When there were systems in isolated worlds...

Integration is a universal process and if you would like to know where all it is used you can find a detailed reference in wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integration).

I intended to provide here a more technical overview of integration. So who ever really wanted to know about systems integration can go ahead reading....

it is rule of the nature that there can be no independent existence of any entity as we know it.

Integration can be broadly defined as a general category of approaches, to provide interoperability between multiple disparate, disconnected systems for seamless business process flow and improved automation and service levels.

In the current scenario of internet and service oriented architectures,  world consists of independent , distributed and modular systems providing services particular to that business domain or feature alone.

but then, each system has to share and retrieve information for data integration , interoperability and improved user experience which is critical for business process continuity.

Each systems can be implemented with technologies which are suited for that business requirement, which increases the integration scenarios in to a more complex web.

Short History

From the start of computer systems existence  there was always requirement for interaction between systems. 

With the growth of computing power and internet, the number of systems and integration requirements also rose exponentially.

Even a single organization might use separate systems, either developed in-house or licensed from a third party vendor, to manage their supply chain, customer relationships, employee information, and business logic.  

This modularization is often desirable.  In theory, breaking the task of running a business into multiple smaller functionalities allows for easy implementation of the best and newest technological advancements in each area, and quick adaptation to changing business needs.  

This modularization leaves a space between systems which has to be bridged for interoperability, information sharing, and robustness.

Integration or more specifically, Enterprise Application Integration or EAI , is born here.

..to be continued...

do let me know your comments and views, so I can improve this for the benefit of all...