Consolidating systems for AI with iPaaS

The Fragmented IT Landscape: A Barrier to AI Adoption

For decades, enterprises have been reacting to shifting business pressures with stopgap technology solutions. Each new plug-in or platform promised better, more efficient operations, and individually, many delivered. However, as more and more solutions stacked up, IT teams had to string together a tangled web to connect them – less an IT ecosystem and more of a make-do collection of ad-hoc workarounds.

This reality has led to bottlenecks and maintenance burdens, and the impact is showing up in performance. Today, fewer than half of CIOs (48%) say their current digital initiatives are meeting or exceeding business outcome targets. Another 2025 survey found that operations leaders point to integration complexity and data quality issues as top culprits for why investments haven’t delivered as expected.

The Problem with Patchwork IT

Achim Kraiss, chief product officer of SAP Integration Suite, elaborates on the wide-ranging problems inherent in patchwork IT: “A fragmented landscape makes it difficult to see and control end-to-end business processes,” he explains. “Monitoring, troubleshooting, and governance all suffer. Costs go up because of all the complex mappings and multi-application connectivity you have to maintain.”

This is particularly problematic as enterprises look to adopt AI. As AI becomes embedded in everyday workflows, systems are suddenly expected to move far larger volumes of data, at higher speeds, and with tighter coordination than yesterday’s architectures were built to sustain.

The Need for Consolidation

As companies now prepare for an AI-powered future, whether that is generative AI, machine learning, or agentic AI, many are realizing that the way data moves through their business matters just as much as the insights it generates. As a result, organizations are moving away from scattered integration tools and toward consolidated, end-to-end platforms that restore order and streamline how systems interact.

The Benefits of iPaaS

Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) is a cloud-based platform that enables organizations to integrate their various systems, applications, and data sources in a unified and scalable manner. By using iPaaS, organizations can:

Simplify integration processes and reduce complexity
Improve data quality and accuracy
Enhance visibility and control over business processes
Reduce costs and improve resource utilization
Enable real-time data analytics and decision-making

Real-World Examples

Several organizations have successfully implemented iPaaS to improve their integration processes and_activities. For example:

Walmart: Used iPaaS to integrate its supply chain management system with its e-commerce platform, enabling real-time inventory management and improved customer satisfaction.
American Express: Implemented iPaaS to integrate its customer relationship management (CRM) system with its marketing automation platform, enabling personalized marketing campaigns and improved customer engagement.
United Airlines: Used iPaaS to integrate its passenger service system with its revenue management system, enabling real-time pricing and revenue optimization.

Forward-Looking Thoughts

As organizations continue to adopt AI and other emerging technologies, the need for integrated and scalable platforms will only continue to grow. By leveraging iPaaS and other integration platforms, organizations can:

Improve their ability to adapt to changing business conditions
Enhance their competitiveness and innovation
Improve their customer experience and satisfaction
Reduce costs and improve resource utilization

In conclusion, the fragmented IT landscape is a significant barrier to AI adoption, and the need for consolidation and integration is more pressing than ever. By leveraging iPaaS and other integration platforms, organizations can simplify their integration processes, improve data quality and accuracy, and enhance their ability to adapt to changing business conditions.

Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/05/1132200/consolidating-systems-for-ai-with-ipaas/