Enterprise application integration

EAI technology becomes the most functional when you need to combine applications in real time to automate business processes. It is also possible to apply EAI when it is necessary that changes that have been made to one application (usually a small set of records) are reflected in all others. This technology perfectly copes with the task of fixing changes and transferring them to the corresponding applications or systems.

Appointment

• Application Integration

At this level, the integration task is to combine the function or data of one application with another, which provides integration close to real time. Application integration is used to integrate B2B, introduce CRM systems that are integrated with enterprise server applications, web integration, and create websites that support most business systems. In addition, it may be necessary to carry out special integration, especially if you want to integrate an existing application with a newly installed ERP application.

• Integration business processes (Business Process Integration,) BPI

During the integration of business processes, the company is obliged to determine, carry out and manage the processes of exchange of corporate information between various business systems. In this regard, the organization can facilitate operations, reduce costs and improve responses to customer requests. The elements of this process include process management, process modeling, and a process plan that includes various tasks, procedures, architectures, required input and output information, and the tools needed for each stage in the business process.

• Data Integration

Ensuring high-quality integration of applications and business processes is the integration of data and database systems. Before starting integration, you need to locate the data and add it to the directory, create a data model. Once these three steps are completed, the data can be shared or shared across database systems.

• Standards of Integration

To ensure data integration, you need to find standard formats for the data. Formats that support the use and dissemination of information and business data are integration standards, i.e. such standards are the basis for integrating enterprise applications. Such standards include CORBA, EDI, COM +/DCOM, JavaRMI and XML.

Purposes

The main goals of application integration can be defined as follows:

• Reduce the cost of using a set of enterprise applications;
• Increase the speed of performing typical tasks or ensure the timing of their execution;
• Improve the quality of tasks by formalizing processes and minimizing the human factor as the main factor of errors.

Such wording as: "to ensure the formation of the financial statements of the enterprise within no more than one week after the end of the financial period"; "Reduce the checkout time from one hour to 15 minutes"; "reduce the number of personnel who take part in maintaining directories and classifiers from 20 to five people" are often used to indicate the goals of specific integration projects. Nevertheless, in the end, it all comes down to common tasks that can be formulated in an even more generalized form - to reduce the operating costs of an enterprise or organization. As a result, integration plans often find themselves in an advantageous position from the perspective of explanation to people who decide on financing projects: calculating return on investment indicators for these projects can look quite tempting. Ensuring automated control over the passage of basic business processes at the enterprise, information security in the implementation of business processes is achieved through the means of successful integration of corporate systems.

EAI Topology

In the organization of interaction routes of integrated systems, two approaches are distinguished. First, it is a point-to-point, or point-to-point, negotiation of integrated systems. Second, it is communication via a central node; this star-like architecture is usually called "hub + spokes." The topology defines the logical paths of communication and data transfer between integrated systems and does not depend on the physical architecture of the information system.

Point-to-point

This approach involves the interaction of integrated systems directly. The advantages of the approach are the absence of the need for additional software, simplicity and transparency. And yet there are also negative aspects. First, integrated applications should exchange information using the same communication methods and data call formats. In the process of changing an application (if it entailed a change in the interface of interaction of this application), it becomes necessary to modify or at least reconfigure all systems integrated with it. Second, a lot of connections appear in the enterprise information system, each of which must be checked and maintained in working condition. The cost of maintaining the enterprise information system integrated in this way becomes prohibitively high if there are too many interacting applications. But at the same time, the point-to-point approach is widely used. This typically occurs when multiple volumes of data or normalized interoperability times need to be transferred when certain applications are negotiated, and where the applications used in the enterprise have built-in interoperability (This often happens when several systems are introduced from one supplier, as well as if during the development of custom software systems or the introduction of new ones, they are initially subject to the condition for interaction with existing systems). However, the danger of the so-called "creeping" integration lurks here, which makes possible a situation in which the need to change the XYZ system unexpectedly finds that this cannot be done, since the reference book of the organizational structure and employees of your enterprise, historically maintained in XYZ, is replicated every night in a dozen more systems.

Hub and spokes

Point-to-point consistency creates too many connections in the enterprise infrastructure and makes it a condition for interfaces and data formats to interact between consistent applications. Such negatives are designed to solve the interaction architecture, in which all applications are directly related only to the central node, which solves the following problems:

• Organization of consistency routing between combined applications

Change file and data formats

• Guarantee application consistency using a variety of interoperability methods and protocols.

Market estimates

2024

The volume of the global iPaaS market for the year grew by 23.4% to $8.5 billion

At the end of 2024, the costs in the global iPaaS market (integration platform as a service) amounted to $8.5 billion. This is 23.4% more than in the previous year, when the volume of the industry was estimated at $6.89 billion. Such data are reflected in the Gartner study, the results of which TAdviser got acquainted with in early September 2025.

iPaaS is a cloud-based platform that integrates disparate applications, data, processes, and events across cloud and local environments. With iPaaS, users without special technical training can integrate information from third-party SaaS applications (software as a service) and local data centers into a centralized cloud service. The iPaaS model helps automate workflows between systems, simplifying operations and reducing manual tasks. This achieves high scalability: iPaaS provides ready-made connectors and templates that accelerate the deployment of complex integrations in any volume. The cloud service provider is responsible for providing software updates, security, technical support, and disaster recovery in the event of a failure.

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One of the key drivers of the analytics market is the active digital transformation of enterprises, which generates demand for rapid and effective integration. Many iPaaS vendors offer flexible solutions that enable customers to quickly develop integrations at any scale, such as in response to a business event or on demand. In addition, organizations can integrate different systems regardless of where they are hosted - locally, in the private cloud, or across cloud service providers. This increases flexibility and competitiveness.

Another stimulating factor is the increase in the popularity of Solutions SaaS. iPaaS service providers provide integration tools and infrastructure to enable data exchange between third-party SaaS applications. At the same time, iPaaS plays a key role in combining the business logic of several applications, which increases the efficiency of operations.

By deployment, the market is segmented into public, private, and hybrid clouds. The first of these sectors dominates, which is explained by the scalability, flexibility and availability of such platforms. In terms of the application of iPaaS, IT and telecommunications are distinguished, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), retail trade, healthcare, public sector, production, etc. In 2024, the BFSI direction provided the largest share of revenue. iPaaS solutions offer robust integration capabilities that help optimize the performance of the various systems and applications of BFSI organizations, while ensuring strict regulatory compliance.

Geographically, North America leads with companies in the region looking to increase flexibility and reduce time to market by leveraging iPaaS to quickly integrate new technologies and applications without long development cycles. At the same time, the Asia-Pacific region is showing the highest average annual growth rate: local enterprises in the retail, manufacturing, health care and finance sectors are experiencing a rapid digital transformation, which is accompanied by an increase in the need for iPaaS tools. Globally, significant industry players are named:

• Informatica;
• Boomi;
• SAP;
• Oracle;
• Salesforce;
• Workato;
• SnapLogic;
• Software AG;
• IBM;
• Jitterbit.^[1][2]

The volume of the global integration software market for the year grew by 9.8% and reached $5.9 billion

In 2024, costs in the global integration software market amounted to about $5.9 billion. This is 9.8% more than in the previous year, when the volume of the industry was estimated at $5.4 billion. The corresponding figures are provided in a study by Gartner, the results of which TAdviser reviewed at the end of August 2025.

The review refers to specialized software for data integration. Such tools allow companies to combine and use all types of information from different sources. The integration process ensures data consolidation and cleanliness and helps minimize errors, enabling businesses to leverage data as efficiently as possible. Integration provides a number of significant benefits for organizations of various sizes:

• Providing more valuable information;
• Improve data quality and integrity;
• Improvement of customer and partner service quality;
• Increase efficiency and ROI;
• Acceleration of obtaining valuable analytical information;
• Improve collaboration by seamlessly transferring information between different systems.

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Фото: Freepik

One of the key drivers of the market under consideration is the ongoing digital transformation of enterprises in various areas. Digitalization processes lead to exponential data growth, which generates additional demand for integration software. Companies that provide consumer services and work with a large number of partners invest heavily in tools that improve the efficiency of information collection and analysis.

The development of cloud platforms has a positive impact on the industry. Integration software is based on analytical models that store and track large amounts of data. Cloud technologies allow you to process huge amounts of information without the need to purchase your own expensive IT equipment. In doing so, companies can scale resources as needed. In addition, cloud platforms provide access to data and services from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. This is especially important in the case of large organizations with a geographically distributed network of representative offices.

Another stimulating factor is the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Such technologies provide automated matching, information conversion, and predictive analytics. This enables enterprises to streamline data integration operations and gain a deeper understanding of processes within the company.

The COVID-19 pandemic has positively impacted the data integration market, accelerating digital transformation initiatives. In the context of remote work and the growth of online activity, organizations have realized the need to optimize data management and analytics.

By application, the market is segmented into BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), healthcare, manufacturing, retail, IT and telecommunications, media and entertainment, power and utilities, public sector, etc. The largest revenues are provided by the BFSI and IT areas. From a geographical point of view, North America leads, and the highest average annual growth rates are recorded in the Asia-Pacific region. Globally, the list of significant players includes:

• Informatica;
• IBM;
• Microsoft;
• SAP;
• Oracle;
• Talend;
• SAS Institute;
• Tibco Software;
• Denodo Technologies;
• QlikTech International AB.^[3][4]

2010

Based on the fact that companies offer products that implement only part of the main integration tasks, and no supplier has yet supplied a complete solution, it is possible to explain the current heterogeneity of the EAI market. The leaders of this market are BEA Systems, NEON, CrossWorlds Software, Level 8 Systems, Mercator Software, SeeBeyond, Software AG, TIBCO, IONA Technologies, Vitria Technology and webMethods. Companies like PricewaterhouseCoopers, CSC and EDS are integrating large systems Based on analysts' forecasts, in the near future the EAI services market will become the most promising and rapidly growing part of the IT market. According to the consulting company IDC, a steady increase in revenues from the implementation of software that is designed to solve integration problems is expected.

See also

SOA

EDA

Links

Notes