For those who deal with the technical problems of sharing data and processes between applications on a daily basis, making significant investments of money and people in an EAI project may seem like a no-brainer. However, a business manager may have some reasons to hesitate. The trust issue. However, in many organizations, the IT department's reputation for effective solutions to sticky problems is less than stellar. Whether or not it deserves this reputation is irrelevant.
Impressions govern more management decisions than facts do.
With the financial markets' recent epiphany that profitability is indeed an important measure of value, business managers are being held more accountable for their ROI and expenditures. As a result, they have an incentive not to invest in what they see as an unproven technology with uncertain chances of success. Technology for its own sake has lost its attractiveness. Being first is no longer seen as being best. The enterprise is a hard nut to crack.