What is System Integration? Definition, Methods, Challenges

Once systems are integrated, ongoing maintenance and support is required to ensure that they continue to function properly and meet the organization’s needs. Ensuring data quality and security during the integration process can be a challenge. Data may need to be cleaned, transformed, or enriched before it can be shared between systems. Additionally, security risks such as data breaches or unauthorized access must be taken into consideration.

System Integration: Types, Approaches, and Implementation Steps

Now that we’ve explained why you must implement system integration, let’s take a look at the different types of system integration that you can leverage. Even with the best strategies in place and a multitude of resources at a company’s disposal, things don’t always go as planned. They may have internal resources that understand the ins and outs of the existing system, but those individuals might not know how the new system operates. As a result, leaning on them to transition to that new system could take up a lot of their time and still lead to a poor implementation. The system integrator can also help your organization move from one application to another successfully.

The value of system integration for MSPs

Automating paper-based transactions helps companies not only save time but also avoid costly errors that might result from manual processing. Since this method connects only two systems, sometimes this approach is not considered to be true integration. And if you have so many of such integrations, you’ll soon be overwhelmed and will need to upgrade to real integration. So this method is normally suitable for small business functions, or for small companies with just two critical systems to integrate. Point-to-point integration (P2P) is the architectural pattern in which every system is directly connected to all other systems and apps it needs to work in tandem and share information with.

Improved security posture

With an estimated 2.5 quintillion bytes of data produced each day in the world, the need for system integrators appears endless. You’d need someone who understands how each piece works and can fit them together seamlessly. That’s what system integration is all about – connecting disparate software applications, databases, and hardware so they can share information and function as a unified whole. This type of integration becomes necessary when an organization realizes that it’s using so many applications that are working separately and employees are spending so much time moving from one application to another. EAI came in to save this wasted time by creating a single gateway through which employees can access and use all applications from one point.

Joseph Harisson is a seasoned IT expert with a diverse background in technology. He started his career as a software developer before transitioning to a role as a system administrator, where he gained extensive experience in network support, cybersecurity, and cloud technologies. Joseph Harisson has worked with multiple managed IT service providers (MSPs) and has contributed his knowledge and insights through articles published on reputable websites. He is a proud member of the National Society of IT Service Providers and the Information Systems Security Association, further solidifying his commitment to the industry and expertise in the field.

Top system integration methods

It presents a library of pre-built connectors that enable disjointed applications to communicate with one another despite where they are hosted. Value-added resellers (VARs) and systems integrators are company categories that overlap. A VAR resells networking, hardware and software products and often provides services to create unified IT solutions. Conversely, a systems integrator may act as a VAR, reselling products to customers as part of a systems integration project. As opposed to vertical integration, the purpose of horizontal integration is to facilitate communication between subsystems. This type of integration is achieved by using a single specialized subsystem known as an enterprise service bus (ESB) that acts as a common user interface layer that connects to all other subsystems.

Joseph’s extensive experience, industry involvement, and contributions make him a credible and knowledgeable voice in the world of IT. Joseph Harisson is also the author of the book «Top 25 IT KPI Metrics You Should Be Tracking As a Business Owner», lending his expertise on key performance indicators for IT management. In vertical integration, subsystems are integrated through what we refer to as functional silos. This basically means connecting together systems that have closely related systems to form one unit, the silo. This unit is then connected to another unit of systems that perform another set of closely related functions.

Also commonly known as star integration or spaghetti integration, this method interconnects the remaining subsystems. For example, a separate accounting system could track finances; a web analytics system could manage website traffic; and a customer resource management (CRM) system would integrate Salesforce. Depending on the organizational needs, data from each system could be pulled and combined. The hub-and-spoke model is a more advanced type of integration architecture that addresses the issues of point-to-point and helps to avoid the star/spaghetti mess. The spokes (adapters) connecting the hub to the subsystems are managed individually. The task of systems integration often begins with a client meeting, or a series of meetings, in which the systems integrator assesses the client’s business needs and defines the technical requirements for an IT system that meets those needs.

1. While it’s worth doing because of its many advantages, system integration is still a challenging technical task.
2. While this is certainly a critical aspect of system integration, it’s also important that you  think in terms of extracting the kind of value that you may not have been able to otherwise.
3. Sitting between applications and web services, they enable the transmission of data and functionality in a standardized format.
4. They also manage relationships with IT vendors on behalf of their clients, including negotiating contracts.

Every integration process starts with assessing systems to be integrated and mapping out a realistic strategy. Draw an accurate picture of your current software and its tech specifications and define all integration requirements. It’s a good idea to include all possible what is a system integrator risks in your plan and ways to handle them.

In the end you will have one big silo that is composed of mini-silos sitting on top of each other. The  bottom silo is made up of the most basic functions and the top most silo is made of the most complex functions. This method refers to the integration of older, pre-existing systems with newer systems. It may involve adapting the older systems to work with new hardware or software, or creating interfaces that allow the different systems to communicate and exchange data. The goal of legacy system integration is to continue using existing systems while also taking advantage of newer technologies.