SaaS platforms are continually evolving and SaaS integration is now regarded as an industry standard.
Originally developers aimed to create systems that their users performed the entirety of their tasks in. However, this does create headaches especially with user on-boarding and extending the platform.
This is where SaaS integrations comes in. By integrating with complementary platforms, a SaaS can extend its own reach and functionality. Making it even more in tune and customisable to what the user is looking to achieve.
SaaS integration is the process of creating pathways to allow different software platforms, run either on cloud-based or on-premise to communicate and share data.
For instance, adding new leads from your website form captures to your sales and marketing applications, as well as your CRM system.
There are numerous benefits to SaaS integration some of which are saving substantial time, reducing human error and increasing transparency.
SaaS integration is complex and when implementing several challenges can be thrown your way; firstly understanding the different integration methods and approaches, and choosing the right one so you don’t lose revenue or productivity.
Second, ensuring data transformation is performed correctly, otherwise you’ll risk losing data or silo-ing it.
Thirdly, making sure security protocols such as authentication are in place to avoid your data becoming venerable.
Don’t fret as there are a number of ways to minimise these challenges.
SaaS integration is complicated and one way of solving the issues and relieving how hard it is, is by using an external integration provider, like an embedded iPaaS.
They can help you integrate with multiple third-party SaaS technologies. As well as build complex data workflows that combine and process multiple data sets.
This can help accelerate your time to market with new solutions and improve product competitiveness.
It discusses how to improve your integration strategy and pick the right methodology for your situation.
Helping you discover and select your path to integration success!
Lauren Dunthorne, Service Delivery Manager at Visualsoft
Luke Brewin, Director of Technical Operations at Force24
John Rippy, Chief Technical Office at Drive Social Media
Otto Kuparsaari, Technical Support Engineer at Leadoo
Keith Reed, Grid Management Lead at Pod Point
Ken Lempit, President at Austin Lawrence
Jack Middleton, Director of Operations at Talentia Group
By building your own integrations you are able to provide the tightest, most bespoke integration with your product possible, but it does come with some hazards.
Just connecting to another application doesn’t necessarily solve your users’ requirement. Often multiple integrations to the same application are required to match different use cases and offer flexibility.
Each of these integrations will need to be built and maintained by your developers – detracting from your core product offering and adding an element of surprise when an API or external platform changes, leaving your team to drop everything to ensure that your users’ integration remains running and stable.
Building an integration is no trivial feat. You need to factor in planning, development and testing, to ensure your users’ data isn’t be mishandled.
All of these steps add time and resources onto your integration project.
So when a user or prospective client asks for a specific integration you have to factor in your development resources to ensure you can deliver. When it comes to being able to close a deal with the proviso of connectivity – speed and accuracy are of the essence.
The decision to create an integration with a platform is one thing, but what about the reality of working with a completely different system over a long period of time.
Having to deal with varying levels of documentation, to be able to build your integration, and availability of test credentials, to ensure what you build works, can be a challenge in itself. Especially when working with smaller, less mature players in the market.
And that’s before you can evaluate what measures need to be put in place when working with varying authentication, data structures and endpoints.
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