Custom Software

Software integration services

You probably don’t need a new system. You need the ones you have to stop being strangers. Integration is often the cheapest way to fix the problem.

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The usual symptom of poor integration is a person acting as the connection between systems: taking orders from the website and typing them into the finance package, or exporting a CSV every night. Connecting those systems directly gets rid of the errors and the delays, at a fraction of the cost of replacing anything.

The hard part isn’t making the first connection. It’s what happens when things go wrong. The other system might be down for an hour. A record might fail validation. Two systems might both change the same customer at once. Good integration work settles those questions up front. Which system owns each piece of data? What gets retried, for how long, and who finds out if it keeps failing? Silent failures are the worst outcome, because you discover them weeks later as wrong numbers.

Connecting, not building

This page is about connecting systems you already use. If you need to create an interface for others to build on, see API development. For simple links between common cloud tools, off-the-shelf services such as Zapier or Make may be all you need, and we’ll tell you if so.

Signs your systems need connecting

Manual exports and imports

Someone’s job includes moving CSV files between systems every day or week.

Conflicting numbers

Sales, finance and operations each have a different answer to the same question.

Slow customer updates

Staff can’t see order status or stock without logging in to a separate system.

Integration services

Data mapping

Deciding which system owns each field, and how values translate between them.

Connectors

Reliable connections through APIs, webhooks, EDI or files, as your systems permit.

Middleware

A central layer that handles queues, transformation and retries.

Monitoring

Dashboards and alerts, so failed messages get noticed and resolved.

Older-system adapters

Connecting software that has no API, through database access or scheduled files where safe.

Where it fits

  • Web orders flowing to finance and warehouse systems
  • Syncing CRM and accounting data
  • Connecting a new product to an old core system

Technology

  • REST
  • SOAP
  • Webhooks
  • EDI
  • Laravel
  • RabbitMQ
  • Xero API
  • Shopify API
  • Salesforce API
  • Microsoft Graph

Sectors we think about here

Software Integration questions

What if one of our systems doesn’t have an API?
There are often other options, such as scheduled file exchange, database integration or a vendor’s own connector. We’d check what’s possible and what’s supported before recommending one.
What happens when an integration fails?
A well-built one queues and retries automatically, then alerts someone if it still can’t get through, so that nothing silently disappears.
Should we use an integration platform?
Platforms such as Make, Zapier or Boomi can save time on common connections. Custom integration makes more sense for complex logic, high volumes or unusual systems.

Related services

Interested in Software Integration Services?

Outline what you need, and we will reply by email with questions or next steps.

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