Systems Integration

When all you can see are trees, we show you the forest.  We make sure that your data works for you - so you don't have to work for the data

Having the information andĀ insightĀ –Ā whereĀ it’sĀ needed, whenĀ it’sĀ needed, every time, all the time.   

WhetherĀ you’reĀ consolidating data across continents or bringing your warehouse, ERP, and CRM systems together at a single facility to support your business,Ā it’sĀ system integration.   

There’sĀ no substitute for success in systems integration unlessĀ you’reĀ willing to pay for an army of analysts, endless queries, and piles of Excel spreadsheets.   

Customers can’t wait.  If you don’t have the system to let customers findĀ Ā Ā 

their order information and ship date, your competitors do.  

If your team spends Sunday nights pulling data and making charts for the Monday morning status meeting, youĀ don’tĀ have system integration.Ā 

Data flows designed in theĀ 1960sĀ and implemented in theĀ 1980s don’t giveĀ youĀ businessĀ agility.   

There’s a discipline to system integration that comes from experience and technology awareness.Ā Ā Whether you are desperate for an immediate bridge or a permanent solution, Blackstone+Cullen’s Ā Common Business Objects modeling approach and decades of experience will deliver a win.Ā Ā Ā 

How We Help Clients

Assessment and Requirements Development

WeĀ work with ourĀ client’sĀ business teams, business owners, and system owners toĀ survey theĀ systems, business processes,Ā workflows,Ā and data in scopeĀ for the integration.Ā  WeĀ nextĀ assessĀ the full range and character ofĀ relatedĀ problems and issuesĀ involved.Ā 

We prioritize the issuesĀ identified during the assessment.Ā  We thenĀ develop specific requirements that describeĀ whichĀ data will be acquired, transformed, and made actionable.Ā  Further, we define the required uses for the data, including update frequency required.Ā 

Implementation and Testing

WeĀ work with theĀ client’sĀ IT team to build a sandbox environment for development and testing.Ā  We alsoĀ developĀ secure connections for data acquisitionĀ in the sandbox.Ā 

With the sandbox and secure access established, our team then assembles and testsĀ theĀ data interfaces required.Ā 

With data flowing into our sandbox environment, our teamĀ thenĀ prepares and tests data transformations.Ā 

We conduct a finalĀ deploymentĀ and then monitor and validate the data flows.Ā 

Design

We review theĀ detailed requirementsĀ and the assessmentĀ of systems and data alreadyĀ performed.Ā  WeĀ thenĀ catalog and model the data sources and design theĀ uniqueĀ transformations needed to provide needed data elements.Ā 

Then, we design an integrationĀ plan.Ā  The plan detailsĀ the data fromĀ each of theĀ single source of truthĀ dataĀ sources.Ā  TheĀ integration plan alsoĀ describesĀ howĀ we’llĀ use acquired data to populateĀ combinedĀ data feeds,Ā databases,Ā systems, reports, and dashboards.Ā Ā 

Finally, weĀ planĀ secureĀ access to theĀ data andĀ define theĀ requiredĀ complexĀ transformationsĀ on that data.Ā 

What We Do

Connect Existing ERP and CRM Systems

Connecting existing systemsĀ across data silos to provide new and valuable capabilities that reduce cost,Ā provide powerful insights, or dramatically improve customer experience.Ā  Using Common Business Objects methodology to enable coherent reporting.Ā Ā 

Assembling Data from Remote Systems

BuildingĀ aĀ data collectionĀ systemĀ fromĀ manyĀ geographically distributed systems to provide consolidated reportingĀ and real-time management control.Ā  Systems aggregated can range fromĀ hundreds ofĀ school attendance systems toĀ dozens ofĀ inventory management systems inĀ individualĀ distribution centers.Ā 

Data Feed Development

Gathering and transforming carefully selected data elements fromĀ variousĀ systems to deliver a mergedĀ real-timeĀ data feed.Ā Ā Downstream systems, reporting, decision-making, and machineĀ learning-basedĀ applicationsĀ can all use the created data feed.Ā  The data feed can also populate a database, enabling query-based reporting.Ā 

Deliver Data Access and Reporting During ERP & CRM Migrations

Delivering an interim solution when ongoingĀ ERP or CRM migrationĀ blocks timely access to accurate data by extracting andĀ integrating data from legacy CRM and ERPĀ systems.Ā  DataĀ combinedĀ can be used to populate data feeds, databases that support queries, and management dashboards.Ā 

Online Ordering System

Combining data from a web-based order entry system with a CRM and back-end provisioning system to build a complete customer-facing online selling system.Ā 

Project Management

Establishing a PMO andĀ staffingĀ the PMO withĀ experiencedĀ data integration projectĀ staff.Ā  Adopting standards and a project management methodology and practices for an implementation.Ā 

Solutions For All Aspects of Your Business

Our Approach

Whether you need an urgent temporary bridge or a durable permanent solution, Blackstone+Cullen's Common Business Objects modeling approach and decades of integration experience delivers results.

WeĀ manageĀ eachĀ data integrationĀ projectĀ with a realistic project plan withĀ well-definedĀ time-tested deliverables and milestones.Ā Ā Ā 

Discovery

In this step, with a known scope of work in hand, we seek out systems,Ā data sources, workflows,Ā processes, and nature and performance metrics of the desired use for integrated data.Ā  For data elements with multiple sources, weĀ seek out the single authoritative source for each data element.Ā 

Modeling

Here weĀ develop data models to describe eachĀ data sourceĀ that will contribute data to an integration.Ā  We also model the intended uses for the integrated data, such as databases or data feeds.Ā Ā As mentioned above, we model usingĀ Common Business ObjectĀ methodologyĀ to reconcile alternativeĀ representationsĀ of business objects among systems providing data to the planned integration.Ā 

Requirements Development

With an understanding of data in place, weĀ work with our client to develop detailed and unambiguous requirements for the integration work required.Ā  These will define and document theĀ team’sĀ understanding of inputs and outputs.Ā 

Design

At this stage, we connect our models to create a design for the integration.Ā  We adjust as needed to ensure thatĀ we meetĀ each requirement.Ā Ā 

Construction

We buildĀ a functionalĀ integration in a sandbox environment, using secure data acquisition to bring in data from eachĀ source system.Ā  WeĀ makeĀ and test data transformations in the sandbox as well.Ā 

Testing and Validation

After construction, we complete a testing pass and, for some clients, support user acceptance testing.Ā  We typically perform this with production data feeds coming into the sandbox environment.Ā Finally, weĀ confirm thatĀ we fulfillĀ each requirement.Ā 

Deployment

Depending on requirements, weĀ deploy our integration and transformation code to production servers and connect our outbound data feeds to downstream systems, machine learning applications, and reporting dashboards.Ā 

Monitoring

We monitor and resolve issues during the final stage of our integration projects.Ā 

Sectors We Serve

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Quality Focused, Result Driven

Impact Stories

Sustained, Unfair Competitive Advantage

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