One of the things that fascinate me with industry changes is the impact on people and processes that we do not consider or think about when reflecting on the change.

For example, when horse carriages were overtaken by cars, people wondered about the impact on the carriage driver and horses but did anyone ever think how it will affect the income relied on all horse-related activities? This includes horseshoes, horse feed, and street cleaners (for cleaning up horse “fuel” from the streets). I would like to think that all these people were able to seamlessly change to support the new car industry, but the reality is never that simple and change is painful.

The same happens when new disciplines or industries are created: I recently read an article that the towns in Virginia, whose economy was built around the coal industry, have been struggling. Similarly, I was talking to a colleague who mentioned that 10 years ago, a data analyst role essentially required you to be proficient in sequel and excel. Today, you better have a data science degree and a background in statistics.

A similar thing is happening with system integration. Although integration technology has been around for a long time, the rapid improvements in API technology, the advent of event-driven architecture, and the introduction of microservices mean that this is now a complicated landscape. It requires an expert to guide companies through the myriad of technical options available to pick a strategy that best suits their needs.

iPaas (or integration Platform as a Service) is a vital platform that all companies need to address when discussing their overall system architecture and to support business growth, especially in a post-pandemic world.

A key role that is critical for this technology is an Integration Engineer. They identify business needs by evaluating clients’ existing components and then they develop and implement IT solutions. Integration Engineers are responsible for determining integration requirements while using their problem solving, creativity, and collaboration skills to ensure that the final solution meets organizational needs.

So what skills does an integration engineer need? I would argue that this role requires a mixture of technical and communication skills and industry experience as this area continues to grow and evolve.

At Lysi, we know this role is critical—we assign two Integration engineers for each of our client projects.

First, an integration system architect works with the client to ensure we have identified the most suitable technology to meet their needs. They drive the architectural design and have overall responsibility for the technical success of the project. Second, an integration development engineer works on the actual development and is responsible for building, testing, and implementing the system integration. They work closely with the integration architect, the project manager, and the client during this process to ensure a smooth turn around.

Given how quickly technology is evolving and business requirements are changing, the integration engineer is a key element to building and sustaining a successful integration strategy for optimal business outcomes.