Unlock the Power of Integration Suite with Mindset and Border States’ Success Story

Back in September, I attended the SAP BTP Executive Summit in Chicago. It was an incredible event, and one of the highlights was watching Alex Burkel from Border States deliver an exceptional presentation on their journey with SAP Integration Suite. His insights and leadership were top-notch, and it was exciting to see how they’re pushing boundaries with tools like Event Mesh to drive real-time innovation.

Challenges Border States Faced

Border States, a 100% employee-owned wholesale distributor based in Fargo, ND, serves the construction, industrial, and utility markets. Like many organizations, they faced significant challenges with disconnected systems and inefficient processes:

Operational inefficiencies: Manual data entry, delayed order processing, and inventory management headaches.
Vendor relationship strain: Inconsistent order fulfillment and frequent discrepancies.
Customer service challenges: Inaccurate information sharing, longer response times, and decreased satisfaction.

These challenges were causing bottlenecks across the board. Border States knew it was time to modernize and streamline their operations.

Why SAP Integration Suite?

SAP Integration Suite provided Border States with the tools they needed to address these issues head-on. It allowed them to:

Migrate legacy systems: Transitioning from SAP PI/PO and Apache Nifi to a modern, cloud-based integration platform.
Standardize processes: Establishing an Integration Center of Excellence (CoE) with clear policies, naming conventions, and robust monitoring.
Enable real-time data sharing: Streamlined workflows reduced delays and manual intervention.

Their migration was fast and efficient, with 48 integrations going live in just a few months. Now, they’re exploring Event Mesh to enable even more real-time communication between systems, taking their capabilities to the next level.

Mindset’s Role in Integration Excellence

At Mindset, we’re proud to have partnered with Border States on this journey. As part of the SAP Integration Factory, we bring deep expertise and proven methodologies to ensure projects like this are delivered quickly and effectively.

Our Rapid Deployment Solutions (RDS) for SAP Integration Suite make migration from PI/PO simple and efficient:

PI/PO to Integration Suite migration packages: Our structured approach ensures a seamless transition within weeks.
Integration governance: We help clients establish CoEs for scalability and long-term success.
Event Mesh enablement: We’re experts at setting up real-time event streaming between SAP and third-party systems.

With our guidance, clients reduce costs, eliminate on-premise hardware, and unlock new opportunities for efficiency and innovation.

Ready to Migrate?

For organizations still running on PI/PO, migrating to SAP Integration Suite is a strategic first step to future-proof your operations. With Mindset’s RDS, the process is faster and easier than you might think. We’ll work with you to:

Assess your current landscape and create a clear migration plan.
Leverage our proven tools and methodologies to minimize risk and downtime.
Set up your systems for long-term success with a well-governed integration strategy.

The Bottom Line

Border States’ success demonstrates what’s possible with the right tools and partners. SAP Integration Suite is more than a technology upgrade; it’s a foundation for operational excellence and innovation. Whether you’re looking to migrate from PI/PO or explore the possibilities of Event Mesh, Mindset is here to help you every step of the way.

Let’s start your journey today. Reach out to learn more about how Mindset’s Integration Suite RDS can transform your business.

Bonus: Tips from a Large Oil & Gas Integration Project

Mindset recently partnered with a major Oil & Gas client to migrate their SAP ECC PI/PO integrations to SAP BTP Integration Suite. Here are some key takeaways from that project:

Challenges and Approach

Handling transitional architecture: We designed solutions that worked with both their existing ECC systems and the new S/4HANA environment, ensuring seamless operation during the phased rollout.
Working in a complex partner ecosystem: The project involved connecting with 50+ partner systems, each with unique payloads and requirements.
Delivering working software fast: We focused on building minimal viable products (MVPs) in 8-week increments, prioritizing functional demonstrations over theoretical diagrams.

Best Practices

Use a generic schema in your iFlows to future-proof integrations for changes in source systems while maintaining compatibility with partner systems.
Leverage reusable components, like a centralized error-handling iFlow, to reduce maintenance overhead.
Adopt Agile methodologies, including two-week sprints and daily tech huddles, to ensure continuous progress and knowledge sharing.
Pair programming can accelerate knowledge transfer and improve code quality—we rotated roles and took regular short breaks to stay sharp.

Technical Highlights

Utilized advanced connectors like Kafka, JMS, AMQP, and JDBC for diverse integration scenarios.
Showcased SAP Integration Suite’s monitoring tools for tracing, logging, and custom headers.
Incorporated Cucumber for end-to-end testing, creating robust scenarios to validate data flows.

Final Thoughts

Projects like these demonstrate the flexibility and power of SAP Integration Suite when paired with a strong implementation partner. Whether you’re navigating a transitional architecture or scaling for complex global integrations, the right tools and approach make all the difference.