Sunday, May 19, 2013

Introduction To Integration As A Service

By Peggie K. Lambert


Integration as a Service is the latest cloud-based addition to the array of platforms and tools that are quickly replacing in-house setups. IaaS is useful for integrating company-wide applications and data. It should be able to integrate everything from the on-site data and applications to the ones that are in the cloud and even those that users simply access via SaaS (Software as a Service) providers.

The benefits include everything that usually comes with a migration to the cloud. It eliminates the IT resources and manpower required to achieve integration in-house. It also removes the cost of building up sufficient redundancy to enable scaling to match business and data growth. The company can reduce or expand their use of the available resources on the IaaS as and when required.

The concept of IaaS was developed and is so much in demand because of a natural state of progression among companies that are now looking beyond the basic advantages of the cloud, and want to clean up the mess created by their ongoing shift towards cloud-based applications. Many are saddled with data silos that cannot communicate with other systems in use by the company. Critical data is still locked up on-site, while various applications are being accessed through different cloud providers.

It's hard enough for companies to keep track of all this and make sure their IT systems remain operational. Developing an integration connector capable of offering users access to all the data from every location and application would take a heck of a lot more expertise and additional resources. Most small and medium scale companies simply do not have such resources.

The same tool can be deployed quickly and cheaply using an IaaS provider, who is also likely to have a more powerful and well-tested solution. There is simply no point in trying to reinvent the wheel, when the provider has a better one on the rack and is willing to install it on the vehicle and get it up and rolling for no cost. This means the customer gets a ready-to-use integration tool without paying for its development.

All maintenance and upgrades are the provider's responsibility. Login protocols and other security and encryption measures used by the company will be kept intact as the data flows through the tool. The customer gets a ready-to-use and scalable integration tool, with no upfront costs and payment required only for usage.

Integration as a Service also offers additional data-centric advantages. Duplication of data entry is reduced and accuracy increases, because the human factor is removed from the equation. There will be no delays, oversights or errors when data is required to be moved or copied over from one application to another one. Since limitations related to location and time are eliminated, it improves user productivity.




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