Our Platform
The nChannel platform is a cloud-based multi-tenant platform that coordinates the communication of information between different applications using native software interfaces without relying on the use of burdensome, intermediate data formats such as public EDI standards.
Our subscription-based model eliminates the need for a large up-front capital investment for on-premises software. In fact, all that is required for connectivity to the nChannel cloud is the lightweight, secure nChannel Sync Manager. The Sync Manager is a communications component designed for connecting a single location or software system to the nChannel platform. The Sync Manager itself contains no direct integration instructions. Almost MAGICALLY all integration components are retrieved very efficiently from the nChannel cloud at “run-time”. Components are downloaded as needed, all configurations all maps all business rules all logic are securely stored in the nChannel cloud.
Supportability
nChannel uses self-updating distributed client components to auto-install patches, upgrades and required components as needed. nChannel provides robust support for audit and control tools, to give you confidence in the platform’s reliability and auditability. Wherever possible, we provide context specific and editable, end-user friendly, error; warning; and status messages. We provide you with access to the log files and troubleshooting tools.
Integration Framework
The platform integration framework is one of the most crucial components of the nChannel platform. One of the key elements to achieving your growth objectives is the ability to link new communities of application users (eCommerce, ERP, CRM, POS, etc.) from various software publishers on various platforms to the nChannel cloud. Unlike some of our competition that hard-codes their integrations, we can configure things on the fly, and with the proper preparation, you can do the same. We give our users control, and you are not limited to what comes “out of the box”. You won’t need to come to us every time a change needs to be made, nor will you be 100% reliant on nChannel for support when something goes wrong. Rather than developing entirely code-based application adapters, nChannel developers focus on building API “harnesses” that tether third-party APIs to the nChannel integration framework by prompting the API to express XML transactions in the application’s native format. The nChannel platform will contain the business rules, instructions and other directives to direct the API in the processing of transaction messages. Like HTML or XML, these files are not compiled, they are interpreted. Since the processing logic is contained in an un-compiled text file – the necessary modifications to support variances in vendor XML formats could be made by well-trained technical personnel instead of requiring you to have experienced software developers on-hand for every modification.
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
All functions performed within the platform are executed via the API, ensuring the full set of platform functions can easily be integrated by third-party publishers leveraging both XML and JSON formats. We support various publisher APIs that enable business logic and data transformation, allowing for simplified updates and customer-specific configuration that can be performed by end-users. Using Developer Oriented APIs, we strive to make nChannel the easiest, most efficient and robust method for eCommerce, POS and ERP integration, making it the de facto standard for cloud-based ‘plug & play’ multi-channel support. Our API is vendor and technology neutral, using technology easily supported across Open Source, Windows, Apple and Google platforms.
Client-side Integration Protocols
nChannel supports many open and industry standard protocols for the integration of end point systems including
- REST
- SOAP
- MS-SQL
- ODBC
- NTFS/UNC file watchers
- FTP and S/FTP
- Proprietary software publisher APIs
