- Integration

Integration / Hybrid Integration

With cloud-based solutions comes the need to move data between applications.  Software as a Service (SaaS) applications from companies like IBM, Salesforce, Oracle, Workday and SAP are increasingly attracting new customers.  Originally, Gartner predicted worldwide SaaS application revenue at $22.1 billion by 2015 and now it is seen at $85 billion in 2019.  This creates a huge opportunity for companies specializing in data integration or more specifically hybrid data integration which combines internal/private cloud data with public cloud data.

In Aug of 2019, Gartner released a new Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools. Originally, this focused on point-to-point integration across cloud and on-premises applications -- Enterprise iPaaS offerings now effectively target more-complex uses. This Magic Quadrant helps directors of integration assess providers' ability to deliver offerings that meet current and evolving needs.

The Garner report explains that iPaaS delivers some combination of capabilities that are typically found in enterprise service buses (ESBs), data integration tools, B2B gateways, managed file transfer products and API management platforms. IT departments, line of business (LOB) developers, mobile application development (AD) teams, application teams and even business users (aka "citizen integrators") leverage these capabilities to develop, execute and manage integration interfaces (or "integration flows") in the cloud.

Forrester examined the market in Q1 of 2019 and created "The Forrester Wave™: Strategic iPaaS And Hybrid Integration, Q1 2019" paper which explores the offerings from the 15 most significant providers --  Adeptia, Axway, Dell Boomi, IBM, Jitterbit, Liaison Technologies, Microsoft, MuleSoft, Pantheon, Red Hat, SnapLogic, Software AG, Talend, TIBCO Software, and Workato. This report details their findings about how well each vendor fulfills Forrester's criteria and where they stand in relation to each other.  This is designed to help CIOs select the right partner for their hybrid integration needs.

To recommend the best choice of an integration platform, tools, and cloud-based integration or iPaaS (Integration services, Forrester developed the following four weighting schemes:

    ■ Provides a breadth of integration functionality

    ■ Currently markets integration products

    ■ Meets revenue minimums by category

    ■ Has mindshare among Forrester's enterprise clients

Here is an example of the Strategic iPaaS And Hybrid Integration Platforms Overview that you will find in the complete paper.