Why you should start looking into a hybrid integration platform

The spaghetti issue coming from integration needs

It’s happening again! One of your application team members is listing a high risk for his next application release. He needs to use data from a different system to provide a new service. Sounds like a very common situation. But when he reached out to the application team in charge, he found out that they don’t have any API (yet) to help access their data and capabilities. The only option seems to be a workaround based on this product that your colleague is referring to. This ensures that the new releases can be delivered on time.

The same thing happened just last month when another of your application managers wanted to grant data access to some VIP providers. At that time, the IT/Enterprise Architect team wouldn’t allow API exposure to the outside world (and the alternative way was to dump data in a file and send it via a traditional gateway).

Thinking about it, it seems that your company can’t agree on technology exposing data internally and externally. And this reoccurring issue starts to put your business innovation at risk: your development team ends up building different types of integration between all the systems your applications relies on or works with—it would be so convenient if there was a unique solution of choice.  But without the technical expertise in your company, it will not happen. You’ve witnessed so many new data integration solutions being added over time, based on people’s preference, technology evolution, corporate direction, digital transformation initiatives and so on… So, if a company must deal with this integration spaghetti plate, it should find a way to make it as easy as possible for everyone to use.

Introducing the hybrid integration platform (HIP)

Forrester has released its Wave report on strategic iPaaS and hybrid integration platforms.  Take a look at The Forrester Wave™: Strategic iPaaS and Hybrid Integration Platforms, Q1 2019 to get an idea of who are the most significant players in the market. This will be very helpful for the enterprise architect team to get them started quickly.  In this report, you will discover:

• Forrester market analysis and evaluation of the 15 most significant iPaaS and HIP providers
• An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the top strategic iPaaS and HIP vendors based on 25 criteria
• How data integration fits into your digital transformation strategy

Learn how HIP and MFT work together.

Hybrid integration platform: from connections spaghetti to governed integration

The first component of your strategy is the hybrid integration platform. This is the “infrastructure” piece supporting your integration strategy. To be considered  a HIP, the solution needs to meet several criteria:

• Supports a variety of integration patterns:
  • Application
  • Data
  • B2B
  • Process Integration
• Supports a variety of Use cases:
  • Integration of IoT, mobile, cloud, on-premises application and data
  • Event streaming
  • Artificial intelligence-based systems (such as VPAs, chatbots and machine learning platforms)
  • Robotic process automation
  • The digital integration hub
• Supports Multi personas, with role-based UX
• Supported As-a-Service across BU/orgs
• Supports Self-service
• Allows diverse types of deployment – on-prem, hybrid, multi-cloud

Integration strategy empowerment team: from single point of contact to self-service

• Designs and evolves the integration strategy
• Designs, implements and delivers the HIP
• Provides training, support, consulting, help desk services to all participants in the integration.
• Runs a “community of practices”