The rise of BOAT, the emergence of Agentic AI and the convergence of markets all point in one direction: integration is the control panel of the future.
Once upon a time, integration was invisible. IT leaders were the quiet firefighters in the basement, keeping systems talking just enough so business could run. Integration was plumbing: crucial, but unglamorous.
Fast forward to today, and integration has stepped into the spotlight. Every large organization now runs hundreds of applications across ERP, CRM, HR, supply chain, and customer-facing systems. This is why integration is no longer just background noise.
Integration is the control plane of the enterprise, orchestrating data, processes, and increasingly, intelligent AI agents.
It also explains why the Integration Platform-as-a-Service (iPaaS) market is booming. With growth rates above 35% CAGR, it’s expected to reach $45 billion by 2030.
But this isn’t just about growth. It’s about transformation: iPaaS is merging with adjacent markets like business process automation (BPA), low-code application platforms (LCAP), robotic process automation (RPA) and API management.
At the same time, a new wave is cresting with Agentic AI. Enterprises are looking for more than just asking how to add AI copilots into workflows, they want to orchestrate autonomous agents that can reason, act, and deliver outcomes across complex IT landscapes.
The market is converging as iPaaS meets Automation
Enterprises used to buy separate tools for:
- iPaaS – connecting cloud and on-prem apps
- RPA – automating repetitive tasks
- BPA – automating processes at enterprise scale
- LCAP – enabling low-code applications
Today, analysts like Gartner see this shift clearly. They’ve coined a new umbrella term: BOAT (Business Orchestration and Automation Tools).
BOAT signals that the lines between iPaaS, BPA, RPA, and LCAP are blurring.
Customers no longer want siloed tools; they want a Swiss Army Knife solution that reduces vendor sprawl, unifies governance, and simplifies complexity.
A few of the key convergence insights:
- iPaaS and BPA are showing the strongest overlap. Integration platforms are increasingly expected to handle automation, workflows and business orchestration out-of-the-box.
- iPaaS and API Management are already converged in many platforms. But Gartner hints that API Management itself may split into API Gateway vs. API Portal, creating further complexity.
- RPA and LCAP are drifting toward integration too, but not every vendor can go deep in all areas.
The most common combinations are iPaaS + API Management and iPaaS + BPA. Businesses like Frends bring these into one platform, appealing to CIOs who want fewer vendors and consistent governance.
The result: integration is no longer a back-office function. It’s where enterprises design, govern, and scale their digital ecosystems.
AI in integration: From copilots to agents
The AI wave is the most disruptive force hitting integration today. And it comes in two chapters.
Chapter 1: Copilots
These early AI tools — think code assistants, workflow suggesters — help developers move faster. They are useful, but not transformative. They still require humans to stitch everything together.
Chapter 2: Agents
This is where it gets interesting. Agentic AI agents don’t just suggest; they act. They can call APIs, trigger workflows, monitor processes, and even reason about outcomes.
But for agents to succeed in enterprise environments, they need three things:
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Connectivity to core systems like ERP, CRM, and legacy platforms.
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Governance with every action logged, every decision explainable.
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Orchestration in a way to fit safely into existing business workflow
This is where integration platforms step in. iPaaS is not just the “plumbing” anymore, it’s the safe operating system for AI in the enterprise.
To provide an example, Frends’ Intelligent AI Connector embeds AI directly into BPMN workflows. Every action is logged, decisions are explainable, and role-based controls ensure compliance.
Example: A customer service workflow where AI drafts ticket responses in seconds. Frends makes the reasoning transparent, so teams see every step, approve where needed, and keep full control. The benefit: speed without sacrificing trust.
This balance of AI speed with human control is what CIOs demand. Without it, AI becomes untrustworthy, and adoption stalls.
Five trends shaping the future of iPaaS
Here are the five most important trends, and how platforms like Frends are addressing them:
1. AI-powered workflows
AI is shifting from being a support tool to becoming a core part of enterprise workflows. Organizations are experimenting with AI agents that can call APIs, orchestrate tasks, and enhance decision-making across systems.
- Example: Some enterprises have already moved from integration teams spending most of their time on maintenance to focusing primarily on development, with AI helping accelerate productivity.
- Vendors are embedding AI more directly into orchestration, making it part of the workflow rather than a bolt-on feature.
2. Low-code democratization
The demand for integration is outpacing the supply of skilled developers. Low-code capabilities are bridging the gap, enabling both IT specialists and business analysts to design, manage, and deploy workflows.
- Standards like BPMN 2.0 are gaining traction for visual modelling, ensuring transparency and reducing reliance on custom code.
- Case studies show significant efficiency gains, with some companies reporting process times cut by over 90%.
3. Industry-specific iPaaS
Different industries face distinct integration challenges, from regulatory compliance in finance to real-time logistics in manufacturing or patient data security in healthcare.
- Vendors are responding by tailoring connectors, compliance features and deployment options to match sector-specific needs.
- This specialization is becoming a differentiator in a crowded market.
4. Security & compliance as differentiators
With AI and automation expanding, trust and governance are emerging as critical buying criteria.
- Compliance with GDPR, ISO 27001, HIPAA and similar frameworks is no longer optional, it’s a baseline expectation.
- Public sector organizations, for example, increasingly demand data residency controls to ensure national data does not leave their borders.
5. Hybrid deployment flexibility
While cloud adoption continues to accelerate, many enterprises require hybrid or even on-premises integration for compliance or operational reasons.
- Architectures that support cloud, on-prem and edge deployments under a unified control plane are gaining traction.
- This flexibility is particularly valuable in regulated sectors like finance, utilities, and healthcare.
The CIO perspective: Orchestrator of digital ecosystems
Perhaps the clearest sign of iPaaS maturity is how CIOs view it.
Not long ago, integration was a back-office concern, delegated to IT managers and architects. Today, CIOs see integration as core to business strategy.
Why? Because integration is where digital transformation succeeds or fails. CIOs face five recurring pressures:
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Legacy mess: Decades of accumulated systems, with thousands of apps to connect.
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Compliance risks: Data residency, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO certifications.
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Vendor sprawl: Dozens of automation and integration tools, each with overlapping features.
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Speed vs. control: Balancing agility with governance.
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AI governance: Ensuring AI is trustworthy, explainable and under control.
For CIOs, the opportunity is clear: become the orchestrator of intelligent ecosystems. Instead of saying “yes” or “no” to projects, they design the rules, boundaries and governance models that allow humans, systems and AI agents to work together.
Case in point: Tokmanni, a leading Nordic retailer, reduced integration workload by 80% with Frends, freeing IT teams to focus on innovation instead of maintenance. Similar stories echo across industries, proving that CIOs who invest in integration platforms are rewarded with both efficiency and strategic agility.
The future CIO will not just manage IT infrastructure, they will govern digital ecosystems, where AI, data and business processes flow seamlessly across boundaries.
Wrapping up: From enabler to differentiator
The future of integration platforms is not about “plumbing” anymore. It’s about orchestrating complexity in a world where humans, systems and AI must work together seamlessly.
The risks of not acting up this shift are real.
Enterprises stuck on legacy systems spend 25–40% more on maintenance, suffer 3x longer development cycles, and face growing compliance risks.
But the promise of modern integration is transformative. Integration is no longer about connecting systems. It’s about orchestrating intelligent enterprises, where AI, people and processes flow seamlessly together.
For CIOs, the question isn’t whether their role will change again. It’s whether they will drive that change, or be forced to react to it.
The rise of BOAT, the emergence of agentic AI and the convergence of markets all point in one direction: integration is the control panel for the enterprise of the future.
The winners will be those who act now, build trust in AI, and embrace integration not as plumbing, but as the strategic differentiator of the modern enterprise.