Towards the utilization of Cloud-based Integration Platforms

Choosing between different integration implementations is an important but surprisingly understudied part of software projects. However, the world is digitalizing rapidly, and the number of different systems that require integration is increasing. In this situation the importance of scalable cloud-based integration platforms, iPaaS and iSaaS platforms, has grown. These digital platforms and their APIs have made the integration of different systems significantly faster and easier than before, when integrations were handled on the premises and custom-built from scratch. This study goes through, via thematical analysis, the interview data collected from the representatives ( $\mathrm{n}=20$ ) of the Finnish software companies that have experience with integration projects. The most common integration types identified in this study are on-premises implementations, hybrid, and cloud-based integration platforms. The study found how software companies choose between these integration types. By using the cultural lag theory framework, the study can explain that the adoption of new cloud-based integration platforms is in a maladjusted situation. Furthermore, the study shows that choice between on-premises and cloud-based integration solutions is not always clear as there is frequently a lack of a broader strategy behind integration decisions.