The web integrator is a partner who provides a guarantee to the client that the project will comply with the agreed specifications. The web integrator is responsible for coordinating all of the necessary activities.

Also, you should not miss the previous part of the article series about web integration – What is web integration? It is a must-read!

What a web integrator does?

The web integrator coordinates the work of all those involved in a web integration project. In practice this usually involves:

• client’s marketing department,
• the advertising or PR agency of the client,
• the client’s internal systems manager (client IT department or authorized supplier, or system integrator),
• supplier(s) of external data,
• development team – internal or external,
• solution operators (hosting services),
• external specialists (fields where the Internet is used).

The diagram below depicts the principles of client communication with the web integrator, which is in turn responsible for communication with those in the related fields. In practice, there is direct operational contact between individual experts in various areas.

The web integrator’s role is to ensure that the work of all those concerned are in incompliance with the project as a whole. In particular, the web operator should be responsible for the achievement of all of the specified (commercial or otherwise) benefits for the client.

The limits and responsibility of web integrator activities

Unlike the system integrator, the web integrator’s activities include marketing and communications, and new fields where the Internet is used. However, these fields do not include aspects related to internal systems, such as data stores, DMS, ERP, and similar areas. Web integrators and system integrators most often work together when defining interfaces with the internal systems of the clients; such systems should be used when creating a web solution and when designing optimization of the processes affected.

In contrast to those of a digital agency, the web integrator’s responsibilities also include the connection of internal systems and a higher development level of specific functionality.  As with a system integrator, a web integrator can work with a digital agency regarding marketing, and fields where the Internet is used.

Solution development

In terms of timing, web projects that require a web integrator are often medium to long-term. Throughout the entire project, they also expect that the web integrator will be able to ensure the capacity to develop the solution, in any related field. The web integrator must also be capable of guaranteeing response times for new client orders and in areas where processes are critical, as well as the overall accessibility of services, including guaranteed times for service responses, which are covered by a Service Level Agreement (SLA).

The web integrator keenly follows web trends and monitors the results of web analyses and user behavior. On this basis of such information, the integrator is actively involved in suggesting appropriate measures for the devised web solutions, taking into consideration the original or continuously updated goals of the project. These activities involve several professional fields; again there is a need to coordinate them.

The key to the overall success of the project lies is determined by the quality of the development plan and its compliance with the defined targets.

The technical operation of the solution

A solution requires the right operating environment.  In practice, three situations typically arise use of the client’s operating system, operation on the web integrator’s system, or a third party system A combination of these three may be possible, but in all cases, the web integrator can help with designing suitable architecture, sizing, security and accessibility of the entire solution, so that it reflects the importance of the whole project or specific parts of it.

You can now follow the next part – the article called: Do you need a web integrator?