Adding something new to the information technology stack can be a dangerous thing. It takes resources; it takes skill. Most of all, it takes time. Building data pipelines and related IT infrastructure is one of those time-eating tasks that takes skilled IT administrators and developers away from their real projects.

The solution is to use modern technology, such as machine learning, to automate and ease such tasks, according to Greg Benson (pictured), chief scientist at SnapLogic Inc. “It’s completely about modernization,” he said.

Benson spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick) and Lisa Martin (@Luccazara), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile live-streaming studio, during the AWS Summit in San Francisco. Benson talked about streamlining installation and builds with machine learning.

An eye on historical data

SnapLogic, as a data integration company, has a stake in how businesses set up their data management systems and networks. To this end, the company has leveraged cloud-based technology and machine learning to create a product called Iris. Iris is designed as an integration assistant, a tool that helps customers build out by automating the most common tasks, Benson explained.

Iris works by looking at historical data through machine learning, giving the system an understanding of how customers build their data pipelines. It can also tailor its suggestions for specific needs. “We’ve learned from all of those past solutions, and now we give you suggestions on where you might want to head next,” Benson said.

The Iris technology, while hosted and run in the cloud, can operate behind a company’s firewall. Because of this, it can build according to the company’s current security policy, Benson added. Iris doesn’t have to see or touch their data. This allows it to connect databases for many different purposes.

SnapLogic’s Iris represents a new, but growing, trend in software. Increasingly, more applications are using machine learning. Likewise, assisted integration technology like Iris will also be required to build these complex systems. According to Benson, within a few years customers won’t be able to imagine it working any other way.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s independent editorial of AWS Summit 2017 San Francisco.

Photo: SiliconANGLE