Sooner or later, companies relying on BizTalk will have to migrate from the Microsoft service. This guide helps you choose the right alternative for your business.
If your company has relied on Microsoft BizTalk Server for the past years or decades, it is facing a growing challenge as the BizTalk end of life approaches. Microsoft has announced April 11, 2028, as the last day for its mainstream support.
With no new versions since 2020, IT teams have already struggled with the lack of development in the BizTalk environment and its rising risks and technical debt. Now, they need to prepare for the technical support discontinuation, with security updates and incident support running out in just 35 months.
The time to act is now, but with so many alternatives in the market, it might be difficult to understand which one is the best choice for your business.
Here’s a list of what IT teams and leaders should look for when picking an alternative to BizTalk.
- Microsoft compatibility: Seamless fit into Microsoft stack (Azure, .NET) to preserve prior investments
- Code & asset reusability: Ability to reuse .NET code, orchestration logic, and artifacts from BizTalk
- Developer experience: Low-code UI, visual BPMN, full transparency, and built-in debugging tools
- Cost & time to value: Proven lower TCO, faster implementation, and fewer hidden costs
- Improved technical features: Support for modern protocols, hybrid deployment, version control, and large files
- Future-readiness with AI: Embedded AI capabilities and roadmap alignment for future automation needs
- Proven migration success: References and case studies from similar successful transitions
There are a few questions that can help you further investigate these topics and ensure your business has an effortless and cost-effective migration from BizTalk.
Is the alternative Microsoft-centric?
Your BizTalk alternative should have a long experience with Microsoft. It takes years of working with the Microsoft stack to build the best service and create an integration platform and interface designed for agile enterprises.
Think about how much investment was made to achieve your current setup.
Can existing code, extensions and artifacts be reused?
Migrating projects can be a headache if most of your current work is lost on the way. The right BizTalk alternative would let you reuse your existing C# code, .NET extensions, and artifacts with simple copy-pasting.
The best-in-class alternative would ideally convert BizTalk Orchestration Logic, allow the existing BizTalk deployment environment to be used as is without needing to reconfigure servers or port settings, and speed up migration by reusing maps, code blocks, and more.
What is the developer experience like?
Usability is king when it comes to integration platforms. And iPaaS should have the developer experience at its heart with a dev-friendly interface that offers full under-the-hood transparency and control over each and every process.
A developer’s time is too valuable to be spent recoding connections and repeating tasks that could easily be automated. Low-code UIs with integration templates and high customization abilities help developers leverage their skills where they matter the most.
Choosing a platform focused on the developer experience will have a positive impact not only during the migration process but also on the team’s performance over time.
Will it reduce business and IT costs?
Migrating from BizTalk can be costly if you don’t choose wisely. Depending on the service, businesses will face hidden costs, excessive developer time and manual code maintenance. Low-code platforms with AI-generated documentation will save developer time and resources.
Another critical aspect for companies based in Europe is compliance with safety and personal data regulations. Only a trusted European iPaaS will ensure compliance with even the strictest regulations through full process visibility, comprehensive audit logs, and locally hosted cloud services.
Does it improve BizTalk’s technical limitations?
Migrating from one service to another should entail improvements across the board, not just a simple swap.
While BizTalk has served companies for 24 years, it has some technical limitations that grew over the years, particularly after Microsoft halted development, with its last new version being released in 2020.
Among its issues are limited capabilities in processing large files and low latency services (50ms), as well as the need for separate tools to perform several actions that are built-in on more modern platforms, such as API management, monitoring and the possibility to add custom tasks — all of which add costs to your IT budget.
How future-proof is the service in the AI landscape?
Stagnated development means the service won’t leverage AI capabilities, increasing the risk of falling behind in this rapidly evolving market.
When choosing a substitute for BizTalk, decision-makers and IT teams should pick a player that has a transparent and feasible roadmap, with clear development milestones that will enable constant improvements and feature releases.
AI-augmented solutions are already a reality for iPaaS and enable streamlined development, documentation, operations, and automation, with imminent AI agents bringing a new level of automation and team efficiency in the near future.
Have companies already migrated from BizTalk?
Finally, it is important to look at the experience of companies that have gone through the process of migrating from BizTalk. Choosing an alternative that has had success with other businesses is a guarantee of a smooth migration.
One of these companies is Nurminen Logistics, which decided to act swiftly and choose Frends as its BizTalk alternative.
“Switching from BizTalk to Frends was a game-changer for us. It fits perfectly into our Microsoft setup and the transition was very smooth. We're very happy with our choice,” said CIO Petri Luurila.
The only alternative to check all the boxes
Frends iPaaS is the European tool of preference for those working with Microsoft. As the #1 in the Enterprise Usability Index for API Management, according to G2 enterprise users, Frends scores far above Azure LogicApps. It also tops the charts of Best Support and Fastest Implementation.
When it comes to saving time and resources, Frends ensures a smooth and efficient transition from BizTalk by letting you easily convert BizTalk Orchestration Logic to Frends’ BPMN 2.0 with a proprietary Migration Toolkit. Your existing BizTalk deployment environment can be used as is, with no need to reconfigure servers or port settings.
Your existing BizTalk code, extension and artifacts will work as they did, but in an easier-to-use and developer-centric interface. Frends iPaaS has been loved by its users since day one and has just been named G2 iPaaS Momentum Leader and Usability Champion.
“A robust platform, easy to start and helps to learn advanced features, visual, browser-based, is easy for teams and documentation because you can chat and document process and instance URLs,” wrote Markku, data management specialist and G2 reviewer.
With cloud services hosted in the EU and the ability to connect cloud, hybrid and on-premises systems, Frends is the alternative for European companies and public sector organizations bound by regulations and compliance.
Saving money is also a big thing with Frends iPaaS. Customers have seen 75% savings in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) with 50% faster development and a tech stack that will take care of all your business integration and automation needs.
In this fact sheet, you can see the detailed technical comparison between BizTalk and Frends.
Want to hear from those who migrated from BizTalk?
Join us for the webinar "Migrating from BizTalk in months: Here's how they did it", a live discussion that will unpack how organizations are migrating from BizTalk in months — not years.
Whether you’re just beginning to evaluate your options or actively planning your BizTalk exit, this session will provide actionable insights to help you succeed with your integration modernization.