Integrating systems in industry: find out if it's worth the investment

The process of integrating systems in the industry is helping dozens of companies become more productive and competitive in the market. 

This is one of the concepts that has become most popular with Industry 4.0 and is a strong trend among businesses with production lines.

According to the Global System Integration Market Outlook , systems integration is projected to grow from US$45.63 billion in 2020 to US$60.8 billion in 2026, generating a CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast period 2022-2027.

Want to understand more about how this technology works? Keep reading the article where we explain everything to you!

What is systems integration in industry and how does it work?

Integrating systems in industry means automatically connecting different processes in a production line, such as the supply chain, logistics, or distribution.

In other words, it works by interconnecting different areas of a company, being one of the main pillars of Industry 4.0 — a phase marked by automation and the integration of different technologies.

In addition to the process of connecting systems and exchanging information between devices, there are eight other pillars that are also worth knowing:

• Internet of Things: This is the concept of connecting industrial machines to the internet;
• Cloud computing: it consists of a database that you can access from anywhere — and share as well.
• Big data: this refers to the storage and analysis of diverse data from various sources.
• Additive manufacturing: creating objects using 3D printing.
• Robotics: the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in robots to perform various functions.
• Augmented reality: it is the overlay of virtual elements onto the real world.
• Simulation: This is the ability to virtually visualize the factory's production environments to gain better control over processes.
• Cybersecurity: consists of protecting data to prevent attacks on the organization's data.

When we talk about integrating systems in industry, we use several of these pillars, such as IoT technology and cloud computing, in order to exchange data quickly, efficiently, and securely, increasing the company's productivity.

5 advantages of integrating systems in industry

1. Increased productivity

processes become more , and the time it takes to complete a task is significantly reduced. Furthermore, potential rework is avoided.

For example, if department A needs information from department B, there's no need to contact the other department and wait for the information to be sent, since the systems are integrated and everyone has access to the data they need.

Furthermore, the automated system also allows the manager to monitor all company processes. This makes it possible to identify errors and improve management in less time and with greater efficiency.

2. Cost reduction

As we know, time is money, and one of the great advantages of integrating systems in industry is the reduction of errors and manual work, which contributes to team productivity , freeing up more time to focus efforts on the core business.

Furthermore, with automated workflows, managers also benefit from a 360º view of the business, allowing for more assertive and efficient decision-making and reducing the risk of poor decisions driven by incomplete or inaccurate data.

In other words, with all the data at your disposal, it becomes easier to make an analytical and assertive decision about the operation. Not to mention that you can also use the graphs and information available in real time to monitor the performance of a sector, for example.

3. Greater security

Another advantage of investing in systems integration, which can be done through an iPaaS like Integra.Sky, is that your business will have a 100% cloud-based platform that complies with the LGPD (Brazilian General Data Protection Law) and data encryption .

Thus, cybersecurity practices are being expanded, mitigating the risks of data leaks or system attacks.

Therefore, an integrated system ensures greater reliability and protection of your business data, as it adopts strict security standards, with authentication and encryption.

Horizontal vs. vertical integration: what's the difference?

There are two integration models: horizontal and vertical . They complement each other and help to make the operation more efficient. Let's look at their main characteristics below:

Horizontal integration

In this model, the goal is to connect internal information to external industry information.

This integration allows, for example, the linking of company data with suppliers and customers.

That way, you can:

• Manage suppliers;
• Analyze the market;
• Organize the logistics;
• Check the distribution of products;
• Delivery status.

Furthermore, this way of integrating systems in the industry allows various sectors to work together to optimize production, as well as enabling changes to occur simultaneously in all systems at once.

Vertical integration

This refers to the sharing of information within the company itself, across hierarchical levels of the factory.

Vertical integration allows managers to analyze the factory floor, leaders to analyze managers, and so on. It's like a pyramid where each step accesses specific information.

How do you integrate systems into your industry?

So, how do you implement this integration in your industry?

1 – Define your needs and objectives

The first step is to know what you want to integrate, since this directly influences the choice of your consumption package.

You can integrate:

• Processes and flows;
• Number of transactions;
• Systems or applications;
• APIs, databases, or files.

Your consumption volume needs to be estimated in gigs. You can purchase packages of 3,000, 10,000, 30,000… It all depends on your needs.

2 – Choosing good integration software

Next, you need to choose the platform that will perform this integration according to your needs. Remember to opt for software with an intuitive, functional, and secure interface.

With Integra.Sky, for example, you manage all your integrations through a single, simple, and secure system, integrating all your software and automating your company's processes.

Read also: 

Integra.Sky: Why integrate systems with Sky.One's iPaaS?

3 – System customization

Right after choosing your software, you'll need to configure and customize the system according to your company's needs. That's why it's so important to do this first step well in order to optimize the system for your business.

4 – Prepare the team

Analyzing the productivity of our clients' teams, we realized that up to 30% of their development effort is focused on providing the necessary integrations of their solutions with the rest of the ecosystem.

The key detail is that each integration is customized to meet specific needs, resulting in very little reuse of routines and a minimal need for ongoing IT team training.

One way to integrate systems with greater agility and lower cost is through Low-Code platforms.

Regarding the training and development of your team, these platforms, in addition to being easy to use, accelerate the development process, since you don't need to write all the code for a project manually, making them much simpler for employees to use.

Learn more about how integrations with Low-Code platforms can contribute to the success of your business:

Low-Code: Understand what it is and what advantages it offers to the IT team

Want to know how to add more intelligence and increase the performance of your production without having to create new systems and applications?

This free material will help you make your business more strategic through data-driven decisions!

Written by Skyone