Integration as a Service is the latest cloud-based addition to the array of platforms and tools that are quickly replacing in-house setups. IaaS is useful for integrating company-wide applications and data. It should be able to integrate everything from the on-site data and applications to the ones that are in the cloud and even those that users simply access via SaaS (Software as a Service) providers.
The benefits include everything that usually comes with a migration to the cloud. It eliminates the IT resources and manpower required to achieve integration in-house. It also removes the cost of building up sufficient redundancy to enable scaling to match business and data growth. The company can reduce or expand their use of the available resources on the IaaS as and when required.
The development and availability of IaaS is a natural progression of the gradual shift of on-site data to the cloud. As companies go through the various stages associated with the migration, they find themselves stuck with data silos which cannot integrate with other systems used by the company. Some of the critical data is still safeguarded on-site, while other applications and data are scattered across different cloud-based providers.
It's a big enough ask for companies to track all this and roll with the changes while still keeping their IT systems operational. It would be just too much to add the burden of integrating all of it, considering the expertise and resources required for such a critical operation. Not many medium to small scale companies will find it feasible or even possible to do this in-house.
The same tool can be deployed quickly and cheaply using an IaaS provider, who is also likely to have a more powerful and well-tested solution. There is simply no point in trying to reinvent the wheel, when the provider has a better one on the rack and is willing to install it on the vehicle and get it up and rolling for no cost. This means the customer gets a ready-to-use integration tool without paying for its development.
Providers handle all the maintenance and upgrades as required. The customer's security, encryption and login protocols are kept intact as the data flows around through the IaaS platform. Put simply, the company gets a perfectly customized integration tool without having to pay to buy or implement it, and customers only pay for actual use.
Integration as a Service also offers additional data-centric advantages. Duplication of data entry is reduced and accuracy increases, because the human factor is removed from the equation. There will be no delays, oversights or errors when data is required to be moved or copied over from one application to another one. Since limitations related to location and time are eliminated, it improves user productivity.
The benefits include everything that usually comes with a migration to the cloud. It eliminates the IT resources and manpower required to achieve integration in-house. It also removes the cost of building up sufficient redundancy to enable scaling to match business and data growth. The company can reduce or expand their use of the available resources on the IaaS as and when required.
The development and availability of IaaS is a natural progression of the gradual shift of on-site data to the cloud. As companies go through the various stages associated with the migration, they find themselves stuck with data silos which cannot integrate with other systems used by the company. Some of the critical data is still safeguarded on-site, while other applications and data are scattered across different cloud-based providers.
It's a big enough ask for companies to track all this and roll with the changes while still keeping their IT systems operational. It would be just too much to add the burden of integrating all of it, considering the expertise and resources required for such a critical operation. Not many medium to small scale companies will find it feasible or even possible to do this in-house.
The same tool can be deployed quickly and cheaply using an IaaS provider, who is also likely to have a more powerful and well-tested solution. There is simply no point in trying to reinvent the wheel, when the provider has a better one on the rack and is willing to install it on the vehicle and get it up and rolling for no cost. This means the customer gets a ready-to-use integration tool without paying for its development.
Providers handle all the maintenance and upgrades as required. The customer's security, encryption and login protocols are kept intact as the data flows around through the IaaS platform. Put simply, the company gets a perfectly customized integration tool without having to pay to buy or implement it, and customers only pay for actual use.
Integration as a Service also offers additional data-centric advantages. Duplication of data entry is reduced and accuracy increases, because the human factor is removed from the equation. There will be no delays, oversights or errors when data is required to be moved or copied over from one application to another one. Since limitations related to location and time are eliminated, it improves user productivity.
About the Author:
Peggie K. Lambert enjoys working and studying the world of data integration. If you are looking to learn more about integration as a service then she recommends you refer to Liaison.