Integration Fatigue Is Real—But It Doesn’t Have to Be

Date:

Apr 22, 2025

Xavier Geerinck, a seasoned data expert, highlighted this clearly in our second episode of LuminaTalks, "The Future of AI: Why MCP will kill legacy integrations?"

"80% of developer work today revolves around integration. Companies spend enormous resources just making software communicate, instead of innovating. In our experience, companies that excel in integration don't just operate more efficiently—they lead their markets because they can innovate faster."

Episode link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw4aMPPy9eI

Why Integration Is Still the Elephant in the SaaS Room

Across HR, finance, ATS systems, and beyond, the biggest productivity killer today isn’t the lack of tools—it’s how poorly they integrate.

We felt this firsthand at Summ.link. Our HR stack included nine different tools. The result? Duplicate work, broken processes, and rising frustration. Errors crept in. Communication lagged. Time and money were lost—not because the tools were bad, but because they didn’t connect.

What Happens When Integration Fails

When systems don’t talk:

Payroll mistakes happen
Compliance risks go unnoticed
Team morale drops because of repeated manual tasks
Business growth slows down—not from a lack of ideas, but because execution gets tangled in tech

This isn’t rare. It’s happening everywhere.

The “Lego Principle”: How We Rebuilt From the Inside Out

At Summ.link, we rebuilt with one goal: make our systems feel like Lego blocks. Easy to connect, remove, and rebuild—without everything falling apart.

Here’s how you can apply that thinking:

Choose tools with open APIs. If the tool doesn’t integrate well, it won’t scale well.
Use middleware early. Tools like Zapier or Mulesoft aren’t just add-ons—they’re strategic foundations.
Create a unified data layer. One version of the truth, accessible across the board.
Design modular systems. Don’t lock yourself into one vendor’s ecosystem. Build with flexibility in mind.

Integration Isn’t Just a Tech Problem—It’s a Growth Strategy

Smooth integration means less downtime and faster iteration. It’s about creating the freedom to build and evolve, without wrestling tech every step of the way.

Companies that figure this out don’t just survive—they lead.

Because when you spend less time connecting tools, you have more time to connect ideas.

We’re moving toward a more connected future—with protocols like MCP (Model Context Protocol) and smarter interoperability standards just around the corner. If your systems are still stuck in the past, you risk missing what’s coming.

Integration isn’t a checkbox. It’s your competitive edge.