Dutch Railways 'NS'

Integration Standards with a focus on real time REST Integrations

Challenge: The organization faced the challenge of reducing manual labor and modernizing processes, starting from a complete ‘greenfield’ scenario with no existing infrastructure. The absence of standardized tooling and the reliance on tightly coupled, rigid integrations increased the risk of vendor lock-in. Furthermore, the significance of robust integrations was not widely understood within the organization, resulting in inefficient workflows and labor-intensive manual processes.

Approach: We registered existing interfaces in the NS API portal to gain an overview of the current landscape. Tooling was aligned with standards from other NS domains, and processes in need of renewal were identified. Based on this, we designed and documented improvements. Through close collaboration with solution architects, we provided strategic integration advice for new projects, enabling structural enhancements.

Result: Integration registrations are now fully aligned with organization-wide standards, supported by newly implemented guidelines for documentation, development, CI/CD, integration patterns, and monitoring. Integration has evolved into a deliberate and integral part of future system designs, enabling the organization to better unlock business objects and achieve greater efficiency and flexibility in its processes.

SPECTR – We get IT done!

Challenge

  • A complete ‘greenfield’ scenario with no existing foundation.
  • Lack of standard tooling to support integrations.
  • Tightly coupled, rigid integrations increased the risk of vendor lock-in.
  • Limited awareness of the importance of robust integrations within the organization.
  • Many processes relied on time-consuming manual work.

Approach

  • Registered existing interfaces in the NS API portal for clarity and transparency.
  • Aligned tooling with standards already used in other NS domains.
  • Conducted a thorough inventory to identify processes requiring modernization.
  • Designed and documented improvements to optimize existing processes.
  • Collaborated closely with solution architects to provide guidance for new projects.

Results

  • Integration registrations in the API portal are now fully aligned with organization-wide standards.
  • New standards implemented for documentation, development, CI/CD, integration patterns, platform use, monitoring, and IoT.
  • Integration has become an established and intentional part of future designs.
  • Increased awareness within the organization about the importance of unlocking business objects.

Team

SPECTR Integration:

  • Bas Kroeze

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