System integration is the process of linking software products to act as one co-ordinated system. Joining databases and data sources together provides new, valuable information and potentially creates new bespoke products. Recognisable benefits of system integration are businesses avoiding having to re-key the same data into their systems multiple times and having a single version of the truth to enable reporting and analytics.
Your level of system integration can be accomplished according to your business’s goals and technologies.
System Integration Following Merger & Acquisition
There are many important things that happen following a merger and acquisition. One of the primary tasks is integrating the IT systems and ensuring that important data is protected.
Good, scalable architecture makes integrating two companies possible and it’s likely that up to 75 percent of an integration effort during a merger or acquisition is determining:
- Which systems to keep
- What data is important
- How much integration is actually needed before the companies are officially joined.
For many companies, especially travel companies in the news of late, once this planning is complete the actual hands-on technical work should be just like any other integration project, just a different scale compared to internal system integration.
Integrating Applications
Application integration services enable the sharing of processes and business data among a wide range of applications within an organisation. A variety of on-premise and cloud apps are seamlessly connected to transform and orchestrate the data required for business workflows. These applications address a number of business needs and can be anything from CRM and e-commerce platforms to finance and ERP systems.
Application integration involves combining data or functions from one application with another. This is done through using an API (application-programming interface) or web service.
For example, integrating your accounting system such as Sage, QuickBooks or Xero with your sales/job system uses an API. Most proprietary off the shelf systems include an API, it’s the job of successfully integrating the API that takes technical skills.
For quick results call upon a software development company to assist in the integration of APIs, or to add bespoke functionality to the system and applications. Look out for outsourced skill sets, such as our specialist development team.
An example of APIs we have worked with include:
AKKROO, Experian Credit Reports, Full Contact, Go Canvas, Sage
For Travel and Airlines:
AIMS (Airline Information Management System), Caleb, Jeppesen, Navision, Navitaire
Get in contact with us if you have any questions about system and application integration.