--- title: "APPLICATION INTEGRATION​" description: "ACTIVITY AREAS. Application Integration. The full achievement of goals cannot always be kept separated from the need to integrate the software with other IT systems already in use. This depends on the..." url: https://www.elfo.net/en/application-integration/ date: 2022-03-03 modified: 2026-07-01 author: "Admin" image: https://www.elfo.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/System-integration.png type: page lang: en --- # APPLICATION INTEGRATION​ ## ACTIVITY AREAS # Application Integration The full achievement of goals cannot always be kept separated from the need to integrate the software with other IT systems already in use. This depends on the ability to connect the essential elements. Since the possibility of integrating, sending and receiving data from heterogeneous IT systems has always been considered as primary importance, ELFO has developed a special module which guarantees also the integration with such kind of information. ## WHAT YOU CAN INTEGRATE ## Which systems can integrate? **A****ny existing software object**, both at the customer’s site **(On-Premises)**, and hosted online **(On Cloud)** can be an integration player. ELFO has a wide experience of integration, both with **standard products **(such as Office 365, SAP, Dynamics, AS400, etc.) and with third-parties **custom systems**. ![ELFO System Integration](https://www.elfo.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Soggetto-Integrazione-300x227.png) ## ON EVENT / BATCH ## How does integration work? The integration between IT Systems can be defined according to different modes either based on events occurrence **(On Event) **or on scheduled timings **(batch/scheduled).** With the first scenario, every time something happens, the integration notifies third party systems at the occurrence, starting and establishing an active communication. When existing systems lack this capability, it is always possible to retrieve information and data from those systems in a scheduled manner. ![ELFO ACTIVITY AREAS - System Integration - polling](https://www.elfo.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/polling.png) ![ELFO ACTIVITY AREAS - System Integration - webhook](https://www.elfo.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/webhook.png) ## SYSTEM INTEGRATION ## Technologies Although it is preferable to use standard technologies, it is important to emphasize that, since the software solution is developed according to the specific needs, ELFO has the necessary expertise to provide different integration methods, even non-standard ones. When possible, however, the integration implementation between systems is defined through the use of modern standard technologies such as **API**, **WebApi REST** or **Web Services SOAP**, **WebHook**. ![ELFO ACTIVITY AREAS - System Integration - api & soap-web-service](https://www.elfo.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/api-soap-web-service.png) ![ELFO ACTIVITY AREAS - System Integration - rest api & webhook](https://www.elfo.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rest-api-webhook.png) ## APPLICATION INTEGRATION ## Customer benefits​ The main customer benefit is to **preserve the value of the investments **in the software tools, **maximize the performance** and effectiveness of each tool, **minimize manual operations** managing the same data on a plurality of systems, always **have consistent and coherent systems.** ![Competitive Advantage](https://www.elfo.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Vantaggio-Competitivo-300x240.png) ## APPLICATION INTEGRATION ## Already integrated solutions ![System integration integrated solutions](https://www.elfo.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Soluzioni-gia-integrate.svg) ## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ### Application Integration highlights ### What is system integration and why do companies need it? **System integration** is the discipline of connecting separate applications, databases and platforms so they exchange data automatically, without manual re-entry. Every industrial company accumulates a heterogeneous IT stack over time: an **ERP** on one side, a dozen departmental tools (document systems, Outlook workflows, spreadsheets, client portals) on the other. Without **application integration**, status updates are copied by hand between environments, creating version mismatches and decisions made on stale data. Connecting those systems protects existing technology investments and removes the bottlenecks that slow down operations, whether in food manufacturing, energy, medical devices or oil and gas. ### How do I connect business systems that don't talk to each other? ELFO bridges incompatible systems by building an **integration layer** that translates messages between them using **APIs**, **REST**, **SOAP** or **WebHooks**, with no changes required to the source applications. Two operating modes are available: **On Event**, where data flows in real time when a trigger fires (document issued, order closed, status updated), and **Batch**, which synchronises records on a scheduled interval. This means your ERP, your **document management platform** and your Outlook-based workflow share a consistent data set, removing **double entry** and conflicting records. The same approach serves a valve manufacturer uploading transmittals as much as a food producer syncing quality records across plants. ### Can you integrate software with SAP, Dynamics or AS400 without replacing them? Yes, and not only with those. ELFO integrates with **any system** already in place: **SAP**, **Microsoft Dynamics**, **AS400** and **Office 365** are simply the most common, but the same holds for any **ERP**, vertical application or legacy platform. Nothing gets replaced: the application logic in production is preserved and connectivity is added where it is missing. Where an official connector or **API** exists, ELFO uses it; where a **legacy system** exposes no standard interface, a bespoke adapter is built to match its protocols. This **ERP integration** approach applies in any sector: process manufacturing, retail logistics or industrial equipment. ### How do you keep a single source of truth across multiple systems? A **single source of truth** is maintained by designating one authoritative system per data entity, then propagating every change to downstream platforms through **controlled synchronisation flows**. Working on superseded revisions is the leading cause of rework in project-based manufacturing, a problem as familiar to an energy equipment supplier as to a medical device manufacturer. A well-designed **application integration** architecture ensures that when a document status or order record changes in the master system, every connected environment, from the document controller platform to the EPC portal, receives the update consistently and with a traceable audit trail. ### How long does a system integration project take? Duration depends on the number of systems involved, the protocols in use and the availability of **documented APIs** for each endpoint. A point-to-point connection between two modern applications with standard **REST** interfaces completes significantly faster than a multi-system project that includes AS400 or undocumented legacy protocols.