The simple goal of data integration is to gather data from disparate sources and deliver it in a unified and consistent way. You’d think with open-source technology, cloud platforms and a more rigorous focus on UI, there would be less custom work and more off-the-shelf solutions, right? Well, sort of.
Since Dave in marketing was given autonomy to find his own solutions for analytics, he and other business units have added to the overhead that comes with applications and tools that aren’t integrated. It’s sort of like SharePoint sprawl — let’s call it silo sprawl.
It’s a common fear, according to hundreds of CIOs1. They know the cloud can help the business, but with years of struggling through data integration challenges, they’re concerned.
Most concerns surround the possibility that SaaS data will be trapped in silos, lack integration and not be able to provide business users with big picture or detailed analytics. Their biggest worry is the need to integrate their data between their different apps.
So what are some of the things you should consider before you begin to build out your data integration strategy?