Cloud integration is a process of configuring multiple application programs to share data in the cloud

Diverse applications communicate either directly or through third-party software in a network that incorporates cloud integration.


There are dozens of innovations, cloud and not cloud, which can make this occur. Moreover, there are numerous best practices and maybe pre-built design templates that are able to make this quick and easy.

But, exactly what if you're not utilizing Integration, and your cloud is a rather complex IaaS or PaaS cloud, that is not as popular and therefore not also supported with design templates and best practices? Now what?

Well, you're back in the days when integration was undiscovered territory and when you needed to be a bit innovative when trying to exchange info with one complex and abstract system with another. This suggests mapping information, change and transmitting logic, adapters, many of the old college integration principles seem to be a lost art nowadays. Simply since your source or target system is a cloud and not a traditional system, that does not make it any much easier.




The great information is that there are a terrible lot of efficient integration technologies around these days, most of them on-premise with a few of them cloud-delivered. But, discovering to utilize these items still needs that you have a project mentality when approaching cloud-to-enterprise integration, and it's not an afterthought, as it is numerous times. This implies time, money, and discovering that numerous enterprises have actually not dialed into their cloud enablement projects.

Numerous smaller consulting companies are benefiting kind this confusion and are out there advertising their ability to connect stuff in your information center with things in the cloud. Many fall means brief in providing the value and promise of cloud integration, and I'm seeing far too lots of primitive connections, such as custom programmed interfaces and FTP options out there. That's a dumb choice these days, thinking about that the trouble as already been fixed by others.

I presume that integration will continue to be an undervalued part of cloud computing, until it becomes the source of many cloud computing job failures. Time to stop ignoring that work that should be done here.

Cloud Integration

Tactical or Strategic Cloud Services?

As presented in Network World, "The Equal Work Chance Commission (EEOC) expects to conserve 40 % over the next 5 years by changing its monetary management application to a cloud computing supplier-- an indication of the huge cost savings to come from the U.S. federal government's shift to the software-as-a-service model." Great, however not great.

The truth is that US government has a great deal of IT fat that can be punctured using cloud computing, with leveraging SaaS-based applications being the low hanging fruit. What's excellent about SaaS is that that business case is evident, and the cost savings are generally between 40 and 60 percent. Nevertheless, what's not so fantastic about SaaS is that you're only taking care of a single application domain and not the architecture holistically.

While the cost savings that the US government, and we as taxpayers, can delight in from cloud computing is considerable possibly tactical steps such as leveraging a single SaaS application just masks bigger more systemic problems. Undoubtedly, what's really needed is a general strategy around the use of cloud, and the architectural actions to get there. This consists of using other cloud options, such as IaaS and PaaS, in addition to SaaS.

The issue is that architectural modification around the use of brand-new technology, such as cloud computing, is hard while simply migrating from a single on premise application to a SaaS app is simple and quick. Nevertheless, the former offers many more effectiveness and expense savings when thinking about both the economies of the technologies along with the agility their use brings.

So, when government firms think cloud they have to thing long term and strategic, and not brief term and planned. We will all be much happier with completion outcome.

Strategic Cloud Services

Cloud Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

The basic principles of service-oriented architecture are independent of vendors, products and technologies

"So did SOA resolve integration? No. However then once again, no one ever promised you that. As Neil observes, we'll probably never see a 'turnkey enterprise integration solution,' but that's probably an advantage - after all, organizations have various needs, and such an option would need an Orwellian-level of standardization."

The fact of the issue is that SOA and integration are 2 various, but interrelated concepts. SOA is a means of doing architecture, where integration might be a result of that architecture. SOA does not set out to do integration, however it possibly a by-product of SOA. Baffled yet?

Truth-be-told integration is a deliberate technique, not a byproduct. Hence, you have to have an integration strategy and architecture that belongs of your SOA, and not simply a desired outcome.You'll never get there, trust me.

The problem is that there are 2 architectural patterns at play right here.

First, is the goal to externalize both habits and information as sets of services that can be set up and reconfigured into options. That's at the heart of SOA, and the integration typically takes place within the composite applications and procedures that are produced from the services.

Second, is the goal to duplicate info from source to target systems, ensuring that details is shared in between inconsistent applications or total systems, which the semantics are handled. This is the objective of integration, and was at the heart of the architectural pattern of EAI.

Plainly, integration is a purposeful action and thus needs to be dealt with within architecture, including SOA. Thus, SOA won't fix your integration issues; you need to deal with those directly.

service-oriented architecture

Cloud Consulting can be an Amusing Occupation

You need to continue to be relevant, so you tend to follow the buzz and follow the group. Cloud computing is the next big thing, and a number of the bigger consulting companies is chasing cloud computing as fast as they can.

However, many are not chasing after cloud computing properly, missing out on a ton of the architectural benefits. Rather they are just tossing things from their business onto exclusive and public clouds and hoping for the best. Making things worse, so many of the bigger enterprise customers do not see through the confusion, or in this case the architecture with the clouds. So, you have both parties taking a reactive rather than a proactive approach to the cloud.

Are you getting the architectural context supporting the use of cloud computing. Or, the ability to produce a total strategic plan and architectural structure, and then taking a look at how cloud computing fits into this framework now, and into the future. Typically that suggests leveraging SOA techniques and patterns.

That message appears to fall on closed ears these days, and the majority of those closed ears seem to be connected to seeking advice from companies that they trust to take their IT to the next level. The end result will be failed cloud computing projects, with the blame being put on the innovation. It's really the lack of strategic planning and architecture that's at the heart of the problem.

The concept of SOA, as associated with cloud computing is basic. You have to comprehend the existing and future state architecture before you start picking platforms and technology, including cloud computing. When you have that deeper understanding its fairly simple to find out where SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS come into play, or not. In addition, producing a road map for implementation and migration with time, typically a 3 to 5 year horizon.

Take a deep look at your needs and get an expert to design the architecture before purchasing the apps.

Cloud Consulting

Integrating Business on the Cloud is a Challenge

It's a bit curious to me that a lot of firms executing cloud computing are struggling with the principle of integration, a subject that's near and dear to my heart. In addition they are doing this as if integration itself was a new topic.

The issue is one of context, more so than technology when thinking about that we have actually been doing integration well for over 15 years, and therefore it's just a matter of carrying those ideas and technology to the world of the cloud. However, as it was back in the 90s when I composed the EAI book, many firms are approaching cloud integration as if we are starting over. That's a big error.

What's vital to keep in mind about integration, cloud or not, is that it's actually about the complimentary flow of details in between systems that take care of info differently. Therefore, you need to readjust details as it's transferred in between systems, or how each offers with system semantics. For example, in moving information from SAP to ERP at some time you have to handle the various methods that each structures information around the principles of consumer, sales, stock, etc.

Many problems when handling cloud computing may be due to the fact that you might be dealing with systems that are beyond the firewall software, and not under you're direct control. Nonetheless, integrations can be well-defined and simple to make use of interfaces, or APIs, which allow access to core information or services. Certainly, I would consider it a lot easier to link and incorporate existing SaaS and IaaS clouds than traditional enterprise systems.

The core message below is that we need to learn from the past, and do not presume we're beginning from scratch when taking care of cloud computing. The patterns, the innovation, the troubles, and the options are mainly the exact same.

cloud integration