Riaan is Chief Technical Officer at Synegrate, a Southern California based software consulting company specializing in on premise, hybrid and cloud based integration. Synegrate is also a Microsoft Gold Partner in Application Integration with specialized skills in Modern Integration (Azure Micro Services and BizTalk Server), based out of Costa Mesa, California. The company has been operating since 2004 as Inobits Inc. and was rebranded as Synegrate in 2014.
Riaan is a BizTalk Server expert, having worked with the platform since its initial release 15 years ago. He furthermore is a keen supporter of Microsoft’s cloud first strategy and has aligned Synegrate with this strategy. He is also a member of the elite Microsoft Virtual Technology Specialist (VTSP) team, a small group of selected industry experts working as an extension to the Microsoft Technology Specialist teams. He has a strong relationship with Microsoft as a valued partner in implementing enterprise solutions on top of Microsoft Azure.
I got opportunity to work with Riaan during my last project where he was the architect for the BizTalk solution – EDI and EAI, for the enterprise customer. He is amazing person and a great consultant to work with.
Now a days he is mostly involved with customers where they are implementing modern integration strategies using Microsoft Azure. He was the first person I reached out for the reviewer of our book – Robust Cloud Integration with Azure.
Now that he is in the reviewer team of our book, I asked him to share his thoughts on the following couple of questions about the book.
1. What do you think about the outline of the book?
I reviewed the book outline and I think it is well thought out, accurately targeted towards integration professionals, and reads very easily. I especially love Chapter 3 – Getting started with API Apps; I think it is comparable to a theme park thrill ride. It takes the user from introduction to API apps, to advanced topics in a quick 40 pages or so. Love it!
Then the approach you guys are taking with Logic Apps is also great. You start the reader off slow, but then quickly accelerate through the chapters, showing the users basic to advanced concepts on orchestrating data. I also appreciate the fact that you are on cusp of new offerings in Azure, such as Integration Account and Integration Pack.
2. What is your expectation from the book or how do you think this book would be valuable for its reader’s time and money?
I expect the book to take an integration developer/architect, with predominantly an on-premise integration skill and mindset, to being knowledgeable and comfortable building integration solutions in Azure. Synegrate is currently involved with customers where we are implementing modern integration strategies using Microsoft Azure. I see readers gaining a lot of knowledge from the book; knowledge that we have gained from practical experience in the field. I think of this book as something that will allow readers to fast-track their entry into getting modern integration solutions built in Azure.
I thanks Riaan to be part of our team as reviewer and also sharing his thoughts about the book.
I wish him and Synegrate very best for their future endeavors.
