Cloud App Integration .com

The following was contributed by Clark Newby, Senior Vice President of Marketing at SnapLogic.

At SnapLogic, we’re obsessed with the exciting opportunities presented by SaaS applications, and we closely follow how companies are merging these solutions into their IT portfolios. In order to get a quantitative look at the “state of integration” today, we recently commissioned an Application Connection Priorities report, which highlights trends in the integration goals, needs and challenges of companies in 2011 and beyond.

We found that companies are primarily focused on integrating business intelligence and analytics (39 percent), productivity and collaboration (36 percent), sales (34 percent), and financial applications (28 percent) over the next 12 months. This reflects the growing adoption of newer technologies like Birst, Google Apps, Salesforce, and FinancialForce.com. Integration is a key step in the process of replacing cumbersome enterprise application stacks with these flexible SaaS offerings, and it will become even more important as IT portfolios expand to include niche SaaS applications in additional functional areas. Read more… »

SnapLogic VP explains how growing number of data sources creates need for specialized integration

As the number data types and applications proliferates, cloud integration vendors recognize that they cannot provide integrations for every possible scenario. Instead, they are creating platforms for third parties to develop and share custom integration services and tools.

We recently spoke with Clark Newby, Senior Vice President of Product Marketing at SnapLogic, about using a marketplace to deliver integration services. SnapLogic launched its SnapStore integration marketplace in April of 2010.

“In the old days you’d have SAP, Siebel, PeopleSoft, maybe an Oracle database, and you’d connect those three or four things and be done,” said Newby. “What we’re seeing is a burgeoning number of data sources.”

The myriad types of data make it difficult for vendors to create a sufficient number of integration options. “You have more narrowly focused SaaS applications, the social media stream—you have more data sources than ever before,” said Newby. “No single company can possibly develop all the different connectors to all these different data sources.”

To meet the demand for specialized integration tools, Newby’s company created a model based on the iPhone App Store. Both SnapLogic and third party developers can create applications designed to perform a specific type of integration, then offer it through the SnapStore for sale and download. As in Apple’s App Store, all applications are subject to approval.

Newby said that while this may limit the number of integration applications available, it ensures quality and functionality. “I see others out there in the market doing more of a craigslist-style marketplace,” said Newby. “That’s not us. Every single snap in the Snapstore uses the same underlying API and a standard open development environment.”

Many integration vendors tap into the integration marketplace model

SnapLogic’s SnapStore was an early entry to the integration services marketplace marketplace. Other companies are beginning to create their own platforms for developing and sharing integration services. This April Pervasive announced Pervasive Galaxy, a development and collaboration platform for the creation of integration services. Pervasive Galaxy combines a service marketplace with tools for chat, revenue sharing, auctioning, and crowdsourcing. Popular ESB provider MuleSoft also announced an integration marketplace for its Mule iON platform.

The BI market has seen a lot of press this year, as part of a broader movement toward closer collaboration between business and IT departments. Back in February, IDC predicted the SaaS BI market would grow over 20% each year through 2013. It’s no surprise, then, that BI vendors are expanding their SaaS presence.

A recent report from the Aberdeen group concluded that the integration of SaaS BI increases use among employees, specifically self-service users, when compared to on premise business intelligence tools. The report looked closely at San Francisco accessory retailer Timbuk2, who used SaaS BI from PivotLink. According to the report, SaaS BI attracted more users across the enterprise, saved money, and encouraged business agility.

Business Intelligence service provider GoodData this August announced the availability of its GoodData Snap in the SnapLogic SnapStore, allowing users to integrate GoodData services within SnapLogic’s data integration platform. The GoodData tool helps users create dashboards, perform operational reporting, and conduct analysis. GoodData promises “data to dashboard in a week.”

Also in August, BI services provider Information Control Corporation (ICC) announced a partnership with Business Intelligence SaaS provider Bi3. A reseller, ICC will recommend Bi3 to its clients. The Bi3 SaaS offering features integration of BI and Business Process Management (BPM) tools.

In the same month, Bilander released version 2.0 of Binocle, its business intelligence Software-as-a-Service. The aim of the product is “to put business users in the driver’s seat,” according to the release. Binocle offers integration with Microsoft Office products, as well as Salesforce.com CRM, MS-CRM, and vTiger.

In any company, the IT department increasingly holds the tools for smart business decisions while the business department holds the expertise. Business and IT departments are thus working closer together than ever before, and a SaaS BI service can help bridge the gap between the two. As recent surveys show, and as tools like the GoodData Snap and Bilander’s Binocle suggest, Business Intelligence is on the rise. That’s because BI can make data and data analysis more accessible to business users through easier collaboration over the Web and by facilitating the creation of easy-to-use dashboards and visualizations.

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SaaS BI integration resources

SaaS BI Continues to Draw Interest, Traction (Enterprise Systems)
SaaS BI provider Birst conducted a survey to gauge interest level and concerns about prospective users of SaaS BI. The results are not surprising: Many respondents said that complexity of integration was one of their top concerns.

BI SaaS Vendors Are Not Created Equal (Information Management)
Blogger Boris Evelson takes a look at the different capabilities BI vendors offer. The leading BI tool remains, perhaps surprisingly, Microsoft Excel. But today’s pure BI offerings are capable of much more, and Evelson creates a helpful checklist for determining which vendor is right for you. BI integration services are an important consideration, Evelson writes.

SaaS BI Vendor LucidEra Set to Fold (CIO)
Find out why LucidEra was unable to hang on in the competitive SaaS BI market. The article suggests that LucidEra was too expensive for small companies and lacked capability for large ones. The article also suggests that integration issues can be a hindrance to BI implementation. It may be that integration challenges were part of the problem.

SaaS BI growing (ebizQ)
Blogger David Linthicum takes a look at expectations for the growing SaaS BI market. While he’s not as enthusiastic as others, he acknowledges that SaaS BI is particularly useful in enterprise mashups and in the front office.

SaaS business intelligence (BI) software, technology and market guide (SearchBusinessAnalytics)
This special report on SaaS BI takes a look at recent news, market trends, and tips related to SaaS BI, including a special section on SaaS BI integration. That this section is titled “IT Darwinism” suggests how important good integration to the survival of a SaaS BI implementation.

Report shows benefits of SaaS Business Intelligence (Press release)
A recent report from the Aberdeen group concluded that the integration of SaaS BI increases use among employees, specifically self-service users, when compared to on premise business intelligence tools. The report looked closely at San Francisco accessory retailer Timbuk2, who used SaaS BI from PivotLink. According to the report, SaaS BI attracted more users across the enterprise, saved money, and encouraged business agility.

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