Modern business systems are designed to excel at specific functions. With so many options available, interconnecting these systems has become essential for business success. For example, your eCommerce platform needs product data from a PIM, user data from a CRM, and inventory and pricing information from an ERP. Orders are collected and sent back to the ERP for fulfillment. Whether you’re linking your eCommerce platform with an ERP, connecting inventory systems with suppliers, or implementing a punchout with a spend management system, understanding system integration is critical.

At AAXIS, we’ve been helping businesses tackle system integration challenges for over two decades. Our experience spans industries and integration scenarios, from eCommerce platforms to enterprise resource planning systems and everything in between. Over the years, we’ve identified five key areas where complexity often arises:

1. Infrastructure, Security, and Compliance

Modern businesses must navigate a web of security and infrastructure requirements.

• Security: Achieving a balance between protection and accessibility involves implementing robust authentication, managing API keys, and ensuring encrypted data transmission without disrupting operations.

• Compliance: Frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS demand meticulous data handling, detailed documentation, and implementation of specific security measures for various data types.

For example, a client once needed a point-to-point VPN between their network and an e-commerce provider to access the ERP. We faced challenges matching encryption protocols and router versions. After a marathon three-hour Zoom session with IT teams from both sides, we resolved the issue. Thankfully, such problems are less common today.

2. Protocol Challenges

Communication protocols form the foundation of system interactions, but they come with challenges:

• No or Antiquated Integration Protocol: Older systems either lack integration protocols entirely or rely on outdated ones, forcing integration through manual keystrokes and screen scraping.

• Protocol diversity: Many organizations must support multiple standards like REST, SOAP, and legacy protocols, often requiring sophisticated middleware.

• Version management: As APIs evolve, maintaining backward compatibility while adding new features can be complex.

I once worked on a binary protocol where the source system sent encrypted, encoded data. The output bytes didn’t make sense because the source used big-endian byte order, while we used little-endian. Reversing the byte order solved the issue. Today, REST has simplified many of these challenges.

3. Business Logic and Data Complexity

Aligning business logic and data models is often the most challenging aspect of integration:

• Data mapping: Single records in one system may map to multiple entities in another, requiring complex transformation rules.

• Conflicting business rules: Systems often have different rules, requiring careful orchestration to maintain data integrity.

For instance, while integrating with an ERP, we encountered issues matching order lines. We sent a “Small Truck” of chemicals, but the ERP updated the line with one of 19 specific truck types, each with its own delivery date, PO, and destination. Data mismatches remain a common challenge in modern integrations.

4. Scale and Performance

As businesses grow, scaling integrations becomes critical:

• Large-Scale Data Synchronization: Managing system load and ensuring consistent performance requires effective strategies for handling large-scale data synchronization.

• Real-Time and Batch Processing: Achieving an effective balance between real-time processing and batch operations often requires the use of hybrid approaches.

• Lack of Asynchronous Communication: Some systems lack the ability to communicate asynchronously, leading to tied-up system resources and sometimes forcing the end user to wait.

• Human-Centric Systems: Designed for human administrative users, some systems lack the scalability required for e-commerce, forcing slow, batch-based processes.

For example, on a project with 7 million SKUs, we had to optimize storage, retrieval, indexing, caching, and updates. Similarly, handling 15,000 transactions per minute required careful system tuning to avoid performance bottlenecks.

5. Testing Complexity

Testing integrated systems requires a comprehensive approach:

• End-to-end testing: This must account for multiple system states, failure scenarios, and recovery processes.

• Performance testing: Validating system behavior under various loads and data volumes is essential.

Testing is critical in all our projects, but integrated systems demand extra attention. Anticipating inputs beyond your control and ensuring outputs meet target system expectations is key. Even small changes in integration specs or code often require a full regression test.

The Path Forward

Success in system integration requires:

• Efficient and effective leadership to resolve issues

• A clear understanding of business requirements and technical constraints

• Strong collaboration between various teams

Taking Action

If you’re ready to transform your business through effective system integration:

• Visit our website at aaxis.io to learn more about our integration services.

• Schedule a consultation with our integration experts.

Don’t let integration complexity hold your business back. Book a meeting with our Chief Science Officer, Naresh Ram, to start your journey toward seamless system integration and enhanced operational efficiency.