We often get questions regarding how our GeoNexus platform compares to an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB). GeoNexus is often categorized as an ESB because it provides a platform for system integration. However, this is a common misconception that we look to clarify in today’s blog.
Before diving into the differences, it is important to understand what an ESB truly is. According to TechTarget an ESB is defined as “a middleware tool used to distribute work among connected components of an application.” There are many ESB platforms on the market – Oracle Service Bus, IBM Websphere ESB, BizTalk, Mule ESB, webMethods, among many others. These are essentially middleware frameworks that control and manage the transfer data from one system to another. While GeoNexus and an ESB provide a few similar functions, there are distinct differences that are important to consider.
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1. GeoNexus is Plug and Play, Not a Framework
An ESB is not plug and play. As mentioned, they are a framework that requires coding to build end-point connectors between systems. ESB’s are primarily by an organization’s IT department that is staffed with highly technical development resources. GeoNexus, on the other hand, is truly plug and play allowing non-technical users to easily connect to their systems and choose how they want to synchronize their data, while automatically adhering to the business rules of each disparate system.
2. An ESB Does Not Provide True Synchronization
ESB’s do not synchronize data. These middleware tools simply send messages to and from systems, which in turn must independently process the messages. Unfortunately, systems like GIS do not work well with an ESB since it doesn’t have an event model. In other words, GIS is not able to send a message upon an event without someone developing an event wrapper.
GeoNexus provides a “full compare” methodology for users to bi-directionally synchronize data. This means that anytime GeoNexus is run it compares all the common data from each system and makes edits and updates according to your configuration. This full compare methodology ensures no changes are necessary to your existing workflows (in either system) and custom scripts are not necessary.
3. GeoNexus Allows Freedom to Upgrade Systems
With an ESB, an integration must be rebuilt any time one of your integrated systems needs to be upgraded. GeoNexus supports the latest versions of all the enterprise systems within our portfolio of productized connectors, so when either system is upgraded all you need to do is repoint your connection and you’re all set. No need to continually rewrite code or be locked in at a certain version.
Hopefully this highlights how GeoNexus differs from an ESB. While an Enterprise Service Bus can solve many business problems, remember it is a framework requiring custom coding rather than a plug and play solution. Additionally, an ESB does not provide true synchronization and can make it difficult for you to upgrade either of the integrated systems. If you’d like to learn more about GeoNexus and how it can be used to solve integration challenges at your organization contact us at info@geo-nexus.com.
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