How to Set Up a Connected System with Azure Integration Services

How to Set Up a Connected System with Azure Integration Services

Azure Integration Services connects enterprise applications using four components: Azure Logic Apps (workflow orchestration), Azure Service Bus (reliable messaging), Azure API Management (API gateway), and Azure Event Grid (event routing). This guide shows how to design and deploy each component for a connected enterprise system.

Key facts

• Azure Integration Services = Logic Apps + Service Bus + API Management + Event Grid.
• Logic Apps supports 400+ connectors for SaaS, on-premises, and Azure services — no custom code required for most integrations.
• Service Bus delivers guaranteed message delivery with FIFO ordering, dead-letter queues, and sessions for exactly-once processing.
• API Management provides rate limiting, OAuth 2.0 authentication, request transformation, and an API developer portal.
• Event Grid routes events from Azure services (Storage, Cosmos DB, Event Hubs) to Logic Apps, Functions, or Service Bus with sub-second latency.
• EPC Group: 29 years of Microsoft consulting, 10,000+ enterprise deployments, Microsoft Solutions Partner.

Component overview: what each service does

Service	Primary role	Best used for
Azure Logic Apps	Workflow orchestration	Automating multi-step processes between systems (ERP, CRM, HR)
Azure Service Bus	Reliable messaging	Decoupling producer/consumer systems, guaranteed delivery, enterprise queuing
Azure API Management	API gateway	Exposing internal APIs externally with security, throttling, and versioning
Azure Event Grid	Event routing	Reacting to Azure service events in real time (file uploads, DB changes)

Step 1 — Design your integration architecture

Before building, map the data flows between your systems. Answer these questions.

• Which systems need to exchange data? (ERP, CRM, HR, custom apps, SaaS.)
• Is the integration synchronous (request/response) or asynchronous (fire-and-forget)?
• What are the message volume and latency requirements? (High volume → Service Bus. Real-time events → Event Grid. API calls → APIM.)
• Do you need guaranteed exactly-once delivery? Use Service Bus sessions.
• Is there an existing API contract? Use API Management as the front door.

Step 2 — Set up Azure Service Bus

1. In the Azure portal, create a Service Bus namespace. Choose the Premium tier for network isolation and message sessions.
2. Create a queue for point-to-point messaging or a topic with subscriptions for publish/subscribe patterns.
3. Configure message lock duration, max delivery count, and dead-letter queue settings.
4. Assign sending applications a Shared Access Signature (SAS) policy with Send-only permission. Assign receiving applications Receive-only permission.
5. Enable message sessions on the queue if you need FIFO ordering for correlated messages.

Step 3 — Build a Logic Apps workflow

1. In the Azure portal, create a Logic App (Standard) resource in your resource group.
2. Open the designer and choose a trigger: Service Bus message received, HTTP request, Event Grid event, or a schedule.
3. Add actions using built-in connectors: query a SQL database, call a REST API, send an email, write to SharePoint, or post to Teams.
4. Add error handling: set Scope actions with Catch blocks for failed steps. Write failed messages to the Service Bus dead-letter queue.
5. Deploy to your integration environment using an ARM template or Bicep for repeatable deployment.

Step 4 — Configure Azure API Management

1. Create an API Management instance. Use the Developer tier for testing and Standard/Premium for production.
2. Import your API from an OpenAPI (Swagger) specification, WSDL (SOAP), or directly from an Azure Function or Logic App.
3. Add policies to the API: rate limiting (throttle by subscription key), JWT validation, request transformation (add/remove headers), and response caching.
4. Create products (API bundles) and issue subscription keys to consuming teams or applications.
5. Publish the API to the developer portal for self-service documentation and key management.

Step 5 — Add Event Grid for real-time event routing

1. In the Azure portal, create an Event Grid topic or use a system topic (automatically created by Azure services like Storage and Cosmos DB).
2. Create an event subscription: choose your endpoint (Logic App, Azure Function, Service Bus queue, or webhook).
3. Filter events by type (e.g., only route BlobCreated events) to avoid processing unnecessary events.
4. Set a dead-letter destination (Azure Blob Storage) for events that cannot be delivered after the retry policy expires.

Migrating from BizTalk Server

Many enterprises run BizTalk Server for legacy integration. Azure Integration Services is the modern replacement.

• Logic Apps replaces BizTalk orchestration.
• Service Bus replaces BizTalk messaging adapters.
• API Management replaces BizTalk web service publishing.
• Event Grid adds event-driven capabilities that BizTalk did not provide natively.

BizTalk mainstream support ended in 2025. Microsoft recommends migrating to Azure Integration Services. EPC Group has delivered multiple BizTalk-to-Azure migrations for regulated-industry clients.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Logic Apps and Azure Functions for integration?

Logic Apps use a no-code/low-code visual designer with 400+ connectors — ideal for business workflow automation. Azure Functions are code-first and better for high-performance, low-latency data processing or custom transformation logic. Many integration architectures use both together.

When should I use Service Bus instead of Event Grid?

Use Service Bus when you need guaranteed delivery, ordered processing, or dead-letter queue support for critical transactional messages. Use Event Grid when you need fast, lightweight routing of Azure service events (file upload, database change) with no ordering requirements.

Does Azure Integration Services support HIPAA and SOC 2?

Yes. All four components are covered by Azure's compliance certifications including HIPAA (with BAA), SOC 2 Type II, FedRAMP, and ISO 27001. Use VNet integration and private endpoints for healthcare and government workloads requiring network isolation.

How much does Azure Integration Services cost?

Logic Apps Standard: approximately $0.005–$0.01 per execution step. Service Bus Standard: $0.10 per million operations. API Management Developer tier: $48/month. API Management Standard: $313/month. Event Grid: $0.60 per million events. Total cost depends heavily on message volume.

How long does a typical Azure Integration Services deployment take?

A basic three-system integration (ERP to CRM to SharePoint) takes 4–8 weeks with EPC Group's accelerator templates. A full enterprise integration hub replacing BizTalk takes 3–6 months depending on the number of interfaces, data transformation complexity, and compliance requirements.

Design your Azure integration architecture

EPC Group has delivered Azure Integration Services projects for Fortune 500 and regulated-industry clients. Call (888) 381-9725 or request a 30-minute discovery call.