--- title: "ERP integration and custom business software, no Excel · Volcanic Minds" description: "We connect ERP, CRM, MES and legacy systems through APIs, or build the business software that replaces your spreadsheets. The source code stays yours." url: "https://volcanicminds.com/en/erp-integration" lang: "en" type: "first_level_page" updated: "2026-10-09" alternate: "https://volcanicminds.com/erp-integration" summary: "We connect ERP, CRM, MES, MRP and legacy systems to each other and to new software, through APIs, batch exchanges or message queues, so data moves from one system to the next without being copied by hand. When the problem is not the connection but the business software itself, we build the system that replaces the spreadsheets and connect it to the accounting software you already use. The code stays yours." --- # ERP integration systems that talk We connect ERP, CRM and MES to the software you already use, with no spreadsheets in between acting as the bridge. ## The spreadsheet in the middle is the symptom When ERP data reaches the rest of the company through an export, a shared spreadsheet and someone who copies it, the problem is not the person copying: it is that two systems do not talk. Every manual step is a delay and a possible error, and the spreadsheet becomes the real archive without anyone deciding it. We connect to ERP, CRM, MES, MRP, APS and legacy systems through REST APIs, batch exchanges, WebSocket, MQTT, AMQP and other secure channels. We design API-first, so even an old system or an external service joins the flow, and the accounting software stays where it is. ## Connect, extend or replace. *Which way* ### Connect the systems you have ERP, CRM and production exchange data directly, in real time or at intervals, and every piece of data has one system that acts as the reference. ### A new interface on an existing system The backend works but the interface slows people down. We rebuild only the frontend and connect it to the APIs already there, as we did for telecare control rooms. ### Business software instead of spreadsheets When the work lives in emails and Excel files, we build the system that replaces them, like the one for projects and time tracking of a consulting group. ## How we connect two systems without stopping them. *The method* 1. **Data map** — For each piece of data we decide which system owns it and which ones read it. It is the choice that avoids two versions of the same customer record. 2. **API contracts** — The format of the exchanges is agreed with whoever runs the other system before the connection is written. Meanwhile we work against simulated responses, without waiting. 3. **Sync and errors** — We choose between real time and scheduled exchanges, and decide with you what happens when a system does not answer, so that no data is lost silently. 4. **One step at a time** — First we connect the part that is handled worst, then we measure. Whether replacing something pays off is decided with usage data in hand. ## Agents work on the data you already have *ERP and AI* A well connected ERP is also the most solid base for AI: a system with structured data and APIs can host agents that read orders, stock and projects and prepare the work, instead of a chatbot answering in the void. We do it in the [workflow and agentic AI](/services/workflow-agentic-ai) service, joining existing business systems to what the models can do. The same goes for documents. In a manufacturing company we joined four separate archives, 225 GB of regulations, safety and operations, into a single base that can be queried in natural language and respects role-based access. ## Where we have already done it. *Case studies* ### Resource and project planning Projects, time tracking and reports by project, client and professional in one system, instead of emails and Excel files. ### Telecare monitoring and surveillance The partner already had the backend. We designed and built the interface, connected to its APIs, for the control room and for tablets and phones. ### Managing technical interventions The operational frontend on the client's backend, built on simulated responses and connected to the endpoints as soon as they were ready. ### Assignments, calendars and teachers Courses, teachers, attendance, certificates and medical visits in one system, with digital registers instead of paper. ### Document RAG for manufacturing Four separate archives, 225 GB, brought into a single base that can be queried in natural language, with role-based access. ### Mechanical workshop management API-first business software that connects to external services, such as Strava, to estimate component wear. - [All case studies](/case-studies) ## What we are asked before connecting business systems. *Frequently asked questions* ### Can you integrate with our management systems (ERP, CRM, accounting)? **Yes, it is a central part of our work.** We connect to ERP, CRM, MES, MRP, APS and legacy systems through REST APIs, batch, WebSocket, MQTT, AMQP and other secure channels. We design API-first architectures, so external services or dated systems can join the ecosystem too. The accounting system stays where it is: data moves from one system to another with no double entry. *Read more* - [ERP integration: connect, extend or replace](/erp-integration#strade) — the three ways and the method - [Digital Factory: the integrations](/services/digital-factory#stack) — integrations and modular architectures - [Case study: telecare monitoring and surveillance](/case-studies) — a platform on top of existing systems ### Do we have to replace the tools we already use? **Usually no, at least not straight away.** We first build the part that is handled worst today and connect it through APIs to the tools you have. If replacing something turns out to be worth it, that is decided later, with usage data in hand. Even the external services we integrate are designed to be replaceable, not to be foundations. *Read more* - [Risk management software: what we build](/risk-management-software#piattaforme) — working alongside an existing tool ### Is it possible to renew only the frontend of an existing management system? **Yes, with a decoupled approach: a new interface connected through APIs to the system you already have.** Many companies have solid backends and interfaces that slow the work down. Rebuilding only the frontend cuts the cost of a full rebuild, reduces the risk and extends the life of the software. The API contracts are agreed with whoever manages the backend, the work runs on simulated responses until the connection is ready, and everything is typed with TypeScript. We have done it, for example, for a field service dashboard and for a telecare one. *Read more* - [Case study: telecare monitoring and surveillance](/case-studies) — a new frontend on an existing backend - [Digital Factory: the integrations](/services/digital-factory#stack) — integrations and modular architectures ### Can AI be added to software that already exists? **Yes, and it is often the best way to introduce it.** A system with structured data and APIs is already ready to host agentic assistants, not simple chatbots. It proceeds step by step: the missing part is built and connected through APIs or WebSocket, instead of redoing everything. *Read more* - [Do we have to replace the tools we already use?](#affiancare-o-sostituire) — on this page ### Who owns the source code? **Yours, 100%, with no license fees and no vendor lock-in, in black and white in the contract.** Ownership passes milestone by milestone: every milestone you pay transfers to you the part of the project it covers. It is the premise of the contract, not a concession at the end of the work. So that you are not tied to us we use standard, documented technologies, and we hand over accesses, repositories and API documentation in Swagger/OAS format. *Read more* - [Trust Center: the fixed points](/trust#impegni) — our commitment on code ownership - [Are there components that do not become ours?](#componenti-terze-parti) — on this page ## Tell us which systems need to talk. ERP, CRM, shared spreadsheets: we start from a map of where the data lives today. - [Let's talk about your project](/en/contacts)