The right composition of project roles will provide the necessary expertise, coordination and control functions for a project to succeed and fulfill the expectations.

iCore Solutions have performed of more than 3000 integration projects and we know what it takes for a project to succeed. To get the best out of your project, all roles are equally important.

We offer the following project services:

• iCore Project manager
  The overall organizer of an iCore project. Coordinates all tasks performed by iCore - within the projects and in relation to other involved parties. Represents iCore Solutions on the Project Management Board.
• iCore Architect
  The solution designer and coordinator of the technical content of the integration assignments. If the solution has been designed by a 3rd party, an iCore Architect will review the design before implementation.
• iCore Resource
  The technical consultant, who configures and implements the solution. The work of this resource is coordinated by the iCore Project Manager. Acceptance tests are performed by the customer, but the iCore resource may assist with advice and support during the process.
• iCore Express Delivery Resource
  A special service for customers who demand a quick time-critical solution, with less focus on long-term planning. iCore will deliver a quality solution within the set time frame, provided that required input is made available, including attention from concerned customer staff.



As a Danske Bank customer, Abstracta chose the iCore/Danske Bank e-invoicing solution, which is a B2B solution that enables organizations to send electronic invoices through a secure bank channel. Abstracta wanted a fully automated solution, which required as little monitoring as possible. Consequently, the solution is set up so that iCore Integration Suite takes care of the invoice as soon as it is sent from the ERP system Dynamics NAV at Abstracta.

Quality assurance

• Yearly "health check" by senior consultant
  A senior consultant goes through the full implementation in terms of Quality Assurance (QA).
• Written report on QA status with recommendations for improvements
  The customer receives a written report with QA status and recommendations of possible improvements.

• Around the clock (24 x 365) support
  Support at any time of the day, night, week, month or year.
• Highest priority
  Support feedback within four hours from notice.
• Operations support*
  "Is alive messages". Remote status checks. See below for details.
• Participation in iCore Customer Advisory Forum.
• Regular feedback
  Monthly management feedback on support incidents.

* Operations support - "is alive" messages

Status check Regular "Is alive" messages sent from customer's iCore system. Messages are received and monitored at the iCore help desk. If an "is alive" message is missing, iCore will connect remotely and check the status. A report with recommended action is sent immediately to the person responsible for the iCore installation at the customer's.

Server status check A status message on RAM memory usage, available disk space, database size, MSMQ status and communication to integrated applications.

• Extended support
  Working days between 06.00 - 20.00 (CET).
• Higher priority
  Support feedback within four hours from notice.
• Operations support*
  "Is alive messages". Remote status checks. See below for details.
• Participation in iCore Customer Advisory Forum.

* Operations support - "is alive" messages

Status check Regular "Is alive" messages sent from customer's iCore system. Messages are received and monitored at the iCore help desk. If an "is alive" message is missing, iCore will connect remotely and check the status. A report with recommended action is sent immediately to the person responsible for the iCore installation at the customer's.

Server status check A status message on RAM memory usage, available disk space, database size, MSMQ status and communication to integrated applications.

iCore help desk uses an errand/problem handling system with feedback options. Each support issue gets a unique Problem Identification Number. We guarantee support feedback within eight hours from notice.

The agreement also includes software upgrades, documentation, updated manuals and product release information.

Customers with a standard support agreement have access to iCore support web/knowledge database.

• Higher priority
  Support feedback within four hours from notice.
• Operations support*
  "Is alive messages". Remote status checks. See below for details.
• Participation in iCore Customer Advisory Forum.

* Operations support - "is alive" messages

Status check  Regular "Is alive" messages sent from customer's iCore system. Messages are received and monitored at the iCore help desk. If an "is alive" message is missing, iCore will connect remotely and check the status. A report with recommended action is sent immediately to the person responsible for the iCore installation at the customer's.

Server status check A status message on RAM memory usage, available disk space, database size, MSMQ status and communication to integrated applications.

The standard service level offers daytime support between 8.00 and 17.00 on ordinary working days. To speed up the problem solving time in business critical solutions, our support team connects to your system remotely.

Contact iCore support:

E-mail: support@icore.se

Contact form: click here.

Phone: +46 31 773 84 90

• Service agreement - Standard
  A basic agreement with office hour support for customers with standard needs. This service level agreement is mandatory.
• Service agreement - Plus
  An agreement with shorter guaranteed feedback time on support issues for customers with higher service requirements.
• Service agreement - Advanced
  An agreement with extended support hours and shorter guaranteed feedback time on support issues.
• Service agreement - Premium
  "24 x 365"-support with top priority and regular managment feedback for customers with very high service demands.

The best way to prepare is to have a workshop. iCore Professional Services offer three pre-defined workshops (2, 4 or 6 days) for up to nine integration flows, but we can also make a tailor-made workshop adapted to specific needs.

At the workshop, we go through the technical specifications, project plan and project roles. We also make a risk assessment.

All our consultants use the same project method, which includes templates, checklists and well-established routines. This not only provides quality assurance, but enables us to investigate every step in the finished project.

The follow-up concerns technical as well as business related parts of the project. We look at the details and the result. This is just as important to us as it is to the customer. By following up projects, we gather information that will be valuable for us in future projects.

As it is not related to the actual solution, it may continue also after a project has been handed over to the in-house organization. Our experienced consultants are there to help you plan integration strategies and take the right decisions at the right time.

iCore also offers scheduled classroom training at our Göteborg and Stockholm offices. The training is divided into two parts - Adapter and Developer training. For more information, see Events & Training.

If you have questions about iCore training, please do not hesitate to contact us.
e-mail: training@icore.se
phone: +46 31 773 84 80

During the delivery phase, we recommend that in-house personnel be involved in the quality tests required for acceptance. After acceptance, the complete solution and administration is formally handed over to the in-house staff.

If agreed, iCore consultants can continue acting as mentors also after delivery.

Depending on the size, the pre-study may contain information such as:

• Project outline
  Purpose, background, scope and goals/targets of the integration project.
• Business process
  A definition of current business processes and how they are conducted. It may also suggest how business processes can be automated and simplified.
• System overview
  A description of the IT-infrastructure - before and after integration.
• EAI strategy
  A comprehensive description of the overall integration strategy - in the company or as a part of a corporate group. This part may outline future scenarios.
• ROI/TCO
  An estimate of the return on investments and total cost of ownership of the integration project - or of a wider integration strategy as a whole.

There are three main options:

• iCore Solutions
  iCore consultants configure, develop and implement the solution, usually also acting as mentors transferring know-how to the customer to facilitate maintenance and further development.
• iCore Certified Partners
  iCore Certified Partners configure, develop and implement the solution, usually taking full responsibility for the complete solution - projects, software, training etc.
• In-house development
  In-house staff at the customer's develop the solutions after participating in iCore Adapter and Developer training. iCore consultants may act as mentors. This option often starts with the first part being developed by iCore staff and/or iCore partners and then transforms into an in-house development project.

When you have decided on the best approach for your organization, we sit down together and create a roadmap, define the scope of the project, decide on the most efficient way of working and set a rough timetable.

Finding a good integration strategy 
Our Sales team is there to help you see the advantages of an integration strategy. If you tell us how your business is organized today, we will show you some possible integration scenarios for your organization.

We will suggest how to make your business flows more efficient and secure. This can be done in a different ways, preferably through a step-by-step approach, avoiding huge one-time investments.

Maybe you wish to start with a proof-of-concept.

Keeping IT simple 
Our project managers and system architects are experienced and know the importance of seeing things form a business perspective. The technology is there to support business processes and must never become an end goal in itself. That is why we promote recycling. To integrate does not mean that you have to exchange your current systems - on the contrary, we want to you to use them more effectively. By starting with a proof-of-concept you will quickly see the result of a limited, well-defined business process integration.

You will risk very little, but gain a lot.

iCore Solutions have performed more than 3000 integration projects and we know what it takes for a project to succeed.

We help you get the best out of your iCore integration project. iCore Professional Services provide Project Managers, Solution Architects and Project Resources to give each project the necessary expertise, coordination and control functions in order to succeed and fulfill the expectations.

We supply architecture, design, implementation and project management services for any type of business integration project and may assist with resources on any level of expertise and involvement.

iCore Professional Services also offer pre-project workshops that will greatly increase the success of your integration project.

We have done this before. So, we know that it takes more than just a technical solution to succeed. Involving the right people at the right stage is just as important. To secure every part of the project, we always follow our business model.

The business model allows our consultants and iCore specialists to be involved as much as you need in your project. It also secures the necessary knowledge transfer, so that you can take over with full control.

All steps are supported by document templates, checklists and established routines that gives quality assurance to the whole project.

Computerization may have been your first step in the right direction, reducing the need for manual archiving of ledgers, inventory accounts and other administrative documents, but it is far from sufficient. We all know that we have to take further steps to economize with our environmental resources.

Integration is eco-friendly!
As a next step towards a less wasteful business life, we recommend you to integrate your IT systems with one another - and to automate the business communication with your trading partners. This will greatly reduce the need for paper print outs, postal deliveries and manual interaction as business processes become fully digitized and secured.

Integrations solutions are environmentally friendly! Our solutions help you to re-use your old IT systems in a more efficient way. The software is downloaded from the Internet, thus having as little impact as possible on the environment. We have offices in Göteborg and Stockholm and a partner network that is spread out in the whole country - all to avoid unnecessary travels when implementing the solutions. Our Service Desk provide remote assistance.

Key advantages

• Greatly reduces the need for paper print-outs, postage and envelopes
• Reduces the need for postal transports
• Considerably reduces the need for manual interaction and monitoring
• Promotes re-use of present infrastructure
• Includes templates and best-practices for fast configuration 

ROI template

When planning IT projects with partners and customers, we use our well proven ROI template. It is based on experience from implementations at hundreds of companies. Download our free ROI template to the right and make your own calculations.

There are two example templates, one for customer order & invoice and one for supplier order & invoice, which are open so that you can fill in information and figures from you own company to calculate the ROI.

Gains and benefits
When deciding whether to implement an integration solution, your most strategic question is probably "what is there to gain?". We could describe a number of positive effects of integration and automation which all lead to cost-savings and improved customer service. The exact effects depend on type of integration you choose to implement. However, there are some general effects, regardless of which systems are involved. Examples of these are:

• Faster business processes. Displays the bottle-necks in the organization and provides tools to change it.
• Reduced time spent on administrative tasks.
• Reduced need for print-outs --> positive environmental effects
• Better control of business flows and quicker error handling. The right information at the right time and right place.
• Minimized risk of double or missed data.
• Fewer errors as basic data is maintained in one place only.

The competition within the market segment is fierce and in order to keep the leading position the IT-department at Kinnarps investigated the possibilities to be more effective and improve business opportunities and competiveness. To obtain these targets, Kinnarps required a high performance integration and business-to-business broker.

After thorough market research, Kinnarps decided to perfom a pilot project with iCore Process Server. The project was succesful and the cooperation with iCore was continued to integrate further applications and partners. Kinnarps also chose to build up in-house iCore know-how. Since the implementation of iCore Process Server six years ago, all development has been performed in-house by Kinnarps' staff.

Doggy have a close business relations with the main food store chains, such as ICA, COOP, Bergendahls and Axfood. Doggy have used EDI for many years and needed to upgrade their existing EDI-software. Thus, iCore Porcess Server was selected as the solution.

Today, Gustavsberg is one of the leading manufacturers of bathroom and plumbing products in Sweden. Amalgamation with the Villeroy & Boch group in Germany means that the company is part of one of the largest manufacturers of bathroom products in Europe.

Thomas Concrete Group operates in Sweden, the United States, Germany and Poland. In 2001, the group management decided to work for a more customer oriented outlook, to focus on market conditions rather than production conditions and to get an IT-based support. The latter was in order to improve the follow-up of business profitability and enable mapping of customers purchase behaviour on different levels. This required a central IT solution that would integrate the different applications within the IT environment, but still allow full control and traceability of administered data. In hard competition, iCore Process Server was chosen as the solution.

With head office in Göteborg and 30 business units, Emil Lundgren has its main focus on the southern parts of Sweden. Emil Lundgren is a member of the GTIE group, which comprises approximately 30.000 employees.

ESAB needed a flexible integration, in-house as well as for the supply chain, with the central ERP system M3/Movex and the local ERP systems Scala, including access to legacy applications in the local AS/400 and Unix environments. The requirements were more automation and less manual administration in the interaction with the existing central WebSphere Business Integrator Message Broker.

When the need of a new, modern, integrated EDI solution came up, the choice fell on iCore Integration Suite. One of the reasons for choosing iCore was the ability of the iCore products to allow the old integration platform to exist seamlessly beside the new one. In this way, old information flows are still partly channelled through the old platform, whereas new ones take the iCore route all the way through to the ERP system. Major administrative changes and data migrations are avoided and the old tool may be phased out when the organisation has had time to adapt all internal processes.

Cardo Pump have initiated an internal application integration project called CFP (Central File Processing). Several integration projects have been specified and planned, in which iCore Process Server is used as the application integration tool.

In 2002, the Assa Abloy Group decided to establish a common integration and e-business platform to improve quality and efficiency in business processes, reduce lead times and enhance customer service. The business and technical demands on the integration platform were high. The choice fell on iCore Process Server.

The solution was implemented by Cybercom Group.

Bonnier Office started using iCore Integration Suite several years ago. Consequently, it was the natural choice also for the integration with SF Bio. iCore Database Adapters are used to integrate various applications in the iSeries environment at SF Bio with the ERP system M3/Movex at Bonnier Office.

Article in newsletter from IT Centrum Väst - Business Region Göteborg
(in Swedish)

Medical Log Point demanded a modern solution with integrated real time communication between in-house business system M3/Movex and external business partners. The result was a solution based on iCore Movex and iCore B2B/EDI Adapters, implemented by iCore partners iStone. The solution contributes to keeping the logistics and delivery processes at Medical Log Point fast and reliable and has reduced the need for constant monitoring.

After a thorough evaluation process, iCore Integration Suite was selected. IT staff at Lindorff have gone through iCore Training and have started developing integration solutions in-house.

Two years ago, Bonnier decided to concentrate a larger part of the Group's Nordic majority-owned companies' administrative financial and payroll work under one roof. The establishment of Bonnier Solutions was the result of meeting new laws, regulations and the demand for a better administrative and fiscal monitoring.

The Shared Service Center initiated a large migration project, involving different types of integrations, of which some are still ongoing. Financial and payroll data from over 100 legal entities has already been migrated to their financial system Agresso and payroll system HR-plus. Bonnier Solutions expect to support approximately 180 legal entities by the end of 2012.

iCore has also helped individual companies within the Bonnier Group with integration and EDI solutions (automated electronic business communication), for example Svensk Filmindustri, SF Bio and Bold Printing Group. All solutions are based on iCore Integration Suite, an integration software suite that provides scalable, adaptable and secure integration between IT systems or towards external business partners (EDI solutions).

To further enhance customer service and over-all efficiency, Däckia chose iCore Integration Suite to integrate the services on the Storm platform with business system Dynamics NAV. The integration was performed in cooperation with iCore partner Tectura, experts on Microsoft Dynamics NAV and AX.

"We offer our customers a wide range of services on our web site. To make these online services truly efficient, the processes must be integrated with our in-house business system. Not until then, will all parties benefit fully", says Mattias Lindh, responsible for IT at Däckia. "Choosing products and business partners was simple. iCore knows integration, Tectura knows NAV, Enferno knows e-commerce and we know tyres. That is the only way to work." 

The Däckia chain comprises 80 Däckia workshops and 80 cooperation partners spread out from Ystad in the south to Kiruna in the north of the country.

The accelerator facilitates configuration of adapter flows based on the following WSMQ activities:

• WebSphere MQ listener
  Listens for trigger messages on a WSMQ trigger queue (initialization queue).
• WebSphere MQ reader
  Reads messages from a WSMQ queue
• WebSphere MQ writer
  Writes messages to a WSMQ queue. The data in the data stream is sent as message body to a configured WSMQ queue.
• Create RFH2 header
  Creates a Rules and Formatting Header (V2) from the input data.
• Extract RFH2 data
  Extracts the Rules and Formatting Header (V2) information from the input data.

iCore File to WSMQ Adapter Flow Demo
Shows how to set up a Filesystem reader and periodically search a directory for files and then save them to a Websphere Message Queue

iCore File to WSMQ (RFH2) Adapter Flow Demo
Shows how to set up a Filesystem reader and periodically search a directory for files, add an RFH2 header and then save them to a Websphere Message Queue.

iCore WSMQ (RFH2) to File Adapter Flow Demo
Shows how to use set up a WepSphere reader to periodically search a directory for files, extract RFH2 data from the found data and then write it to a file directory.

• Automated distribution and outsourced printing of Patient notices
• Automated customer invoice administration
• Routing functionality for lab replies
• Automated x-ray referrals
• Secure and automatic communication between applications

SiteTel is part of NorthStar Battery Company.

Atea is the first customer to have implemented the iCore solution in a windows 64-bit server.