The real problem isn't missing software
It's rare for a business to be missing a system it needs. What's actually missing is the connection between the systems it already has — the CRM that doesn't talk to the accounting package, the e-commerce platform that doesn't update the spreadsheet someone still checks by hand, the database that only one person knows how to query. Integration work closes that gap.
What "integration" covers in practice
APIs where they exist, direct database access where they don't, scheduled syncs where real-time isn't needed, and — just as often — matching the same real-world thing (a customer, a product, an order) across two systems that each describe it slightly differently. That matching problem is usually the actual work, not the plumbing.
What this looks like when it's real
A live example: Cheepaz has to recognize the same grocery product across three separate supermarket retailers before any price comparison means anything — that matching-before-automating problem is the same one behind most integration work. A harder variant shows up in parts catalog aggregation, where some of the data only exists behind a supplier login.