Top 7 Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) Software Companies in 2021

Integration platform as a service or iPaaS is defined as a collection of cloud services that help build, test, execute, and manage integrations (both application programming interface or API-led and codeless, graphic user interface or GUI-led) to enable data exchange and bidirectional processes between two or more interconnected systems. This article explains the concept of iPaaS in more detail and shortlists the top seven iPaaS software solutions.Â

5 Key Must-Have Features of iPaaS Software
Top 7 iPaaS Software Companies in 2021

5 Key Must-Have Features of iPaaS SoftwareÂ

Integration platform as a service or iPaaS is a collection of cloud services that help build, test, execute, and manage integrations (both application programming interface or API-led and codeless, graphic user interface or GUI-led) to enable data exchange and bidirectional processes between two or more interconnected systems.

In a world of fast multiplying digital ecosystems, new devices, and increasingly complex applications, you need seamless integrations at the backend to avoid fragmentation. Integration platform as a service lets you link key systems, applications, workloads, processes, and data silos to enable end-to-end connected functionality. In many ways, iPaaS is the secret ingredient of a successful modern connected enterprise, which allows users to gain from the whole rather than the sum of its parts. This is why the demand for iPaaS is rapidly growing. By 2024, the iPaaS market will be worth $2.7 billion worldwide, as per research by Million Insights.Â

How iPaaS Works

An important reason for the rise of iPaaS is the need for smarter automation systems. According to a 2021 study by SnapLogic that surveyed 400 IT decision-makers in the U.S. and the U.K., 78% of businesses plan to increase their automation spends in the next 12 months. For 48%, this is a direct result of the pandemic, and 54% intend to use iPaaS solutions as a central component of their automation toolkit.Â

Some of the key consumers of iPaaS solutions include:Â

Large enterprises with multiple disconnected systemsÂ
Small-to-mid-sized companies that provide integrated software solutions to customers
System integrators (SIs) and IT managed service providersÂ
Digital native companies like e-commerce brands, challenger banks, etc.

Also Read: What Is Cloud Computing Architecture: Front-End & Back-End Explained

Now let’s understand the essential features to look for in an iPaaS software solution.Â

Essential Features of iPaaS Software

1. API-powered integrationsÂ

Enterprise iPaaS solutions must support integration development through APIs and software development kits (SDKs). Some solutions come with pre-built APIs for popular public clouds, business apps, communication services, etc. These reduce the time and effort needed to get your integrated landscape to go live. API-led cycle management, testing, and provisioning are also essential features. Additionally, the iPaaS solution can include codeless capabilities to help configure integrations and workflows through a GUI interface.

2. Centralized integration governance

This is among the top reasons for investing in iPaaS software. While most major business applications ship with native integration APIs, they may reside in different clouds and are difficult to manage. iPaaS allows for centralized governance, where you can track API development, integration health, data flow, and data access from a singular platform.Â

3. Big data and IoT compatibility

Today, unstructured data and the Internet of Things (IoT) devices are fast becoming an enterprise staple. It is essential that your iPaaS software can ingest unstructured data in addition to traditional data sources. You should be able to set up dedicated warehouses for big data and IoT and monitor these integrations from the centralized landscape. Some solutions even support workflow configuration for IoT, where data-led business processes are automated through iPaaS.Â

4. Integration marketplace

An integration marketplace consolidates all the prebuilt connectors, templates, and automation recipes available within an iPaaS environment. This lets you quickly assess if your existing system components are covered by the iPaaS software you want to install. In some cases, the marketplace also aids monetization, where you could publish your custom-built APIs, templates, etc., and allow other iPaaS customers to leverage them for a fee.Â

5. Flexible deployment optionsÂ

Finally, you should be able to deploy the software in an environment of your choice, be it a public cloud where you have existing dependencies, a hybrid environment, or on-premise. Some organizations might require on-premise integration hosting to prevent sensitive data flows from moving beyond the enterprise perimeter. iPaaS can support deployment in a containerized environment as well as via the company’s own multitenant hosting platforms.Â

Also Read: What Is Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)? Definition, Components, Providers, and Trends

Top 7 iPaaS Software Companies in 2021Â

In a multi-billion dollar iPaaS software market, it’s important to choose a product that’s in sync with your needs, digital maturity, and cost expectations. Here are the top seven iPaaS software providers in 2021 that address a diverse spectrum of use cases, from simple codeless integration to custom API development.Â

Disclaimer: This list is based on publicly available information from the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise iPaaS, customer reviews on TrustRadius, and The Forrester Waveâ„¢: Strategic iPaaS And Hybrid Integration Platforms, Q1 2019. It may include vendor websites that sell to mid-to-large enterprises. Readers are advised to conduct their own final research to ensure the best fit for their unique organizational needs.

1. Dell Boomi

Overview: Dell Boomi is the result of Dell’s acquisition of Boomi in 2010, a leading integration cloud at that time. Boomi has consistently ranked as a Leader in Gartner’s Enterprise iPaaS Magic Quadrant for seven consecutive years and is highly scalable for large-sized organizations. Boomi can instantly connect with 1500+ endpoints by enabling data integration and seamless workflows.Â

Key features: The key features of Dell Boomi include:Â

A cloud-native platform with distributed architectureÂ
Powered by Boomi Atom, the company’s proprietary lightweight runtime engine
Can be deployed on private, public, and on-premise systems or in Boomi’s Atom Cloud
Drag and drop visual user interface (UI) and low code platform for greater usabilityÂ
Pre-built starter templates, process libraries, and integration accelerators
FedRAMP-certified for ultimate securityÂ

USP: Boomi’s cognitive capabilities allow for a high degree of automation, from data mapping to configuring connectors, resolving errors, and conducting regression testing. Also, Boomi has a vast community of users, customers, technology experts, and professional service providers to help you at every step of your iPaaS implementation journey.Â

Pricing: Pricing for Dell Boomi starts at $50 per feature per month. It offers five editions ranging from Base to Enterprise Plus.Â

Editorial comments: There’s no denying that Dell Boomi is among the market leaders in iPaaS and brings several decades of expertise since the early days of digital transformation. The platform is smartly designed, ready for business users. It supports a wide range of use cases, from integrated workflows at small businesses to end-to-end connectivity across data silos for large enterprises.Â

2. Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services (IICS)Â

Overview: Like Dell Boomi, Informatica is also a multi-year winner of a spot on the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise iPaaS. It is also widely recognized by customers on Gartner Peer Insights. Informatica was established in 1993 and offers several products in data management, cloud connectivity, and application integration. The company’s Intelligent Cloud Services (IICS) is a next-gen iPaaS offering powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). It also has a microservices architecture for heightened scalability.Â

Key features: The key features of IICS include:Â

Seamless integration of cloud data and cloud-based applicationsÂ
Master Data Management Cloud to synchronize data sources in real-timeÂ
Cloud Mass Ingestion for Big Data streaming and processingÂ
Cloud Data Integration Elastic to process massive data volumes at scaleÂ
Cloud B2B Gateway to securely onboard cloud partners and grow your integrated landscapeÂ
Data integrity checks, quality management, and governanceÂ

USP: Informatica’s biggest USP is its AI and ML-driven CLAIREâ„¢ engine that helps automate core data management and governance tasks. CLAIRE â„¢ can analyze metadata for all your data assets to infer relationships, classify through user tags, and enable automated integrations through AI-based schema matching. It also surfaces insights for business analysts, data management professionals, and operational administrators.Â

Pricing: Informatica’s IICS follows a localized pricing model. You might have to request a quote based on Informatica Processing Unit (IPU) pricing. In Europe, for instance, pricing starts at â‚¬2,400 per month.Â

Editorial comments: Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services is ideal for companies with large data repositories (both structured and big data). Apart from this, its wide range of workflow orchestration services makes it a compelling platform.Â

Also Read: What Is Platform as a Service (PaaS)? Definition, Examples, Components, and Best Practices

3. MuleSoft Anypoint Platform

Overview: MuleSoft continues to operate as an independent offering even after its acquisition by Salesforce in 2018. It is a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant and has positive customer reviews across Gartner Peer Insights, TrustRadius, and Forrester Wave. The company’s flagship product, Anypoint Platform, is designed to unify multiple APIs, integrations, and connectors. MuleSoft also has a low code integration platform called Composer (GUI-based).Â

Key features: The key features of MuleSoft Anypoint include:Â

Reusable assets to help build API integrations, be it code-based or code-freeÂ
Deployment across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deploymentÂ
A singular interface to monitor API and integration helpÂ
Security automation and out-of-the-box complianceÂ
Prebuilt APIs, connectors, templates, and other integration assets for greater reusabilityÂ
The CloudHub platform as a service (PaaS) to host integrationsÂ

USP: MuleSoft’s most compelling differentiator is the Cloud Hub capability, a fully managed multi-tenant and elastic hosting environment for your integration landscape. Its globally distributed architecture ensures high resiliency, and you can define role-based access to the cloud via Anypoint.Â

Pricing: Anypoint has a custom pricing model that varies based on the number of users at your organization. The platform is available in three tiers â€“ Gold, Platinum, and Titanium, each with a customizable set of features.Â

Editorial comments: While Salesforce has bundled MuleSoft Composer into the large Salesforce ecosystem, Anypoint continues to be a top-rated independent iPaaS product. It’s ideal for ISVs and SIs looking to provide an integrated product offering to their customers. Large enterprises can leverage Anypoint to drive tightly-knit connectivity between data and application silos.Â

4. Oracle SOA

Overview: Given Oracle’s strong presence in design and customer experience (CX) segments, it might appear to be an unexpected entrant on our list of the best iPaaS companies. However, it is a multi-year winner of a Gartner Magic Quadrant slot for enterprise iPaaS, and since 2016, its iPaaS revenues have grown by over 200%. Oracle’s flagship iPaaS product is the Oracle Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) suite, built on key components such as cloud adapters, file transfer services, real-time integration insights, and developer tools. In 2018, Oracle introduced the SOA Cloud, which is a full-service iPaaS solution.Â

Key features: The key features of Oracle include:Â

Cloud adapters for leading platforms such as Salesforce, Ariba, Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and NetSuite
On-premise adapters for SAP, Oracle Siebel, E-Business Suite, and JD Edwards
Oracle Service Bus for service discovery, provisioning, and deploymentÂ
Oracle Business Activity Monitoring serviceÂ
Easy migration of workloads to the cloud and back to on-premise environmentsÂ
Support for mobile and IoT integration within a single platform

USP: Oracle is fully equipped to manage enterprise landscapes with a high level of digital maturity and possible fragmentation, even if there is dependence on legacy apps. Oracle SOA works with the Oracle Integration Cloud and Oracle Data Integration Platform Cloud to form a holistic iPaaS solution, which spans apps, workloads, data, and development or production.Â

Pricing: Oracle follows a customized pricing model for its iPaaS offerings.Â

Editorial comments: Large enterprises that use popular ERPs like SAP, JD Edwards, NetSuite, Ariba, etc., should consider Oracle as a promising iPaaS partner. It can handle complex cloud service environments and includes 100+ adapters to connect Oracle, third-party and homegrown applications. It is best suited for mid-sized to large organizations with high-volume integration requirements.Â

5. SAP Integration Suite

Overview: SAP, a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for iPaaS, is widely recognized among enterprise customers. It offers the SAP Integration Suite (formerly SAP Cloud Platform Integration Suite), which relies on the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) hosting environment and Cloud Foundry. SAP Integration Suite lets you build and manage enterprise-wide integration in a complex, hybrid application environment. Beyond connectivity, it contextualizes processes and data to deliver value to the business.Â

Key features: The key features of SAP Integration Suite include:Â

A library of pre-built integrations managed by SAPÂ
Support for custom API design, development, and deploymentÂ
End-to-end process harmonizationÂ
The availability of AI advisors for intelligent recommendationsÂ
Support for API publication to drive monetizationÂ
Self-service capabilities, beyond ITÂ

USP: SAP offers AI services to integrate cloud and hybrid assets. You can also leverage SAP BTP to reveal the organization’s end-to-end process map, business activities, and IT dependencies. SAP Integration Suite and SAP BTP aim to convert your organization into an intelligent enterprise with contextualized insights.Â

Pricing: SAP Integration Suite follows custom pricing. You could pay-as-you-go for SAP BTP and scale services up or down as per changing business requirements. SAP also offers Cloud Platform Enterprise Agreement (CPEA), where you pay for your cloud-based usage regardless of the service. Finally, SAP has a pure-play as-a-service option where you subscribe to a set of services for a fixed monthly rate.Â

Editorial comments: SAP Integration Suite is perfect for mid-sized to large enterprises. It relies on cloud-based integrations to drive core business. Moreover, its support for API monetization sets it apart.Â

Also Read: What Is Anything/Everything as a Service (XaaS)? Definition and Key Trends

6. TIBCO Cloudâ„¢ Integration

Overview: 1997-founded software company TIBCO is named a Challenger in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise iPaaS and a Leader as per the Forrester Wave for Strategic iPaaS and Hybrid Integration Platforms. Its flagship iPaaS product is the TIBCO Cloud, powered by an open platform core to connect with the widest possible variety of platforms. It also has a pre-built integration solution marketplace for low code provisioning.Â

Key features: The key features of TIBCO Cloud Integration include:Â

A library of 200+ pre-built connectors for business to business (B2B) protocols, big data and NoSQL endpoints, business applications, file transfer and storage services, and mobile notifications
Support for cloud-native app development, scalable microservices, and serverless functions
Flexible deployment on-premise, on Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Azure, within container-based platforms, and edge devicesÂ
Centralized governance of all integrations through parent-child hierarchiesÂ
AI and ML capabilitiesÂ
Debugging and testing for cloud-based applicationsÂ

USP: A major USP provided by TIBCO is the AI-powered experience. You can embed ML models into your APIs and apps via Catalyst ML and modelOps. The solution also features continuous learning based on historical patterns to generate recommendations for connecting data between source and target fields. Apart from this, TIBCO Cloud Integration supports full API lifecycle management from creation to ROI measurement.Â

Pricing: TIBCO Cloud Integration starts at $400 per month for the Basic edition. There are also Trial, Premium, and Hybrid plans available.Â

Editorial comments: Among the world’s leading software companies, TIBCO offers a rich ecosystem of cloud solutions Opens a new window that includes iPaaS, business analytics, metadata management, messaging services, events management, and more. It is ideal for companies that have invested complex applications in a cloud environment and want to gain from centralized governance and a robust supporting ecosystem.Â

7. Workato

Overview: Enterprise automation company, Workato, is named a Leader as per the Forrester Wave and the Gartner Magic Quadrant. Unlike some other iPaaS solutions on this list, Workato is suitable for small organizations, mid-sized businesses, and large enterprises alike. It fits seamlessly into your existing technology stack for IT, marketing, HR, finance, sales, support, and product development. The Workato platform is low code and easy to use as it leverages a mix of API and GUI connectors.Â

Key features: The key features of Workato include:Â

A library of 1000+ pre-built connectorsÂ
500,000-plus ready-to-use â€œrecipesâ€ or preconfigured automation workflowsÂ
Low code and GUI-based robotic process automation (RPA)Â
Data ingestion from Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, and other data warehouses
Automatic reconciling of source schema changes
Support for custom enterprise chatbots that integrate with Slack and Microsoft TeamsÂ

USP: The most significant differentiator setting Workato among the leading iPaaS products in the market is its sheer simplicity. You don’t require any technical expertise to start using Workato, while those with development experience can leverage APIs to further integrate with the surrounding landscape. In addition, Workato can scale as per your digital maturity, suitable for enterprises of every size.Â

Pricing: Workato follows a custom pricing model. You can choose between two versions â€“ Workato for business integrations or Workato for product development.Â

Editorial comments: Workato balances simplicity of use and robust features. While it empowers business users with a low code interface, it has deep customization and configuration capabilities at the backend. For example, you can connect with â€œextract, transform, and loadâ€ as well as â€œextract, load, and transformâ€ (ETL and ELT) data pipelines, configure Zapier-like workflows, build your own integrations, publish on the marketplace, and gain from Recipe IQ, the company’s ML-driven recommendations engine.Â

Also Read: What Is IT Infrastructure? Definition, Building Blocks, and Management Best Practices

Takeaway

Integrations act as the foundation for several key enterprise capabilities. It allows the centralized ingestion of data from multiple sources, which is necessary for 360-degree analytics. It helps create connected workflows, with numerous applications working together to carry out an automated task based on event and data triggers. It creates a cohesive landscape where homegrown applications, third-party software, and partner-provided solutions coexist. In other words, as we move towards greater digital maturity, integration through iPaaS software will be an essential stepping stone.Â

Do you agree that iPaaS plays a central role in maximizing your full digital potential? Tell us on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you!

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