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.

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