DMS Group are highlighting a recent post from Microsoft that clarifies important aspects of the BizTalk Server lifecycle. We share key summary points below, along with DMS commentary. The full release from program management at Microsoft is here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/integrationsonazureblog/microsoft-biztalk-server-product-lifecycle-update/4478559

BTS 2020 Mainstream Support ends April 2028.

• Comment: this is an iteration of an existing position. You can certainly pay for extended support through until April 2030 but that $ that would arguably be better spent investing in longer term options. Hopefully this incentivizes hesitant clients to action.
• Impact: Migrate before 2028, pay for extended if not, and either way prepare to be out of realistic support options beyond April 2030.

BizTalk Server 2020 will be last and final version of this product.

• Comment: This should not be a surprise but for anyone mistakenly holding out hope for a reprieve, it is time to move on. This is helpful communication as we now have this officially stated in a Microsoft communication, affirming what many saw coming.
• Impact: It underlines the importance of starting BizTalk migration if you have not already done so.

Host Integration Server (HIS) will be decoupled.

• Comment: Splitting out of the original SNA Server feature set back into a stand alone product again makes sense. These high-value features have been a mainstay for Microsoft application development teams integrating into legacy systems like mainframe and midrange since 1994. The very nature of these environments require control of the physical network interconnect not easily catered for in public cloud. This announcement removes uncertainty and provides a path forward for clients requiring mainframe/midrange integrations.
• Impact: once the stand alone Host Integration Server 2028 is released, life will continue and likely follow alignment with the key system vendors it enables in this space.

If you need to disconnect then its all aboard the Ark/Arc

• Comment: if you need disconnected/air-gapped on-premises environment support, then Microsoft provides this via LogicApps hosted in Arc-enable Kubernetes.
• Impact: Further clarification on long term options for disconnected scenarios.

Azure LogicApps crowned as successor to BTS.

Comment: in this statement Microsoft has further clarified their intended path for integration technologies. Clients can choose to continue to ignore it but we can’t say we have not been told.

Impact: Official clarification.

In summary:

Many of us here at DMS Group have been involved working with BizTalk Server since its inception but the pattern here predates that. For as long as we’ve had software, there has always remained a fundamental need to interconnect and integrate it. Yet, change is forever part of technology. What serves one generation well, has to be either evolved or swapped out, if it is to successfully serve following generations. As we outlined in our February 2003 white paper on BizTalk migration, a lot has changed since 2000. The early age of self-hosted internet, XML and WS* standards has given way to a public cloud, REST dominated world.

At some point any of us responsible for a software stack will recognize the need to refactor it, beyond what in place upgrades can enable. Such a moment has long since arrived for BizTalk Server and Microsoft has provided us a path forward. Yes, it is a path that does require investment from end users but such is technology. If you are seeking a partner, or want to talk with someone who has helped others modernize BizTalk solutions, feel free to reach out to us. You can contact us here.