What is application integration?

Most enterprises rely on a range of software applications to manage business functions from ITOps and FinOps to customer service. Though every enterprise application serves a unique purpose within a business’s tech stack, each app also generates its own data. And many enterprise workflows rely on real-time data flow between apps and systems communicating with each other on the network. Without app integration, IT teams would have to allot staff for time-consuming manual data entry to integrate data from different software and data sources. This would eliminate the possibility of real-time data transmission and data sharing.

App integration (also called software integration) automates and streamlines data transfer processes to prevent data silos between teams and applications and ensure continuous integration across the enterprise.

With integrated applications, teams can create seamless workflows between apps and platforms and facilitate frictionless data sharing between business departments across the organization. App integration can also help bridge the gap between on-premises applications and systems and fast-evolving cloud applications.

As such, the application integration tools that merge data between business applications can help businesses modernize their IT infrastructures and maintain more agile business operations.

There are several technologies businesses can use (alone and in combination) to build and automate integration workflows. These technologies include:

An API is a set of rules or protocols that lets software applications communicate with each other to share data, features and functions. APIs simplify and accelerate software development by enabling developers to integrate data, services and capabilities from other applications, instead of developing them from scratch.

Middleware is software that enables communication and connectivity between applications or components in a distributed network, essentially creating "software glue" that binds different systems together. Using a range of intelligent features (message brokers, enterprise service buses (ESBs) and web app servers, for instance), middleware streamlines app development by facilitating communication between platforms that weren’t designed to organically connect.

Unlike API-led integration, which relies on code-based data requests, webhook integrations are HTTP callbacks that rely on events for application integration and data transmission.

An “event” is any foundational data structure that records occurrences in the system or environment. When a system event occurs, a webhook will automatically trigger data exchange between network devices. Webhooks facilitate automated, event-driven integration workflows that can transmit data in real time (or near-real time).

Application integration relies on a network of interconnected processes and data exchanges that enable integration tools to orchestrate various functions across an infrastructure and improve operational efficiency. However, there are several ways businesses can approach the integration process, including:

Point-to-point system integration involves creating direct connections between individual software systems or applications, after which each system communicates directly with another using custom integration logic.

It’s the most straightforward integration strategy and the direct connections make implementing integrations a relatively cheap and simple process. However, the larger the network of apps and processes, the more point-to-point integrations teams will have to configure and maintain. This limitation makes point-to-point strategies best suited for small-scale integration projects.

In an EAI (also called a “hub-and-spoke” integration), a central hub acts as an intermediary for all communications between systems. Each system connects to the hub, which handles message routing to the appropriate spokes, eliminating the need for direct connections.

Hub-and-spoke integrations provide a single point of monitoring and control along with message orchestration capabilities, so IT teams can more easily add and remove systems without disrupting existing integrations.

However, the hub also represents a single point of failure—if the hub crashes or experiences availability issues, the entire integrated system might suffer. Furthermore, as businesses scale operations and the hub grows to accommodate more systems (spokes), EAIs can become prohibitively costly and complicated to maintain.

An ESB is a middleware solution that provides a highly flexible integration platform. It uses a bus-like architectural framework wherein a centralized software component performs integrations between applications. ESBs receive messages at one API endpoint, use business logic to find the addresses of the destination endpoints and then send the message to the destination.

ESB solutions can support a variety of communication protocols and data formats, enabling for more diverse integrations. ESB also enables IT teams to reuse integration components across different projects, which can minimize software development time. And since ESB integrations are loosely coupled, they can be easier than some other solutions to update and maintain.

However, with the rise of cloud-native ecosystems, ESB tools are becoming obsolete as integration tools.

Message-oriented middleware facilitates asynchronous communication between systems using message queues. It decouples the sending and receiving processes, so that disparate systems can communicate without being directly connected.

When an application sends a message, MOM adds the message to a queue, where it remains until the app server is ready to retrieve it. Neither application is directly dependent on the other for communication.

MOM integrations can improve system scalability, reliability and resilience by enabling network processes to run independently. Despite their benefits, MOM integrations require vigilant real-time monitoring to ensure that message queues and brokers continue to run optimally.

Microservices architectures break down applications into small, independent services that communicate over a network. Each service is designed to perform a specific function and can be developed, deployed and scaled independently.

A microservices layer can leverage the benefits of existing systems (ESBs and point-to-point integrations, for instance) to manage app data integration. Microservices don’t use intermediary nodes to route data; instead, they rely on protocols such as WebSocket and HTTP for direct app connection and service addresses for API integration.

Though microservices integrations require robust monitoring practices (which can be costly), they enable enterprises to customize integrations and build more resilient IT environments.

iPaaS is a suite of self-service, cloud-based tools that helps enterprises build and deploy integration flows, which can connect applications with public and private cloud data and connect the cloud with on-premises data centers.

iPaaS platforms use pre-built connectors and templates to orchestrate data exchange and integration. This helps ensure secure, end-to-end data delivery to consuming applications, or to data warehouses and lakes for later analysis. If, for instance, an integration depends on APIs, the iPaaS will manage the API calls, handle authentication and make sure data is exchanged securely.

iPaaS deployment can require a lot of time and forethought, especially in sprawling enterprise-level environments. However, iPaaS solutions provide a single platform for all an enterprise’s data exchange and integration needs.

In discussions about the import of integrated applications and web services in an enterprise setting, the terms "application integration" and "data integration" are sometimes used interchangeably. However, these concepts—and their use cases—are quite different.

Data integration is the practice of locating and retrieving information from various sources and combining that information into a unified structure and view. Also referred to as batch-based data processing, data integration involves collecting an extensive amount of data over time, storing it and then eventually processing it in batches.

Data integration isn't a real-time process; it’s commonly used after processes have been completed. However, it can provide administrators with the data portability they need to analyze application performance over time, eliminate redundancies and ensure data consistency and quality.

Unlike data integration, application integration directly links multiple applications at a functional level. Application data can be linked in near real-time, allowing organizations to create dynamic and highly adaptable applications and services.

These data connections enable IT teams to create event triggers that initiate integration flows from one application to the next. And the near real-time interactions help enterprises stay agile, responding to new data feeds and performance issues as they occur.

Businesses can use a range of integration methods, deployed independently or in combination. Modern API-led integration, for instance, enables teams to discover IT assets quickly and securely and a traditional service-oriented architecture (SOA) uses a communication layer (bus) to quickly integrate new applications.

There are a number of high-quality application integration solutions on the market and they offer an array of features and benefits, including data transformation and orchestration, data lifecycle management, protocol mediation, API management and analytics.

Businesses looking to invest in an integration solution tend to consider the following key factors:

• Business needs. It’s important to conduct a comprehensive assessment of current systems and processes. Find any pain points, compatibility issues, inefficiencies and other areas where integration projects could add value.

• Scalability. Choosing a software solution with potential future needs in mind can ensure the IT environment doesn’t outgrow the integration solution.

• Ease of use. A user-friendly interface can reduce the learning curve and increase adoption rates among staff. Investing in training and support can also be helpful, if the enterprise adopts an integration solution with a more complex user interface.

• Customization. Organizations often consider modular platforms that enable IT teams to add and remove functions as needed.

• Security. Many leading solutions offer comprehensive access controls and encryption features to protect sensitive customer data from bad actors and unauthorized user access. If an enterprise must adhere to regulatory standards (HIPAA, for instance), it’s important to find a solution with security features that meet those standards.

As more organizations prioritize agile integration strategies, modernizing legacy systems and enterprise IT infrastructure to keep pace with digital transformation initiatives becomes increasingly integral to staying competitive. Application integration can streamline the transformation for businesses operating in all sectors. Example use cases include:

• ERP systems: Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems (SAP, for example) serve as a hub for all business activities in an organization. By integrating ERP with supporting applications and services, organizations can streamline and automate mission-critical business processes, such as payment processing, invoicing, supply chain management, sales lead tracking and more.

• CRM platforms: When combined with other tools and services, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms (such as Salesforce) can maximize e-commerce productivity and efficiency by synchronizing and automating sales, marketing, customer support and product development functions.

• HRIS systems: Human resources information systems (HRISs) help businesses gather, process and store employee information. Using integration workflows, teams can connect HRIS platform data with enterprise IT service management (ITSM) tools so that new hires are automatically added to all necessary services and IT-related onboarding tasks.

Application integration can help resolve myriad complexities for organizations looking to streamline process automation, workflow creation and data management. The right integration tool can also yield important timesaving, cost-cutting and performance-enhancing operational benefits, including:

• Optimized business workflows
• Synchronized enterprise data
• Faster technology adoption
• Universal data access
• Endpoint alignment
• Enhanced strategy and administration