System integrations that move data so nobody has to.
System integration work is making separate systems share data without a person moving it. It means connecting legacy databases, custom APIs, payment rails and third-party SaaS tools so a record created in one place appears in the others without an export, an upload or a re-typed row.
It is the least glamorous of the three services in this section, and usually the one that removes the most manual work.
- Event Streaming Backbone
- Serverless Compute
- Durable Workflow Engine
- Modern API Layer
Typical timeline: two to four weeks for an enterprise connector.
Somebody is the integration
In most companies the connection between two systems is a person with a spreadsheet and a recurring calendar entry.
The same record, entered twice
A customer exists in the CRM, the accounting system and the ERP, and somebody keeps all three in step by hand. Integration removes the second and third typing.
CSV as an integration strategy
Exporting from one system and uploading to another works until it is forgotten, run twice, or run against yesterday’s file.
Two systems, two versions of the truth
Without bidirectional sync, a change made in one place quietly diverges from the other until someone notices a discrepancy.
Legacy systems nobody wants to touch
Undocumented databases and older APIs are usually the reason a process is still manual. They can be connected; it is just where the time goes.
Overnight batches for real-time decisions
A change that takes until tomorrow to appear elsewhere is a change people work around. Event streaming closes that gap.
Integrations that lose data when something breaks
A downstream system going offline should delay an event, not drop it. Durable workflow state is the difference.
From a change in one system to a change in another
- 01
The systems are mapped
What holds which record, which is authoritative for each field, and where the current manual step sits. This is the part that determines whether the rest is simple.
- 02
A change raises an event
Rather than polling or copying on a schedule, a change in a source system emits an event onto the streaming backbone as it happens.
- 03
The pipeline picks it up
Serverless compute handles the transformation, so the work scales with the event volume rather than running against a fixed provisioned box.
- 04
Work is held durably
A durable workflow engine holds in-flight work, so a downstream system being unavailable delays an event rather than losing it.
- 05
The target is updated through an API layer
Writes go through a modern API layer rather than direct database access, which is what keeps the integration maintainable when either side changes.
- 06
And back the other way
Syncing is bidirectional, so a change made in either system reaches the other rather than one being permanently downstream.
What usually needs connecting
The work is worth doing wherever a person is currently the mechanism by which two systems agree.
ERP, CRM and accounting
The common case: three systems that each hold part of the same customer and currently reconcile through a spreadsheet.
Legacy database connectivity
Bringing an older system that still runs the business into a modern pipeline without replacing it first.
Payment rails
Connecting external payment providers so settlement data reaches the ledger without a manual reconciliation step.
SaaS tool consolidation
Third-party tools that hold operational data nobody else can see, connected so the data is usable elsewhere.
How we approach the build
The connector is rarely the hard part. Deciding which system is authoritative for each field, and what should happen when one of them is wrong, is.
- System map and field-level authority agreed before any connector is written
- Event-driven from the start rather than a scheduled copy retrofitted later
- Failure behaviour decided explicitly: what retries, what holds, what alerts
- Bidirectional sync where both systems are genuinely edited
- Typically two to four weeks for an enterprise connector
Bidirectional
A change in either system reaches the other, in real time rather than overnight.
Fault tolerant
A system going offline delays an event rather than dropping it.
Frequently asked questions
What is system integration work?
Making separate systems share data without a person moving it. It means connecting legacy databases, custom APIs, payment rails and third-party SaaS tools so that a record created in one place appears in the others without an export, an upload or a re-typed row.
What kinds of systems can you connect?
Legacy databases, custom and third-party APIs, external payment rails and SaaS tools. The common cases are ERP, CRM and accounting systems that each hold part of the same picture and currently reconcile through spreadsheets.
How does data stay consistent across systems?
Through event-driven pipelines rather than scheduled copies. A change raises an event, the pipeline applies it, and syncing is bidirectional in real time, which is what keeps two systems from holding different versions of the same record.
What happens when one of the systems is down?
The pipeline is fault tolerant and work is held by a durable workflow engine, so an integration does not lose events because a downstream system was unavailable. Processing resumes rather than restarting from a gap.
Is the sync real-time or batched?
Real-time and bidirectional. An event streaming backbone carries changes as they happen, with serverless compute handling the work, which is what removes the overnight-batch delay between a change and it being visible elsewhere.
How long does a connector take to build?
Typically two to four weeks for an enterprise connector. Well-documented modern APIs sit at the shorter end; undocumented legacy systems are where the time goes, and that is assessed before the work is scoped.
Tell us which spreadsheet holds it together
Twenty minutes, with an engineer rather than a salesperson. Name the two systems and the person who keeps them in step, and we will tell you what connecting them actually involves — including when the honest answer is that it is not worth it.