Integrating applications, software, and other IT solutions has become a significant challenge for IT. It is nowadays possible to choose the best solution in each area of expertise. The possibilities are endless! You therefore need a complete integration solution that manages all the integrations flawlessly. Marjory is an integration middleware platform designed to do that.
Integrating IT solutions: definition and helpful reminders
While the definition of integration is simple, the underlying mechanisms can be highly complex.
Integrating consists in connecting two or more IT systems to allow communication and data exchange between these systems transparently.
You have different ways of integrating your IT solutions. You can use connectors, APIs (Application Programming Interface), web services, asynchronous messages, to name a few.
Connectors are software modules that enable communication between different systems. An API is a set of rules, protocols, and definitions that allow applications to communicate with each other. APIs allow applications to share data or functionality with other applications without the developers needing to know in detail how the data or functionality is implemented.
Web services are applications that provide online services to other applications using standardized communication protocols. Asynchronous messages are sent and received, based on a call made at a fixed time or on a scheduled event.
The challenges of integration
Of course, your set of applications must maintain efficiency. It must work seamlessly, ensure data security and privacy, ease of maintenance, and scalability. Think about the following five key issues when conducting an integration project.
1. Integration of heterogeneous solutions
One of the main challenges is integrating solutions from different editors with different functionalities. Companies must ensure that these solutions can work seamlessly to maximize efficiency. This challenge implies identifying which applications should be integrated and which ones shouldn’t be. To answer this question, APIs are the solution to perform these operations flexibly. This is why every new solution on the market adopts an exposable API strategy.
2. Data Management
The question of data is central. There is integration between the starting and end points of data that transits through various applications. And it raises several questions, such as:
- The volume of data
- The frequency of communication
- Technologies of the start and of the finish
- The synchronous or asynchronous nature of the data processing
Be aware that transmitting data can lead to compatibility problems between different systems.
Monitoring is a crucial function for smooth data management. It allows you to identify and repair problems, such as restarting an integration sequence.
3. Scalability
Companies must be able to add new solutions to their existing IT infrastructure as their needs change. At the same time, they need to ensure that these new solutions can be optimally integrated with their existing ones.
Your information system will keep all its scalability capacities if, each time a new component is added, the technical and business constraints are taken into consideration.
Ask yourself these questions:
– Technical: have your technologies changed?
– Business: have your processes evolved?
Based on this preliminary audit, you can freely add as many components to your information system as you need. You must also be able to remove them. All way without ever disrupting your information system or compromising its integrity.
4. Maintenance and support
When multiple IT solutions are integrated with each other, it can be challenging to determine the source of problems that arise.
You must first have competent human resources to maintain and support your entire IT infrastructure.
You can also set up a preventive maintenance system rather than a corrective one to improve your proactivity. Your initial choices, especially concerning your integration platform, will impact your maintenance policy for better or worse.
5. Costs
Integrating IT solutions can result in high development, integration, maintenance, and support costs. You need to be aware of these costs and ensure that your IT infrastructure remains cost-effective.
Choosing an efficient integration solution with a resonant cost is central to your decision, especially if your purchasing strategy is primarily cost-driven.
Marjory middleware does more than just make your life easier
You can have dozens of solutions to integrate with, not just SaaS applications. If you have developed a robust internal tool to manage your customers, or if you have an ERP that you are fully satisfied with, you can easily integrate it with the rest of your IT, thanks to Marjory.
The strength of a low code solution
Marjory middleware offers an intuitive approach using modules rather than code. Thanks to its low code approach, developers will save invaluable time in their integration work. They will be able to use the process editor, its drag-and-drop features, and the pre-written code modules.
A marketplace of off-the-shelf applications
The other great asset of Marjory is its application marketplace. You have several dozen pre-integrated applications that you can install and configure very quickly. You can find tools as diverse as Asana, Trello, Google Office Suite, Stripe, WordPress, Calendly, Datadog, Notion, Slack, Intercom…
You can then create automated workflows, combining these applications with each other or your own.
A high-performance monitoring solution
One of the most significant advantages of Marjory, beyond its ease of integration, is its platform monitoring feature. Centralizing all logs, Marjory’s monitoring system allows you to find, trace, and correct, if necessary, all data exchanges between your different applications.
Are you looking for a simple and efficient solution to successfully integrate all your software? Ask for a demo of Marjory!
