Integration Platform as a Service vs Private Cloud Deployment

This article describes the pros and cons of two Doohickey-supported models for providing integration: integration platform as a service (iPaaS) and private cloud deployment.

What is deployed where?

Doohickey Cloud Services are an "as a service" API made available in the cloud. It's capabilities cannot be modified on a per-customer basis, other than the standard configurations provided via the API and its user interface. That said, we host Doohickey Cloud in AWS and take advantage of many of Amazon's cloud-native capabilities to provide a reliable product for you.

Doohickey's job is to operationalize integrations deployed to an integration platform, like Open Integration Hub. The integration platform can be hosted multiple ways:

• "As a Service" meaning Blended Edge will host an instance dedicated to you and your end customers
• "Private cloud" meaning we and/or you will install and manage the integration platform in your cloud environment (e.g. AWS, Google Cloud)
• "On Premise" meaning you will install the integration platform into your physical server environment (this is uncommon)

As long as the appropriate integration platform APIs and interfaces are exposed publicly, Doohickey Cloud is able to connect to the platform to manage its integrations.

Comparing "As a Service" and "Private Cloud"

When comparing "as a service" and "private cloud" models for the integration platform, you should consider the following parameters:

• Cost Management - How much control over and fllexibility spend do you require?
• Infrastructure Capability - What is your team's ability to manage complex infrastructure?
• Data Privacy - Do you have specific requirements to keep end customer data stored on certain machines, in certain regions, or only made accessible to limited teams?
• Appllication Architecture - Does one approach or the other fit better with your application's architecture?

Advantages to "As a Service"

The biggest advantage to choosing an "as a service" model for the integration platform is that you simply don't have to worry about it. We'll handlle all of the infrastructure management, upgrades, and feature deployments. You pay for the best of breed deployment of the platform, and we provide it. You interact with the platform via its APIs, just as you interact with Doohickey Cloud Services APIs.

The "as a service" model also typically simplifies architecture, becasue we deploy the platform in such a way that we know it will work nicely with Doohickey Cloud. This avoids dealing with unique setups in individual cloud environments.

Advantages to "Private Cloud"

Leveraging a "private cloud" deployment does require more work, but it affords quite a bit more flexibility. As long as the platform ends up properly deployed and its APIs are available to Doohickey Cloud Services, you can deploy and host the platform basically however you want. This includes incorporating the platform and its services into your own DevOps or site reliability engineering processes as well as controlling costs using your internal processes.

A "private cloud" deployment also allows you to customize the platform and/or control how and when new versions are rolled out. We recommend consulting with our team as you make such customizations to ensure the platform remains Doohickey-compatible.

Deploying to a "private cloud" also keeps end user data "in your network". We won't have to store or process any sensitive end customer data, so your obligations to treat or report Blended Edge as a data processor are limited. (Always consult with an attorney about such considerations.)