System integrations - what are they needed for?

System integration means combining two or more previously separate systems to each other so they can communicate and transfer data without blockages. The need for an integration often stems from the realization that manual data handling could be automated, which would make some job functions much more efficient. If you use the same programs in your day-to-day life, there is a substantial chance that you could benefit from system integrations.

We chatted with Jens, our system integration specialist. Here’s what he had to say:

Hello Jens! What are system integrations needed for?

Hi! Integrations often aim to automate manual labor. By combining different systems with each other we can create channels for distributing data without any human interference. Integrations are also the solution when you want to connect your software with some third party system.

An example of such integrations is integrating your employee time tracking system to your accounting software in order to make resource planning much more efficient.

What are some of the most used tools here at BeanBakers?

Currently our most used technologies for integrations are Apache Camel and more specifically Camel Quarkus. Apache Camel is a framework developed specifically for system integrations and Quarkus adds container technologies among other useful tools to the stack

Apache Camel comes with over 280 ready-made components for data handling. These components include for example the basic FTP, HTTP and REST functionalities but also easy-to-use solutions for working with modern cloud services, such as AWS Simple Email Service or Azure Blob Storage.

Some bigger projects have been completed by just using Spring Boot, which is the perfect fit when working with integrations or data handling on an application using the Vaadin platform for its frontend. The most important thing is that we always choose our tools based on the specific project.

Sounds good! Could you tell us a bit about your latest integration project?

Sure, so the first thing that comes to mind is an email campaign integration that was built for a customer. They wanted to automate the process of creating and sending personalized emails to their users, so we created an integration between various systems that all contained relevant data.

The project began, as usual, with a kickoff meeting in which we thoroughly discussed the customer’s needs, appropriate technologies, API documentation and anything else that we needed to know in order to start the development process.

We followed a systematic and efficient process. Each week we sat down with the customer at least once to discuss what had been completed since our last meeting and what we will be working on until our next meeting. This is also the time and place to go over possible obstacles and anything else regarding the project.

When the development side of things started to look finished, we handed the software over to the customer for acceptance testing.

A pretty usual project then?

Mostly yes, but one thing that was a bit unusual was that the customer had very specific understanding and thorough specifications ready for the system. Usually this is not the case, and it doesn’t have to be. We’re present during the planning phase so the customer company doesn’t have to worry about how to build the best integration for their use-case.

Can BeanBakers offer something after the integration is complete?

Sure! We are happy to help with deployment, maintenance and updates. It is very important for us that the development we do results in a system that the customer can easily start using. We also have the capability to train the customer organization’s employees on working with Camel and Quarkus technologies.

Sounds good, thank you Jens!

No problem!