Systems integration for the work that matters.
Product data, content, customer signals and enquiries belong in a working process. We design and build connections between CMS, PIM, DAM, CRM and commerce, including what happens when a system fails.
An interface is useful when the whole process works.
A website confirms an enquiry, but it never reaches the CRM. A product update arrives, but search still shows the old information. These handovers need more than a connector. We start with the business process: what must arrive in which system, when, and with what confirmation? This defines the data model, interfaces and operating requirements.
Reliable workflows for marketing and IT
Well-designed integration can reduce manual transfers and conflicting data. It makes successful steps and necessary intervention visible. Creative Engineering connects the customer interaction with the systems behind it. An appealing interface and a successful API response are not enough if the enquiry gets lost afterwards.
Before the first API: agree who owns the data
We identify the authoritative system for each business field. A product identifier must mean the same thing in the CMS, shop and reporting. Prices, approvals, consent and deletion decisions each need a defined source.
We then agree a data contract: required fields, identifiers, format, version, permitted access and expected freshness. We also define how missing or conflicting values are handled. This provides the foundation for an integration that can evolve.
Four questions every integration must answer
What happens when a message repeats?
Repeated delivery must not accidentally create a second lead or order. Unique operation identifiers and explicit handling of retries belong in the design.
What happens when a system fails?
We define timeouts, controlled retries and where failed operations are held. A responsible person needs a clear notification and a way to resolve the issue.
What happens when a contract changes?
New fields and interface changes are tested against agreed contracts. Existing consumers should not fail unnoticed because another team changes a data format.
What happens after withdrawal or deletion?
We establish which connected systems are affected and how completion is confirmed. Data minimisation, permissions and retention belong in the workflow from the outset.
Example: distribute an approved product update
In one possible architecture, the PIM announces an approved change. The integration validates the product identifier and market, updates the agreed CMS fields and initiates any necessary editorial review. Approved changes then reach the relevant delivery channels and search indexes.
Acceptance also covers a duplicate message, an unavailable search service and a withdrawn approval. A log shows the operation’s progress across systems.
Direct API, integration platform or events?
A direct API can suit a bounded synchronous task. An integration platform can operate recurring connections centrally. Event-driven workflows can help when several systems should react to a change without all being available at the same moment.
We compare clarity, troubleshooting, load, operating responsibility and total cost. A modular setup is not automatically simpler. A process the team can demonstrably operate matters more than the number of tools involved.
AI agents need the same boundaries
When an agent invokes tools through an API or MCP, permissions, data contracts and approvals still apply. Read access, prepared changes and production actions receive separate permissions. Credentials do not belong in freely editable prompts.
We assess which information may reach a model provider and how tool calls remain traceable. Failed calls must be recognisable as failures. A plausible text response is not confirmation that a business operation completed.
How we deliver
Trace the workflow
Follow one operation through the relevant systems. Output: sources, handovers and the points where work or information is currently lost.
Agree the contract
Define fields, identifiers, permissions and freshness. Output: an agreed data contract and planned failure handling.
Build one connection
Implement a bounded workflow in a suitable test environment. Output: traceable inputs, processing steps and responses.
Test failure cases
Check duplicate messages, missing required fields and unavailable systems. Output: documented findings and testable acceptance.
Prepare operations
Agree monitoring, ownership and exception handling. Output: an operating guide and a prioritised plan for further connections.
Questions about systems integration
Sources and technical context
- Twilio Segment: Connections
Collecting and routing event data to destinations.
- Magnolia Answers: Integration
An example of a CMS integration using webhooks and REST.
Show us the handover that is holding you up.
Tell us which systems are involved and describe one concrete operation. Together, we can scope the first connection and the criteria for accepting it.
Discuss your integrationSelected website and platform projects
These Drupal projects show selected aspects of our platform work. Each case describes its own scope.
PEPSI
Pepsi.com: Drupal relaunch for the US market
Lipton
UK Website Launch for the Kombucha Range
poppi
UK Website Launch
A useful first step with a clear scope.
We agree the deliverables, inputs, acceptance criteria and costs before starting. A first conversation helps identify the right engagement.
Platform review
One CMS, one customer journey and one editorial workflow. Receive prioritised improvements and a reasoned recommendation for your next step.
Discuss: Platform reviewCMS and AI pilot
One content type, one source and one review path. Assess accuracy, usability and revision effort within a bounded workflow.
Discuss: CMS and AI pilotUX and implementation pilot
Improve a key customer journey. Use a prototype and agreed user tests to inform the implementation decision.
Discuss: UX and implementation pilotMake your expertise visible
Bring expert knowledge, supporting evidence and original material into a useful content page and agreed adaptations.
Discuss expert content