It is just not enough for organizations to have a website these days. They must develop multiple apps to cater to diverse client and in-house requirements. However, all these apps need to work in synergy for enhanced performance. Here is where integration solutions come into the picture.
What is app integration?
Organizations own cloud applications, on-premise apps and even independently designed apps. The problem is that these apps are designed by a variety of vendors at different points in time. Software integration solutions are required to facilitate data flow seamlessly between these apps. Breaking silos, they build bridges between all the apps so that the data can flow smoothly from one app to another. App integration can be applied to anything- an e-commerce platform, a CRM or an ERP.
A one-time move of app data, two-way synchronization, and on-demand data processing are different types of app integration.
Major challenges
Organizations run on a wide array of apps. For example, there is a different apps for marketing, HR, accounting and finance, project management and even collaboration and messaging. These apps are crucial in enabling employees to achieve business goals, execute strategies and provide satisfactory client services. The more the apps, the more complex the process of integration.
The organization's various apps are custom-coded, unscalable and unmanageable. Here are some of the organizations' most common challenges while integrating different apps.
Siloed apps
As mentioned above, apps are originally designed to perform specific tasks for a particular department. Therefore, they are independently developed. However, they hold the organization's core data which is essential for a comprehensive insight into its performance.
In several cases, the inherent IT infrastructure of the organization fails to support the integration of the various apps. Therefore, the organization needs to outsource integration services to bring data of different apps to the same platform.
Cumbersome and time-consuming
Most organizations find app integration a complex and time-consuming process. Also, during the integration, they have to deal with slow data flows, transaction errors and data mismanagement for a brief period. This might hamper business growth for some time.
This is a significant reason why several businesses procrastinate the app integration process. However, with an expert's help, the app integration process can be carried out in a hassle-free manner.
Manual process
Unfortunately, most organizations collect and generate data in huge volumes, but they overlook the importance of data transformation and mapping. Therefore, most organizations have to do the data orchestration process manually. Hence, this also deprives organizations of real-time insights. App integration process that could be done automatically needs much human intervention and is prone to errors and mistakes.
Benefits of app integration software
Fortunately, robust integration software can simplify the app integration process. Some examples include NetSuite, SugarCRM, Magento, SCM, and WMS.
Read more: How to overcome challenges in the app integration process? Here are key takeaways