Benefits of data integration

In today's business environment, data control is essential for organizations´ growth. Thanks data integration, very valuable information is obtained, which helps improve performance, optimize business strategies and make agile and correct decisions.

Until a few years ago, IT departments used to create data blocks separated by area. The main drawback of this work system is that, in isolation, the data offers a partial view of the organization.

Digitization and state-of-the-art technologies offer companies an enormous amount of information on all their activities. The great advantage of having tools based on big data is keeping all the relevant information unified and updated.

Companies today collect a large volume of information that is impossible to effectively manage it manually. In this sense, business management software offers solutions that facilitate the data integration in the cloud or on the company's own servers.

Data integration is a strategic solution, which aims to collect information from different business sources and consolidate it into a single database. In this way, not only duplication and errors are avoided, but complex analytics can be carried out that offer a global and realistic vision of the company.

Data integration streamlines data sharing and communication across an enterprise by using software that automatically aggregates real-time information from different sources. Access to big data allows organizations to generate useful information and identify internal operations that need improvement, improving overall performance.

Therefore, companies that use automated information collection get a competitive advantage through detailed information.

Data integration is the process of collecting and consolidating data from different sources. Within a company, the primary goal of data integration is to provide employees with accurate information from all departments. This open data flow allows departments to work together toward a common goal.

For example, with data integration, marketing and sales teams can collaborate by sharing information on marketing strategies, customer demand, and average sales to implement more effective promotions.

A cloud-based data integration tool, such as automated software, improves data sharing by continuously updating systems with figures in real time. Internal processes, such as point-of-sale (POS) and inventory control solutions, are used to share features, reports, and information, allowing management teams to easily monitor performance.

Access to big data allows companies to obtain a broader scope of their general functionality. Through collaborative metrics and analysis, managers can determine which operations need additional improvement. Data integration provides other benefits, including the following:

1. Simple and fast connections

Before automated integration software, connecting systems manually used to be a painstaking routine that involved complex programming. The outdated point-to-point connection method entails manual coding which interconnects each subsystem separately. This method is hard to maintain when more than two connections are introduced.

Fortunately, modern cloud computing data integration solutions are programmed with pre-built adapters that easily connect established systems, enabling seamless data sharing. The advanced architecture of these tools limits integration setup time and allows developers to work on one end of the system without affecting the other.

2. Elimination of data barriers

Different industries require different systems to meet a company´s specific needs. For example, a retailer may require marketing and customer relationship management software, while a restaurant may require a menu and perishable food management solutions. This wide range of services often results in information silos that categorize data based on operation. However, these silos can limit communication across an enterprise by denying access to information about operations outside of a specific department.

Data integration software breaks down these barriers to enable data sharing between departments. Advanced solutions also allow companies to connect with external parties such as suppliers, manufacturers and distributors to streamline external operations.

3. Easy access to data

By breaking down data silos and warehouses, integrators deliver companies all kind of real-time data related to internal operations, such as stock levels, sales and promotions. Without an integration tool, the administration would have to wait for the information to be compiled manually, which is time consuming and susceptible to human error.

Using manual integration methods also increases the risk of irrelevant data. By the time the information is consolidated and transferred to management teams, new data may become available. Therefore, automatic data integration enables organizations to keep up with fast-paced changes by providing real-time access to data.

4. Better actionable information

Once the data is collected and available in one place, analysts can perform additional analysis to generate actionable insights from the raw data. These insights use key performance indicators (KPIs) and other metrics to determine which operations need improvement.

For example, companies can learn how to improve marketing promotions and loyalty programs to increase customer satisfaction and retention through collaborative point-of-sale (POS) data, marketing, and customer management solutions.

5. Improved communication

With streamlined collaboration, companies can focus on improving internal communication between departments and external partnerships with third parties. Data integration enables external stakeholders to access relevant data and insights to improve their operational efforts. This open flow of information creates a transparent and reliable relationship between companies and their associates.

6. Higher precision

Inaccurate or outdated data cannot be used to generate information or make business decisions. Consequently, companies need high quality data.

Modern integration software ensures that data is always up-to-date and accurate, by continuously providing data whenever an event occurs or new data is introduced. Through automation, software solutions do not need human intervention, which eliminates human mistakes and minimizes security issues.

7. Gain Competitive Advantage

Web-based integration solutions promote business scalability through access to big data and are able to adapt and grow along with a business. Corporations that implement data integration tools have a great advantage over their competitors, as they are able to get innovative insights.

For example, being able to see through the customer's lens allows management to work on branding, marketing promotions, and demand forecasting to improve satisfaction and retention.

Manual data integration can waste valuable company time and effort without getting the desired results. However, implementing advanced data integration tools ensures that companies have access to incoming internal and external data from all operations throughout the supply chain, from production to shipping.