Making Integration Simpler with an ESB
For those who are new to the term ESB, here’s a crash course:
Enterprise service bus (ESB) software works to help design and implement a line of communication across various programs that are a part of a service-oriented architecture (SOA) application solution. ESB applications are used most frequently as a part of enterprise application integration (EAI), which allows for the creation of heterogeneous and even complex application landscapes across the cloud. Additionally, ESB has become an important tool for application integration.
ESBs can be used to facilitate administration, deployment and runtime monitoring, as well as other basic integration functions. The biggest advantage that companies will find using ESBs versus a traditional framework is easier tooling because better tools leads to lower costs and reduced complexity.
There are numerous ESBs on the market, but the two best on the market are Microsoft BizTalk and MuleSoft.
Now that we’ve provided an expedited education about what ESB is and what it does, let’s explore these two popular ESB options a little bit…
Microsoft BizTalk
BizTalk was originally designed to help facilitate communication between businesses (thus the name). It works by storing any message it receives and converting it to a readable format for the user – from any format to any format. The advantage of using BizTalk rather than coding your own program is that it’s guaranteed to work without having to recode if you didn’t plan for a given language.
In terms of using an ESB for integration, BizTalk is tough to beat. It will allow any systems you have in place that don’t play nice with others to bridge together. BizTalk also makes it possible to create your applications in the cloud, making integration between SaaS (Software as a Service) and existing applications seamless. Additionally, BizTalk software allows you to extend the applications you use to mobile devices easily.
A downside of BizTalk that some businesses run into is the program’s size. In this aspect, MuleSoft picks up the slack…
MuleSoft
While BizTalk is a heavy piece of software, MuleSoft is lightweight. But don’t let the size of Mule’s ESB deter you. You can easily start small and scale MuleSoft up to meet your specific needs and requirements. MuleSoft also gives your business the benefit of communicating across applications regardless of whether they’re on the same machine or via the web.
Mule ESB offers adaptive integration, which means the program provides:
- Smooth integration across any existing infrastructure
- Ease of use with standing application servers or as a standalone
- Vender neutral
- Ability to build the system up with plug-in architecture
MuleSoft is increasingly gaining popularity and traction in the business world due to its scalability and cloud integration features.
Ask the Integration Pros
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