On Sept.

23, 1999, a NASA satellite reached Mars, where it was supposed to begin orbiting the planet.

Instead, the Mars Climate Orbiter crashed into the planet.

Why? A data integration error between two software programs caused the spacecraft to navigate too close to the planet, where it was likely destroyed in the atmosphere.That an extreme example of what can happen when systems don&t work together.

But it does illustrate the complex and unexpected issues that can come with a business-wide software upgrade.

It essential that applications mesh to ease data sharing and collaboration.That easier said than done in today complex IT environment.

It a safe bet that applications reside in many different locations across your business, both onsite and in the cloud.

If they aren&t tightly integrated, employees will be hard-pressed to easily share information & which means they&ll default to more laborious methods such as manual copy/paste or sending documents via email.To read this article in full, please click here