Typically, vendors recommend putting the application integration middleware on a dedicated server. Early reports suggest that scalability and performance won t be problems if the server is big enough. Time will tell. Security presents another concern. These tools do not perform any encryption.
Information travels across the wire in the clear, posing significant security risks.
While it is possible that security can be assured through add-on modules or facilities in the operating system itself, you need to think through the security issue before attempting any serious deployment. The easier maintenance alone should result in significant savings. However, IS managers who are considering these tools must consider all the ramifications in terms of security, management, integrity, and other IS practices. The vendors will likely address and resolve these issues in subsequent releases. In the end, IS organizations need tools like these to enable them to integrate systems at the business process level.