ISAAC Middleware A-Z

Websphere MQ is an enterprise messaging solution from IBM, and often encountered when integrating with financial or other highly transactional back-end and middleware systems. ISAAC has integrated with and maintained MQ installations in many projects. We’ve built websphere MQ connectors for systems, including the JBoss ESB and our own Pangaea NXG financial services middleware platform. The payload of Websphere MQ can be anything, from COBOL datablocks to XML and even JSON.

EAI is closely related to middleware, as EAI is usually just a business-level term for application-to-application middleware deployment and configuration.

Middleware is often applied to integrate legacy systems with more modern applications and services. Some legacy systems still have classic IBM 3270 terminal interfaces, and no other way to pass data around than just to display it in “green screens”.

Webservices using SOAP have been the work-horse of system integration over the last decade. Although they’re not a one-site-fits-all wonder, SOAP has provided standards where none where present. ISAAC integrates SOAP webservices with middleware service busses, front-ends and eachother.

High-performance messaging in the Java world is mainly based on the JMS (Java Messaging Service) specification in the JEE (Java Enterprise Edition) platform. JMS provides an easy and flexible approach to the distribution of messages between systems in publish-subscribe models. ISAAC often utilises JMS in middleware architectures to construct high-performance but loosly coupled asynchronous interactions.

The new approach to building lightweight and easy-to-use webservices is REST. Using REST, the power of simplicity is used to construct system interactions using (mainly) the common HTTP internet protocol. It’s a great way to connect interfaces to back-ends and link low- to medium volume services in a quick way. ISAAC has deployed many RESTful servcies over the last years in a multitude of configurations.

Middleware is often deployed as a Service Oriented Architecture, a design and architecture philisophy for systems where functionality is exposed as a service, with a well-defined interface contract. Using ISAAC middleware, services can be integrated to perform complex logic, update data and orchestrate workflows.

When a middleware system contains many (real time) services with different interface formats (e.g. REST, SOAP, MQ, etc), ISAAC often advises to use an Enterprise Service Bus or ESB to link these up with limited effort. An ESB makes sure all services can work together without knowing where or how the service actually is located.

The Java Enterprise Edition is a large scale specification and framework for building Java Applications. Although some thought of JEE as too complex in the past, we at ISAAC think the right use of the new JEE standards offers great value for business over designing things from the ground up. We know how to take the right tools from the JEE toolbox and setup an architecture that works for your business.

As systems interact more to achieve a common goal for your business, Single Sign On (SSO) becomes increasingly important to spread user credentials to places where they are needed. ISAAC has solved complex SSO problems for a number of customers, using open protocols like SAML and Kerberos, and services from identity brokers like Signicat.

JBoss, by Red Hat, is our preferred JEE server. We’re a JBoss Advanced Business Partner with architects and developers on board that “know their JBoss”, inside and out. We’ve designed and implemented middleware solutions based on JBoss for a lot of customers. Our Red Hat certified middleware team is available to think with you about the best way to solve your integration challenges.

Although real-time services have become ubiquitous in middleware, batch process still play an important role in many complete solutions, and the integration with older back-end systems. ISAAC can integrate batch processes in real-time service oriented middleware using our many years of experience in projects that combine batch and real-time processing.

Just as website content is seperated from visual presentation by using a Content Management System (CMS), Business Rules can be seperated from plumbing code using a Business Rules Management System or BRMS. Using a BRMS allows for a complete new way of working with business rules and middleware orchestration; non-coding specialists like Business Analysts can make changes in a running system in a controlled way, without having to go through heavy-weight ICT-processes like code rolls and change approvals.

Middleware is often a matter of getting a message from point A to B, from application one to application two. ISAAC has implemented middleware based on a number of message oriented middleware paradigms, including point-to-point, publish/subscribe, and request-response. Our middleware designers will work with you to select the best way of using MOM for your middleware challenge.