Integration platform as a service is no

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Although the value proposition of integration-platform-as-a-service (iPaaS) solutions is attractive, the solutions are not yet mature enough to be used for a wide range of complex integration requirements, according to analyst Ovum.

Despite evolving at a rapid pace and offering many benefits above other integration approaches, iPaaS is not yet the ‘silver bullet’ for SaaS integration as touted by other analyst firms, and only through careful planning will organisations achieve seamless integration, argues Ovum.

The analyst forecasts that global spend on integration solutions will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3% between 2011 and 2016, reaching $14.4 billion (€11.7 billion) by the end of 2016. A significant part of this spend, said Ovum, will be for SaaS integration solutions, uptake of which is being driven by the increasing complexity of enterprise application portfolios and tight IT budgets. New research from the firm suggests that while traditional integration approaches  including service-oriented architecture (SOA), custom-code development, and integration outsourcing are ill-suited to the needs of complex integration requirements, cloud-based integration approaches are not the perfect solution either.

"While traditional integration approaches  may enable interaction between SaaS and other on-premise and SaaS applications, the associated expenditure and implementation times are not always in line with IT budgets and project plans" said Saurabh Sharma, senior analyst, software team, Ovum.  "But while cloud-based integration solutions do align well and provide many sought-after benefits, the solutions are not yet completely mature and offer less functionality than what is provided by traditional integration solutions".

Organisations should exercise caution when selecting a suitable approach to SaaS integration as integration-related expenses are a significant part of the total cost of ownership (TCO) for SaaS solutions, the analyst warned.

"Only a well-planned approach will ensure that SaaS integration projects are completed on-time, within the allocated IT budgets and, more importantly, deliver the desired end-to-end functionality," concluded Sharma.

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