Data is an essential asset of modern companies. They not only guide strategies and provide information for decisions, but also strengthen the customer experience and can lead to new business models.
But data also has a flip side. Data can be impractical and difficult to manage because of the amount of information that companies collect, store and analyze. This is especially important for large enterprise organizations that work with a vast amount of data of different structures and formats.
These challenges make the integration of enterprise data a critical operational focus. Today we will introduce what enterprise data integration means and how modern companies are approaching it.
What is enterprise data integration?
Enterprise data integration is the centralization of multiple sets of business data and information - often from different sources and formats - into a consolidated, unified interface. The distinction "enterprise" means that these initiatives are by definition more complex and extensive than standard data integration practices.
Here are reasons for the increased focus on enterprise data integration and what results can be expected from this type of initiative.
Why is enterprise data integration important?
Due to the ever-increasing number of data sources that companies need, organizations around the world are trying to consolidate this data. Those that take a proactive approach gain competitive advantages while others still try to fight and manage large amounts of data.
Here are some indicators that it might be time to review your options for integrating enterprise data:
Data is isolated and stored in silos. Your data records can be stored in different locations, belong to different business units, and be contained in different formats or structures. This can make it difficult to obtain a uniform view or analyze information.
The IT is under pressure. Managing and connecting data in the way business organizations need to handle it can be a challenge even for the most talented IT professionals. In many cases, powerful tools for integrating enterprise data are essential. Adding new data sources and managing existing integrations can be time-consuming and tedious, and can risk straining resources even when IT is able to handle the policy to ensure that no breaks occur.
Data analysis and insight generation are progressing too slowly. Manual processes often cannot keep up with the speed of modern business life. When it comes to data management, automation and intelligence capabilities are basically spreadsheet applications. Integrating enterprise data enables real-time decision making and faster analysis.
Causes for problems are separated from the cloud and on-premises. The introduction of the cloud brings many conveniences and efficiency gains, but potentially also challenges for the coherence with internal data and applications. By connecting legacy on-premise systems and cloud-based applications, enterprise data integration is set to support the new world of hybrid IT.
Global and regional regulations are becoming increasingly strict. As regulatory compliance becomes increasingly important and a priority for companies around the world, distributed and unconnected data constitutes complications. Data protection regulations such as the EU GDPR and CCPA. The integration of enterprise data makes it much easier to track applications and systems across geographic areas to meet and comply with all relevant regulations.
Results of enterprise data integration
There are many benefits when companies are able to effectively implement enterprise data integration solutions.
The general improvements achieved through such efforts include:
Faster time to value: Companies are able to gain insights and value from data much faster and upcoming integrations are accelerated when the right architecture is in place. The end results can be significantly optimized.
Enhanced productivity: By reducing the burden on IT and operational shortcuts through reusable business logic and predefined workflows, companies can get more output out of their teams.
Increased visibility: A centralized dashboard provides a clear view of integration activities for streamlined reporting and synchronized insight for stakeholders.
Ready for what is coming next: New data sources and applications routinely enter the enterprise. A strong infrastructure built with the right solution for integrating enterprise data eliminates stress by helping companies quickly integrate, manage, and leverage new data for better reporting.
More opportunities and stronger lead generation: Support for business development objectives is achieved by merging data into a single interface, making demand shifts and market trends more concrete. Divergent and unorganized data makes it considerably more difficult to identify and exploit opportunities.
