Systems Integration

System integration is the process of establishing a complex information system (IS) that may incorporate designing or building a customized system architecture or application and thereby integrating it with a new or existing hardware, packaged and custom software and communication systems. System integration is defined as the process of linking together different information systems, services, and software to enable all of them to work in a coordination. Furthermore, it is the process of connecting different components into a single larger system that works as one all-encompassing larger system. The primary purpose of system integration is to ensure that all sub-systems work together in harmony to increase productivity and improve the quality of business operations. Moreover, it is the process of integrating all the physical and virtual components of related systems in an organization. System integrators bring systems and subsystems together from different vendors and deliver one larger system that better servers an organization than the independent systems working separately.

There are mainly three types of system integration, which are briefly discussed as follows:

• Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)
• Data Integration (DI)
• Electronic Document Integration/Interchange (EDI)

Key steps in system integration include:

• Planning and feasibility analysis
• Architectural modeling
• Implementing the integration process
• Maintenance

The fundamental methods of system integration include the following:

• Point-to-point integration
• Vertical integration
• Horizontal integration
• Star / Spaghetti integration

Benefits of system integration include:

• Cost Savings or efficiency
• Increased efficiency
• Decreased human errors
• Increased productivity
• Automation and streamlining
• Scalability
• Better data access
• Better accessibility
• Security through centralization mechanisms
• Resource optimization