Rexcel Arcayos

BSIT III-B

SYSTEM INTEGRATION AND ARCHITECTURE

1. INTRODUCTION TO SYSTEM INTEGRATION

System integration is the process of joining software and hardware modules into one
cohesive infrastructure, enabling all pieces to work as a whole. Often referred to as IT
integration or software integration, it results in the following advantages.

1. Increased productivity. Integrated systems allow for centralized control over the
daily processes which adds to the efficiency of the entire workflow. A company
gets more work done in less time due to the fact that employees can use all apps
and data they need from one entry point.
2. More accurate and trustworthy data. Data is updated across all components of
the system simultaneously, keeping all departments on the same page.
3. Faster decision-making. Data is no longer scattered across siloed storages. So, to
perform analytics, you don’t need to manually download and export it to the
centralized repository. Instead, with a holistic view of all information, you can
extract useful business insights to make good decisions more rapidly.
4. Cost-effectiveness. More often than not, system integration comes at a lower
cost than replacing all disjointed parts with a new single system. Not to mention
the tricky process of implementing new computer infrastructures.

2. SYSTEM INTEGRATION APPROACHES

System integration is multifaceted and can be approached through different

architectural models, depending on the number and nature of components that need to
be connected.

1. Point-to-point model
Point-to-point integration (P2P) is the architectural pattern in which every system is
directly connected to all other systems and apps it needs to work in tandem and share
information with. This model can be realized via APIs, webhooks, or custom code.

With a point-to-point connection, data is extracted from one system, modified or

formatted, and then sent to another system. Each application implements all the logic
for data translation, transformation, and routing, taking into account the protocols and
supported data models of other integrated components.
Pros and cons: Among the main advantages of point-to-point integration is the ability of
an IT team to build a small-scale integrated system quite quickly. On the flip side, the
model is hard to scale and the management of all the integrations gets very demanding
when the number of applications grows. Say, to interconnect six modules you need to
perform 15 integrations. This results in the so-called star/spaghetti integration.

When to use it: This approach suits companies that don’t have complex business logic
and run their operations on just a few software modules. It is also a perfect option for
businesses aiming at connecting to SaaS applications.
2. Hub-and-spoke model
The hub-and-spoke model is a more advanced type of integration architecture that
addresses the issues of point-to-point and helps to avoid the star/spaghetti mess. The
connections between all subsystems are handled by a central hub (message broker), so
they don’t communicate with each other directly.

The hub serves as a message-oriented middleware with a centralized integration engine

to translate operations into a single canonical language and route messages to the right
destinations. The spokes (adapters) connecting the hub to the subsystems are managed
individually.
Pros and cons: As opposed to P2P, the model brings quite a few benefits to the table
including higher scalability. Since every system has only one connection to the central
hub, things get better in terms of security and architecture simplicity. However, the
centralization of the hub can be a weakness in such a model. The whole infrastructure is
dependent on the single integration engine which can become the key bottleneck as the
workload increases.

When to use it: The hub-and-spoke model is widely-used in e-commerce, financial

operations, and payment processing. Besides, it’s a preferable architecture for highly
regulated industries that face significant security risks.
3.Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) model
The ESB architecture involves the creation of a separate specialized subsystem — an
enterprise service bus — that serves as a common user interface layer connecting other
subsystems.

The ESB can be described as a set of middleware services that glue multiple systems,
serving as a messaging backbone. In contrast to hub-and-spoke with a single centralized
integration engine, in ESB, each system is supplied with a separate integration engine
and an adapter that translates a message into the canonical format and back into the
 destination supported format. Initially designed to bridge complex internal systems of
large enterprises, ESBs can work with cloud services too.
Pros and cons: One of the best things about ESBs is that each subsystem is decoupled by
a “messaging bus,” so it can be replaced or changed without affecting the functionality
of other subsystems. This plays in favor of high scalability. Also, such projects are
reliable and quite easy to design. As far as the cons, maintenance and troubleshooting
get more complex with the spreading of integration tasks across the systems.

When to use it: An ESB model is an optimal way to implement large projects such as
enterprise application integration (EAI), allowing them to scale when needed. It’s a good
fit if a company needs to bring it together on-premises.

3. CHALLENGES/ISSUES and DRIVER of System Integration

Planning and feasibility analysis

Every integration process starts with the assessment of systems to be integrated and
mapping out a realistic strategy. Draw an accurate picture of your current software and
its tech specifications and define all integration requirements. Also, determine the
scope of your integration project, its schedule, and cost. It’s a good idea to include all
possible risks in your plan and ways to handle them.

Architecture modeling
This step involves choosing one of the common models we mentioned above or
designing a custom architecture to meet your specific needs. You also need detailed
blueprints of how systems will communicate with other comprehensive systems. The
most labor-intensive, this phase is of great importance as it outlines the integration
model, methods, and process in general. Preliminary and physical designs are created at
this stage.

Implementation
The new integrated system is thoroughly tested to make sure that all modules
seamlessly interact with one another without losing any data during transmission. After
that, it can be implemented and presented to users. It is recommended to keep the
implementation stage short to avoid challenges relating to possible changes in the
integration process. Agile project management can be applied during and after this
phase to help a company adjust to the changing landscape of integration systems.

Maintenance
You shouldn’t neglect routine maintenance on the system. Scheduling performance
diagnostics to make sure that all modules function flawlessly and no errors occur is
advised.
 Issues
1. Security problems
With regards to security matters, having a few projects is superior to one incorporated
system. When you go through system integration, any hack or misrepresentation could
gain admittance to the entirety of your information instead of one piece of it. System
integration makes your data more defenceless than it used to because of the channels
through which information streams starting with one program then onto the next.

2. Complex updating
With regards to redesigning the system, your IT group is probably going to make some
extreme memories. Integration doesn’t transform a few projects into one, it simply
integrates them. Then, they actually should be overhauled independently. The
interaction is unpredictable and tedious.

3. Significant expense
Even though you can get a good deal on system support, you need to pay for each
program independently. Once in a while, costs are high to the point that an
entrepreneur may begin contemplating custom program advancement instead of
system integration.

4. TYPES OF SYSTEM INTEGRATION

Three types of system integration
Based on the area and the type of use, integration services can be divided into three
categories.

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)

Data Integration (DI)
Electronic Document Integration/Interchange (EDI)

1. Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)

Enterprise Application Integration is a service-based integration. It’s a process that
communicates with different services, gathers data, and then proceeds with further
steps based on desired action or a workflow. Process can be triggered with the exposed
service.

2. Data Integration (DI)

Usually, every company has a lot of different data sources (or databases). When you
want to consolidate your services into one central point of access you need data
 integration. Data integration enables gathering of data from all services, aggregating,
and transforming them into a central place for interactive reporting, most commonly
used for management.

3. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

Electronic Document Interchange is core business to business-oriented process. It
functions on paperless exchange of documents and electronic standards. By automating
paper-based business, companies save time and eliminate cost and errors.

5. SYSTEM INTEGRATION PLATFORMS

1. Integration platform as a Service (iPaaS)
Integration Platform as a Service is a set of cloud-based integration solutions mostly
used for building and deploying integrations in the cloud.

As an all-inclusive service, iPaaS couples systems, processes, and data, making them
accessible via a single user interface. It presents a library of pre-built connectors that
enable disjointed applications to communicate with one another despite where they are
hosted. iPaaS handles data transformation and shipping from and to applications.
Pros and cons: iPaaS is advantageous in tons of ways. It’s flexible, multi-functional, and
scalable. With iPaaS, integration activities are automated, facilitating the connection of
systems and databases deployed in any environment and enabling faster project
delivery. As far as the shortcomings, there might be security concerns as with any public
cloud.

When to use it: iPaaS is great for real-time applications and it enables a variety of
integration scenarios including enterprise application integration (EAI), data integration,
cloud integration, B2B integration, API management, Internet of Things integration, and
many more.

2. Hybrid integration platform (HIP)

A hybrid integration platform or HIP is a more universal version of what iPaaS offers. It is
an array of integration software providing built-in capabilities to make on-premises and
cloud-based solutions work as a single unit.

Integration platforms act as the middleware between legacy systems that run on
physical hardware, applications and databases in a private cloud and systems running in
a public cloud. Such platforms require minimum configuration. They interface and
integrate with any systems by using two main components — protocol connectors to
handle communication protocols such as HTTP, TCP, JMS, etc., and message formatter
to handle various data formats such as JSON, XML, etc.
Pros and cons: HIPs provide different perks from managed APIs and cloud offerings to
reusable integration templates for common use cases. With this model, companies can
count on high security and the reduction of integration costs and time as well as
maintenance efforts. At the same time, integration platforms haven’t reached the
maturity phase, which is why it may be difficult to pick a suitable out-of-the-box
solution.

When to use it: The main focus of HIPs is placed on the digital transformation of legacy
systems. This is a great framework for organizations needing to enable connectivity
between on-premise and cloud solutions.