Remember when teams huddled over the same screen, using a single app to get things done? Those days are long gone. Today, each team has specialized tools for their tasks. But these tools often don’t talk to each other, leaving vital information siloed.
That’s where two-way synchronization, or two-way sync, comes in. It seamlessly updates, adds, or deletes information across systems, ensuring data consistency and accuracy.
Manually sharing data is one option, but it could be more error-prone and tedious. An automated solution is crucial to keep everyone on the same page in real-time.
Let’s dive deeper into how two-way synchronization works and why it’s essential.
What is a Two-way Sync?
A two-way sync is a process that updates, adds, or deletes information between two connected systems such that changes made in one system are reflected accurately in the other and vice versa.
Imagine a calendar app that you use on your smartphone and your laptop. When you add an event on your laptop, you expect it to appear immediately on your phone, and if you delete it on one device, it should disappear from the other. These simultaneous edits across devices or systems portray how a two-way sync looks like in practice.
In the context of data integration, two-way synchronization, also called bidirectional sync, ensures data remains consistent across two or more systems and minimizes errors arising from outdated or conflicting data.
Additionally, leaving data to remain updated on all devices automatically allows teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than routine data entry or reconciliation tasks.
Access to real-time synced data empowers teams with actionable insights, enabling faster and more informed decision-making processes.
You might have also come across a one-way sync.
Difference Between One-way and Two-way Sync
In one-way synchronization data is passed only in a single direction, from one system to another. Consider a Managed Services Provider (MSP) that provides managed services to its customers. Data almost always passes from the MSP to the customer and never the other way around. This is an example of a one-way synchronization.
When discussing two-way synchronization, the data always remains consistent and accurate between both the connected systems. In one-way synchronization, data is only allowed to pass from system A to system B and not from system B to system A. If data changes or is deleted in system A, then the corresponding changes are reflected in system B.
This is a little different from automation. Automations are usually one-way, for instance, create a Slack notification when a new lead books a product demo. There’s hardly any one-on-one connection between the automated entities. Once the notification is set off, the relationship ceases to exist.
On the other hand, two-way synchronization is an integration that establishes and maintains an ongoing relationship between the synced entities. So, if one entity is updated in one system, it’s also updated in another system.
How does a Two-way Synchronization Work?
There are some simple steps you need to follow to set up a fully functional bidirectional sync.
Gather the Requirements
Two-way sync is about connecting systems to exchange meaningful data. But before the actual data starts flowing, it’s important to understand the individual systems in play. Identify and analyze their data structures and how your workflows are embedded within them. This will come in handy when you want to send data from one system to another since you don’t want to lose critical information or replace your existing workflows.
For instance, integrating a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system like Salesforce with an email marketing platform requires understanding how the contacts, leads, and campaigns are structured in both systems.
Take into account Data Mappings & Customizations
Next, define the fields you want to sync with the other system. Also, define how they would correspond (or map) to those in the other system. Such a mapping ensures that relevant information such as names, addresses, and statuses are correctly synchronized between systems despite potential differences in data formats or naming conventions.
Choose Your Sync Method
REST APIs are endpoints you can leverage to establish a two-way sync between your applications. Typically software developers or synchronization platforms act as intermediaries who use these APIs to write custom code to enable applications to communicate with each other either in real-time or at scheduled intervals.
These middleware technologies check for updates in both systems to initiate synchronization via data polling or webhooks.
An example of data polling is where a CRM periodically checks for new leads or updates to existing customer records in an email marketing tool, ensuring the system it connects to remains up-to-date.
Webhooks work as an alternative to polling by allowing systems to notify each other immediately when specific events occur, such as a new customer inquiry or a completed purchase.
Describe Your Sync Architecture
Sync architecture defines how, when, and what data must flow between the connecting systems.
The how part defines the direction of data flow. For instance, data passing only in a single direction from customer systems to their (Managed Service Providers) MSPs. No data passes from the MSP back to the customer.
The when defines the conditions to start an automatic one-way or two-way sync. For instance, automatically sync all bugs labeled ‘todev’ into the dev team’s application.
The what of the sync architecture refers to the actual data that’s being passed between systems. Choose what you want to sync and refrain from sending any additional data.
Sometimes, two-way sync solutions allow you to sync historical data.
Find the Right Solution to Implement Your Two-way Sync
You can either build your own two-way synchronization from scratch by using system APIs or choose to buy a commercial off-the-shelf product.
We also have a guide on why building a two-way sync solution yourself is not always the best option.
Be careful while choosing commercially available synchronization solutions. Choose them categorically based on your requirements and needs.
Give security due importance. When data leaves your system it becomes more prone to unwanted attacks or unauthorized access.
Your bidirectional synchronization requirements might probably change with time. New field mappings might arise, or you might stop syncing existing fields. It should be easy to do all of this using the solution you choose.
Having a scalable two-way sync solution will ensure your sync and business requirements always align.
Understanding how two-way synchronization looks like in practice is also important.
From my experience in sales for a while, I have often seen prospects looking to connect their systems in the following ways.
Use Cases For Two-way Sync
Companies wanting a two-way sync usually try the following two ways.
One: connect applications their internal teams or departments used.
Two: connect with other companies who act as their partners, suppliers, vendors, or customers.
Support and Development Sync
Often software development teams prefer to work in their own systems like Jira, GitHub, or Azure DevOps. They have a certain comfort level with these tools since they have their dev workflows set up and don’t want to switch to any other application.
Customer support teams usually have dedicated systems like Jira Service Management (JSM), GitHub, Zendesk, etc.
Certain customer requests to the support team might require the dev team’s attention. Automatic two-way communication between these teams can keep them up-to-date and well-informed on recent customer tickets, enhancing the overall customer experience.
ITSM Integration
ITSM tools like ServiceNow, ManageEngine’s ServiceDesk Plus, JSM, etc. are the go-to tools for effective service management. Teams using these tools can benefit if service workflows are orchestrated end-to-end and information flows smoothly wherever necessary.
With ITSM synchronization, you can achieve better coordination between different functions like incident management, change management, and the like, leading to smoother workflows and enhanced service delivery.
Sales and Marketing Collaboration
Syncing customer data with marketing automation platforms ensures that sales teams have real-time insights into marketing campaigns and vice versa. Such an alignment improves lead nurturing, customer engagement, and overall conversion rates.
E-commerce Integration
Integrating an online store with the inventory management system or with a payment gateway ensures products and their pricing are synchronized across all platforms. This can help prevent overselling and build customer loyalty through accurate product information.
Despite having immense benefits, implementing a two-way sync has its own set of challenges.
Challenges of Setting up a Two-way Sync
Two-sync comes with its own complexities that you must handle with care.
Ensuring data changes propagate accurately across systems without conflicts or discrepancies.
Teams today have information that’s more distributed. For them, having the information they require within their own tool has immense benefits.
Though a two-way sync can help them achieve this, if some unwanted data falls through the cracks, it can lead to broken workflows and processes. Sticking with sending only the required data and ensuring your sync security are the only pillars that’ll make your two-way synchronization strong and resilient.
Legacy systems are still very much a part of modern organizations as much as the latest cutting-edge technologies. Implementing a bidirectional sync between these diverse technology stacks is a challenge.
Despite all these challenges, if done properly, two-way sync can be a pleasant experience for your teams. With the right solution to implement it, think of increased team collaborations, reduced interdependency, and the data you need, in the tool you use the most.
Exalate: A Customizable Synchronization Solution
Exalate is a one-way or two-way synchronization solution that offers integrations between Jira, Salesforce, Zendesk, ServiceNow, GitHub, etc. It offers a Groovy-based Script mode that basically uses low-code scripts to set up your synchronization the way you want.
If you don’t enjoy setting up a sync yourself, you can always choose to offload it to us, and we’ll handle everything for you.
You can always learn more about it through our docs and academy, or you can simply ask Aida your questions. If you still don’t have an answer, feel free to book a call with our sync experts to discuss your use case.
Conclusion
In today’s world of specialized tools, keeping everyone on the same page is a challenge. Two-way synchronization offers a solution to ensure your data remains accurate and consistent across systems. By automating data sharing, teams can focus on strategic work rather than routine data entry.
Whether it’s sales, support, or ITSM, two-way sync enhances collaboration, reduces errors, and empowers teams with real-time information.
Despite its challenges, the right two-way sync solution can transform how your teams work together, making sure everyone has the data they need when they need it.
Recommended Reading:
- How to Get the Most out of Your Workflow Integration
- Automated Integration: A Key to Scalable and Agile Business Operations
- Exploring the Build vs. Buy Integration Debate
- ITSM Integration: Simplify Your IT Services Like Never Before
- The Reality of Business Process Integration in 2024
- Perfecting Legacy System Integration For Better Connectivity
- How to Synchronize Epics between 2 Jira Instances
