Interview with Actiware Development & VeMag

Note: This article was republished from VeMag.

Quick self-introduction on Actiware: We are the development centre of an established group of companies that has been active in the market for almost 20 years. With our group we have comprehensive competences in all areas of information management. These include ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), ECM (Enterprise Content Management), BPM (Workflow Management), Business Intelligence (BI) and portals.

We create holistic solutions for the affordable and self-determined design of digitization. Our platform provides — on-prem or in the cloud — answers for data and document management, IoT data collection, search, evaluation and organization of daily work. Always with the goal of achieving end-to-end information transparency with sustainable process automation.

Our solutions are distributed and introduced via various partner networks, especially in Europe. We are continuing to expand this network. We are looking for partners worldwide who can provide qualified consulting in specific areas of expertise (ERP, IoT, document management or blockchain applications).

Homepage — https://en.actiware-development.com

Interview

VeMag: What does your VeChain module offer and what advantage does it offer companies that integrate it?

Actiware: The first version of our VeChain module allows you to link processes holistically across different systems and make them verifiable: Information from business applications (including ERP systems), documents (such as receipts, emails, contracts) and IoT data can be linked to VeChain Thor via a so-called VeChain processor — to store important data in the blockchain. This is done very easily — by graphical modeling and without programming.

Process Engine: The user can independently decide at which point data can be stored in Vechain Thor.

The platform demonstrator shown at the VeChain Summit makes the holistic use tangible: Data capture starts here in the SAP ERP system, IoT data is linked directly, as are provided documents. With the module integration, we are able to capture machine data using a Raspberry Pi as Edge Device and a Siemens S7 controller via OPC/UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) and combine this with the VeChain module in filtered form if required. The data is processed live and in the context of the ERP system. The conditions under which production takes place are tracked, and the VeChain module provides proof of this.

The platform demonstrator in action: transactions were stored in real time on VechainThor. All machine data was also directly linked to normal business data. With this solution, however, much more is possible.

However, our possibilities go far beyond the middleware and the process engine. These central services are part of the holistic information management, which also organizes the storage, administration and provision of data. Here, blockchain networking can be simply switched on as an element through the FAAS architecture: In document management, for example, this can be used to prove relevant actions on a document or its metadata. This makes sense, for example, when working together across organizations.

We have also made it possible to call up verification data directly from business transactions, i.e. relevant questions can be answered quickly and reliably with powerful information from the context.

The application possibilities go so far that data collection processes and input forms can be graphically combined in processes that interact directly with VeChain Thor. Here we deliver a modelable user interface to the VeChain Thor network for dialog-based blockchain applications.

In general, the system can be used as standard software without any development effort.

VeMag: Why did you choose VeChain?

Actiware: We tested several providers for the control from our holistic platform. The VeChain team and the authentic communication appealed to us. We were positively impressed by their focus on professional business applications of blockchain technologies beyond crypto currencies.

In comparison between different providers, the consensus mechanism and Multi-Task-Transactions (MTT) also convinced us in the first tests. We see the dual token design and the possibilities of the Multi-Party Payment Protocol (MPP) as an important element for a broad adaptation of the technology. The possibility of allocating transaction costs can make it considerably easier for small companies to introduce appropriate solutions or make them possible in the first place. Market participants can thus create solutions for holistic usage scenarios that would otherwise not be possible.

We would also like to emphasize the support of the VeChain team. Compared to other blockchain networks, there are clear differences in our experience in development support.

VeMag: How did the integration work? Were there any difficulties?

Actiware: We didn’t need much time. The modular structure of our platform, especially the central process engine, made the integration easy. Most blockchain projects focus on end consumers with mostly client-side applications, keywords: Connex, Web3, etc. We are committed here per se to a holistic approach, which functions generically and modelably on the side of service usage and user interaction.

Most of our work was possible with the documentation of the vechain / thor Github repository. If we had any questions, we always received a prompt answer from the Foundation core developers. Here we would like to thank libotony and Bin Qian personally once again.

VeMag: Are there any other plans to work together with VeChain?

Actiware: We were very pleased about the official interest from VeChain. Jérôme Grillères visited us at our booth at the Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial fair, and invited us to the VeChain Summit in San Francisco. This was a logistical challenge due to the short time, but a good decision: In addition to the exchange with the community, well-known VeChain partners and companies interested in Blockchain, we received a lot of positive feedback on our holistic solutions.

The most important thing in San Francisco was the exchange with the VeChain management team, who spontaneously took their time for us. The discussion was very positive, both sides wanted to work together. We arrived in the ecosystem by high-speed, so to speak, and now it’s time to put the rest into concrete terms. The first cases in which joint steps can be taken in the market already exist.

We think our offer can bring enormous advantages to blockchain providers:
We see ways for the breakthrough of blockchain networks on the one hand in the adaptation with tools such as tool chain. On the other hand — in the business sector — the fully integrated connection of existing systems, as a continuous automatism. It is becoming increasingly important to connect existing business environments with blockchains.

For VeChain and VeChain partners, our strong, modelable integration technologies for all types of data offer great opportunities. We are looking forward to all requests for cooperation. We are generally open for partnerships.

For the original article, visit here.

Original Author’s notes:

I would like to thank Artur from Actiware for the interview.
VeMag is a hobby project. If you want to support me, you are welcome to do so. Thanks a lot!
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