The traditional approach to business application integration saw IT at the helm, overseeing the process at every juncture to ensure it was done in a secure way. With all data connections securely under the umbrella of corporate IT, managers could rest assured they had full control and visibility into integration across the organization.
However, with the proliferation of technologies that accelerate the pace of business, such as cloud, mobile and social, the old systematic approach to integration is no longer an effective option and severely limits the efficiency and productivity of business users.
In relying on older technologies that fail to scale with the rapid pace of technological innovation, IT professionals are faced with an increasing amount of requests, and so, are being forced to reconsider existing processes.
Underscoring this need to revisit the traditional approach to business integration are “citizen integrators,” business users who are creating their own ad hoc workarounds to circumvent IT. The solutions, while nimble enough to provide citizen integrators with the integration capabilities they require in a timely fashion, exist outside the purview of IT. This puts the company at risk when it comes to IT security, management, monitoring and governance.
Alone, neither the systematic nor the adaptive approach to integration represents a viable long-term solution. As a result, there currently exists a critical need in the market for a hybrid solution to integration that is nimble enough to scale to the needs of the business user while remaining within the oversight of IT management.
As business user needs continue to develop, this hybrid approach will allow IT professionals to oversee necessary aspects of application integration, while simultaneously empowering the citizen integrator to access desired applications in a timely manner.
Businesses that fail to adapt to these changes in the business integration landscape will ultimately be left behind, as the speed and scope of IT projects will only continue to increase and advance. Smart organizations will adopt the hybrid approach, freeing IT to allocate time, effort and resources on strategic initiatives, while simultaneously empowering business users to take charge of tasks that improve overall efficiency and profitability. It is the hybrid approach that will ultimately prove to best serve organizations and position them for future success.