Cloud Integration: Pragmatism first

This article abstracts
Cloud based solutions are confusing. Gartner has exacerbated this confusion in the recent http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/13542.html ">ipaas solution." To simplify cloud based integration, let's look at the specific four consolidation choices in detail. Regardless of the manufacturer's solution, we actually have to look at the real practicality.

Can cloud computing become a good integrated solution catalyst? Many enterprise-class software ends up in the cloud, with amazing ease of use and rapid deployment. Is cloud computing a magician? Of course not, because the packages built for the cloud are brand new, and the architecture is clearer, with no legacy problems. For example, many local integration stacks have a code callout date that may have been a long time ago, and the user interface may be the WIN95 environment. But at present, cloud based solutions are rather confusing. Gartner has exacerbated this confusion in recent Ipaas solutions. The problem is that Gartner is defining a new market for solutions, or it can be said that there is no market yet.

To simplify cloud based integration, let's look at the specifics. Cloud based integration, where software operates in the cloud as a service. We can subscribe or pay for the services we use. At the same time we get connectors with applications, data sources, or data files. Essentially, there are four options for cloud based consolidation:

Application consolidation. It is a good choice to deliver small transactions in a near real-time situation. This kind of consolidation is typically oriented to business processes, that is, when something happens in the original application triggers the integration platform to do some action. For example, users to a single product, the integration platform to the payment system to provide credit card charges. The Mulesoft ion we introduced earlier is this type of cloud-based consolidation.

Data consolidation. As in the local system, data consolidation is done in batches, meaning that we plan to transfer data between systems as planned, regardless of whether the interval is a few minutes or one months. We can do a lot of things while transferring data, but it must be a mass transfer of data. This approach is often used to share your cloud data with other applications, both local and cloud. This is also provided by most cloud-based integration offerings, including Dell-boomi, IBM's WebSphere Cast Iron, and Informatica.

Federated data Consolidation. Also called Enterprise information integration. This consolidation is good for reading the admin console, we can get the latest data, but we can't use it to return a large amount of historical data report information from multiple locations. And this, now more is called data virtualization. For example, the EII solution for composite software.

File transfer management. This usually happens when we use the file rather than the data, but the file is also managed, monitored, tracked, and moved somewhere. This approach is the further development of FTP (File Transfer Protocol). Some business-to-business integration vendors are well suited. Like Tibco and IBM Sterling.

These are optional, but depending on where they are used. Now, vendors are trying to "cloud-wash-white" solutions, described in a confusing way. Be aware that the commitment of the solution exceeds the manufacturer's commitment or exceeds what the manufacturer actually can deliver. Instead, we have to focus on practicality, although cloud computing is a new technology, but the choice of integration is not.

As the trajectory of applications and data gradually shifts to the cloud, integration will continue to grow. Just as SaaS and Cloud will not only become mainstream, but will become a better choice for business applications, cloud based application integration will become a better choice for EAI.

(Responsible editor: Lu Guang)