Running an effective business of any size is a difficult subject. Even small businesses have many thousands of business, marketing and operational applications.
The applications must function seamlessly to facilitate the outcomes that are most important to the business. This is the aim of business integration, which focuses on bringing together and empowering everyone in the ecosystem to work as one unified whole.
The correct design is essential to a successful business integration. Too often, an integration is developed using a coding style that makes it difficult to alter the design. This type of design error can result in a system that is difficult to maintain and operate and also costly.
Traditionally, the majority of business integrations have been focused on connecting IT and software systems, including CRM and ERP systems. This type of integration, called application integration, is typically performed using APIs or other tools to enable connectivity between systems. These types of integrations are typically restricted in their application and often require a team of dedicated technical management on the ground to maintain and oversee the integrations.
The crucial element for modern business integration success is an integrated approach that focuses primarily on the integration of business services. This is achieved by identifying what business services are that are required and mapping them to the appropriate technology. It also involves the development of the required integration components, such as connectors, data mappings, and an effective testing and deployment process within an environment that is controlled. Then, a process of monitoring and anchor optimization process is put in place to ensure that the business integration is in line with its goals.