everything to XML and then they convert it to an IDoc. There's some standard process for that, but it seemed to take an awfully long while to move from our on-premise to SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) 5 in the cloud. Elapsed time was about nine to ten months. There were a number of changes in the solution as well.

We found it complex because we did have to involve SEEBURGER's senior management at one of the stages, regarding how they wanted to transition. We did find it frustrating.

Our strategy - and the main reason we went with SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) - was that we would take "as is," and bring that across to SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) 5. That was the plan. From my understanding, they already had mapping for some of our customers, the larger, well-known ones, but it did seem to take an awfully long while to implement our solution.

And then, we did have complexity with the SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) 5 system where it wouldn't work with our VAN here in Ireland So we had to move to AS2. That could have accounted for some of the delay in implementing our project.

What about the implementation team?

We worked directly with SEEBURGER. Our main dealings were with a developer who was doing the mapping and there were some dealings with their technical people who were setting up connections. The latter was pretty straightforward. It was mainly around developing the maps that most of the time was spent. We had one person working with them. He was involved in the initial scoping with SEEBURGER and then in testing the maps and providing feedback.

What was our ROI?

It's a must-have product for us. What we do with it is quite straightforward so we still have the same number of support staff and we haven't reduced costs. It's not increasing revenue either. It's not a reason why a client would do business with us. They do business with us because of our brand, but it's a must-have for us to be able to do EDI with them.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay per message we use. We spend about £19,000 a year with them. If we go over our band we obviously pay extra.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We didn't evaluate other solutions at that time. SEEBURGER came recommended and we went with them. SAP put us in touch with them.

What other advice do I have?

The biggest lesson we've learned throughout our time using it is not only a lesson with SEEBURGER but with all remote vendors, because everything was done remotely. That meant we had to be very clear in communication and in logging issues and tickets with them. And it required a large amount of testing because even though there's the standard format, every customer does something different or has different requirements. We probably underestimated the testing required. Those were the two big lessons for us.

It was quite late in our project that we established that our VAN provider couldn't communicate with SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS). So my advice would be to establish that upfront. Make sure there's a really good ticketing system and any issues are well-documented because the implementation is going to be remote. Also, have a very good estimate of how many messages you process so you can buy the right package or service level from them.

We have simplified how we track errors because at times there will be maybe an issue on the customer because a product is not set up, for example. We batch our invoices, so we would need to find which files need to be resent. We've simplified that, but that's done in our ERP system. The other simplification we did, which was SEEBURGER-related, was that we update the status of our SAP documents which communicate with SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS). That was an improvement for tracking errors because now we just go to SAP to find out the status of an IDoc. We have the status that it was sent, whereas before, we would only know that it was sent to the SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) system. That was an improvement for us.

I don't think SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) has saved us money. We had an on-premise system which was at end-of-life. The service charge replaced the maintenance on that. So it's about the same, maybe a little bit more.

It's good that they're putting effort into R&D, rather than investing in brand awareness, but if we, as a potential customer, are not aware of it, we're not going to look to use it. I'm not overly aware of what SEEBURGER is doing or how they can help us. They have tried to have meetings with us sometimes but we're very busy because we're now in the middle of doing an ERP migration.

I've heard the solution can transfer other documents, like PDFs and marketing documents and that it can do other things besides the standard EDI messages we use. But currently, we have other tools that do that sort of stuff, like Microsoft Azure, etc. I don't think we have any plans to increase our footprint with SEEBURGER at the moment.

We only have two users of the solution because it just works away in the background. It's like a blackbox solution to us. The only time anyone would have reason to go into it is if we had a problem. It doesn't require much maintenance from us. And really, there's not much we can do either. We can just see there's a problem and then log a call.

I would rate the product around a seven out of ten. The product is reliable. We don't have any outages. We do get the messages. Everything is converted. And there is a query tool. It's pretty basic. I would like to see more features. And I would like to be able to do a bit more to troubleshoot, rather than having to log a ticket straight away.

They're quite pleasant people to deal with. It's just getting the resources. They did have a resource issue when we were doing our implementation and there was some restructuring happening at their end.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1182387 - PeerSpot reviewer
reviewer1182387Sr Sales Executive at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Real User

This case study is referencing to SEEBURGER BIS 5, which is a very old version of the BIS software.

SystemsA66a3 - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Architect EDI/B2B at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Consultant
One product with many functions, and its customizable.
Pros and Cons
  • "Mapping Designer provides excellent flexibility."
  • "The product has the ability to handle high volumes of data efficiently."
  • "Having the SEEBURGER consulting team perform the installation alleviates a lot of headaches and ensures a stable system."
  • "The ability to bind a mapping to an agreement seems a bit clunky. It would be nice to have a better way of navigating to a map name rather than using a drop down list."
  • "The initial set up was done by SEEBURGER consulting. It can be complex due to various factors, such as server settings, database settings, and security settings."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product to process for our EDI/B2B platform. It supports various transaction formats including X12, EDIFACT, cXML and xCBL. We also use the product to handle various communication protocols, including AS2, FTP, HTTP and PGP encryption.

How has it helped my organization?

The product has the ability to handle high volumes of data efficiently. The front-end has provided us the ability to see issues quickly and is enabled for quick and easy remediation.

What is most valuable?

  • It's hard to single out a single feature. The product has some wonderful aspects to it.
  • Mapping Designer provides excellent flexibility.
  • BIS front-end provides high visibility.
  • IDoc Connector provides seamless connection to our SAP system.

What needs improvement?

The ability to bind a mapping to an agreement seems a bit clunky. It would be nice to have a better way of navigating to a map name rather than using a drop down list.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. It has 99.9 percent uptime.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is highly scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support has been varied through the years. As SEEBURGER has grown, they have made changes to the tech support area which can be challenging at times. There is room for improvement here, but SEEBURGER is moving in the right direction.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used the TrustedLink Enterprise (TLE) solution. We switched because the product did not provide all the features that we needed to grow our eCommerce platform. The SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) was one of a few which provided translation for various formats, communications, and integration into SAP, all under one hood.

How was the initial setup?

The initial set up was done by SEEBURGER consulting. It can be complex due to various factors, such as server settings, database settings, and security settings. 

What about the implementation team?

Having the SEEBURGER consulting team perform the installation alleviates a lot of headaches and ensures a stable system.

What was our ROI?

We have seen ROI.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost of the SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS) can be considered high. We have elected to have SEEBURGER consulting do the installation. Licensing could also be considered high. However, one would be hard pressed to find another product that does all that this one does.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated the Gentran's AI (Application Integrator).

What other advice do I have?

Overall, its an excellent product. I would highly recommend it.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.