History
Just a few years ago, small and medium businesses did not face the question of choosing an integration solution. Literally five years ago, implementing a data bus was a sign that a company had achieved significant success and required a specialized solution for data exchange.
The thing is that a temporary solution like point-to-point integration does not allow for controlled data exchange processes as a business grows. Moreover, systems that communicate in this way accumulate complex code that implements API resources for integration with each individual system.
There are still giant companies in the market, even in retail, that continue to support outdated solutions , , simply because they have been heavily modified to meet business needs. Updating them is akin to migrating to an entirely new system. Companies have to maintain a large staff for the ongoing support and development of these solutions, operating systems, and .
In such an environment, the "senior" effect begins to manifest — people who thoroughly understand the solution and can pass their experience on to new employees. In this case, the dangerous fact is that management may become too relaxed and complacent, as all issues have been resolved one way or another for many years. Sooner or later, such individuals may leave the company, which will result in serious delays in development and support without experienced staff. Consequently, this situation will increase resource wastage and dramatically push back timelines.
One solution to these problems, in part, is to use industry solutions like data buses — (). They are designed to standardize the information exchange processes between the enterprise's internal systems, reduce costs associated with the development and support of targeted systems. Additionally, along with the implemented solution, you will gain years of experience from companies that have developed and used the software suite for a long time. This means that most fundamental integration tasks will be resolved within the product itself, requiring no additional effort on analytics and implementation of simple solutions.
On-premise
Looking back 5-10 years, it is evident that all integration solutions were exclusively on-premise systems. A few years ago, solutions began to fill the market widely. This trend did not spare this industry. Most companies in this market seized the opportunity, offering their clients integration solutions 'in the cloud.' Such solutions significantly reduce support costs by eliminating expenses for server capacity rental and maintenance.
Considering the characteristics and scale of the business, not every company can afford to move integration solutions to the cloud. Often, this is related to security concerns or industry specifics; sometimes, the migration costs exceed the anticipated benefits of the project. As a result, on-premise integration solutions continue to be in demand in the market and hold leading positions compared to cloud solutions.
Cloud
Thanks to the rapid development of cloud-based integration solutions, this segment has started attracting clients from small and medium-sized businesses. The subscription-based service model ( — Software as a Service) appeals to most clients with its easy setup and transparent usage process. In addition, solution developers often offer their consulting services for implementation, initial setup of integration processes, and ongoing support.
The cloud solutions usage model allows clients to reduce resources and time for implementation. Typically, these integration platforms differ qualitatively and quantitatively from their on-premise counterparts by offering a set of ready-made connectors for most popular business systems. Many also provide pre-built exchange scenarios for common business situations. For example, in retail, it is common to transfer data between ERP and CRM systems; in this case, the integration platform developer (SaaS) often prepares a standard data exchange scenario between these systems. The client only needs to specify the minimum required set of configuration parameters, such as: accounts for connecting to systems, and request configurations for obtaining data from the source system (what type of data and in what format).
From the client's perspective, this solution appears attractive due to -an approach where most operations are carried out using a visual editor and do not require immersion in development. As a result, we gain a loyal client for the long term. The developer's role is to maintain the platform's stable operation and high ), and continue to develop the platform by creating new connectors and scenarios while updating existing ones.
With this approach, it is crucial to have a realistic understanding of the monetization model from the start, as this is not a one-time payment. Further collaboration will involve costs for server time and ongoing development support. This approach is used in many solutions. In this setup, each client receives its own isolated space (often the level of isolation depends on the subscription type), where they can deploy their own processes. The details of the configuration mechanisms for managing integration scenarios differ for each platform, making it very important to determine potential scenarios in advance for the correct platform selection.
Comparison of iPaaS
Let's analyze and compare some popular integration solutions - iPaaS. For this, I have chosen the top five solutions available in the market. , which was the first in the Google search results at the time of publication.
This solution is a set of tools that allows not only to configure integration scenarios but also to develop, manage APIs, create your applications, and set up processes.
This software suite was acquired by Dell in 2010 and quickly became a leader in the iPaaS market according to consulting firm rankings. for the last 6 years.
Applicability: for large and medium-sized enterprises across various industries.
Cost: starting from $549/month.
Demo/Trial: .
This product is developed by a giant in integration solutions. Drawing on Oracle's expertise, the solution impresses with the best industry practices and ready-made integration flows built into the product. The library of ready connectors will significantly save on initial setup. Check out the product's rating according to and reviews from companies that have implemented the solution.
Applicability: for large and medium-sized enterprises across various industries.
Cost: a variety of subscription options, including a pay-as-you-go plan, starting from $1.2097/message, and a flexible monthly plan starting from $0.8065/message.
Demo/Trial: .
In you will find more than 300 pre-configured integration scenarios between popular solutions. Additionally, the product features an easy-to-use scenario designer that will help you create your integration processes.
The solution has consistently appeared in the 'Magic Quadrant' by .
Applicability: for small and medium-sized enterprises across various industries.
Cost: starting from $1499/month.
Demo/Trial: .
TIBCO Cloud is an iPaaS solution from a company with many years of experience. The product allows you to configure integration scenarios through a simple interface, which is convenient if you plan to delegate the task of process setup not only to experienced developers but also to business specialists. The platform has a relatively high rating according to the evaluations of the consulting firm. .
Applicability: for small and medium-sized enterprises across various industries.
Cost: starting from $400/month.
Demo/Trial: .
The integration solution from elastic.io allows you to create and configure integration processes using a simple visual editor. The solution features for connecting to popular Ecommerce, ERP, and CRM platforms, including those located within a secure enterprise local network. The company refers to this solution as Local Agent — it can be very interesting and useful in terms of security if you do not want to open external access to your internal systems. Despite its young age, the product is already mentioned in agency rankings. .
Applicability: for small and medium-sized enterprises across various industries.
Price: from €199/month, the platform may be used on an OEM model.
Demo/Trial: .
Conclusion
When deciding on an integration platform, one must evaluate more than 20 products available on the market. Important criteria for selection will be the availability of a library of ready-made connectors and templates for an easy project launch, the presence and simplicity/power of a visual editor for scenario configuration, support and consultations from developers, and a convenient pricing and payment model. Each product is uniquely designed and offers a set of solutions that include the platform itself, a scenario editor, a library of ready-made connectors, and support from developers and the community.
Determining which of the solutions possesses a full set of necessary features will require careful analysis. Fortunately, most platforms can be taken for a free 'test drive' for a certain period. However, if you still cannot switch to an iPaaS model for some reason, there is a vast market for on-premise solutions that offer greater flexibility but require significant investment in implementation and support.
The choice is yours.
Source: habr.com
