What we do

We optimize systems!

The first benefit of systems integration is streamlining and aggregation of all correlated data. This helps in simplifying retrieval and processing of the data across the various subsystems. Reporting and data consistency is improved and this drives decision making in the organization.

Another area where integration helps is the ready accessibility of data. No need to manually sync across if integration is part of the automation process. For instance, when a partner or a reseller needs to claim backend rebates from a vendor in a particular sector, various data need to be collated from different endpoints, from end user, to reseller to vendor with various figures in order to accurately compute various rebates. Doing this manually takes time and has lots of inaccuracies.

Efficiency and boosted productivity as a result of eliminated manual data entry. Sensors in a datacenter or data from UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) systems can easily be synchronized to help mitigate system downtime or any faults in the production environment. Logs can easily be analyzed from various sources automatically following various algorithmic patterns without having to wait for manual data input or still, feed it to your Systems Operations Manager for easier analysis and reporting.

In terms of data storage, a single warehouse can be maintained as a benefit of integration. This reduces cost and exposure that comes with maintaining multiple data storage spaces for the same data. With reduced footprint, management, analysis and reporting becomes less of a headache.

Our Approach

We follow seven steps as an organizational approach in systems integration. No basic standard exists in integration since every company or institution uses different subsystems to achieve different goals.

1. Requirements Analysis

The first and crucial step in systems integration is determining and documenting in detail the client’s expectations of the integrated systems. This will determine the actual scope of work. Systems inventory and or assessment may be necessary before this step. Other reference materials like systems audit reports may also help with better guidance.

2. Feasibility Analysis

This is the operational feasibility. Various tests may be done at this stage to help the customer ascertain the feasibility of the project and the tangible benefits to the organization. The integration design never takes place until the customer confirms integration project feasibility.

3. System Integration Design

Next, the system integrator develops a strategy to integrate the various components into a single, unified system that functions as a whole. This gives better visibility into the actual project scope and the customer can raise any concerns on security or perceived performance lapses. The actual system integration is based on the architectural design, ensuring that there is no data loss. Further tests can be done at this stage to gain better control of any code, routine, service, API etc used in undertaking the actual integration.

4. Management Plan

After the architecture has been designed, the management team collaborates with the relevant teams to create a timeline for integration, determine alternate options and calculate potential risks. The entire project management happens here and a clear plan is shared with the client.

5. Implementation

This is the actual integration work done by the Kensuluhu team as per the schedule provided in Step 4. Once the integration is complete, the systems are verified and tested for bugs and errors. Any bugs detected are fixed and the operational testing is done once more to make sure that the integrated system is free of any errors.

6. Documentation and Handover Training

Once the implementation process is complete, we provide two levels of documentation; the first is shorter simple documentation that can be easily understood by non-IT staff and the second is the detailed technical reference used by IT staff to support the system and gain in-depth understanding of the same. Training covers both basic and technical aspects covered in the documentation before the final project handover to the customer.

7. Maintenance and Support

After documentation and handover, Kensuluhu does not just run away! We stick around to support you as guarantee that the system stabilizes over a couple of weeks or months. We standardize this at 90 days with a possibility of an extension. During this window, we can do any requested adjustments within scope, firmware upgrades, further testing, document amendments etc. at no extra cost. Yes, we are that good!

Optimization Redefined!

As Kensuluhu, we not only just optimize your system but also help you inventory, meter and assess all systems in production so together we can enhance their capability to the extent that all components operate at and above user expectations. The approach and methodology used varies from system to system, customer to customer and also any existing constraints and vendor upgrades.

Integration Redefined!

Having played in this space for some time, many times an optimization ends up in an integration especially in large organizations. Human Resource department for instance wants to automatically generate an alert to IT department to configure office door and Active Directory access for a new hire. This means creating a workflow in HRIS (Human Resource Information System) that communicates with the IT ticketing system or directly with the office security system. This improves efficiency since the only other option would be to call IT Helpdesk or send an email. Calls may go unpicked, and mails may take time to be addressed. That is not efficient.

Below are the most common integrations we do in the market:

Legacy System Integration

There are scenarios where organizations maintain legacy systems after migrating to new systems. For audit requirements, this data has to be maintained for many years to come. There is also the concern of avoiding disruptions of the day-to-day operations.

This process enables the modernization of legacy systems by facilitating a seamless communication channel with newer technology solutions and information systems.

Enterprise Application Integration

When businesses scale, they tend to incorporate more enterprise applications to streamline their front-end and back-office processes. This results in many disparate applications that do not share any point of convergence and store volumes of data separately. EAI combines these different subsystems into a single business environment and facilitates the real-time exchange of data between different applications.

Data Integration

At this time and age, many organizations store data from a lot of different sources and databases. There is sales and marketing data from CRM systems, staff attendance data from HRIS, accounting, distribution and manufacturing data from ERP and many others. Integration in this context enables the customer to gather data from all different services and aggregate and transform it into a central point of access to facilitate interactive reporting.

Business-to-Business Integration

In this scenario integration covers the automation of business communication and processes between multiple organizations. This integration enables these companies to trade and work more efficiently with their business partners, suppliers and customers through business process automation.

An example here is a basic mobile app for automatically placing orders via an API or Business Objects on fast moving goods as soon as vendor manufacturing execution happens on a given Bill of Material (BOM) and goods have been transferred to Finished Goods Warehouse (FGW). This saves smaller customers from implementing more complex systems and they can effectively check on their inventory by constantly monitoring their reorder levels. Logistics also become easier to plan, with another integrated system linked to Google Maps.

Electronic document interchange (EDI)

Electronic data interchange (EDI) is the intercompany exchange of business documents in a standardized format. Alternatively, EDI can be described as the standard electronic format that companies use to replace their paper-based documents such as invoices or purchase orders. Automating paper-based transactions helps companies not only save time but also avoid costly errors that might result from manual processing.

System Documentation

Our system documentation process cover the areas below:

System Manuals

These are simple user manuals that are either embedded onto the company portal, intranet, SharePoint or hosted by us for non-technical staff reference, new staff induction and changed role induction. It's very basic, step by step with illustrations.

Technical Manuals

For IT staff reference, more details are required even source code references for the case where basic amendments are necessary. These are also important for business continuity and system audit concerns. We can do Business Continuity Planning (BCP) documentation as well as various IT policies.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

Common in any organization, these are guides on how to get the job done, especially when the process is repetitive. SOP for employee training helps to reduce risk and incidents and ensure a safer workplace depending on the industry.

Other SOP benefits include; getting clarification on the task at hand, getting consistent results and better service output, reducing chances for costly errors due to miscommunication, ensuring compliance and reducing product recall or warranty claim rates etc. This is a gateway to ISO certification!

Crane Lifting Schedule Automation

We used to spend over $50,000 annually to get services from a provider in South Africa for generating Crane Lift Schedules. This made us quote very uncompetitively in leasing and hiring out our cranes within East Africa. Kensuluhu helped us integrate all the formulae so with parameters like crane model, land gradient etc, we are able to get the entire schedule with maximum lifts, swings etc. We are now able to quote better and make more sales! Asante sana Mr. Titus and team!

- Happy Customer

Kenya

System Support

For systems that fall in our docket or existing integrations done by Kensuluhu integrators, we do offer very comprehensive support as helpdesk assistance or technical support for any issue affecting a smoother running of the system.
The support cycle is relatively simple with escalations from Level 1 to 3 whenever necessary and also depending on the SLA (Service Level Agreement) between ourselves and the customer.

Brief Stats on Kensuluhu

Successful Projects

Qualified Staff

Happy Clients

Products

Case Study

ERP System Integration to Short Message Service (SMS) Gateway

This is the most recent project we closed in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania with specific client requirements. Not all ERP systems come with integration plugins or customizable endpoints. Or maybe they exist but require additional license or subscriptions. We had to come up with a way of working with WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) and Visual Studio to reach the SMS gateway without compromising system performance.
We'll share more on this in due course.