Ross Mason

As enterprises deploy SaaS and other cloud technologies, they are confronted with the challenge of integration. It is hard to ignore the impact of the cloud, but responses among integration technology providers have varied. Integration veteran David Linthicum sees three categories of data integration providers: the "do nothing about cloud computing" providers; the "integration on the cheap" providers; and "the cloud is everything" providers. The "do nothing" providers have largely refrained from moving into the cloud, offering traditional integration solutions that are on-premise and rich in features while the "integration on the cheap" providers are approaching cloud integration from a tactical perspective. The "cloud is everything" providers are cloud-centric, responding to the new integration challenges of the cloud by aggressively developing on-premise and clou... (more)

What Is iPaaS? Gartner Provides a Reference Model

It's no secret that cloud integration is one of the main challenges facing today's enterprises. In order to meet the growing need for secure and reliable cloud integration solutions, several vendors have started to offer integration services known as iPaaS, or integration Platform as a Service. iPaaS is a cloud-based integration solution that is steadily gaining buzz, but - as with other cloud offerings - it is important to look beyond the hype for actual substance. One sure sign that iPaaS is securing its place as a legitimate category in the cloud computing stack is Gartner's sl... (more)

Connecting the Dots: The Social Web, Cloud Computing and Integration

These days it seems nearly impossible to talk about the enterprise without mentioning the words "social" or "cloud." At first glance, social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and cloud computing services like Salesforce.com appear to be separate and distinct technologies from a business as well as technical standpoint. One thing that both technologies have in common is that their growing popularity is putting pressure on enterprises to join the bandwagon and adopt them. On the social side of things, sites like Facebook and Twitter allow companies to communicat... (more)

Integration Causes SaaS Customers to Rethink Cloud Strategy

With the increasing use of SaaS applications and the move towards hybrid architectures, cloud integration has become a mission-critical priority for the enterprise. The challenges of cloud integration have led some SaaS customers to rethink their cloud computing strategies while deterring prospective customers from adopting SaaS in the first place. More than ever, there is a crucial need for cloud integration solutions--and SaaS users are looking to SaaS vendors to provide them. Although SaaS vendors recognize that integration is a major obstacle for end users, they don't always... (more)

Top Ten Pitfalls of P2P Integration to Avoid in the Cloud

While integration isn’t necessarily a new problem, the unique challenges of integrating in the cloud require a new approach. Many enterprises, however, are still using point-to-point (P2P) solutions to address their cloud integration needs. In order to tackle cloud integration successfully, we need to move beyond P2P integration and avoid repeating the same mistakes. To aid in that effort, here is a list (in no particular order) of the top 10 pitfalls of P2P integration to avoid repeating in the cloud: 1. Building vs. buying: If you have developers with integration experience in ... (more)