Author
November 9, 2023
In a recent blog post, we shared some of the interactions our team had with IT leaders and architects at the Gartner Symposium in October. One clear takeaway was the level of frustration experienced by users of legacy integration technology.
In particular, the chasm between what a company wants to do versus what the technology is capable of doing. With legacy technology, integrations take a lot of time, requiring significant coding (to build and maintain). The work must be done by expensive, specialized integration developers who in turn require ongoing certification and training.
The result? Growing backlogs and mounting technical debt. Instead of enabling innovation, these legacy solutions impede it.
Why this matters to you
If you’re reading this post, it’s likely you’re an IT or development leader who wants to optimize the productivity and engagement of your teams as they build adaptive environments that support the business.
Odds are you already have integration technology in place, unless you are custom coding your integrations in-house. The thought of replacing the existing system is traumatizing. No one willingly signs up for a painful rip and replace scenario.
But it doesn’t have to be like that. Really.
In fact, most Digibee customers implement our modern integration platform in parallel with an existing legacy solution, providing them with the air cover and time they need to properly transition. With Digibee, the path to replacement is simple and fast.
If you’re considering a new iPaaS, here are some resources to help guide your journey:
- Gartner research on evaluating integration technology (pricing, licensing, and other considerations)
- Legacy versus Modern iPaaS (a detailed comparison between Digibee and the oldest legacy vendor in the space: MuleSoft)
Modern Integration Capabilities
Regardless if you choose Digibee or another modern iPaaS vendor, keep these attributes in mind to ensure your new integration strategy is successful.
1. Empower all developers
The biggest detriment with most integration technology products is the inefficient use of resources.
Legacy iPaaS
Legacy solutions require specialized (certified/trained) integration developers to build and maintain integrations. This expensive and limited resource model is directly responsible for the ever-growing development backlogs that are a common byproduct of legacy integration technology.
60% of IT backlog projects require integration support
Low code automation tools
This is not to say the work being done by these specialists isn’t valuable – it is! But they can only do so much. The complexity of the platforms and the limited supply of resources are gating factors and an unnecessary hardship for development teams under the gun to produce.
The other extreme is automation tools that build simple integrations, typically used by citizen developers.
Unfortunately, these tools do not support sophisticated, enterprise use cases, only adding to the ever-growing backlog. Plus there is limited governance and oversight to ensure security and other best practices are properly employed.
| Digibee enables all developers to quickly build even complex integrations, solving for either scenario. Bottlenecks and backlogs no longer encumber innovation. Instead, developers are empowered to advance their projects in real-time. |
2. Build integrations that are modular and reusable
Development teams are charged with ensuring the company is able to respond rapidly to changes in the market. Legacy iPaaS impedes a rapid response, saddled with a rigid, on-premises integration model that needs an abundance of code, time, and resources just to keep the lights on.
While most legacy solutions claim they are “cloud native”, their DNA is derived from an on-premises model, and it always will be. Instead, the vendor simply re-architects the legacy technology to work within these environments.
Developers feel the pain every time they want to change or reuse an integration. Rewriting custom code is difficult and time-consuming. The work must be carefully tested to track all of the repercussions a single coding change presents across the enterprise.
| Digibee is the only enterprise iPaaS solution truly born in the cloud. Our integration platform is built on Kubernetes making it truly modular, requiring less time and stress. Developers work more efficiently and everyone is confident that integration work doesn’t result in unintended consequences to the business. |
3. Low code for the coder (…and AI-enabled)
Most software developers are leery of low-code tools. In a lot of cases, writing custom code is easier and more thorough than using a drag and drop interface. Plus there is pride in a job well done.
However, after the initial round of work, the team (and the business) must rely on the original developer to share their domain experience when subsequent work is required. Without firsthand knowledge in how the code was originally created, code breaks and the business is disrupted.
| Digibee provides a low-code platform to abstract away the mundane tasks associated with building and maintaining integrations. Designed for professional developers, Digibee is purpose-built to free up time to focus on development (instead of integration). AI-enabled tools and processes to build pipelines and migrate integrations from other platforms only increase efficiency. |
Next Steps with Digibee
We help organizations transition from legacy to modern integration strategies. Our iPaaS technology liberates developers from mindless maintenance tasks, redirecting these valuable resources to focus on the highest value projects that will most benefit the business. In this way, Digibee transforms enterprise integration from a time-consuming, back office function to a powerful tool for innovation.
If you have an integration story you’d like to share or you’re in the midst of a project you’d like to discuss, please contact us. If you’re interested in more information about Digibee, visit our website or schedule a demo.
