Enterprise Application Integration Tools Explained: The What, Why, and Which

Enterprise application integration tools have a massive role in modern organizations, a fact confirmed in MuleSoft’s 2025 Connectivity Benchmark Report.

According to the document developed with Deloitte Digital, 46% of 1,050 global IT leaders use 1,000+ apps on average. Around 74% of organizations have systems that are overly dependent.

Without the right integration tools, these apps and systems will fail to communicate. And that can lead to several negative consequences. For instance, 83% of respondents reported struggling with digital transformation due to integration challenges.

One way to truly get the most from application integration tools is to understand them thoroughly. Which is what the following lines will help you do.

What are Enterprise Application Integration Tools?

EAI tools are platforms or middleware solutions that facilitate the integration of various enterprise applications. Basically, they link different software applications and systems within an organization so they can work together seamlessly.

The goal? To create a unified, streamlined IT environment where data flows freely and processes are automated across departments.

With the increasing need for seamless connectivity across applications, the market offers a range of powerful EAI tools such as:

• MuleSoft Anypoint Platform – This is a comprehensive platform for building and managing APIs alongside application integrations. It’s ideal for organizations looking to unify their systems across cloud and on-premises environments.
• Dell Boomi – Dell Boomi is a cloud-based, low-code integration platform that makes it easy to connect apps, data, and devices. It’s a favorite for businesses seeking fast time-to-value. It also supports real-time and batch processing for flexible workflows.
• IBM App Connect – This enterprise-grade integration tool uses AI to simplify data mapping and automate workflows. Its strong monitoring and error handling capabilities make it suitable for complex enterprise IT needs.
• Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) – While OIC is tailored for organizations using Oracle applications, it also supports third-party tools. It’s particularly powerful for businesses already invested in the Oracle ecosystem.

Why Do Businesses Need Application Integration Tools?

Yes, using application integration tools creates a more cohesive IT ecosystem at your organization. But that’s just the end result.

Here are some of the perks your organization gets to enjoy with such tools in place.

Eliminating Data Silos

In many organizations, data can get trapped in isolated systems or silos.

Data silos isolate information within departments, leading to poor communication, duplicated efforts, and inconsistent data. This, in turn, negatively impacts decision-making as organizations lack a comprehensive view of operations, customers, and performance.

Integration tools help unify that data, ensuring all departments have access to accurate, up-to-date information.

💡 Go beyond systems to integrating your organization’s data. Learn more about enterprise data integration and how it can transform your business.

Boosting Operational Efficiency

Manual data entry and switching between systems is time-consuming and error-prone. And the following numbers support this –

• 70% of workers spend up to 1 hour per day switching between applications, leading to significant productivity loss. (Source: Pegasystems)
• Manual data entry takes up to 30% of operational time in some industries. (Source: Smartsheet)
• Businesses lose $12.9 million per year on average due to poor data quality, often caused by manual processes and siloed systems. (Source: Gartner)

With enterprise application integration tools, you get to automate the flow of data between applications. So, you can bid adieu to manual tasks, and enable your teams to focus on more valuable work.

Improving Customer Experience

With personalization and instant service being high in demand, customer experience (CX) is everything. But delivering a seamless, consistent, and responsive experience is nearly impossible when your systems are fragmented.

That’s where enterprise integration tools come in the picture.

These tools can elevate customer experience by –

• Creating a unified customer view through connecting CRM, billing, support, and other systems
• Speeding up response times and resolving customers’ issues on the first contact
• Personalizing engagement based on behavior, purchase history, or service usage
• Delivering a smooth omnichannel experience regardless of where a customer interacts
• Reducing errors and ultimately creating a more reliable experience customers can trust
• Triggering alerts or workflows that make services proactive

Accelerating Digital Transformation

Digital transformation isn’t limited to adopting new technologies; it goes beyond that to redefining how your business operates in a connected, data-driven world. And one of the biggest obstacles to this change is legacy systems that don’t communicate.

That’s why EAI tools are essential. In addition to connecting legacy and modern systems, these tools act as the backbone of transformation by –

• Supporting hybrid environment and ultimately cloud adoption
• Launching new digital services or automating workflows faster
• Automating and streamlining processes while freeing up human resources
• Delivering real-time insights into metrics, customer behavior, and business performance
• Creating a flexible foundation that can accommodate emerging technologies and support innovation

Therefore, this is one choice you’ll need to be extra careful while making.

💡Enterprise app integration may not be your only issue. Find out the three mistakes CEOs make when it comes to enterprise digital transformation.

Which Enterprise Integration Tools Should You Choose?

With the what and why covered, it’s time for you to learn which enterprise application integration tools to pick. Even if you’re opting for an enterprise integration service provider.

Here are six factors to help you pick the best EAI tool that’ll scale with your business and support your long-term goals.

1) Compatibility with Your Existing Systems

Not every tool works well with every application. With that in mind, evaluate whether the integration platform can pair nicely with your existing infrastructure.  

You can also find tools with broad compatibility, reducing the need for custom development and speeding up your integration timeline. This further helps preserve the value of your current technology stack, and save both time and money.

2) Need for Cloud, On-Prem, or Hybrid Support

Your integration tool must support your architecture, be it cloud-native, traditional on-premise, or hybrid. At the same time, it should also be flexible enough to handle future transitions.

From a technical standpoint, that means the platform should offer:

• Agent-based or gateway support for on-premise systems, allowing secure communication with cloud services
• Cloud connectors and APIs that support REST, SOAP, GraphQL, or even event streaming with technologies like Webhooks
• Hybrid orchestration, enabling workflows to span both environments seamlessly and support the free flow of data from, say, a cloud CRM to an on-prem ERP system

3) Scalability and Flexibility

Your integration needs will grow as your business grows. This also means that your EAI tool shouldn’t be facing performance issues.

Flexibility is equally important. The platform should support different data types, workflows, and integration patterns (e.g. real time or event-driven).

Your goal should be to choose tools that allow new applications to be added easily, and can scale both vertically (performance) and horizontally (new integrations).

4) Security and Compliance

Security and compliance are non-negotiable considering you’ll need to connect systems across departments, locations, and/or cloud services. Therefore, you need to ensure that the enterprise application integration tools you pick can handle sensitive data without posing new risk.

Some aspects to prioritize as you narrow down your selection are:

• The ability to encrypt data at rest and in transit
• Role based access control (RBAC) to assign permissions to authorized personnel
• Audit logs and monitoring for enhanced traceability and compliance  
• Built-in tools for data masking, anonymization, or validation

5) Real-Time Data Processing

Real-time data processing is a necessity, especially as delays can cost you time, money, and trust. Therefore, your integration tools should be able to capture, process, and sync data once an event happens, rather than based on a fixed schedule.

Few technologies in EAI tools help achieve this, mainly:

• Webhooks
• Streaming APIs
• Message queues and event brokers (e.g. Apache Kafka and AWS SNS/SQS)
• Polling with minimal latency (for systems that don’t support webhooks or streaming)

6) Availability of Pre-Built Connectors

Pre-built connectors are a must-have for connecting systems that aren’t originally designed to work together. Developers love them too as they reduce the complexity of integration projects, speeding them up dramatically.

While skimming through connector libraries of potential enterprise application integration tools, consider the following factors –

• How many systems are supported
• The connector’s ability to access all features and data
• Customization capabilities to fit your unique workflow
• Frequency of updates and improvements
• Availability of third-party or community-built options

Need to Learn More?

Not to toot our own horn, but we’re the experts on enterprise application integration. And we’ve helped countless organizations go beyond outsourcing IT development to connecting their systems and unlocking real-time data flow.

So, consider DPL’s enterprise application integration services to get the job done right, quickly, and cost-effectively. Let us know how we can help via the form below.