A Nuanced Overview of What to Expect During a System Integration Project

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Most companies, across various industries, are occasionally required to undertake IT transformations to strengthen their business position and ensure continued growth in the market.

To implement meaningful changes and become more impactful, it's essential to analyze why certain processes are not well-suited or effective. This may be due to data inconsistencies caused by one or more systems in the current IT architecture—systems that are poorly connected, lose, or alter critical data essential for business management.

Several factors can lead to inconsistent data or inefficient processes, such as system obsolescence, data format mismatches between systems, differing technology generations, lack of control features, or regulatory constraints that are difficult to manage, among others.

At CleverTeam, we have deep expertise in these areas. Our experience, built through numerous successful system integration projects, makes us an ideal partner to support companies on their transformation journey. In this article, we aim to highlight some key points related to these topics.

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What Is System Integration?

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To address all these issues, a system integration project can be implemented—whether by introducing a new core application, developing specific functionalities, or connecting various existing or newly deployed subsystems.

System integration is the process of bringing together software components and modules—often considered subsystems—into a unified and coherent infrastructure. The goal is to ensure that these systems work together seamlessly, enabling more efficient sharing of processes and information.

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Data Integration vs. System Integration

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Data integration should not be confused with system integration. Data integration involves consolidating data from various source systems into a repository system, so the data can be unified and presented in consolidated data views. In contrast, system integration connects disparate systems to facilitate access to information.

In an IT context, integration refers to the end result of a process that combines different, often complementary but disparate, subsystems. The data held within each of these subsystems represents part of a larger, more complete system—one that can easily provide and share data as needed. To achieve this, organizations build a specific architecture or framework composed of existing or new applications and components.

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• System Integration Methods

There are several methods to integrate and connect unrelated systems. Among these various approaches, organizations evaluate and apply the one that best fits their usage patterns and business needs.

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• Vertical Integration

This method enables an organization to establish connectivity between unrelated systems by grouping them into a functional unit through the creation of silos based on their specific functionalities.
Each silo or component in vertical integration operates by consolidating upwards.

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• Horizontal Integration

This approach assigns a dedicated subsystem that serves as an intermediary, specialized in communicating with other subsystems. By avoiding direct connections between each subsystem, this method reduces and simplifies the number of interfaces required. It connects all subsystems to a single central one, offering greater flexibility and lowering integration costs.

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• Point-to-Point Integration

This method connects subsystems directly to each other, resembling a polyhedral star-like connection.
However, most of the time, companies keep their processes separate when using point-to-point integration. For example, an accounting system may handle finances, while a customer relationship management (CRM) system manages client and supplier interactions. Each system can provide business-specific data, which can then be combined and consolidated with data from other systems.

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• Common Data Format

The common data format method assists companies through data transformation, mapping, and translation—thereby enabling automation.
Instead of using a dedicated adapter for every data conversion process to or from other application formats, this approach proposes transforming and adapting one system’s data format to make it compatible with all others.

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• Benefits of System Integration

All types of system integration offer benefits to businesses, regardless of the systems involved, based on what exists and what is expected from the final IT solution.
The primary advantage of system integration is the streamlining and aggregation of relevant, correlated data. This allows automation, simplifying data collection and improving the efficiency and accuracy of data processes across various subsystems.

With streamlined processes and automated data synchronization across multiple systems, users no longer have to wait to access information.
For example, if one subsystem updates data, those changes are automatically reflected in all other systems—enhancing real-time data availability and accessibility. This enables users to better allocate their time and resources, ultimately increasing overall efficiency and revenue potential.

Cloud-based data storage is common among most integrated systems, helping businesses overcome scalability challenges. Integrated systems provide a centralized storage platform for all subsystems, avoiding duplicated resources and eliminating the need for separate platforms for each subsystem.

With an integrated platform, companies no longer need to manage subsystems individually. This simplifies maintenance and can lead to significant cost savings.

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Challenges of System Integration

While system integration offers numerous benefits, it also involves complex technical tasks and significant challenges.
For long-established organizations, legacy systems often remain critical to business operations and cannot be easily replaced. Due to their age, diversity, and inconsistent data structures, these systems are difficult to integrate and align with modern standards.

Different systems may use various technologies, data formats, or communication protocols. Enabling effective interaction between these systems often requires substantial efforts in middleware development, data transformation, and specialized interfaces.

Integrating multiple systems can also introduce vulnerabilities, raising the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access—especially when systems follow different security protocols. Ensuring data security and compliance with current regulatory standards is a major challenge.

Information systems are constantly evolving. In this fast-changing environment, the most effective integration strategy is an agile approach—allowing for the necessary adjustments to align with broader transformation programs.

Although it is generally less expensive than building an entirely new platform, system integration can still require significant investments in expertise, time, and financial resources. Budget constraints and limited management bandwidth may restrict the scope of integration projects.

System integration can create strong interdependencies, making it difficult to upgrade or evolve one system without impacting the others.

It also often demands changes to business processes and organizational structures. Managing these changes and ensuring all stakeholders are involved and properly trained can be complex and challenging to implement.

With many stakeholders typically involved in integration projects, it can be difficult to define clear ownership and responsibilities. Without a clear RACI matrix (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed), inconsistencies and delays may arise, affecting both the project’s coherence and timeline.

Overall, system integration requires careful planning, strong project management, and expert knowledge to effectively overcome these challenges.

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The Future of System Integration

Looking ahead, system integration will continue to play a vital role in business workflows.
As data volumes grow continuously, cloud-based solutions offer greater flexibility and accessibility, simplifying architecture integration and scalability while also reducing long-term costs.

Ultimately, a system integration project also presents an opportunity to assess emerging challenges—such as cybersecurity—to ensure data privacy and maintain end-user trust.

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