Blockchain And The Next Integration Evolution – Part 2

The Continuation From The Previous Post

Blockchain has been witnessing great evolution of the integration application. Here we present more info on the various generations of the evolving integration levels. The technology has become even more attached to the users providing them with various levels in the integration. We move further on and explain the gradual though sure-footed evolution plans. 

Moving outside of the organizations into the common shared space becoming part of the integration infrastructure firstly the protocols such as FTP, then the API contracts WSDL, SOAP, and also now the business processes themselves and their data. This trend in some respect is analogous to how cross-cutting responsibilities of microservices are moving from within services into the supporting platforms.

Moving out of the organization into the shared business networks comes with blockchain the common data models and now business processes as it is noted that this move is not universally applicable as it not likely becoming a mainstream integration mechanism where moving is only possible when all participants in the network have the same understanding of data models and business processes where it comes applicable to certain industries. 

Generations Of Integrations

Let’s have a broader look at the B2B integration evolution with its main stages as we have done chronological technology progression follow up. 

First-Generation: System Integration Protocols

Firstly before CORBA and SOA, this generation of integration technology enables mainly data exchange over common protocols whereas without an understanding of the data, contracts, and business processes:

Integration model:

The client-server is where the server component comes controlled by just one party

Explicit, shared infrastructure:

The low-level system protocols and APIs such as FTP

Implicit, not shared infrastructure:

Data formats, application contracts, business processes that are not part of the common integration infrastructure. 

Second Generation: Application Integration Contracts

Using system protocols and allowing applications to share APIs in the form of universal contracts, this generation is the next level as both applications understand the data, structure, possible error conditions whereas not the business process and current state behind it :

Integration model: 

The client-server model with APIs that are described by contracts.

Explicit, shared infrastructure:

Those protocols, application contracts, and also API definitions.

Implicit, not shared infrastructure:

The business processes thereby and the remote state are still therefore private.

Third Generation: Distributed Business Processes

Here is the blockchain-based generation proving itself as a viable enterprise architecture going further using peer-to-peer protocols shares business processes as stated across multiple systems controlled by parties not trusting each other. This relies thereby on the common understanding of the full business process and current state.

Integration model:

It is the multi-party, peer-to-peer integration, by forming those business networks with the distributed business processes.

Explicit, shared infrastructure: 

The business process and its required state.

Implicit, not shared infrastructure: 

Those other non-process related states.

As of now, many blockchain-based projects are therefore taking different approaches for the solving of the business integration challenges. Whereas in no particular order here are some which are of the most popular and interesting permissioned open-source blockchain projects that are targeting the B2B integration space:

Built with the above projects, there are many business networks enabling network member organizations to integrate and interacting with each other using the new integration model. Additionally, there are hybrid approaches to these full-stack blockchain projects. In many fields of life, there are many blockchain experiments while public blockchains generate all the hype promising to change the world, private and permissioned blockchains are promising less whereas advancing steadily. 

Conclusion

With multiple nuances, the enterprise integration comes to be challenging as an organization with all systems are controlled by one entity participating some degree of trust mostly addressed by modern ESBs, BPMs, and microservices architectures when it comes to multi-party B2B integration as the systems are controlled by multiple organizations with no visibility of the processes and do not trust each other. Here we see organizations experimenting with new blockchain-based technology relying on sharing of protocols and contracts sharing the end-to-end business processes and states. 

It is here that it comes aligned with general direction integration as this trend has been evolving over the years sharing minimum protocols to sharing and exposing more and more in the form of contracts, APIs, and new business processes. As the previously private business processes are now jointly owned, agreed, built, maintained and standardized using the open-source collaboration model, this shared integrations infrastructure now enables new transparent integration models as they are motivating organizations to share the business processes and therefore form networks to benefit further from joint innovation, standardization and deeper integration in general.