Though integration has been high on the agenda of IT professionals for the past several years, it is a resource glutton, which if left uncontrolled, "will eventually consume organisations to the point where they can no longer operate effectively" notes a recent report by Butler Group, Europe's leading IT research and advisory organisation.

The report, titled Integration Technologies, finds the new architectural models that are gaining attention such as 'service oriented architecture (SOA), enterprise service bus (ESB), and the host of systems being brought into modern operating paradigms, are creating a deal of confusion. "It appears the very models being promoted to ensure less complexity are creating complexities of their own."

The report provides detail on how the integration imperative has assigned and what organisations need to do to move their strategies forward. It focuses on:

• SOA can be utilised to create an agile enterprise
• How the different integration technologies fit together to create an holistic approach
• The role of an ESB within the technology infrastructure
• How integration costs can be reduced by understanding service-centric operations
• Where Web services fit into the SOA model - the similarities and differences
• The continuing role of host systems and how their power can be leveraged
• How security has to be managed in a highly distributed environment
• The importance of process and integration models in building the infrastructure