With IT ecosystems growing increasingly complex and diverse, enterprise integration is no longer a “want” but a “must have.” Integration and a connected enterprise are the key to enhanced productivity and revenue. The road to integration, however, can be rocky, as organizations find traditional methodologies such as service-oriented architecture (SOA) struggling with hybrid IT integration to seamlessly and securely connect on-premise legacy systems with cloud-based programs.
One answer is integration-platform-as-a-service (iPaaS) which many see as the sure-fire cure for hybrid integration pains. iPaaS is the first purely cloud-based integration solution and is perhaps the best way to effectively integrate notoriously independent SaaS apps while helping tie together a wide variety of on-premise and cloud systems, databases, and channels.
So why isn’t everybody rushing to embrace iPaaS? In part, because there is still a slight disconnect in the marketplace as to what iPaaS really is and what it does. Here are 5 myths about integration-platform-as-a-service that we’re going to debunk:
1. iPaaS only integrates cloud-based components
Not true. Just because it operates in the cloud doesn’t mean it’s confined there. iPaaS solutions such as Flowgear are designed and built from the ground up to seamlessly connect on-premise enterprise systems (even legacy systems) with cloud services to create a unified, ground-to-cloud IT ecosystem.
2. iPaaS limits developers to a single cloud platform
This myth may have its roots in the shortcomings of PaaS which, in fact, could be limiting to developers. However, iPaaS, by its very nature, encompasses a choice of platforms (after all, “integration” is the first word in its name) iPaaS specifically implements, manages, and monitors integration across a variety of platforms, systems, and apps.
3. iPaaS isn’t secure
The latest hybrid integration technologies ensure end-users and developers secure connectivity, both cloud-to-ground and cloud-to-cloud. Flowgear incorporates software agents called DropPoints that install in the client environment enabling Flowgear to safely and securely integrate with legacy software or apps that are firewalled off from the Internet. These comprehensive, lightweight interfaces manage all aspects of system communication including security, data compression for more efficient transmission, and even data recovery if connectivity is disrupted for any reason.
4. A VPN is needed to connect disparate locations
No. iPaaS acts as a middleware framework that enables diverse applications and databases to communicate smoothly – integrate — with each other, regardless of location. No VPN or intermediate storage needed.
5. On-premise and cloud API management is a nightmare
Again, not true. iPaaS such as Flowgear actually act as a flexible, comprehensive API to virtually eliminate software conflicts and make “last mile” integration easy – no time-consuming and support-intensive API publishing necessary.
There’s no question that the growing adoption of iPaaS marks the transition of integration from a “one-to-one” to a “many-to-one” function and, in turn, optimizes hybrid IT adoption. As increasing numbers of organizations turn to the cloud, social media, mobile, and other channels to boost productivity and workforce performance, iPaaS provides the means to do so faster and more efficiently.
