Glossary · IT & systems
API / integration
The way systems talk to each other, so you don't have to enter your data twice.
An API is the way two systems talk to each other. Through such a link, one system passes data on to the other without a person having to sit in between. An integration is the whole set of such links between your systems.
The practical benefit is considerable. When your online shop, your stock system and your accounting are linked, you only need to enter an order once. The rest happens automatically. Without a link, someone retypes the same data into every system, with all the risk of errors that comes with it.
Integrations help determine how mature your digital operations are. Systems that run separately and don't talk to each other keep your organisation small. Well-connected systems let information flow to where it is needed.
