A Digital Transformation story: Enterprise Integration through a DevOps driven iPaaS API architecture - Part 1

The problem domain: A typical enterprise technology landscape

The enterprise IT landscape of a corporate house typically consists of a conglomerate of disparate technology stacks - ranging from huge legacy proprietary monoliths hosting the systems of records to the modern componentized systems of engagements. The very diverse nature of the 360 degree landscape involves diverse skills, reciprocal governance needs and completely different program governance strategies. The problem at hand is how to integrate such a complex landscape. 

Figure 1: An interconnected but disparate enterprise technology landscape

The solution: A hybrid integration powered Digital transformation in multi-speed IT

We have a challenge here somewhat similar to an object constrained to move in a specific track and direction only, but being driven by internal tools that essentially are multi-sized and multi-speeds. The solution ask can be visualised as the combination of different sized machine tools or "gears" which moves at different speeds (compensating it's own size and impact) and helps the organisation to achieve it's business goals. 

Figure 2: Combination of different sized tools moving at various speeds solving a common problem

The Hybrid Integration: Technology landscape

On a closer look - this "connected" diverse technology landscape seems to have different diverse but critical needs. Typically at a broader level, we have four such dimensions of hybrid needs:

1) Hybrid user communities

IT, LOB's as well as project teams who are adopting integration tooling to automate application interactions

2) Hybrid connectivities

Secure connections to fetch data from wherever it is needed

3) Hybrid integration styles

App integration, Service integration, API integration, Data integration. 

4) Hybrid development

On-premise, cloud and hybrid software development to create an optimal solution architecture.

Note: The 3) and 4) above can also take the collaborative aspects to the level of sandbox production and consumption, which is one of the leading aspects of API economy. A more detailed technical insight of the same will be published in a later post.

Figure 3: A closer look on the hybrid integration needs of a hybrid multi-speed IT landscape

The evolution of integration solutions: The rise of iPaaS

One of the things to worth note here is the parallel rise of a iPaaS (Integration Platform as-a-Service) technologies, tools and platforms over the past couple of years when the companies across the world were also waking up to the need of de-monolithing and agile-fication of their landscape. 

Figure 4: The rise of iPaaS

The Phased hybrid integration approach: A typical iterative iPaaS re-platforming delivery model

Let us focus our attention to the area of hybrid landscape which involves maximum churn, i.e. the agile way of systems of engagements, since that is the area of focussed research of the industry to optimize. 

A typical way to execute such projects are an agile iterative mode, but here we will try to take that couple of steps further with a factory approach. 

Figure 5: A phased approach

to be continued ...