Using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to Connect Tools and Data

The Model Context Protocol defines how AI applications discover and invoke tools and resources. Instead of each vendor inventing its own protocol, MCP offers a common contract: servers expose tools and resources, and clients (e.g. AI assistants) call them in a structured way.

For system integration, MCP can sit alongside your existing APIs and EDI. You expose key operations—order lookup, inventory check, document generation—as MCP tools. Agents then use these tools within guardrails, with logging and access control in place.

We walk through how to map your integration endpoints to MCP tools, and how to keep security and observability front and center.