At its core, every business is fundamentally a collection of five interdependent parts that each flow into the next. The ability to conduct mission-critical business routines and meet top-level goals depends on the uninterrupted, seamless interoperability between these processes, hence the increasing focus on business integration.
However, many organisations are still struggling to overcome the silo mentality, in which each business process operates independently and tends to avoid sharing information. Much of the time, this is down to an inability to consolidate and simplify increasingly complex technology environments at a growing scale. The results are increased operational costs, higher resource consumption, and the emergence of numerous single points of failure that can result in an otherwise trivial issue having far-reaching consequences.
The ContinuSys Integrated Business Management System (IBMS) is a collection of integrated web and mobile apps that seeks to solve this problem. It stores all data in a single database that is readily accessible in a virtual server securely hosted in Amazon Web Services (AWS), where it is segregated from all other clients.
ContinuSys is built on the concept of uninterrupted business operations, hence its name. The goal of the platform is to enable businesses to operate smoothly and efficiently and minimise disruption due to factors that would otherwise jeopardise normal operations. This makes it a valuable solution for maintaining normal business operations, speeding up disaster recovery, and reducing both short- and long-term risks.
Building an Integrated Operational Environment
Routine business operations may be broadly characterised by the five key components that lead into the next to meet top-level goals:
Value creation – Discovering what customers want or need, and then creating value in the form of a compelling product or service.
Marketing – Attracting attention and build a strong brand reputation by communicating the value created effectively.
Sales – Turning prospects into paying customers by nurturing them through the sales funnel and completing transactions.
Value delivery – Ensuring customers have what has been promised and providing ongoing support to maximise customer success.
Finance – Managing balance sheets and allocating financial resources according to company goals and priorities.
These business components can then further be distilled down into 10 fundamental processes, all of which must work together to establish a strong value chain:
- Marketing
- Human resources
- Governance
- Financial analysis
- Management
- Sales
- Product and service development
- Product and service delivery
- Accounting
- Technology
By managing these processes in a holistic environment, ContinuSys brings together People, Assets, Finance, and Time, all of which work together to produce Information which, in turn, requires Governance – or PAFTCIG.
How Does Integration Improve Your Business?
Many businesses find themselves struggling to tackle the problem of so-called dark data, in which most of their data goes unused for analytics and insights. In such an environment, each department operates in a bubble, in which various technological and operational barriers get in the way of collaboration and innovation. This problem tends to be particularly severe in larger companies working across multiple branches, distributed workforces, and increasingly disparate technology environments.
ContinuSys Integrated Business Management Software breaks down the barriers to streamline business processes and operations while limiting single points of failure and simplifying disaster recovery and business continuity. Here is what that means for your business:
Smarter Decision-Making Capabilities
By bringing all business data together in a single database hosted in the cloud, everyone has access to the same information. Data is the most valuable asset of any modern organisation, and the ability to turn it into insights that drive evidence-based decision-making across every level of the business can generate enormous value.
An integrated data environment serves as a single source of truth (SSOT) throughout the business. This does not only help employees and business leaders make more informed decisions – it also allows them to make quicker decisions in a time when business priorities and demands can shift suddenly and with minimal notice.
Stronger Communication And Collaboration
Businesses with disparate data and technology environments often have difficulties when it comes to communication and collaboration. With limited access to real-time data and insights, there are far more likely to be conflicting sources of information, and it takes much more time to collect enough information to make informed decisions.
Business integration makes it easier to share information and, since everyone has access to the same information, there is a greatly reduced chance of conflicts in management. Moreover, teams can collaboration quickly and more efficiently by accessing the same cloud-hosted data, rather than having to exchange emails and wait for replies.
Enhanced Productivity and Efficiency
If employees are spending hours looking for data, rather than using it, then they are wasting valuable time. In addition, a lack of interoperability between data systems results in frustration and burnout for employees who would rather have the time to focus on more rewarding goals. As a result, productivity takes a substantial hit, and employee churn starts to rise.
By bringing everything together, employees spend less time wading through huge data sets and more time making informed decisions that add real value to the business. This also eases the burden on management, since business leaders will have full visibility into everything that is happening throughout the organisation, instead of hunting down things like late reports.
Sustainable Business Growth
Rapidly growing companies risk becoming victims of their own success if they get entangled in complex data and technology environments. This can easily end up leading in a boom-and-bust scenario in which it becomes impossible to keep up with demand. At the same time, they end up wasting resources and stifling profitability.
Business integration helps fuel the circular economy, which is regenerative by design and highly beneficial to the environment, society, and the business itself. After all, it is much more cost-effective and sustainable to manage and use a single integrated platform than a disparate range of apps and systems.
The ContinuSys Difference
Considering these benefits, an integrated business management system has become crucial for any organisation seeking to promote sustainable growth in today’s competitive landscape. The ContinuSys team has worked tirelessly to bring you a more efficient way to do business with an integrated suite of web and mobile apps that gives everyone on your team the chance to operate at their very best.
Contact us to learn more about the capabilities of ContinuSys IBMS or register for a free trial today!