Enterprises are increasingly seeking new competitive advantages, and to increase operational efficiency. They are demanding that IT provide strategic value through new applications, with flexibility, and in record times. Enterprise architects are turning to a new breed of applications developed with multiple technologies -- including Web Services, J2EE, and .NET -- across a wide range of platforms and systems. This composite application approach helps IT to achieve business requirements, by providing new capabilities and strategic value faster. It also presents new challenges, including integration, automation, and resource efficiency. Batch Application Integration (BAI) solves many of these challenges.