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Smooth Integrators: Page 2 of 17

The Right Stuff

So what does it take to play in the enterprise-class EAI sandbox? We've identified eight non-negotiable areas. All the products tested met these benchmarks; if you're evaluating an EAI suite for your organization, keep this list in mind:

• Directory support: The days of separate directories should be behind us. We spend too much time and money updating our corporate directories to put replication all over the place or distribute directory data throughout the enterprise. LDAP and ADS are the minimum requirement.

• Database support: You shouldn't have to pay extra for database support, and at a minimum, Oracle, DB2/UDB and SQL Server need to be included. The system should also let you store metadata in whatever database you wish.

• Logging, FTP and exception support: Believe it or not, some vendors call these items "value add" and charge you for them. Welcome to the 21st century. They should be free, or you should negotiate to get them free.