Frends iPaaS | Will the Azure and AWS platforms replace the integration platforms?

There are various cloud and integration platforms with different set of features available on the market. In one of our blogs, we already dug deeper into the differences between them based on the level of built-in code capabilities.

When talking about AWS and Azure platforms, we see that they include the integration functionalities, but as separate entities. For example, Azure integration services are divided into over six separate components. The same features are available in new iPaaS platforms from a single coherent interface. This single view and monitoring of dataflows is something that is usually missing from cloud platforms like Azure and AWS. Both - cloud-based integration functionality and cloud-based integration platform - can make integrations ranging from file transfers to API management and microservices. But what are the differences then? 

• Cloud Platform development requires a widely skilled developer. The same functionalities are already ready-made in the integration platform. This aspect is highlighted, especially if the integration platform is of the no-code or low-code type, as discussed in the next section.
• Cloud platform development is a broader concept and includes not only integrations but also tailor-made business applications.
• Integration platforms typically have much better monitoring capabilities.
• Cloud platforms often contain features related to machine learning and data storage (Data Lake).
• Cloud platforms are also a distribution channel for integration platform services, if the integration platform supports containerization.
• Hybrid integration platforms include a distributed architecture where an integration or API can be deployed in the cloud and in a client's own data center - yet everything is developed, operated, and monitored through a single user interface.

Integration platform products are built on top of these same cloud platforms, providing a more coherent user experience and ease of maintenance over a cloud-only platform. As an example, many frends customers maintain and implement their integration solutions without the need for a separate integration vendor or a large team of integration developers.

So the answer to the title question is that cloud platforms are not replacing integration platforms. It is more like integration platforms, and cloud platforms work in symbiosis, where the integration platform provides a coherent development and control for integrations, and the cloud platforms provide components for integration and much more, such as machine learning and data storage.