When it comes to integration architecture, many Australian organisations currently take a stance of: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Meaning, the integrations they have been utilising for years are working fine, if not optimally, and they don’t yet see the benefits a more modern and sophisticated architecture can provide.
“The problem we’re seeing with older systems is they work, but they are considered very fragile,” says 9Yards Digital Transformation Consultant, Tony Thongsinthop. “They can easily break – if someone changes a file name or a location, for example. And there’s no capacity for reuse or scale when you introduce another system.”
But organisations that are implementing modern integrations are enjoying landscapes that are more efficient, more accurate, and more resilient (reducing technical debt and remediating the risk of a fragile network). So whether your organisation is looking to introduce a new system into its landscape or it is ready to fortify business processes, continue reading to discover why modernising your platform integrations is a prudent decision to make sooner rather than later.
1. Streamline operations for greater efficiency
You hire talented people to make the most of their skills – not to engage them in repetitive data entry or file transfer tasks. Yet when their work depends on sharing data across multiple applications, it reduces the amount of high-value time they can contribute to their workplace.
Regularly spending too much time on these kinds of tasks is frustrating for employees and employers alike, and can have a direct impact on employee experience and staff retention rates. Integration opens the way for more time spent on high-value activities, greater efficiency, and inter-department collaboration.
2. Improve accuracy and leverage real-time insights
When you rely on data to inform your decision-making, it is critical to have trustworthy and accurate data. Platform integration affords instant visibility into key metrics and removes the risk of inadvertent errors synonymous with manual data sharing.
“That’s where this solution comes into play,” says Tony. “Integration means that you can take away the risk of human error, the human process that is prone to mistakes, and instead enjoy real-time information sharing.”
3. Remain agile and avoid future technology debt
Integration offers a flexible and modular approach to your software landscape – allowing for the painless addition or removal of applications as needed. This flexibility allows for reduced implementation timelines and minimised disruptions, as well as adding a layer of future-proofing to your organisation by removing the risk of future technology and security debt.
When choosing enterprise-integration-platforms-as-a-service (EiPaaS) particularly, you are also offloading your burden of support. “Instead of managing it all in-house, the responsibility is taken over by the vendor,” says Tony. “Managing computing resources such as memory, storage and server is no longer a key concern. Instead, the client’s IT can reap the benefit of continuous integration and development, which allows them to deploy integration solutions to achieve business outcomes much quicker.”
4. Invest in scalable tech solutions
Maintaining and managing disconnected systems can be a drain on resources – the cost of running adds up quickly. Platform integration simplifies your tech stack, reducing maintenance and infrastructure costs.
To perform a cost analysis of implementing a new architecture, 9Yards Digital Transformation Consultants will calculate the run costs and labour costs of both your current state and target state landscapes.
“We look at how many integration flows they have in their landscape so far, and what the overall volume of the messaging looks like. Vendors typically charge per volume, so it’s important to get an accurate understanding of that,” says Tony. “Next we look at scalability – if their integration volume grows in the future, how well can this vendor scale, or will they hit a ceiling?” These considerations, and more, come together to find a solution that will work optimally for your organisation now and into the future.
Is the time right for your organisation?
Whether the time is now, or you are planning ahead, 9Yards Digital Transformation Consultants are available for a preliminary conversation on the impact integration could have in your organisation. Reach out today to discuss how we could work together to modernise your integration architecture.
