Cloud-based integration is a form of systems integration business delivered as a

cloud computing Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage ( cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Large clouds often have functions distributed over mu ...

service that addresses data, process,

service-oriented architecture In software engineering, service-oriented architecture (SOA) is an architectural style that focuses on discrete services instead of a monolithic design. By consequence, it is also applied in the field of software design where services are provid ...

(SOA) and application integration.

Description

Integration platform as a service (iPaaS) is a suite of cloud services enabling customers to develop, execute and govern integration flows between disparate applications. Under the cloud-based iPaaS integration model, customers drive the development and deployment of integrations without installing or managing any hardware or middleware. The iPaaS model allows businesses to achieve integration without big investment into skills or licensed middleware software. iPaaS used to be regarded primarily as an integration tool for cloud-based software applications, used mainly by small to mid-sized business. Over time, a hybrid type of iPaaS—Hybrid-IT iPaaS—that connects cloud to on-premises, is becoming increasingly popular. Additionally, large enterprises are exploring new ways of integrating iPaaS into their existing IT infrastructures. Cloud integration was basically created to break down the data silos, improve connectivity and optimize the business process. Cloud integration has increased its popularity as the usage of

Software as a Service Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is co ...

solutions is growing day by day. Prior to the emergence of cloud computing in the early 2000s, integration could be categorized as either internal or business to business (B2B). Internal integration requirements were serviced through an on-premises middleware platform and typically utilized a service bus to manage exchange of data between systems. B2B integration was serviced through EDI gateways or value-added network (VAN). The advent of

SaaS Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is co ...

applications created a new kind of demand which was met through cloud-based integration.{{cite web, title=B2B meets cloud based integration (CBI), url=http://blogs.forrester.com/stefan_ried/12-07-23-b2b_meets_cloud_based_integration_cbi, access-date=19 January 2013, author=Stefan Ried, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118082416/http://blogs.forrester.com/stefan_ried/12-07-23-b2b_meets_cloud_based_integration_cbi, archive-date=18 January 2013, url-status=dead Since their emergence, many such services have also developed the capability to integrate legacy or on-premises applications, as well as function as EDI gateways. The following essential features were proposed by one marketing company: * Deployed on a multi-tenant, elastic cloud infrastructure * Subscription model pricing (

operating expense An operating expense, operating expenditure, operational expense, operational expenditure or opex is an ongoing cost for running a product, business, or system . Its counterpart, a capital expenditure (capex), is the cost of developing or provi ...

, not

capital expenditure Capital expenditure or capital expense (capex or CAPEX) is the money an organization or corporate entity spends to buy, maintain, or improve its fixed assets, such as buildings, vehicles, equipment, or land. It is considered a capital expenditure ...

) * No software development (required connectors should already be available) * Users do not perform deployment or manage the platform itself * Presence of integration management and monitoring features The emergence of this sector led to new cloud-based

business process management Business process management (BPM) is the discipline in which people use various methods to discover, model, analyze, measure, improve, optimize, and automate business processes. Any combination of methods used to manage a company's business p ...

tools that do not need to build integration layers - since those are now a separate service. Drivers of growth include the need to integrate mobile app capabilities with proliferating API publishing resources and the growth in demand for the

Internet of things The Internet of things (IoT) describes physical objects (or groups of such objects) with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other com ...

functionalities as more 'things' connect to the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

References

Cloud computing

Description

See also

References