Since the past few decades, enterprises of all sizes are depending hugely on software applications for carrying out critical business operations. Be it acquiring business intelligence, communicating among teams or maintaining customer relationships, technology has made everything convenient and organized. This, in turn, has encouraged organizations to rely on a chain of software programs for managing varied activities effectively. However, in spite of numerous benefits, one of the prominent issues which arises in such tech savvy organizations is the lack of coordination among various applications. For companies relying on multiple software applications, its really important that the applications play together well and share data effectively to drive business operations.

Here comes the need of enterprise application integration (EAI) which bridges the gap between different systems, enabling data flow and providing an interface to manage the information exchange from one program to another. EAI, when implemented in an appropriate way, helps organizations to exploit the full potential of their technology. The main aim of software integration is to use the data generated by different departments in an effective manner. Common applications that are targeted for EAI include customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM), internal and marketing communications, business intelligence and analytics, human resources data, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and e-commerce optimization.

Take a look at how enterprise application integration benefits various organizations:

Exchange of Information

Enterprise application integration allows exchange of information among different software programs running within and enterprise as well as those connected to the company from outside. It consolidates data collection and eliminates redundancies which arise in case of collecting data from individual systems. EAI creates a single point of access of data for all those who need it. This helps in avoiding time waste for searching information. Employees can get complete and up to date data which enables better collaboration among people and departments.

Reduced Complexities

Often in enterprises, the employees find it difficult to deal with or use new technologies, resulting in a steep learning curve. Also, the new application might fail to work with the existing systems. Such complexities are eased by EAI which combines information and functionality of various applications into a single user-friendly interface. This helps in making the business operations smooth and effective.

Automation of Business Processes

EAI is an efficient way of streamlining business processes which include activity or data from multiple software applications. For instance integration of CRM data with e-mail marketing platform can be done easily for delivering targeted messages to customers, on the basis of their demographics or prior behavior. This data can be combined with analytics to measure the success of email campaigns. This can help an organization to analyze its procedures and invest resources at the right place.

Increased Efficiency

One of the most important benefits of enterprise application integration is that it helps the organizations to locate and respond to opportunities quickly. It helps companies in reputation management issues, supply chain disruption management and many more, using a single interface.

Flexible Infrastructure

Enterprise application integration helps business to remain flexible in context of IT infrastructure. Companies can easily expand their IT facilities, depending on the growing demand and can, thus, respond to the customers’ expectations in a timely manner.

Enterprise Application Integration benefits businesses in significant ways and helps them to stay agile. Integrated IT systems increase service levels and reduce expenses. Thus, to succeed in the tech savvy business arena, its important to adopt EAI so that your business operations and decision could positively impact your organization.