I’m helping a large company figure out how to connect all their different business software. They have tons of separate systems that don’t talk to each other well. There’s their main business system, customer management software, warehouse tools, and some specialized programs for their industry.
Right now everything is pretty disconnected and they want to fix this without building a bunch of custom connections from the ground up.
What integration tools have you actually used in big companies that worked well?
I’m especially interested in hearing why certain platforms succeeded or failed for you.
We’ve been researching options like:
MuleSoft
Dell Boomi
Zapier for simple stuff
Power Automate from Microsoft
Apache Camel
Building our own with Node.js
Cloud platforms like Make or Tray
What we really need:
Plays nice with older legacy software
Won’t break the budget (MuleSoft and Boomi cost too much)
Strong security and can handle growth
Easy to monitor and keep running
Business users can make simple changes without always needing developers
Works in regulated industries with compliance requirements
Would love to hear about your real world experiences with any of these tools or others you’d recommend. What would you do differently if you had to choose again?
We dealt with this exact situation two years ago when our parent company bought three smaller businesses. The disconnected systems were killing us - hours of manual data entry every day. We tested a bunch of options and went with Microsoft Power Platform (Power Automate + Power Apps). Since we already had Office 365 licenses, it didn’t cost much compared to standalone solutions. The real win was the pre-built connectors for most business apps. Our ancient accounting system from the 90s was tricky, but Power Automate’s custom connector handled it through their APIs. Management loved the citizen developer approach. Department heads can now build simple approval workflows and data syncing without waiting for IT. We still handle complex integrations, but it cut our backlog way down. Fair warning - you need solid governance when you give business users this power. We had to set clear rules about who can create what after some users nearly crashed our email server with their “helpful” workflows. The monitoring and error handling isn’t as polished as enterprise tools, but for the price it works fine for most stuff.
After dealing with this at three companies, here’s what I’ve learned: your legacy systems will make or break whatever you pick.
We rolled out a solution last year for a manufacturing client with systems from the early 2000s. The real problem wasn’t choosing the platform - it was finding all the weird data formats and undocumented APIs in those old systems.
What saved us? Starting small with one critical integration. We picked the ERP-inventory connection since it caused the most daily pain. Got that working, learned the gotchas, then expanded.
With your budget constraints, go phased. Use Latenode or n8n for straightforward connections, keep Apache Camel ready for legacy systems that need heavy data transformation.
Compliance is huge. We got burned when a lightweight tool couldn’t handle proper audit logging. Had to rebuild everything during a compliance review.
Nobody mentions this - plan for data mapping hell. Every system stores customer info differently. We spent more time building translation layers than actual integrations.
My advice? Pick two tools max. One simple, one heavyweight for complex legacy stuff. More than that and you’ll manage integration tools instead of integrating.
Had the same problem at my last company - drowning in disconnected systems across multiple locations. What worked wasn’t a single platform but a hybrid approach nobody talks about enough. We used Apache Camel for heavy lifting - connecting our ancient AS/400 mainframe and legacy databases. Yeah, it needs Java skills, but once it’s running it’s rock solid for enterprise workloads. Steep learning curve but worth it for complex transformations. For simple stuff we layered in lightweight tools. Key insight: forcing everything through one platform creates bottlenecks and drives up costs fast. We used Camel for core integrations that needed bulletproof reliability, then handled user-facing automations with cheaper tools. Biggest mistake I see? Companies underestimate operational overhead. Whatever you pick, plan for monitoring and maintenance from day one. We spent six months building integrations, then three more figuring out how to keep them running smoothly. Error handling and retry logic isn’t glamorous but it’s the difference between a solution that works and one that keeps you up at night.
skip the pricey ones - n8n or aws lambda with api gateway is worth lookin at. been usin n8n for 6 months and it’s great for the price. lets u handle legacy stuff with custom nodes, plus self-hosting is more secure than cloud.
I’ve dealt with this same problem multiple times at enterprise scale. Those tools you mentioned are either crazy expensive or can’t handle complex enterprise workflows.
After connecting systems at companies with thousands of employees, here’s what I learned - you need something that handles simple automations AND complex enterprise integrations without the insane licensing costs.
Latenode fixed this for us when the big names couldn’t. It connects to legacy systems through APIs, databases, and custom connectors when you need them. Business users can build simple flows with the visual builder while developers handle complex integrations using custom JavaScript.
The pricing model is what really gets me. You pay for actual compute time instead of per connector or user like MuleSoft. For enterprise workloads, this saves us tons of money.
Compliance is solid too. We’re in regulated environments and it handles data encryption, audit trails, and access controls properly. The monitoring dashboard shows what’s happening with your integrations in real time.
Best part? It scales from simple webhook automations to processing millions of records without choking. I’ve watched it sync customer data between CRM and ERP systems and handle complex multi-step approval workflows.
Honestly? We dealt with this nightmare 18 months ago. Biggest lesson: don’t overthink it. Tried Boomi first - way too expensive and their support sucked. Ended up with a mixed approach that works way better. Use whatever handles your legacy connections best, then add simpler tools for daily stuff. Our old Oracle system needed custom JDBC work that only Camel could handle properly.