All Hail EAI 2.0
We never thought we'd be excited about anything that uses the word integration, but appliance vendors are ending the era of torturous year-long integration projects, and we want to cry "Hallelujah!"
Combining commoditized integration tools such as JDBC (Java Database Connectivity), JMS (Java Messaging Service), IBM WebSphere MQ and flat-file FTP transfers with SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) and other newer techniques has resulted in a powerful integration/service enablement platform. You can call it "EAI 2.0," "ESB lite," "EAI-in-a-box" or "protocol mediation." Regardless of the moniker you choose, these products' functionality and ease of deployment herald the dawning of a new age for integration technologies.
Curiously, EAI leaders BEA Systems, Oracle, TIBCO Software and webMethods aren't playing in this game. Rather, companies such as Cast Iron Systems, IBM DataPower, Layer 7 Technologies, Reactivity and SOA Software have taken the lead, combining the best of both the legacy and EAI 2.0 worlds in a range of appliances that are easy to deploy, manage and configure. XML appliance vendors' turnkey hardware backgrounds give them a leg up on software-only vendors.
Bob Friday, Chief AI Officer for Juniper Networks, explains how the advanced technology is transforming operations.
Contact center leaders from 8x8, Awaken Intelligence, and 360insight discuss the importance of agent experience.
AI may force enterprises to rewire parts of their data centers so they are fully optimized to run such workloads. The question is do you use Ethernet or InfiniBand?
