2022 is right around the corner, and with a new year comes new trends and opportunities for businesses to utilize and grow. With statistics showing the apparent disruptions in business operations brought upon by the last two years of the pandemic, the existing technology infrastructure and integration capabilities of organizations came under the lens of scrutiny. A report by Gartner highlights how data integrations will dominate technology trends in the upcoming year. CIOs (Chief Information Officer) of organizations need to identify integration trends and upcoming integration technologies that can multiply the capabilities of their IT infrastructure to enable growth and innovation and create scalable, resilient technical foundations. Keeping the mission-critical objective of implementing integration technologies that better adapt to existing disruptions in the industry and lay down the groundwork to achieve success in the upcoming years, IT decision-makers and integration experts need to think about the following developments in the enterprise integration technologies.

Top Integration Technologies Integration Experts Need to Think About In 2022

Rise of the Data Fabric

Data fabric is a new development in the integration technology field that serves as an integrated layer of data and connecting processes. The system delivers a flexible and robust integration of data points across multiple platforms and users, making data available everywhere it is needed regardless of where the data is stored. The system employs continuous analytical data and utilizes both human and machine capabilities to access data where it is required or support its merger where appropriate. The advantage of Data Fabric is that it utilizes analytics to learn and actively recommend where data should be used and changed which, can reduce data management efforts by up to 70%.

API and Integration Automation

Business process automation has taken a central stage in the digital transformation of businesses across the industry. Automation will continue to play a crucial role in the upcoming years. On the other hand, with APIs getting woven extensively into the workflows of businesses to the point where organizations are adopting an “API-first” approach to their IT (Information Technology) infrastructure. Thus, the upcoming year will see a notable focus on the development of systems to automate API designing and integration through a variety of no-code solutions. With API-driven services leading to encapsulation and improved businesses agility, push towards advancements in the automation of API creation and API management will also take place.

Improved API and Integration Experience

The constant push for improved user experience is a universal goal across the industry. With the digital infrastructure of modern businesses being dependent on API-based software to integrate with their business process and operate them, providing a premium API integration experience is necessary for long-term customer retention. With the widespread adoption of API-based systems in the last few years, there has been a corresponding growth in expectations among users and developers when integrating with an API product. Thus, integration experts need to focus on addressing the expectations of users and developers that use their API and Integration systems, such as providing an effective and attractive User Interface (UI), proper documentation, and a high-quality onboarding experience.

Implementation of Cybersecurity Mesh

With data becoming one of the most lucrative resources of the current digital era, the threat of cyber-attacks that aim to steal these data has also risen significantly. With organizations needing to implement a vast suite of digital solutions to manage business processes, the number of points for a data breach is also exceedingly high. Hence, enterprise integration providers need to concentrate on providing a robust and flexible security infrastructure along with their integration solution. A cybersecurity mesh extends beyond the traditional security perimeter and creates a comprehensive security framework for the entire organization. A cybersecurity mesh is composed of a flexible architecture that integrates widely implemented security solutions that work together to improve overall security while moving control points closer to the assets needed to be protected.

Growing Hybrid Infrastructure

With industry digitalization trends shifting towards a hybrid and multi‑cloud infrastructure, identifying a universal integration strategy for managing these environments will become essential for a successful digital transformation. With companies continuing to depend on a mix of on-premises systems and cloud solutions to manage operations, the hybrid ecosystem will become the primary IT infrastructure for businesses for the near future.