Services-oriented architecture comes to voice systems in the warehouse

With its newest middleware offering, Vocollect has re-architected its voice solution to integrate with SOA platforms already in place in the distribution center.

By Bob Trebilcock Editor at Large -- Modern Materials Handling, 4/25/2007

Until now, voice systems and services-oriented architecture (SOA) haven’t typically been mentioned in the same sentence. But with Vocollect’s  introduction of a new version of its middleware, VoiceLink 3.0, that is no longer the case.

In fact, 3.0 leverages SOA, enabling IT departments to cleanly integrate voice applications not only with a warehouse management system (WMS), but with the enterprise IT infrastructure.

Why the new approach?
Larry Sweeney, Vocollect’s vice president of product management, says that as business processes and corporate IT systems have become more complex – and expensive to maintain – there is a growing tension between what IT thinks will fit into the enterprise computing strategy and the functionality that operations people believe they need to optimize their operations.

“The IT departments we talk to are mandating that they will only accept applications that fit into their corporate IT strategy because they no longer want to support disparate operating systems and databases that come from a collection of best-of-breed applications,” says Sweeney. “They want to install an infrastructure and make sure that new systems conform to that.”

Enter services-oriented architecture
Defined by AMR Research , SOA is a standards-based approach to integrating, managing and maintaining software applications from different software packages and vendors.

Because applications using an SOA approach are developed with a set of common open Web-based standards, they can be more easily integrated with other applications to create flexible solutions that can be reconfigured as needs change and reused across multiple facilities. 
 
“We believe this new approach will resolve the tension between operations and IT over what fits into the enterprise computing strategy while providing the functionality needed for business processes,” says Sweeney. “The new architecture also provides the flexibility to add and customize systems without significant integration costs.”

The continuing evolution of voice
 The new middleware comes at a time of real momentum for the voice technology industry, Sweeney adds. In fact, Vocollect broke the $100 million revenue mark for the first time in 2006.

“It’s proof that voice has really established itself as a proven tool in DC operations worldwide,” Sweeney said. 

For details on the expanding use of voice in the warehouse and DC, register for this Webcast.