A white paper by IA Logics
Author: Delia Benade
Date: February 2018
Additional Sources: www.techopedia.com, www.businessdictionary.com, www.netsuite.com
What does System Integration (SI) mean?
System Integration (SI) is an IT or engineering process or phase concerned with joining different subsystems or components as one large system. It ensures that each integrated subsystem functions as required. – www.techopedia.com
Achieving the smooth integration of disparate software systems has been a headache for the IT world since applications were first built. A rapidly growing business can become embroiled with a complex application architecture which hinders long-term profitability and sustainability.
Application Landscape of a Siloed Business System
A typical business, when starting out, will generally first install accounting software in order to manage their bookkeeping requirements.
As the customer base for these businesses grow, many will turn to standalone software systems to supplement control measures of various departments within the business. Inventory management, order management and other fulfilment systems are thus evolved through spreadsheets and incongruent software.
Sometimes referred to as a “software hairball”, businesses that evolve their systems in this way may find themselves with a poorly planned system architecture that inhibits flexibility and productivity.
Challenges of a Siloed Software System
There are many challenges that can arise when various individual systems are utilised by rapidly expanding businesses. Here are some of the main concerns that may be experienced:
Integration Complexity and Cost
With multiple software systems at work, IT departments may spend an enormous amount of time and money to ensure the integration, maintenance and continuous updating of these various applications. Maintenance costs increase while valuable IT time is diverted away from business development.
Lack of Real-Time Visibility
Multiple overlapping databases generally cannot easily provide a performance overview of the business in a timely manner. As a result, countless hours may be wasted in an attempt to correlate and reconcile error-prone and out of date information.
Wasted Employee Productivity
Particularly in a rapidly expanding business, each employee needs to operate at optimal efficiency and productivity. Employees hindered by inefficient and disjointed processes to follow, are unable to fully focus on their more important core duties.
What is Integrated Software?
A tightly interconnected suite of several application programs that share a common database and user interface. – www.businessdictionary.com
An integrated system enables business productivity to evolve while simultaneously reducing costs and increasing inter-departmental efficiency. Due to advances in technology, the benefits of system integration are becoming increasingly prevalent and undeniable.
Advantages of System Integration
Businesses that want to evolve at a significant rate in a respectable period of time, need to ensure that their systems are integrated around a single codebase, database and business process. Here are some of the reasons why:
Performance Efficiency
Wasted time spent on duplicate processing and cross-capturing is eliminated, allowing employees to focus on tasks that add value.
Real-Time Data
By providing transparency and real-time views of business processes, system integration allows for smarter decision making and reduced lead times, enabling focus to remain on mission critical business disciplines.
Customer Focused Solutions
Today’s customer is well informed with high expectations for the product, buying and ownership experience. System integration speeds up the sales pipeline and improves customer management. Sales can be tracked from lead to payment and customer loyalty can be built upon, while boosting profits and cutting costs.
Accelerated Growth
With an integrated software system, expansion to multiple locations and additional sales channels can be accomplished a lot faster because of unified ordering and accounting management processes and data.
Today, many businesses in virtually every industry are still struggling to keep up with their growth while managing costs effectively because of an assortment of disconnected software systems causing process bottlenecks and employee productivity issues. Integrated business software systems are transforming how businesses are run.
Is your business utilising an integrated software solution?
About IA Logics
IA Logics is a South African registered company, which creates and supports (but is not restricted to) Management IT Systems for the following:
| Importers | Dealers |
| Exporters | Workshops |
| Logistics | Fitment Centres |
| Distributors |
Founded in 2014 by a dedicated group of people who have been in the motor industry in various roles (including OEM, retail operations and most importantly, the development of computer systems) for many years, IA Logics systems are a result of that collective experience.
| IA Logics Strengths:
Automotive Market Understanding Innovation Partner Integration Profitable Client Solutions |
IA Logics Features:
Real Time Integration Centralised Data Runs on Multiple Platforms Electronic Document Management Third Party Integration Flexibility |
For more information contact us via info@ialogics.com.
