Insights

In an ideal world, new systems are simple to use and implement instantly across the enterprise. In the real world, not so much. The sheer size of new system rollouts requires training, process changes, occasionally new hardware, and the inevitable spike in support calls. More organic, phased rollout approaches are much more common.

Today’s transactional systems make the concept of real-time updates a reality. Such updates are mandatory for systems like online ordering, where prospective customers want to know whether an item is in stock. However, for other systems—financial systems in particular—real-time updates create challenges when comparing the value of a set of transactions on one system with the value of the duplicate transactions on another system. The values must match; if they do not, someone must track down the issue. We all have struggled with balancing a personal checking account statement, and these systems are no different, except that the scale of the challenge can be much, much more significant.