Portal oriented integration is not as complex and expensive as other integration patterns. Several small to medium size companies are using this integration pattern for B2B to avoid the much sophisticated and involved integration of back-end systems. Through portals, a company can provide a Web interface to their key business systems such as ERP, CRM and other legacy systems.

Portal oriented integration fails in most cases to achieve true B2B integration. Most portals do not have sophisticated business process management tools built in which the transfer of data based on business events can automate.

We have covered all the integration challenges and their workarounds for vertical portals in the chapter on B2B e-marketplaces and collaborative networks.