Bicol University College of Science

CS/IT Department IT 118 - System Integration and Architecture

Legazpi City Module 1: Introduction to System Integration and Architecture

Module 1
Introduction to System Integration and Architecture

What is 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 0since
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. Often, 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.

Common Types of System Integration.

1. Legacy system integration - integration of modern applications into existing outdated systems.
Many organizations use outdated software to perform their core business functions. It cannot be
removed and replaced with more modern technology as it is critical to a company’s day-to-day workflow.
Instead, legacy systems can be modernized by establishing a communication channel with newer
information systems and technology solutions.

Example: connecting a legacy CRM system to a data warehouse or a transportation management

system (TMS).

2. Enterprise application integration (EAI) - unification of different subsystems inside one business
environment.
While growing, companies incorporate more and more enterprise applications to streamline their front-
and back-office processes. These applications often share no points of convergence and accumulate

Instructor: Amie Dainne S. Esteves • A.Y. 2022-2023

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 Bicol University College of Science
CS/IT Department IT 118 - System Integration and Architecture
Legazpi City Module 1: Introduction to System Integration and Architecture

huge volumes of data separately. Enterprise application integration (EAI) brings all functions into one
business chain and automates real-time data exchange between different applications.

Example: creating one ecosystem for accounting, human resources information, inventory
management, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and CRM systems of a company.

3. Third-party system integration - expanding functionality of the existing system.

Integration of third-party tools is a great option when your business needs new functionality but can’t
afford custom software development or just has no time to wait for features to be built from scratch.

Example: integrating an existing application with online payment systems (PayPal, WebMoney), social
media (Facebook, LinkedIn), online video streaming services (YouTube), etc.

4. Business-to-business integration - connecting systems of two or more organizations

Business-to-business or B2B integration automates transactions and document exchange across
companies. It leads to more efficient cooperation and trade with suppliers, customers, and partners.

Example: connecting a retailer’s purchasing system to a supplier’s ERP system.

The main objective of system integration is to put the fragmented and divided pieces together by means
of building a coherent network.

What is System Architecture?

System Architecture is the structural design of software that automates work. It is the model that
conceptually defines the views, structure, and behavior of the system. This is usually a series of
diagrams that illustrate services, components, layers, and interactions. System architecture in other
words is the representation and description of how the system works and communicates with other
system components in general.

This is the most basic example of the system architecture diagram and as mentioned it is also the
general representation of the system.

Instructor: Amie Dainne S. Esteves • A.Y. 2022-2023

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 Bicol University College of Science
CS/IT Department IT 118 - System Integration and Architecture
Legazpi City Module 1: Introduction to System Integration and Architecture

Depending on the types of the system architecture, the system architecture diagram also has some
types that are listed below.

1. Software Architecture Diagram

2. Hardware Architecture Diagram
3. Enterprise Architecture Diagram
4. Collaborative Systems Architecture Diagram
5. Manufacturing systems Architecture Diagram
6. Strategic system architecture diagram

System Integration and Architecture Models.

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.

Instructor: Amie Dainne S. Esteves • A.Y. 2022-2023

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 Bicol University College of Science
CS/IT Department IT 118 - System Integration and Architecture
Legazpi City Module 1: Introduction to System Integration and Architecture

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, considering the protocols and supported data models of other integrated components.

Among the main advantages of point-to-point integration is the ability to build a small-scale integrated
system quite quickly. However, this model is quickly unmanageable for larger integration requirements.
As an example, assume that four different systems have to be integrated. This means that the total
number of connections can be up to 12 (a bi-directional connection counts as two connections).

This rarely happens in practice, but it does illustrate how quickly this integration model can become
unmanageable with even a small number of systems. Hence, this model should be adopted when the
number of systems that need to be adopted is fairly small.

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 a large number of connections between systems. 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.

Instructor: Amie Dainne S. Esteves • A.Y. 2022-2023

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 Bicol University College of Science
CS/IT Department IT 118 - System Integration and Architecture
Legazpi City Module 1: Introduction to System Integration and Architecture

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 also work with cloud service.

Instructor: Amie Dainne S. Esteves • A.Y. 2022-2023

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 Bicol University College of Science
CS/IT Department IT 118 - System Integration and Architecture
Legazpi City Module 1: Introduction to System Integration and Architecture

Deployment options for integrated systems.

1. Integration platform as a Service (iPaaS)

Integration Platform as a Service is a set of cloud-based integration solutions and tools that enable
the deployment, management, and integration of software applications and services across different
platforms. Organizations can easily integrate on-premise applications with cloud applications by
adopting iPaaS architecture.

As an all-inclusive service, iPaaS connects 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.

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. However, one of the disadvantage of iPaas is the
security concerns as with any public cloud.

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

Instructor: Amie Dainne S. Esteves • A.Y. 2022-2023

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 Bicol University College of Science
CS/IT Department IT 118 - System Integration and Architecture
Legazpi City Module 1: Introduction to System Integration and Architecture

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.

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.

Key steps of system integration.

1. 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 the current software and its tech specifications and define
all integration requirements. Also, determine the scope of the integration project, its schedule, and cost.
It’s a good idea to include all possible risks in the plan and ways to handle them.

2. Architecture modeling

This step involves choosing one of the common models mentioned above or designing a custom
architecture to meet your specific needs. It is the 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.

3. 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

Instructor: Amie Dainne S. Esteves • A.Y. 2022-2023

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 Bicol University College of Science
CS/IT Department IT 118 - System Integration and Architecture
Legazpi City Module 1: Introduction to System Integration and Architecture

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.

4. Maintenance

Maintenance is an ongoing activity, which covers a wide variety of activities, including removing
program and design errors, updating documentation and test data and updating user support.
Maintenance may be categorized into three classes, namely:

1. Corrective Maintenance: This type of maintenance implies removing errors in a program, which
might have crept in the system due to faulty design or wrong assumptions. Thus, in corrective
maintenance, processing or performance failures are repaired.

2. Adaptive Maintenance: In adaptive maintenance, program functions are changed to enable the
information system to satisfy the information needs of the user.

3. Perfective Maintenance: Perfective maintenance means adding new programs or modifying the
existing programs to enhance the performance of the information system. This type of maintenance
undertaken to respond to user’s additional needs which may be due to the changes within or outside
of the organization. Outside changes are primarily environmental changes, which may in the absence
of system maintenance, render the information system ineffective and inefficient.

References:
https://simplicable.com/new/system-architecture-definition
https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/system-integration/
https://www.edrawsoft.com/article/system-architecture-diagram.html
https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=28713&seqNum=2
https://www.spiceworks.com/tech/cloud/articles/what-is-ipaas/

Instructor: Amie Dainne S. Esteves • A.Y. 2022-2023

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 Bicol University College of Science
CS/IT Department IT 118 - System Integration and Architecture
Legazpi City Module 1: Introduction to System Integration and Architecture

Self - Assessment
1. Define System Integration.

2. Define System Architecture.

3. What are the advantages of System Integration?

4. What are the System Integration and Architecture models?

5. What are the key steps of System Integration? Explain each step.

Instructor: Amie Dainne S. Esteves • A.Y. 2022-2023

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