Managing a modern business is nearly impossible without the right technological tools, and more importantly, getting them to play nice with one another. The vast marketplace of applications, SaaS products, databases, amongst many other tools promises a nirvana that can easily and simply manage these technologies. Even if that were true, it is a challenging process for a business to determine which technologies to use, and how they should communicate with each other whilst ultimately adding value to the business.

The average startup company forecasts a growth rate of 178% in revenues for their first year, 100% for the second, and 71% for the third[1]. Rapid growth means constantly evolving business processes. Agility is key, and the ability to change the shape, form, and flow of daily operations is vital. In the past, especially with regards to IT systems, a pen & paper (physical records) along with a few key programs would be the extent of a company’s toolkit. Access to technology and modern programming tools have hyper-accelerated the development cycle resulting in an abundance of technologies in the market.

A system that works well today, might not be the best solution for tomorrow

In larger companies, technologies that are too slow, unresponsive, or don’t properly fit user requirements give rise to shadow IT. Users use technologies, services, and systems without the knowledge of or approval from the IT department. Simply, shadow IT means users opt to circumvent what they perceive inefficient, ineffective, or restrictive with these alternate, unvetted technologies. Aside from security risks, this can be a strong indicator of the need for innovation and evolution in existing technologies used by the company.

When new systems are implemented it is done to address a specific business need. The more core importance a system is to a business, the more it should be thoroughly analyzed and designed with scalability in mind.

Finding the right tool to serve today’s needs, whilst simultaneously reducing tomorrow’s pain of replacement is vital.

Defining System Integration

System integration can be accurately defined as a method of aggregating and combining various smaller systems into a larger system that functions in a cooperative manner. This is generally done with the purpose of optimizing, improving, and streamlining IT systems in an efficient manner. [2] As a result, system integration is also implemented to increase a company’s productivity – simpler and more efficient systems creating a significant boost in business operations.

Rip and Replace Design Thinking

When considering implementing system integration between various systems, it is beneficial to think in terms of sunrise and sunset. The two main questions that drive this philosophy are: How will these systems communicate today and in the near future? In the far future, how will we be able to replace these systems if required to do so? Rip and replace design thinking will provide strategic guidance to help decide how these integrations should be designed, built, maintained, and eventually replaced.

A major drawback to be considered is that the rip and replace framework can be costly above all else – it requires a significant investment of time, energy, and capital which is often a dealbreaker for most businesses. However, what makes it a major contender is that it can be completed much faster and more efficiently for the business when the rip and replace philosophy is deeply ingrained into daily actions and strategic IT planning when compared with the alternative of building integrations ad-hoc and as needs arise.

Overall, the implementation of system integration, even the replacement process, has benefits that far outweigh any drawbacks. With the rise of SaaS applications and new software becoming a cornerstone of every business, it is unsurprising in some ways that as an industry, the system integration market is continuously growing at a staggering rate, and poised to hit $575 billion by 2027. [3]

🚀  Considering setting up scalable systems at your organization?

Let’s talk! Book a Free Consultation Today.

*This article was written with the assistance of ChatGPT. The ideas and content are our own, however, the GPT-4 model was used to compile and structure the content.

‍