What Is System Integration (SI)?

System integration is a fancy way of saying they work when you combine all the parts. But if you're like me, you might be wondering: what does it mean for a system to "work"? How do we know it's working? And why all the fuss about joining together different subsystems and components in the first place? System integration is a process that ensures the parts of a system work together. All designs are composed of subsystems that make up their full functionality. When these subsystems are combined into a system, it becomes necessary to ensure that each part functions as required to achieve the overall objective; System integration is also known as systems engineering or system design. For instance, by integrating an ERP system with a manufacturing execution system (MES) or an advanced operational planning system (AOPS), it is possible to improve factory floor efficiency and quality control by taking measurements at every production stage and recording them in the ERP system. An example of systems integration in transportation is implementing an electronic logging device (ELD) with a fleet management system. Each module performs a specific function, and the final design is formed by combining these modules. In the manufacturing sector, modular manufacturing is a process that enables the creation of a product by assembling various components and materials in a sequence. Similarly, in enterprise software development, the modular approach focuses on creating software by completing multiple functions. Modular architecture is a design principle in software development that emphasizes using self-contained and standardized software modules (or "blocks") that can be flexibly combined and recombined to form a system. The main advantage of modular software is reusability; each software module can use to solve different problems. Modularity helps reduce inventory and increase flexibility in manufacturing, as we can use modules in various products and quantities.