Step 3: Stop Muddling with Middleware
The decades-old middleware approach to integration (i.e., ESBs, EAIs, ETL) came of age when ERPs were the heavyweights of enterprise software. The middleware model was well matched to the integration needs of its time, but, today, its large installation footprint, heavy reliance on network processing, and use of older languages and protocols make it a less than ideal integration tool at a time when agility above all else is required to accommodate ever-changing cloud endpoints.
Given the long implementation cycles and high infrastructure and personnel costs, IT organizations should no longer invest in keeping middleware implementations current. While it's probably unrealistic to rip and replace, steps should be taken to begin migrating integration functionality to more modern cloud-based models such as data platform as a service (dPaaS).