A Major Shift with Hybrid Cloud Integration
The recent proliferation of software as a service (SaaS) providers in the market has greatly impacted the way we think about enterprise architecture. Data residing outside the enterprise firewall needs to be controlled and managed - a problem further exacerbated by increasingly popular bring your own device (BYOD) policies. When employees demand access to data within the firewall, from anywhere using any device, it becomes an overarching integration challenge.
As a result, the information technology world is undergoing a massive shift, paving way for a major change in IT as well as the need for a new architecture. What is missing is the ability to integrate anything, anywhere.
Hybrid Integration Solves the Problem
Hybrid integration bridges the network divide between your existing enterprise (databases, warehouses, applications, and legacy systems) and SaaS/PaaS, B2B (partners & suppliers), B2C (customer engagement), BYOD (enterprise mobile), and big data. Hybrid integration solves the issue of taking existing information from on-premises systems. It leverages new systems to make way for innovation, competitive advantage, and driving new business models. The updated enterprise deals with emerging trends in the market, while leveraging the data and functionality of on-premises legacy applications.
Hybrid integration allows on-premises applications to seamlessly integrate with cloud based applications. Businesses want to connect their existing custom and packaged solutions and create a single platform for new services. MuleSoft helps enterprises connect applications both on-premises and in the cloud. CloudHub and Mule as an ESB, both part of MuleSoft's Anypoint Platform, simplify the integration process and allow for seamless hybrid integration.
The hybrid integration model also provides a secure data gateway which allows for protected communication between CloudHub and Mule as an ESB, allowing the development of hybrid architecture in which you have control over the data passed between specific applications.
Why Hybrid Integration?
Converting to an all-cloud integration application system is not always the best solution for all enterprises; nor is continuing with out-of-date legacy systems. Hybrid cloud integration provides the perfect middle ground solution for enterprises, assuring that data from on-premises legacy systems can integrate with cloud data, ensuring businesses have the full advantage when driving business forward.
Enterprise Disposes of Nothing: To maximize investment in new applications, it is essential to combine both on-premises and cloud systems. Presenting a service layer over legacy apps allows access to important information and the leveraging of new applications, wherever they reside.
Regulatory Compliance: Full cloud integration solutions cause problems with regulatory compliance, as some data must remain within the enterprise firewall. Some countries forbid data to leave its country of origin, thus converting to a cloud-only based system is not possible. These restrictions warrant hybrid integration as the best solution.
Security & Privacy: Businesses are concerned with sensitive data being stored in the cloud, and with cloud integration, pushing data outside the firewall would be the only option. However, with hybrid integration, sensitive data remains on-premises while insensitive data can stay in the cloud, giving companies the opportunity to segregate and track movement. Businesses decide what data is stored in the cloud and what data is stored on-premises.
Everyone is Innovating: While many organizations are moving towards cloud integration, not all are doing so immediately. With hybrid integration, business have a platform which spans both on-premises and cloud integration, allowing them to move towards cloud integration at their own pace. Innovating and moving towards cloud integration moves businesses forward, it’s just a matter of time.
Why MuleSoft for Hybrid Architecture?
Mule as an ESB and CloudHub are strong platforms that provide exactly what businesses need. Unlike other vendors who offer similar services, MuleSoft has a strong track record, a powerful cloud offering, and is a trusted vendor. Furthermore, MuleSoft diminishes the need for multiple development teams, as it provides a simple user experience in which users have access to the same concepts, tools, and capabilities, regardless of where businesses want to deploy. With MuleSoft’s distinct integration platform, businesses need only to develop their integrations once and are free to deploy them anywhere - on-premises or in the cloud.
MuleSoft offers the unique advantage of providing two platforms that function as one. Mule as an ESB handles on-premises integration and CloudHub handles cloud-based integration. Furthermore, with CloudHub, MuleSoft manages the infrastructure, ensuring its scalability and flexibility. Mule as an ESB and CloudHub work together as a single platform, with the same tools and features, providing a unified platform for integration on-premises, cloud, or hybrid - allowing integration of anything, anywhere. Leveraging MuleSoft for hybrid architecture also offers the flexibility of moving to the cloud when you are ready. There is no need to rush, MuleSoft lets you move at your own speed.
MuleSoft's Anypoint Platform provides a powerful ESB and iPaaS platform, not simply a toolkit. Other vendors just don’t compare. By presenting a unified platform, Anypoint Platform simplifies the user experience, both on-premises, cloud. MuleSoft enables over 1,600 organizations in more than 60 countries to build application networks that increase the clock speed of business.
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To find out what MuleSoft can do for you, contact us.