4 Key Benefits of System Integration

6 MIN READ

February 22, 2022

6 MIN READ
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Companies looking to expand operations often stack new technologies on top of existing systems without giving enough thought to how they connect. This leads to confusion, redundancy, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Plus, jumping between these various systems causes employee fatigue and increases the chance of human error.

Luckily, system integration can begin addressing these issues. As its name implies, system integration is the process of merging platforms to create a larger, more comprehensive system. This centralizes operations, allowing teams to collaborate and better understand initiatives across the company. CTOs, CIOs, and other decision-makers who’ve inherited technical debt from isolated platforms can begin changing course with system integration.

What Are the Benefits of System Integration?

Broadly speaking, system integration makes your organization more efficient and secure. Here are just four of its benefits:

    1. Minimizing Your Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities
    2. Improving Communication Between Teams
    3. Lowering Operating Costs
    4. Boosting Employee Morale

Below, we’ll look at each of these core benefits and discuss how they complement your larger digital modernization initiative.

#1: Minimizing Your Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities

Data breaches cause long-term damage to brand reputation and cost vast sums of money to address in the short term. According to the Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report, one out of every six companies targeted by a cyber-attack in 2021 felt their very survival was at risk. That’s why many companies embarking on a digital modernization initiative will prioritize cybersecurity.

So how does system integration help? By consolidating systems, your organization exposes itself to fewer vulnerabilities. A handful of centralized platforms are easier to monitor for suspicious behavior than countless systems scattered across the company. This also makes cybersecurity protection more affordable, as your teams have fewer systems to test, grant devices access to, and define user privileges for.

Several young professionals sitting at an office table discussing application integration

#2: Improving Communication Between Teams

When various departments do their work using different platforms that only they have access to, confusion is inevitable. These tech and data silos make collaboration and even basic communication between teams difficult. Two departments could be in the middle of duplicate efforts without even knowing it, a major blow to efficiency.

System integration allows your company to begin breaking down these silos. A more robust, centralized platform for your core functionalities will enable teams to understand what others are working on and offer feedback quickly. Each department will feel more connected to the rest of the company and better understand how to help other teams’ efforts.

#3: Lowering Operating Costs

Many modernization processes can make your company more efficient, from cleaning up code to moving operations to the cloud. System integration is no exception. Having fewer platforms lowers your maintenance costs and frees up your tech teams to focus less on bug fixes and more on new initiatives.

The benefits of system integration are not isolated to your tech department, either. Across teams, you may have employees leaping from platform to platform to complete their everyday tasks. Integrating systems allows these employees to find what they need faster, boosting productivity. Plus, fewer platforms mean less technology you must introduce to new hires, streamlining the onboarding process.

#4: Boosting Employee Morale

Digital modernization is also vital for your staff’s job satisfaction. 57.3% of employees told ZenBusiness that outdated technology at least moderately impacted how fulfilling they found their jobs. Amid staffing shortages, it’s more important than ever to offer the most rewarding and easy-to-navigate workplace possible.

System integration can strengthen employee morale by limiting the number of platforms they must consult. Every day, staff members across industries must navigate countless (often cumbersome) systems to get their work done. Streamlining this process shows that your organization respects employees’ time and listens to their frustrations.

Black, male manager sitting at his desk listening to employee's comments in his office

Final Thoughts

The benefits of system integration are a poorly kept secret among executives. According to one McKinsey study, these decision-makers believe innovation and integration will be the two most valuable functions of tech teams moving forward. It’s no coincidence that these two functions appear together. System integration boosts efficiency and lowers maintenance costs. Then, organizations reinvest that time and those resources into innovative new efforts.

Of course, targeting the most valuable integration opportunities and seeing them through to execution is easier said than done. That’s why we launched our Fast-Track Application Modernization process. We uncover the largest barriers to value in your legacy systems. Then, we address them using an iterative approach that allows you to see value every 90 days. Visit our website to learn more about our Fast-Track Application Modernization service.

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