An integration platform as a service is a set of cloud services facilitating the development, implementation, and administration of integration flows linking any mix of cloud-based and on-premises services, processes, data, and applications across multiple or within individual organizations. Enterprises normally require several systems and applications to enhance operations.
While these apps are better off functioning jointly than independently, they aren’t designed to communicate, which makes integration a challenging and tedious task. However, adopting iPaaS can help as it connects various systems throughout an organization. Outlined below are eight reasons to use an integration platform as a service.
1. Safeguard sensitive data
Sensitive business data is prone to privacy violations and data breaches. An integration platform as a service (iPaaS) helps by instituting various security measures to ensure privacy regulations compliance and sensitive data protection. iPaaS platforms protect data through:
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Access controls
iPaaS platforms implement stringent access controls, like role-based access control and multi-factor authentication, to ascertain that only accredited users can gain access to sensitive data. Role-based access controls allow permissions to users depending on their work roles to ensure they can only access the data they require to handle their job responsibilities. Multi-factor authentication mandates users to submit two or more verification methods to access the system.
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Encryption
iPaas solutions normally utilize industry-standard encryption processes to encrypt in-transit and at-rest data. With encryption, unauthorized users find it hard to steal/ access data.
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Audit trails
iPaaS platforms can maintain all data activity audit trails to give visibility into who accessed the information, when they did, and the alterations they made, and help spot and alleviate security threats. Audit trails can help track real-time data activity or probe security happenings after they’ve occurred.
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Compliance certifications
An iPaaS platform can get compliance certifications to show they’ve applied the necessary security processes and measures to safeguard sensitive data.
2. Enhance productivity
Productivity is a major growth factor for all businesses. iPaaS significantly lowers the cost per integration, boosts staff efficiency, and enhances integration reliability while freeing resources to facilitate innovation. For instance, when marketing and sales teams work remotely, coordination gets strained primarily because they work on individual systems that aren’t integrated. This significantly hampers productivity, which affects how fast you’re to the market.
iPaaS solutions help organizations close this gap, easing data management and enhancing productivity in the long term. iPaaS minimizes the effort and time required to transfer data between various applications. With iPaaS, users with little to no coding experience can interpret data quicker, improving productivity.
3. Leverage automation capabilities
iPaaS’s automation capabilities enable integration platforms to achieve more than data integration. Besides transferring data, the solution also automates processes by implementing conditions, transformations, or rules to the data to perform these when triggered or on schedule. For instance, an iPaaS with automation features allows your sales and marketing applications to establish a workflow synchronizing new customer information automatically from your eCommerce system to the email marketing platform at midnight each night.
Alternatively, you can create a procedure that tracks your CRM for fresh sales deals and then automatically delivers notifications to a Slack platform and updates a financial system record once each is closed. While iPaaS systems without automation features are helpful for particular use cases, they’re less powerful and flexible than solutions with complete automation capabilities.
4. Better monitoring and error handling
Monitoring and error handling ascertain that your application integrations constantly run smoothly to help you identify and resolve issues quickly.
- Monitoring: Tracking hybrid integration systems involves constantly monitoring and recording your integration workflows’ performance and activity. An iPaaS’s monitoring includes real-time dashboards showing your integrations’ status, each workflow’s activity logs, and notifications/ alerts once conditionals are achieved. Monitoring helps maintain the reliability of your integrations’ critical features, understand their usage and performance, and identify areas that might require scaling/ improving
- Error-handling: It’s when an iPaaS system can detect that integration workflow execution hasn’t gone well. It can alert the administrator, execute an alternative/ fallback process, or aim for a retry. Most iPaaS platforms enable users to establish personalized error handling depending on their needs.
5. No-code app programming
No-code iPaaS tools offer user-friendly interfaces for users to develop workflow integrations using graphical elements like drop-downs and drag-and-drop interfaces without the need to write code. This is rewarding as it balances the technology and attracts more non-technical users without the need to depend on IT or developers. In addition, it accelerates the integration process by eliminating the need to create, debug, and test code. Note that no-code/ low-code doesn’t imply restriction. Most no-code iPaaS solutions provide potent flexibility and capabilities with alternatives for multi-step workflows, complicated data transformations, and more.
6. Enhance business agility
Today’s competitive landscape requires enterprises to be agile and receptive to the ever-changing market conditions. Thanks to iPaaS, businesses can adapt quickly by connecting services, data sources, and new apps as required. This flexibility allows organizations to test new technologies, center strategies, and scale operations without existing workflow disruptions.
For instance, retailers can leverage iPaaS solutions to incorporate their e-commerce platforms with the latest marketing automation tools to allow more personalized and targeted marketing campaigns. In another scenario, manufacturing companies can use iPaaS platforms to link their ERP systems with IoT gadgets on the floor to gather real-time information for smart decision-making and predictive maintenance.
7. Save time
iPaaS automates business processes (repetitive, manual tasks), helping organizations save time. This enables employees to concentrate on more critical, value-added activities, which boosts productivity and drives growth. Various industries can leverage iPaaS solutions to save time and enhance productivity, including:
- Finance: iPaaS helps streamline expense management, budgeting, and invoice processing to ascertain timely and accurate reporting
- Human resource: iPaaS systems can help automate onboarding procedures, which lowers the burden on human resource staff
- Customer service: iPaaS automates follow-up tasks, response templates, and ticket routing and connects disparate systems to ensure quicker resolution times and enhance customer satisfaction.
8. Cost-effectiveness
iPaaS is relatively cost-effective as it eliminates the need to hire developers to build complex integrations and APIs. It’s subscription-based and hosted in the cloud, which prevents the need for costly on-premises hardware that calls for ongoing maintenance.
Endnote
Integration platform as a service is a valuable tool for any business looking to enhance its automation and integration processes regardless of the industry. Consider investing in an iPaaS solution to reap these benefits.