A scalable digital foundation for Facilicom
How an event-driven integration architecture reduces complexity, accelerates onboarding, and improves control across the IT landscape
The reason for modernisation
Facilicom Group, one of the largest facility services providers in the Benelux with more than 21,000 employees, was in the middle of a large-scale ERP transformation. During the migration from SAP ECC to AFAS, it became clear that the existing integration landscape no longer matched the scale and speed the organisation required.
The environment consisted of numerous point-to-point integrations built on SAP PI. Over time, this created an architecture that was difficult to scale, prone to errors, and increasingly demanding for IT teams to maintain. Small changes triggered large data exchanges between systems, while monitoring, error handling, and recovery capabilities remained limited. This led to delays in processes, inconsistent employee data, and additional operational complexity across multiple business units.
For Facilicom, the challenge was no longer just replacing systems, but creating an integration foundation capable of supporting future digital growth.
- Less complexity, more scalability
From disconnected point-to-point integrations to one central integration platform. - Real-time data across systems
Event-driven architecture enables faster synchronisation and onboarding.
How Ciphix and Facilicom developed an event-driven architecture together
Together with Ciphix, Facilicom chose a fundamentally different integration approach. Instead of directly connecting applications, a scalable event-driven architecture was designed in which systems communicate through reusable event streams.
With Workato as the central integration and automation platform, a new integration layer was gradually introduced to enable real-time communication between systems. From this platform, integrations between AFAS and other core systems are orchestrated, including Mendix applications, HR platforms, learning systems, and operational applications.
The first focus area was employee data. Whenever information changes in a source system, events are automatically processed and distributed to relevant applications across the landscape. This enables near real-time synchronisation between systems and gives teams faster access to up-to-date information.
Beyond the technical implementation, Ciphix and Facilicom also collaborated on integration standards, architectural guidelines, and a reusable framework for future expansion. Legacy systems without webhook functionality were also incorporated into the architecture through polling strategies, deduplication mechanisms, and shadow datasets to generate stable event streams.
The result was more than a collection of integrations. It became a scalable foundation that enables Facilicom to roll out future digital initiatives faster and more consistently.
From disconnected integrations to one central integration platform
Where every new integration previously required custom development, Workato is now increasingly functioning as the central orchestration platform within Facilicomโs IT landscape.
New applications no longer need to be individually connected to multiple systems. Instead, systems can subscribe to existing event streams, allowing integrations to be implemented faster without adding unnecessary technical complexity.
The architecture also supports intelligent routing between different business units, ensuring that events are only delivered to systems for which they are relevant. This creates more control, better performance, and a stronger foundation for ongoing digitalisation.
The focus has therefore shifted from building individual integrations to creating a reusable enterprise integration architecture designed for future growth.
What results the new integration approach is already delivering
The impact of the new architecture is already visible across Facilicomโs organisation.
Through the integration platform, 6 core systems have now been connected and 14 API modules have been developed as reusable building blocks for future integrations. As a result, new applications can be onboarded approximately 2x faster than before, while error handling and recovery processes are now up to 5x faster.
The event-driven approach also ensures that employee data becomes available across connected systems in near real time. As soon as changes occur in a source system, updates are automatically processed and distributed to relevant applications. This allows teams to work with more consistent information while reducing reliance on manual checks and interventions.
The biggest benefit, however, lies in the scalability of the new foundation. Where disconnected integrations and temporary fixes were previously the norm, Facilicom now operates with a central integration architecture that supports further digital innovation without continuously increasing complexity.
This approach not only created a more stable and flexible IT landscape, but also received recognition from the market: the collaboration between Ciphix and Facilicom was awarded the Workato Customer Impact Partner Award 2026.
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