Which Systems Should Talk to Each Other?

A Non-Techie Integration Blueprint

Do you really need all your systems to talk to each other? If you’re like most businesses, you probably have a stack of systems:

  • A website

  • Social media channels

  • Sales and CRM tools

  • Accounting software

  • Customer service platforms

  • Marketing automation

  • Plus any industry-specific tools you rely on

Plus any industry-specific tools you rely on

It’s tempting to think: “Surely they should all be connected — the more data flows, the better, right?”

But without an integration strategy, that idea can quickly become an expensive, confusing mess.

Let's do the Maths

Imagine you have just 10 different systems. That’s not a lot — most businesses have at least that many.

If every system talks to every other system, how many connections do you need to maintain?

This is a classic combinatorics problem: how many unique pairs can you make from 10 systems?

That means you’d have 45 separate integrations to build and maintain. 45! That’s 45 ways things can break, become out of sync, or create duplicate data.

Here's the Reality Check

When systems are connected without a strategy:

  • Information gets duplicated, altered, or lost.

  • It’s harder to trust the data.

  • You spend time fixing problems instead of serving customers.

The truth is, not every system needs to talk to every other system.

So, Which Systems Should Talk to each other

A smart integration strategy starts with your processes, not your tech stack. Ask yourself:

  • What are your core business processes?

  • Which systems do they flow through from start to finish?

  • At each step which system is the source of truth for the data?

Mapping your end-to-end processes helps you see:

  • Where information truly needs to move.

  • Which systems should be integrated — and which don’t need to be.

  • Where a central integration hub or data warehouse might reduce complexity.

Key Takeaway

  • Connect as many systems as you need - but no more than that.

  • Design integrations around your business processes, not around your tools

Ready to Simplify Your Integrations

This is exactly what we help businesses do: build clear, sustainable integration blueprints - no tech jargon, just practical solutions that keep your data clean and your people productive.

Want to know where to start? Book a discover call by clicking the button below

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