iPaaS, SaaS or ESB? Discover what’s best for your business

Middleware integrations allow your business to connect software applications together. They are coding tools that sit between multiple primary business systems to allow data to flow through your organization.

Some of the biggest benefits of a middleware integration are:

• It’s quick to market, secure and scalable
• It avoids lengthy and expensive software coding
• It extends the applications of your primary systems
• It quickly and easily integrates other solutions

But if you don’t have a complex infrastructure, then the costs could outweigh the returns. And if you only need one integration, using middleware may force you to build data integrations where you could be better served using small plugins.

However, for most companies, a middleware integration is the right choice. And you have three types to choose from:

1. Traditional ESB
2. SaaS integration
3. iPaaS integration

The case for using traditional ESB

An Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) solution is a centralized on-premise software component. It was designed to work with architectures that emerged in the late 1990s and existed before cloud technology became the new standard.

ESBs are designed to integrate complex and static backend systems and architecture, so they’re more suited to holding together an enterprise’s on-premise and legacy systems.

They’re commonly seen in enterprise businesses that have dedicated IT teams for managing integrations through the ESB solution. While ESBs have been deployed successfully in a wide range of organizations, they can only run a single service at a time, as they’re just too slow to handle more demanding processes.

If your IT infrastructure uses scalable cloud solutions, then an ESB solution is not the choice for you.

The case for using SaaS integration solutions

SaaS integration solutions were designed for business users who wanted simple integrations between the systems they already use.

They provide a highly simplified overview of the underlying APIs, enabling users to configure their integrations without needing any specialist skills. With SaaS integrations, users are able to save time and reduce costs, as well as providing an enhanced customer and employee experience.

You should consider a SaaS integration solution when you need to integrate a specific tooling system that’s only used by one department, user group or business team. When you have a maximum of two data entities that need to be integrated at any given time in a simple way, then SaaS could be for you.

However, when considering SaaS integration solutions, be aware that you have very little option for customization beyond what the solution provider has already built. This means that SaaS solutions don’t tend to be very scalable.

The case for using iPaaS integration solutions

iPaaS integration solutions add elasticity and ease of integration between cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-on-premise systems. This class of integration solutions is considered the new industry standard. It’s designed to combine the best of ESB and the best of SaaS, with none of the problems, providing centralized integration management and the configuration of connections from different apps directly to the iPaaS.

Consider using an iPaaS integration solution when:

• Your integrations are mission critical
• You have a mix of complex and simple integrations
• You have multiple systems to integrate
• You want your business teams to manage and maintain your integrations instead of an IT team
• Your integration requirements are fluid and change often
• You need to build custom integrations
• You require advanced operational visibility into your integration performance, including error handling and auto-recovery
  
  But there are so many solutions available that it’s hard to know where to begin. That’s where we come in.

Begin your iPaaS journey

We’ve created a downloadable guide that explores some of the leading iPaaS platforms, their capabilities and how your business can benefit from them.

Our featured platforms are:

• Alumio
• Dell Boomi
• Jitterbit
• Mulesoft
• SnapLogic
• Workato

We compare key features, core audiences, strengths, budget requirements, user reviews and ratings. It’s everything you need to get you started.

Download your essential guide now, and make the most of the iPaaS opportunity.