Hinzugefügt: 28 July 2023
The multitude of specialized SaaS solutions, cloud platforms and API-first approaches offers companies and their departments enormous advantages over monolithic systems, but also leads to an explosion of software diversity and overarching automation requirements. The integration of systems as a solution to automate workflows is critical to success. There are various approaches to this, which are not only being addressed by the companies themselves, but are also increasingly being implemented in the form of marketplaces and native interfaces by the software OEMs themselves. An overview of the various types of integration platforms existing on the market.
Different Types of IPaaS
In order to structure the coordination and management of interfaces, integration platforms are increasingly being used. As a hub, these enable the creation of automated processes as well as the management and maintenance of interfaces.
There are usually two implementation paths:
The applying company manages integrations itself and requires an integration platform for this purpose. If the software solutions do not natively include the integrations suitable for the company's own use cases, for example through a marketplace, a separate solution becomes necessary. There are two approaches here, whose applicability depends in particular on the company's own capacities and competencies on the development side. What they have in common is that they are stand-alone solutions, i.e., independent platforms for integrating SaaS solutions and other systems. They enable companies to manage the entire integration process centrally and to automate the exchange of data between the various applications independently.
- Software OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) are commissioned to integrate their solution into the existing system landscape. For many software companies, integrating their own solution at the customer's site is not only a challenge, but often a showstopper. The days of customizing and time-consuming individual developments are over - the focus today is on scalable products that grow product-led in the market.
In both cases, IPaaS enable integration processes to be workflow-based, making it easier to create and manage integrations. Depending on the characteristics of the platforms, they often also offer preconfigured connectors that reduce the effort required to develop individual integrations. This can increase efficiency and reduce the burden on IT departments.
Flexible IPaaS
With few exceptions, flexible IPaaS are only relevant for corporations with larger IT teams, as they bring full flexibility with all the advantages and disadvantages. Interfaces must be developed and maintained independently. Although the full responsibility lies with the own team, problems can also be remedied by the team itself (provided that sufficient resources are available).
Low-Code IPaaS
Low-code IPaas cover a certain proportion of integrations for certain application areas (e.g. HR, Sales or Operations) through standard connectors. Due to the low-code functionality, individually required adaptations or extensions can still be added.
Standalone Whitelabel IPaaS
This solution offers service providers, such as management consultancies, the opportunity to offer integrations with a white label solution. The platform used can vary with regard to the handling of prefabricated connectors, but is in doubt the same as a low-code solution.
Embedded IPaaS
With embedded IPaaS, the functional scope of the integration platform is integrated directly into a software. Technical solutions can be fully integrated via iFrames or APIs. The great advantage here is that it appears to the user to be software from a "single source" and no switching between systems or accounts is necessary. In order to give users the impression of a wide range of native interfaces, it is necessary to choose a solution with as many suitable standard connectors as possible for the user's own use cases.
Our Advice: Specialized IPaaS - whether Standalone or Embedded
By focusing on specific industries, application areas or specific SaaS solutions, providers of specialized IPaaS solutions can develop in-depth expertise and offer tailored integration services. As a result, they ensure a higher quality of interface maintenance and reduce the effort for users (regardless of the characteristics of the IPaaS). Choosing a specialized IPaaS provider also offers the advantage that companies can benefit from the provider's experience and best practices. The provider is able to react quickly to changes in the market, provide new connectors and continuously improve integration services. This allows companies to work more efficiently and take full advantage of specialized SaaS solutions without having to tie up their own resources for integrating and maintaining interfaces. For example, there are solutions on the market that focus exclusively on systems/processes from the areas of HR, sales, dev tools, or just like us, on operations.
Conclusion and Takeaway: Combination of Specialized IPaaS Solutions!
The growing diversity of software requires new approaches to the integration of specialized SaaS solutions. Integration platforms and different types of IPaaS offer efficient solutions to reduce the coordination and management effort for user companies and SaaS vendors. Use-case focused IPaaS can ensure maximum system stabilities and achieve the maximum added value of specialized SaaS solutions.