Modern Business Integration

Modern Business Integration

Running a modern business of any size is a complex issue. Even small companies use hundreds of thousands of different business, marketing, and operational applications.

These applications need to be integrated to enable the best results important to the business. Business integration attempts to accomplish this by connecting and enabling participants in an eco-system to work as one cohesive whole.

The proper design is vital to a successful business integration. Most often, integrations are developed in the way that makes it difficult to alter the design. The wrong design choices could result in a system that is difficult to maintain and use, and also costly.

Traditionally, the majority of business integrations have been centered on connecting IT and software systems, like CRM and ERP systems. This type of integration, called application integration, is usually carried out through APIs or other software to enable connectivity between systems. These types of integrations are generally restricted in their scope and typically require a team of dedicated technical staff on the ground to maintain and oversee these integrations.

The key to success in modern business integration is a more holistic approach that is focused on integration of business services. This is accomplished by identifying the services required and digitalization and business integration for board room mapping them onto the appropriate technology. It also involves the creation of the components required to facilitate integration, like connectors and data mappings. A rigorous testing and deployment procedure is also necessary in a controlled environment. Then, a process of monitoring and optimization is used to ensure that the business integration meets its goals.