PROSTEP makes its OpenPDM integration platform available as a SaaS offering

In developing the SaaS platform, PROSTEP is aiming to make it possible to tailor the functions of its data exchange solution OpenDXM GlobalX, its PLM integration platform OpenPDM and its traceability solution OpenCLM even more precisely to customer requirements. Our SaaS offering is intended to attract new customers who may not have the resources needed to manage a complete on-premises solution in-house. For this purpose, the functions and services provided by the three solutions are being brought together on a common platform with a harmonized architecture. In the future, customers can use a portal to combine and configure the functions and services to create custom apps.

The services used to process the data will be made available in the platform's processing layer. The main modules for doing this are Monitoring, Mapping, Orchestration, CAD Processing and Secure File Transfer, with the low-code process engine from Camunda responsible for orchestration, just as it is with the classic OpenPDM product. It can be used, for example, to orchestrate data exchange from system A to system B or map the data between the two systems. The CAD Processing module includes the processing steps for CAD conversion and quality assurance from OpenDESC.com, which have been incorporated into the Batch Processing Framework (BPF). All the services are subject to constant monitoring so that errors can be detected and eliminated quickly.

OpenPDM connectors as a SaaS solution
The platform is based on the OpenPDM connectors, which enable read and write access to the heterogeneous data repositories belonging to the different domains and organizations. We have already made the first connectors to leading PLM systems such as 3DEXPERIENCE, Teamcenter and Windchill available as a SaaS solution via a portal. We will continue to expand the offering, which means that the connectors included in our preconfigured system combinations, such as Arena PLM, Codebeamer, Jira and SAP S/4HANA, will also soon be available.

When customers log into their account, they will find a template for each connector in the portal. They can instantiate the templates as a development, test or productive environment and configure them in line with the data model of their PLM system. It is of no significance whether the system they want to connect to runs in a public cloud or is installed on site. In the portal, they can also license a cloud tunnel, which is a type of VPN connection that can be used to access their customized on-premises solutions. Within half an hour, they will have established connectivity to their systems, something that used to take several days as it also involved the installation of hardware and software.

Customers can use the connectors for different use cases. The most simple use case is providing read access to the data in one of the connected systems in order to display it in another system. The connectors can also be used in combination with our other products, for example with our data exchange solution OpenDXM GlobalX in order to exchange data between different systems. Or it can be combined with our traceability solution OpenCLM to link the data stored in different data repositories and create a heterogeneous digital thread. We can make both applications available to our customers as SaaS solutions.

Preconfigured system combinations
PROSTEP already offers OpenPDM integrations as a SaaS service for certain system combinations. They support use cases such synchronizing requirements or changes between Arena PLM and Jira. In the next release of OpenPDM SaaS, we will be providing the functionality required for integration and mapping in the portal so that customers can not only configure it themselves using low-code tools but can also adapt the processes. Ultimately, they will be able to create their own integrations for any system in an appropriate portal workspace on the platform. OpenPDM is the ideal solution for integrating processes, data and systems, particularly in heterogeneous IT landscapes in which some applications are deployed in the cloud and others on-premises.

PROSTEP's future strategy is to offer all the services that our PLM experts currently provide on-site at the customer's premises as a service from the public cloud – with of course the proviso that solutions that have been customized to a great extent can only be operated in a private cloud. If a customer wants to have the functionality that their solution offers hosted, they will have to accept a certain amount of decustomization and limit themselves to the configuration options. However, if they prefer, they can continue to use all the components of the platform on-premises.

In the case of SaaS customers, it is not so much the applications that are changing but rather the business and operating model. There is no need for them to develop their own IT resources, and they no longer need to worry about operation, updates or Internet security. All they have to do is to license the services or use cases hosted by PROSTEP and can expand the functionality of their integrations and scale them up or down on the platform without a great deal of administrative overhead.