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The rapid pace of innovation in integration technology continues unabated. Just a few years ago, companies were committed to complex, on-premises products that required a significant and ongoing investment of time, resources, and budget.

Today, enterprise integration is an enabler of innovation, helping organizations digitally transform while accelerating critical technological advances.

No longer tied to legacy on-premises technology, companies are rapidly moving to the cloud. Composable IT infrastructure provides greater agility and speed, supporting profitable, lasting business success.

This updated buyer’s guide provides a detailed overview of integration platforms so you can compare vendors based on these important considerations:

• Ease of implementation
• Price
• Scalability
• Security
• Compliance

What is an integration platform?

Platform integration connects independent software applications to streamline interactions between each application.

There are many different types of integration technology available today, including:

• iPaaS: A set of cloud services that enables the development, execution, and governance of integration flows connecting any combination of on-premises and cloud-based processes, services, applications, and data within an individual organization or across multiple organizations.
• Enterprise Service Bus (ESB): an architecture that supports centralized components that perform application integrations.
• API Management Platforms: Connect two or more applications using their application programming interfaces (APIs) to exchange data.

With the shift to cloud-based operations, iPaaS technology is leading the trend.

“iPaaS has moved into widespread adoption worldwide, reaching 20% to 50% of the global target audience that will use iPaaS offerings to integrate not only applications and data, but also ecosystems, APIs, and business processes.”

Gartner Hype Cycle for Cloud Platform Services 2022

Top 5 Enterprise Integration Tools

• Digibee
• MuleSoft
• Azure
• Boomi
• Workato

The Digibee Integration Platform

KEY FEATURES

• Cloud-born platform: Easily build integrations with reusable pipelines and capsules
• Low-code interface: No specialized training required; any developer familiar with JSON will feel comfortable with Digibee
• Automated alerts: Proactive error monitoring for immediate resolution
• Global settings: Manage accounts, API keys, and multiple instances from a single dashboard with on/off controls for common settings
• Digibee execution dashboard: Securely test integrations and apply global parameters; deploy in seconds
• Single real-time dashboard: Monitor and troubleshoot integration pipelines across multiple projects, quickly view performance metrics, categorize errors and automate response mechanisms, and use pre-built connectors to send data to ticketing systems such as JIRA
• Learn More

TESTIMONIALS

PROS/CONS– Authentically cloud-born platform
– Implement in weeks versus months (or years)
– Works alongside existing legacy iPaaS solutions to accelerate stalled innovation initiatives
– Accessible to developers of all skill levels, with no expensive training or certification required
– Simple, complete pricing model that includes maintenance and support – Although rapidly gaining market share, Digibee is new to the market
– Technology focuses exclusively on integration versus broader capabilities such as API management

CUSTOMERS

• Johnson Brothers (beverage distributor)
• Lowe’s (home improvement specialty retailer)
• Payless (international discount footwear chain)
• Additional customer stories

Pricing

Digibee pricing reflects a contemporary “all-in-one” model that provides free access to the latest product innovations and capabilities. Pricing is incredibly simple, requiring only three SKUs with no limitations. Instead of charging for maximum potential usage, as is typical with legacy iPaaS solutions, Digibee customers pay only for what they consume.

The pricing model is based on the provision of pipelines and Runtime Units (RTUs), as follows:

• Pipeline: An integration path that uses a sequence of components to connect systems and establish data flow between them
• RTUs: Runtime units that support capacity requirements based on simultaneous transactions and/or memory

SKU #1

Getting Started Pack

10 pipelines, 20 production RTUs, 10 test RTUs

SKU #2

Additional Pipeline

Additional pipeline, includes production/test RTUs

SKU #3

Additional Capacity

More RTUs as needed in production/test environments

As the customer’s integration strategy expands, pipelines and RTUs are added as needed. This ensures the customer pays only for what they use, with the price per unit decreasing as the implementation grows.

Digibee customers get access to all features and capabilities at no additional cost. A new customer can start with SKU #1 for under $60,000, including:

• iPaaS hosted by Digibee
• Full support and maintenance, 24/7/365, including all new features and updates
• Continuing education
• Customer enablement with direct support from Digibee to design, build, test, and run integrations

Digibee provides an interactive product tour of the Integration Platform.

EVALUATION

• G2 Rating = 4.7 out of 5

MuleSoft: Anypoint Platform for Integration

KEY FEATURES

• Anypoint API Designer: Library of APIs, templates, examples, and connectors
• Anypoint Studio: IDE for API integration and development with pre-built modules
• Anypoint Connectors: Use a web interface or desktop IDE to integrate systems
• Anypoint Exchange: Marketplace for connectors, templates, examples, and APIs
• Anypoint DataGraph: Reuse, consume, and unify multiple APIs
• Anypoint Partner Manager: Accelerate partner onboarding and simplify partner management
• Anypoint MQ: Messaging service for asynchronous communication patterns
• Anypoint Code Builder: IDE for designing, developing, and deploying APIs, integrations, and automations

TESTIMONIALS

PROS/CONS– A veteran of the legacy industry, MuleSoft has a strong list of established customers that have invested heavily in the technology
– MuleSoft’s feature set is deep, extending far beyond iPaaS capabilities – Complicated and expensive pricing model
– All software developers and architects must be MuleSoft-certified to use the technology and interact with customer support on any matter
– End-of-life cycles are chronic and time-consuming, monopolizing expensive developer resources

CUSTOMERS

As a legacy technology vendor, MuleSoft’s customer base is broad and varied. Customers featured on the company’s website include:

• Airbus
• Barclays
• Citrix

Pricing

MuleSoft’s pricing is complicated, incorporating two different pricing models: usage-based and tiered. Customers must pay for:

• VCore (to support product usage)
• Edition (Gold, Platinum, Titanium)
• API Management (based on usage and volume)
• Integration (three different tiers)
• API Experience Hub (for full API management capabilities)
• Additional features and add-ons are optional

MuleSoft offers a free trial of its Anypoint Platform.

EVALUATION

• G2 Rating = 4.5 out of 5
• Capterra Rating = 4.4 out of 5

For a deep dive into MuleSoft's legacy iPaaS, read the research paper.

Azure Integration Services

KEY FEATURES

• Logic Apps: Create workflows and orchestrate business processes to connect hundreds of services in the cloud and on-premises
• Service Bus: Connect to on-premises and cloud-based applications and services to implement highly secure messaging workflows
• API Management: Securely publish APIs for internal and external developers to use when connecting to back-end systems hosted anywhere
• Event Grid: Connect supported Azure and third-party services using a fully managed event-routing service with a publish-subscribe model that simplifies event-based application development
• Azure Functions: Simplify complex orchestration problems with an event-driven solution
• Azure Data Factory: Visually integrate data sources to build ETL and ELT processes and accelerate data transformation

REVIEWS

PROS/CONS– Developers working in an existing Azure environment are loyal and may prefer to build and code with Azure tools
– Strong API management tools
– Microsoft’s large existing customer base provides a stable foundation for Azure to build on – Simple tools unable to support sophisticated enterprise use cases, with limited pre-built connectors beyond the Azure ecosystem and difficulty with non-API-led connections
– Each tool has its own interface to learn and manage; a steep learning curve for all users
– Numerous and complex pricing models make costs difficult to monitor and control

CUSTOMERS

Microsoft’s large existing customer base presents significant additional opportunities for Azure Integration Services. Customers featured on the company’s website include:

• Swiss Re
• SEEK
• Mission Linen Supply

Pricing

Azure Integration Services pricing varies. During implementation, Azure cloud services are required. Additional costs depend on the number of paid services deployed. Ongoing costs include additional Azure cloud services.

Azure Integration Services offers a free trial or pay-as-you-go account to test the product.

EVALUATION

• G2 Rating = 4.4 out of 5
• Capterra Rating = 4.6 out of 5

Boomi

KEY FEATURES

• Intelligence: Built-in AI capabilities to build faster and manage more easily
• Composability: Reusable building blocks and powerful automation
• Democratization: UX for all roles and skill levels, supporting role-based access control and team-based development
• Scale: Scale elastically as needed to handle varying workloads
• Security: Built with enterprise-grade security and reliability
• Lifecycle Management: Built-in version control and governance controls for integrations, workflows, APIs, and data models

TESTIMONIALS

PROS/CONS– Well established in the industry with a large customer base
– Strong support for remote businesses with infrastructure requiring fully on-premises connectivity
– A viable choice for organizations that prefer to outsource integration and instead rely on Boomi’s pre-built connections, SI and ISV network, and Boomi marketplace – Complexity of use with seven different point products
– Expensive, complicated pricing and licensing; each tool has its own volume-based pricing model, and all support is paid
– Product roadmap focused on citizen developers and automation

CUSTOMERS

• Australian Red Cross
• MOD Pizza
• Boise State University

Pricing

Boomi pricing incorporates a combination of tiered and volume-based pricing. Editions include Professional, Pro Plus, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus, with features varying by edition.

Customers must pay for:

• Integration (features and number of connectors)
• Master Data Hub (increases data volume)
• B2B/EDI Management (number of connected trading partners)
• API Management (number of API calls made)
• Flow (number of applications created)
• Data Catalog and Preparation (number of connectors and users)

EVALUATION

• G2 Rating = 4.2 out of 5
• Capterra Rating = 4.5 out of 5

Workato

KEY FEATURES

• Recipe Project: Customize recipes with different triggers, actions, and other steps
• Connectors: Includes an authentication method, triggers, and actions for a specific application
• On-prem connectivity: A secure connection from within a private IT environment to connect to the Workato cloud
• API Platform: Turn API recipes into endpoints so others can easily consume data without access to a specific Workato account
• Workbot: Build customizable workflows

REVIEWS

PROS/CONS– Known for ease of use in building automation for less sophisticated business use cases focused on citizen developers
– Most deployments involve ISVs to support expansion
– Especially popular with small and midsize businesses – Difficulty executing sophisticated enterprise integrations
– Reputation for rapid price escalation once deployed (charges for tasks and connectors)
– Unable to deploy in a private cloud; everything must be hosted

CUSTOMERS

Customers featured on the company’s website include:

• Broadcom
• Atlassian
• MGM

Pricing

Workato pricing varies depending on integrations for the business or product:

• Workato for Companies: Start with one workspace including unlimited apps, connections, and users. Recipes are added individually or in bundles (10, 25, 50, 100)
• Workato for Products: Integrations and workflow automations built for products. Connect to thousands of apps with 24/7 support

Options include:

• Cloud or on-premises, subscription
• On-premises applications, databases, custom applications (connected with REST, SOAP)
• Optional add-ons include security, operations, and more (for enterprises)

EVALUATION

• G2 Rating = 4.7 out of 5
• Capterra Rating = 4.6 out of 5

What to look for in an integration platform

Clearly, integration technology platforms vary by feature set, pricing models, and other differentiators. As you build your enterprise integration strategy, consider these universal benefits:

Compatibility

Your integration platform software must be compatible with the systems and applications you use today, as well as the innovations you will implement in the future.

Cloud-born iPaaS systems like Digibee natively support composable IT infrastructure. This agile environment makes it easy to connect all systems and applications—legacy or new and cutting-edge—regardless of whether they are on-premises or already in the cloud.

Ease of Use

Complicated technology that requires significant training and expensive certification limits the resources available to get the work done. It also results in very long implementation times and delayed time to market.

With one of the fastest implementation times on the market, Digibee is 70% faster than legacy integration solutions. Watch the video to see how quickly developers build integrations with Digibee.

Price

For most companies, investing in platform integration is an expensive proposition. According to Digibee’s State of Enterprise Integration survey in 2023, 59% of respondents invested up to a quarter of their IT budget in integration.

Avoid complex pricing models, especially common with legacy solutions that tend to combine usage with tiered pricing—a model that is difficult to monitor and control. Gartner Best Practices for Evaluating iPaaS Pricing is a useful resource.

Maintenance and support

Often overlooked during negotiations are the ongoing costs related to maintenance and support.

Modern cloud-born integration solutions update seamlessly, ensuring all users have access to the latest features and capabilities without investing resources—and potentially downtime—to support a new software version.

Contemporary iPaaS technology reduces dependency on a vendor for support. This is reflected in Digibee Support Offer which is provided free of charge. With an intuitive interface and drag-and-drop capabilities, developers learn and work quickly on their own to achieve fast results.

Try before you buy

Each vendor featured in this buyer’s guide offers a demo and/or trial so you can test the technology before committing. Many Digibee customers began their journey with a guided and interactive tour, transitioning to a 60-minute personalized demo designed to address your specific use cases in your existing environment.

Use these resources to help inform your enterprise integration strategy:

• A 2023 State of Enterprise Integration Report to gain insights into how your peers are leveraging technology
• A Digibee Pricing Page covers our simple pricing model with helpful comparisons on subscriptions and services

For more information, take a look at our product website or contact us to chat with our team. Good luck with your integration project!

[1] Gartner Glossary: Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)

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