A broad implementation of information technology to link various functional units within a business enterprise. On a wider scale, it may also integrate strategic partners in an enterprise configuration. In a manufacturing enterprise, enterprise integration (EI) may be regarded as an extension of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) that integrates financial or executive decision-support systems with manufacturing, tracking and inventory systems, product-data management, and other information systems.

Tip excerpted from: The Professional's Guide to Maintenance and Reliability Terminology by Ramesh Gulati, Jerry Kahn and Robert Baldwin