A2A Integration versus B2B Integration
Application integration, or A2A, and Business integration, or B2B, have some similar capabilities and functions. They both provide data exchange, transformation, and transport, and help your company automate manual processes for greater efficiency and results. Both are available in cost-effective, agile cloud or SaaS solutions. However, these two types of integration diverge in the challenge they are solving and the overall benefit they bring to your company.
Application or A2A integration is between two applications
Application-to-application integration transports and synchronizes data between two intra-enterprise systems or applications (sometimes called Enterprise Application Integration or EAI). For example, you need to sync your customer master data file between your Salesforce.com application (a SaaS-based application) and your on-premise SAP system. An A2A application integration solution would “sit” between these two applications, handling extract, load, basic transformation and delivery of the customer data, so these two applications are working from a common set of data. You might do this data synchronization on a daily or more frequent basis.
Application to application integration helps provide data synchronization and basic transformation services between two applications, whether on premise or cloud-based, such as between Salesforce.com and SAP.
Cast Iron, recently acquired by IBM, provides A2A integration in a cloud or on-premise model.
A2A Integration encompasses:
- Intra-enterprise
- Point-to-Point (one to one)
- Typically moving one set of data between two applications or systems
- Data synchronization transactions conducted once a day or other scheduled interval
- Basic integration technology for extract/load, translate and transport
Business or B2B integration is between a company and an external integration community
Business-to-business (B2B) or multi-enterprise integration, on the other hand, extends data from one company’s application or system beyond the “firewall” to external customers, partners, suppliers, or corporate divisions. B2B integration solutions also go far beyond data synchronization and manage information exchange as part of a complete business process, such as eProcurement, eCommerce, order management, logistics optimization, and others, between companies. Rather than a once-a-day execution, B2B communities are exchanging thousands of messages every day as part of business critical processes.
B2B integration enables you to exchange information electronically between your internal systems and the systems and applications of your business partners or customers.
Hubspan is a leading provider of cloud-scale B2B integration solutions. There are many B2B integration solutions available; however, most vendors began as Value Added Networks (VANs) and offer more traditional or on-premise integration products, and do not provide the scalability, interoperability, agility and security offered by Hubspan.
B2B Integration encompasses:
- Multi-enterprise
- One-to-Many or Many-to-Many
- Typically moving multiple data sets and messages between one company and many partners or customers
- Transactions conducted multiple times a day or continuously.
- Millions of transactions per year.
- Advanced integration technology for process orchestration, business rules and message management