Integration between old and new systems is more cost-effective than replacing with a new system. In addition, it avoids the downtime that replacement used to require and the familiarization period for employees after replacement. Integration saves costs, allows us to take advantage of the existing infrastructure and add functionality little by little.
A large number of the IT applications used by companies today come from different vendors and have been built with different standards and technologies. This means that access to information is time-consuming, as each department has to use its own specific access. Massive volumes of data, instead of flowing, block and slow down work performance. With service integration, data is integrated and the systems that contain it are allowed to communicate with each other so that unified solutions are found. With integration, the difference between cost and gain is efficiency. Aaron Rodriguez, an expert in business optimization, provides several reasons why service integration is an essential resource for companies.
First of all, it is important to understand that this action optimizes business processes and reduces costs. Integration helps to eliminate bottlenecks. Organizations are able to generate a central software architecture that is connected and transparently transfers data between systems and software. Data transmission and conversion are streamlined and the inefficiencies of dealing with multiple software solutions are reduced. In essence, the enterprise runs faster and more efficiently.
It also integrates rather than replaces legacy systems. Integration between old and new systems is more cost-effective than replacing with a new system. In addition, it avoids the downtime that replacement used to require and the familiarization period for employees after replacement. Integration saves costs, allows us to take advantage of the existing infrastructure and add functionality little by little, Rodriguez explains.
It enables the generation of competitive advantages. Another reason for systems integration is that it enables the creation of new products and services, some of them internal. The cost of the transaction between two business units is thus drastically reduced. In addition, integration, therefore, provides a competitive advantage over other companies when carrying out operations that have to be repeated many times or are complex. For example, with an integrated inventory management system, an automated ordering service can be implemented.
Take advantage of the cloud. Companies can now handle large volumes of information and have permanent access to them without being limited by the complexity of access they would have if they were hosted internally, Rodriguez points out. With integration, existing systems and processes are connected to cloud services. This limits the need for companies to hire and develop software.
It connects the enterprise and moves it forward. One of the reasons for integration is that it generates the complementary effect of making an organization a connected enterprise, where many parties (partners, employees, customers, etc.) can make their contributions. Any change, new software or employee is included in a more agile way than in other situations.
And finally, it favors a joint vision of the entire company. With integration, decisions within the company can be made with a much richer, panoramic view, as it establishes the technical basis for a level of analysis based on informed decisions to be put in place. Each set of data going from one system to another is more visible to all departments, resulting in better measurements and, in short, better revenue and reduced costs.
About Aaron Rodriguez
Aaron Rodriguez is an expert eCommerce consultant in Latin America. He helps businesses throughout the region optimize all of their eCommerce operations to increase sales and retain customers, and also has extensive experience in the development of strategic and external alliances to promote departmental and organizational objectives. He has traveled extensively throughout Latin America to assist a number of companies and, when hes not traveling, he dedicates all of his available time to his wife and children.