System integration is the process of connecting seperate systems withn an organisation in order to create opportunities for over arching functionality and visibility.

This process of aligning systems is becoming ever more important commercially for businesses to realise additional competitive advantage and in the public sector where visibility of information (connected government) is becoming a necessity.

Specific examples vary wildly depending on the specific form of the organisations integrating. For example, in business a common integration is from a sales system into a stock ordering system, reducing the resources for purchasing functions and improving JIT delivery.

In the public sector criminal databases can be connected in order provide greater granularity, and the NHS is creating the Electronic Patient Record which can make patient details available through many systems throughout the NHS.

A major source of system integration stems from the web. Most companies now see the economic and customer service benefits of providing sales and support through web portals.

In many companies the web portal has become a major central role in integrating systems and replacing legacy systems. Web architecture has partly by design and partly through its natural evolution provided an interface for applications to work internally in the office (intranets), and extend functionality to staff outside the office (extranets) whilst also providing public and customer access (internet portal).

The interfaces, logic, and databases of this architecture can link into virtually any system. Most of Nexus’ development methodology is based on this open architecture.

Nexus can realise value in existing systems by integrating with them and creating over arching functionality. An intranet system built for the London Borough of Southwark has been successfully drawing on financial data from systems across the borough in order to provide visibility of expenditure to decision makers.

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