What is Software Integration?

In an ever increasing digitally-connected world, customer-focused software is a necessity. It’s also a significant cost driver. Companies are expected to increase spending on software by 6% in 2018. It’s just one segment of growth in what’s become a multi-trillion dollar industry. When it comes to IT, companies seemingly are willing to spend whatever it takes. There’s a difference though between spending and spending smartly. Let’s take a look at some of the ways that you can save on IT.

Fact or Myth
With so many people working digitally, it can be easy to think that the claim of high costs with software integration is just that, a claim. Surely by now integration would take place with a simple, cost-effective, plug and play system, right? Yeah, that’s sadly not the case. Think of a number between 7 and 10. That’s how many software applications the average company uses.

When you factor in that those applications are a mix of technologies customized for a specific line of business and home-grown systems, well you can see that this is a very real concern.

Everyone’s Unhappy
One certainty from all of this is that no one is happy in a company when it comes to software integration. IT is frustrated, purchasing always feels like the costs are to high, executives believe the process is to slow, sales suspects that the finished product won’t meet their needs.

And herein we find our first “tip” – every project needs a champion. That’s one person who understands the need of the legacy systems and the potential of the new software being added. A champion who can keep expectations in check, who knows when to push, and when to step back and let the project run.

Process, Process, Process

This is key, not just for the actual integration but for the usage of the new system. Money is often wasted because a system integration occurred but no one understood how the new systems were connected. The result? Duplication of efforts to get information where it was needed. “Lost” information. Knowledge frustration. People abandoning the system. Avoid all of this with a strong set of processes. Help people understand how the system can work for them if they use it correctly.

Automate

A common complaint is that when systems are integrated people feel like they now have to do twice as much work. No.
If a system integration has been done effectively, your interaction with it should be “one and done.” That’s because automated systems should be set in place to do as much of the work as possible.

This eliminates the fateful “user-error” while at the same time fulfilling the purpose of having those 7 to 10 systems – to work more efficiently, leaving more time to do more of the soft skills that systems can’t perform.
Let’s Save Your Software Integration Project Do you have an integration project on the horizon? Perhaps you’ve been postponing a project start for fear of how it will affect the company? We understand the hesitation. We also know how to avoid all of those concerns you may be fearing. Let’s talk and see how we can keep your business running smoothly.