In a modern enterprise, all systems and technologies across different systems and technological solutions must function together as a well-oiled machine. This includes the processes built around those applications and systems and the people executing those processes. To achieve this goal, companies need access to a robust enterprise integration solution.
This blog post highlights the importance of enterprise integration software and how it helps companies unlock new opportunities and deliver the value promised to customers.
The Purpose of Enterprise Integration
Companies require integration software to consolidate data, technologies, networks, and structures, enabling them to identify customers’ needs and meet them. Because companies often have many software applications running simultaneously, the environment becomes more complex and it’s almost impossible to manage and deliver. In such scenarios, enterprise data integration solutions enable companies to handle data and applications with speed and scale. Let’s find out how.
Enterprise integration platforms help companies in the following ways:
1. System interconnectivity
Enterprise integration platforms connect systems and applications that power the business. They enable companies to connect with employees, customers, and business partners, which helps them identify their needs and requirements and meet them.
2. Real-time updates
With an enterprise integration platform, companies can ensure that they are always up-to-date to drive B2B transactions. Ultimately, the visibility increases rapidly.
3. Elevated productivity
Critical B2B communications become simpler with an enterprise integration solution. Advanced technologies collect data so employees across job functions can access and comprehend the information they need at any given time.
4. Workflow automation
Enterprise integration platforms have eliminated the need for manual errors by introducing automation. As a result, companies can increase transparency and manage tasks easily.
Challenges of Enterprise Integration
While the promise of enterprise integration software offers multiple benefits, there are many challenges that companies must be aware of. An enterprise can take advantage of these data integration platforms only when they are aware of these risks:
Complexity
While connecting with different systems, applications, and data sounds simple, it is complex in reality. The IT and business workers need to be aligned with the end goals. Otherwise, performance suffers. Also, companies need to bring more non-technical business users into the picture. That way, companies can handle complex problems and help drive the business forward.
Slow customer onboarding
Many enterprise integration platforms take weeks or months to onboard new business customers. IT teams need to implement custom codes and perform extensive data mappings to create onboarding connections.
Standards
The challenge with enterprise integration is that many messaging systems and applications rely on different data formats. Many platforms fail to manage multiple formats, which inhibits processes such as insights delivery and decision-making.
Impact of Self-service
Self-service integration solutions help companies overcome these problems and deliver the value promised to customers quickly, easily, and securely.
Self-service-powered enterprise integration solutions enable non-technical business users to consolidate multiple types of data, applications, and different systems much more quickly. In other words, these solutions enable non-technical users to implement data connections much more quickly, securely, and easily. In addition, business users can onboard customers up to 80 percent faster. Meanwhile, IT can devote time to driving more high-value business tasks or priorities.
Business users can use pre-built applications connectors, shared templates, dashboards, intuitive screens, and AI data mapping to create business connections. By doing so, companies can connect with customers and meet their needs and requirements without delay. This delights customers and inspires them to buy more products or services from the company, helping companies create new revenue streams.
In short, self-service integration platforms help companies empower non-technical business users to consolidate data, applications, and systems while freeing IT to focus on more strategic, high-value tasks – securely, easily, and quickly.