When integration work becomes complex, unreadable and dependent on a few key developers, it’s time to rethink the approach. That’s where BPMN 2.0 (Business Process Model and Notation) steps in — and why Frends has embraced it as the visual backbone of integration design.
In traditional iPaaS or scripting-heavy environments, workflows often become hard to maintain, debug or explain, especially to business stakeholders. They require specialized technical knowledge, which creates bottlenecks and increases costs. BPMN changes that. With a standardized, visual-first language, anyone can understand, collaborate on, and improve integration processes.
BPMN 2.0 is not just a flowchart. It’s a robust, ISO-standard modeling language used globally to define business and technical workflows. It lets users visually describe events, tasks, decisions and data flows in a way that's both human-readable and machine-executable.
Companies adopting it gain immediate advantages in communication and collaboration. The standard provides a clear graphical language that makes complex processes easy to comprehend compared to traditional text-based descriptions
In Frends, BPMN is the canvas for all automation and integration work. Every step is clear. Every connection is visible. There are no hidden scripts — only understandable processes.
Organizations implementing BPMN 2.0-based approaches report several consistent benefits:
Companies also find that BPMN 2.0 helps them identify and eliminate process inefficiencies that may have gone unnoticed for years. The visual representation makes it obvious where workflows can be streamlined or where automation can provide the greatest impact.
One of the most significant benefits companies experience with BPMN 2.0 is the elimination of communication barriers between business and IT teams. The standard serves as a common language that facilitates understanding among all stakeholders, allowing organizations to move faster and more efficiently.
With BPMN 2.0, business users can finally understand and own their processes. The visual nature means that non-technical stakeholders can monitor, control and even modify their workflows without requiring deep technical knowledge. Operations, finance and business teams can follow the process, spot issues and contribute insights.
There’s no mystery code. New team members can immediately see what’s happening and where, accelerating onboarding and reducing reliance on individual developers. This shift enables organizations to become more agile and respond quickly to market changes.
Companies implementing BPMN 2.0-based solutions consistently report significant time savings in development. The visual approach to process design makes it easier to identify automation opportunities, design workflows and spot integration points where different systems need to interact. This leads to faster implementation times and reduced development costs.
BPMN 2.0 provides companies with unprecedented visibility into their operations. The same visual language used to design processes can be used to monitor their execution, making it immediately clear where issues occur and how processes are performing.
In Frends, it isn't just for design. It’s all about live monitoring. You can literally watch your processes run step by step. This transparency enables faster troubleshooting and more informed decision-making.
Frends takes BPMN from theory to execution. Unlike some platforms that use BPMN as a side tool or documentation layer, Frends runs BPMN natively. What you design is what runs.
This means less guessing, more building. Less code, more collaboration. And critically: fewer broken integrations when people leave or projects scale.
At its core, it is about building integration processes that scale with your business — not your headcount. It replaces opacity with visibility. Risk with resilience. And complexity with communication.
Frends' commitment to BPMN 2.0 is paying dividends as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in integration development. Because BPMN 2.0 is a well-known standard, AI tools can better understand and assist with process creation. Frends 6.1 and beyond leverage this advantage with AI-powered features for:
When evaluating integration platforms, the choice of visual language matters more than many organizations realize. Proprietary diagramming tools might seem adequate initially, but they create long-term dependencies and limit your ability to adapt and scale.
BPMN 2.0 represents the gold standard for process visualization—a mature, internationally recognized standard that enhances communication, improves understanding, and future-proofs your integration investments. Frends' deep commitment to BPMN 2.0, enhanced with modern capabilities like DMN and AI assistance, provides the perfect balance of standardization and innovation.
The question isn't whether visual integration is better than code-based. The question is whether you choose a visual approach built on open standards that will grow with your needs, or one that locks you into a vendor's proprietary vision of how integration should work.
With BPMN 2.0 and Frends, you're not just choosing a platform — you're choosing a future where business and IT speak the same language, where processes are transparent and manageable, and where your integration investments continue to deliver value for years to come.
What is BPMN 2.0 in iPaaS?
BPMN 2.0 is a standardized way to design and execute integration workflows using a visual language. In iPaaS platforms like Frends, it's used to create, run, and monitor automated business processes with full visibility.
Is BPMN 2.0 low-code?
Yes. While BPMN itself is a modeling language, platforms like Frends implement it in a low-code environment that allows users to design processes visually without heavy scripting.
Why choose an iPaaS with BPMN support?
It reduces onboarding time, improves cross-team collaboration, and ensures transparency across integration workflows—critical for IT governance and scaling.