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What is Data Integration?
Making your separate business tools talk to each other automatically – so data flows between your CRM, accounting, ERP, and other systems without manual re-entry.
What it is
Data integration is about connecting your business systems so they share information automatically. Most mid-market companies run 10 to 20 different software tools – a CRM for sales, an ERP for operations, accounting software for finance, a marketing platform for campaigns. Without integration, each tool is an island. Staff copy data between them manually, numbers drift apart, and nobody has a complete picture. Integration means getting System A to talk to System B automatically – whether through APIs, file transfers, or middleware platforms like MuleSoft or Workato.
Why it matters for your business
A study by MuleSoft found that the average mid-market company uses 900+ distinct applications, but only 29% of them are connected. That means 71% of your business data is sitting in silos. The cost is not just inefficiency – it is decisions made on incomplete information. A $35M wholesale distributor we worked with had their sales team entering orders in the CRM, which operations then re-keyed into the ERP. That double entry was creating a 2% error rate on orders, costing them $280,000 per year in mis-shipments and credit notes. A single integration eliminated it.
How we approach it
We map every data flow across your systems – what moves where, how often, and what breaks. Then we prioritise integrations by business impact: the sales-to-finance flow that eliminates double entry, the inventory sync that prevents stockouts, the CRM-to-marketing connection that stops you emailing churned customers. We use API-first integration wherever possible, with transformation logic handled in the pipeline layer so changes are easy to track and test.
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Key Takeaways
- •The average company has hundreds of applications but only 29% are connected – meaning 71% of data sits in silos.
- •Manual data re-entry between systems creates errors. Even a 2% error rate on orders can cost hundreds of thousands annually.
- •Integration is not about replacing your tools – it is about making them share information automatically.
- •Prioritise integrations by business impact: start with the flows where manual effort or errors cost the most.