In my first post on SSE I explained why and how I want, and can achieve, and have achieved, an Enterprise Integration paradigm that will give you a device-agnostic, platform-agnostic, tool-agnostic architecture that will free you from being crushed by the two tectonic plates in IT at the moment: diversity in devices, platforms and tools on the inside, and diversity in devices, platforms and tools on the outside
In my second SSE post, I explained why the approaches of the last decade and more (XML, SOAP, SOA and SOAP) have failed, and in my third post I dared to state that REST is never ever going to be a solution to solve the issues either.
The reactions I got to that mainly showed me that myopic perceptions persist across techniques – yet replacing SOAP by REST and XML by JSON without questioning the business value of any of those is now being undertaken by the most zealous, and I simply won’t have it. Not on my watch
My business is about long term value and benefits for clients and their business partners and customers. I know that, in most of today’s world, Integration is an afterthought at best, especially in ERP implementations. Quickly scribbling together an undocumented solution that works for now is what saves many projects.
Some people I know even claim that as a success – as if we don’t live in a world dictated by evolution, change, growth. People like that merely give you workarounds to issues, without ever solving problems and handing you the definite solution
Let me tell you: Integration is not a Goal. It’s a Means. And it’s painless. And it’s “proven technology” – with which I mean that successful Enterprise Integration has been in existence for centuries; regardless of technology
How can that be? you might think. It can’t be that simple?! you might say. Why has no one told me?!?! you might exclaim. Read on
Enterprise Integration is as simple as day-to-day conversations, or information exchange. Here’s an example:
- Hey Tom! What did the Red Sox do last night?
- Dunno, didn’t watch the game, haven’t read the papers. Try Hank
- Hey Hank! Did you watch the Red Sox game last night? What’s the score?
- Oh man it was quite a game. Lots of excitement, bases loaded with two down, but they scraped it at 15-13

(Cross-posted @ Business or Pleasure? – why not both)