Data dispersion is a common problem for companies that use many different IT systems. In such a situation, it can be very difficult to collect them in order to prepare analyses. Therefore, it becomes much more difficult to assess the condition of the business and to make decisions regarding further proceedings. Therefore, it is worthwhile to get acquainted with the concept of system integration.
Integration of systems – what is this solution?
Since data acquisition and analysis is a necessary part of every company’s activity, it is worth trying to accelerate and facilitate these processes. The problem arises when individual business departments use separate systems.
The only sensible solution in such a situation is to centralize data, which can be done in several ways.
One-way integration of systems is a perfect solution for those who want to enable collection and analysis of data in one place. In such a situation, data is sent from the individual systems to the service that handles the integration. However, it is important to realize that this solution is not without its drawbacks – it requires a lot of time and work.
It is also worth mentioning the bidirectional data integration, which guarantees that data in different systems remain consistent. It consists in the fact that individual systems used in the company exchange data between them. This flow of information between systems makes them more coherent, and the analyses performed on their basis – of much higher quality.
When to perform system integration?
Very often it happens that individual departments of a company use separate systems. Therefore, the flow and exchange of information between the sales department, accounting department or human resources department can be very difficult. This can be associated with many problems that interfere with the smooth operation of the company.
The integration of systems should be decided by all those enterprises which encounter difficulties when it comes to obtaining a reliable picture of the current condition of the enterprise.
System integration should also be carried out in every company, in which the process of collecting and analyzing data is very time-consuming. Lack of integration very often results in the necessity to conduct step-by-step analyses and to prepare partial reports based on data collected from individual systems.
It should be emphasized that such a procedure can lead to the risk of erroneous analyses, which result in missing information that is important for the business. This can have a negative impact on the condition of the company.
System integration is also useful when the time of entering and searching for necessary information is extended. It often happens that information, such as customer data, has to be entered separately in several systems, which consumes a lot of valuable time.
As you can see, system integration helps prevent many problems and positively influences the functioning of a company.