Looking to increase the efficiency of your existing system and implement cohesive B2B technology for better vendor communication? You may be considering system integration for your business. But you’re not the only business trying to benefit from the numerous benefits of system integration.
Businesses all over the world are heavily relying on this technology and with so much interest that the global System Integration (SI) market is expected to generate $955 billion by 2030. The revenue of the system integration market has already been predicted to double from 2015 to 2025.
Such is the magnitude of this industry that it has become an important player for all the other industries. With its wide range of applications across numerous sectors, all businesses heavily invest in and adopt system integration.
Sounds exciting? Read more to learn everything you should know before planning a system integration in your organization.
What is System Integration?
System integration services such as Vates help businesses increase the efficiency of their existing software and hardware by integrating the small components into a large, cohesive structure. An offering of advanced IoT solutions, and system integration, allows businesses to benefit from an extensive infrastructure that’s bigger than the sum of the small components.
Types of System Integration
Following are the five models or types of system integration offered by Vates.
Vertical Integration
Also known as silos, vertical integration is a setup where each application or data bite works upwards. In this model, unrelated subsystems are interconnected to benefit each other as the main unit.
Horizontal Integration
In this model, a common layer of a subsystem is connected to each system and separates them from one another. Known as the Enterprise Service Bus (ESB), these layer acts are the single point of interference.
Point to Point Integration
As the name suggests, point to point integration model is the simplest type of system integration. Vates allows clients to implement a system integration where each system is connected to the other from point to point. However, this system is ideal for businesses looking for non-complex solutions.
Star/ Spaghetti Integration
Presumably, the most complicated system integration is star integration. In this system, each subsystem is connected to the other and then backward for a two-way data flow. As a result, a spaghetti-like or star pattern is formed, which seems difficult to interpret.
Common Data Format
To reduce the dependency and complication between multiple data formats, common data format integration allows businesses to translate data into a singular form.
Some Questions to Ask Before Integrating Systems
Here are some of the questions you should ask before opting for system integrations.
What is the desired outcome of the integration?
The first question to ask within your organization and from your system integration service company is about the outcome of the implementation and whether it aligns with your own goals.
What is the right integration model?
Out of the various integration models, you have to find one that best suits your needs. You can opt for star integration, point-to-point integration, vertical, or a horizontal system.
How will the integration impact existing systems?
You may have different applications and systems within your current IT infrastructure. Your systems may also be different from your clients and vendors. Therefore, it’s essential to inquire about the impact on the existing systems.
Do you have the skillset and resources?
System integration is a time-consuming and complicated process. You must ask if your IT department has the required skill set and resources to carry out a system integration activity on its own. Or you can seek help from IoT solution providers such as Vates to help you through it.
Steps for System Integration
Here are the steps to take when integrating systems:
Determine the Requirements
Each system integration has prerequisites and business-oriented requirements. Determine the requirements of your organization in the first step to determine the model, type, and integration method.
Analyze the Goals
As said earlier, discuss goals within the organization and from your clients and vendors. System integration isn’t a one-off activity or one that’s confined to your operations. It’s a B2B technology implementation and requires all partners to partake.
Design the Architecture
Based on the goals and requirements, ask your system integration company, such as Vates, to design an architecture for you.
Devise a Management Plan
System integration isn’t restricted to the IT department. The management needs to look after the communication and coordination while implementing system integration.
Develop the System Integration Design
Once the management plan and architecture have been finalized, develop a system integration design. Define the source point, take maintenance schedules into account, and determine the data flow structure.
Implement the Design
Implement system integration with the help of your IoT consulting company like Vates. This may take time and cause disruption in the business system temporarily, be mindful of that.
Perform Tests and Maintenance Checks
Once you have integrated the systems across your IT infrastructure, you must diligently conduct tests and check for success. In addition, you need to schedule maintenance checks to ensure that the extensive new system is working cohesively.
Challenges for System Integration
Despite the benefits that we’ll discuss below, there are certain challenges of system integration that you must consider.
Lack of Resources
Not all businesses are cut out to take upon the challenges of a process as complex as system integration. You can always get professional development companies, such as Vates, to help you through.
Poor Planning and Management
Comprehensive planning of system integration is vital to a successful implementation. If you have flaws in your communication, management, and planning, you’re in for unexpected hurdles.
Finding the Right Model
As a small-scale business, you may be unable to find a model that’s robust but less complicated. Seek help from a system integration service such as Vates to find the right model for yourself.
Integrating Large-Sized Complex Systems
At the same time, if yours is a large-scale organization with varying systems, merging the software and hardware can become daunting. Again, professional IoT consulting can come to the rescue and help you transition smoothly.
Integrating Different Systems
During B2B system integration, a challenge of varying OS, legacy applications, and custom software arise. This challenge can be tackled by multiple methods and can be added to the planning.
Cost and Time-Intensive
Integrating numerous software and hardware in the IT infrastructure isn’t a matter of minutes. The process is time-consuming and thus has a cost-intensive nature.
Undermining Post-Op Maintenance
A lot of businesses only see the implementation and forego maintenance planning. This can result in grave consequences as you may lose your data or have to spend a lot of money on unexpected errors.
How to Overcome the Challenges?
Here are some of the ways to overcome the challenges mentioned above.
- Automate the processes as much as you can to ensure accuracy and simplify the integration.
- Opt for small, multiple systems instead of trying to create a large, complex design.
- Get rid of redundant legacy applications to streamline system integration among different organizations.
- Hire expert system integration services such as Vatesto efficiently implement system integration.
Benefits System Integration
Regardless of the complexities and challenges, system integration allows businesses to be agile and accurate and improve their IT infrastructure’s efficiency. Here are some of the benefits that make system integration a choice among the advanced IoT solutions:
Cost-Effectiveness
Albeit your business will incur heavy costs to integrate the systems, eventually, this will help you reduce costs on IT infrastructure, maintenance, operations, and running multiple channels.
Streamlined Communication
The next best thing about system integration is that it allows businesses to streamline all their interactions and data transactions from a single point.
Increased Efficiency
Subsequently, when less time is spent on managing different software, software integration increases the efficiency of the infrastructure and those using it on a daily basis.
Meaningful Insights
Instead of relying on redundant ideas, system integration makes it possible for businesses to improve their decision-making from multiple channels of insights and actionable data.
Improved Security
Another huge benefit of system integration is higher security. In a world where cybersecurity and data breaches pose a great threat to organizations, having integrated systems makes it difficult for threat actors to penetrate.
This is because, in a standalone system, the hackers only need to target single hardware or software to get inside the IT network. But with integrated systems, it becomes tough for the hackers to pave their way inside simultaneous, co-joined software or hardware.
Automation, Agility, and Accuracy
Automation is the way forward, and businesses that are agile and accurate will lead the way forward. This is a truth that most organizations have realized and seek to deploy in their organization.
IoT Solutions by Vates
If your business is on the lookout for IoT solutions, data analytics, and nearshore software outsourcing, then get in touch with Vates. Vates is a South American software development company and system integration services company. Contact here to learn more about Vates nearshore services.
