Create new integrations by building on a strong foundation with IBM Cloud Pak for Integration 16.1.1

Application and integration with big data are critical to every business. From accessing data source systems, to sharing information through APIs, discovering what is happening in your business, to responding quickly through data streaming platforms or events, we see integration driving improvement across multiple use cases.

Today, IBM has announced the availability of IBM Cloud Pak for Integration 16.1.1. This modification release enhances the previous IBM Cloud Pak for Integration 16.1.0 version. It will be of interest to customers choosing to take advantage of enhancements delivered through Continuous Delivery updates rather than a Long-Term Support model.  

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration moves your critical business data from where it is created to where it can deliver new value.  IBM Cloud Pak for Integration offers a complete integration software solution with a single platform, optimized for Red Hat OpenShift to meet growing integration and agile business needs. 

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration 16.1.1 adds new features to the AI-powered assistant, helping users in creating and deploying integrations. Direct integration with Red Hat OpenShift enables the selection and deployment of integrations immediately into the OpenShift cluster and helps with the creation of integration features.  

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration helps create and deploy integrations, which reduces complexity, streamlines access to data and provides tools to assist with defining and deploying individual integration instances or complete end-to-end integrations.  

Automation assets can now be the starting point for many users to find existing integrations or to create new integrations. When editing an asset in the repository, the correct integration editor will now open automatically, allowing users to make changes faster and easier. However you choose to build new integrations, they can now be saved as a draft to allow you to edit and finish the changes at your own pace. 

Additionally, the Integration Assemblies tool and the graphical canvas have been extended and enhanced with additional capabilities, including Apache Kafka Topics and Kafka integration users, which can also be created, viewed and deployed in the Platform UI.  

Apache Kafka is an open-source distributed event streaming platform. Using Apache Kafka can be further enhanced by IBM Cloud Pak for Integration in the following ways:

1. Connectors: Connectors from Confluent or other vendors that can be used with IBM Event Streams are available as part of Apache Kafka Connect, and are visible in the Platform UI, including showing the associated Kafka Connect instance.  
2. Keycloak: The Event Endpoint Management UI now uses Keycloak, improving consistency with other IBM Cloud Pak for Integration components.
3. Event Integration: IBM Cloud Pak for Integration customers wanting to use the IBM Event Processing component can now purchase the IBM Cloud Pak for Integration Event Processing Add-On, which comes with additional OpenShift entitlement to make it easier to deploy IBM Event Processing alongside IBM Event Streams and IBM Event Endpoint Management as part of an IBM Cloud Pak for Integration deployment. Previously, Event Processing was only available in IBM Event Automation.

1. Support for Red Hat OpenShift 4.17 enables the support for enforcing policies that block deployment integrations that don’t meet business rules. This adds to the value of marking integrations as Approved in Automation Assets.   
2. IBM App Connect 13 runtimes and tooling are now included in this most recent release of IBM Cloud Pak for Integration 
3. IBM App Connect runtimes are now visible in the Platform UI, simplifying the organization and management of these deployments.  
4. IBM API Connect Portal, Manager and Analytics components are available for deployment on IBM Power systems.  

1. Faster time-to-market: The new release of IBM Cloud Pak for Integration 16.1.1 significantly reduces the time required to create and deploy integrations. By significantly cutting API release times, businesses can accelerate the launch of new services and products, allowing companies to stay ahead of competitors, capture market opportunities swiftly and drive higher revenue streams.  
2. Enhanced customer experience: With real-time data accessibility and processing capabilities enabled by Event Processing in conjunction with the integration features in this release, businesses can be providers of timely and personalized experiences to their customers. Improved customer insights allow for better decision-making and tailored service offerings, increasing customer satisfaction, loyalty and ultimately, higher sales and revenue.  
3. Optimized operational efficiency: The new features and enhancements in IBM Cloud Pak for Integration will help streamline and automate complex integration processes. This optimization leads to reduced operational costs and improved efficiency across departments. By freeing up resources and allowing teams to focus on innovation and value-added activities, businesses can drive growth and profitability, ultimately boosting the business. 

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration became generally available on December 13th, 2024. Contact an IBM representative to talk to us about how IBM Cloud Pak for Integration 16.1.1 can meet your business integration needs and help your business be built for change.

Explore IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Watch Leif Davidsen, Program Director, discuss new features, what Cloud Pak can do for you, and the role of AI in the Cloud-Native world:

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