What is iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) and why does your company need it

iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) is a software-based cloud platform that integrates different applications used by a company which permits the sharing of data between them. This technology allows companies to overcome the common problem of information fragmentation and the inefficiencies and errors it causes. iPaaS´s cloud-based nature makes it a more versatile, scalable and competitive solution than an on-premise integration software.

The iPaaS solution was created to solve the problem of applications operating in isolation from each other and in dispersed modalities.

• Applications: Are usually used by different departments within a company and cannot communicate information collected automatically.
• Application Modalities: some applications are on premise while others operate in the cloud.

iPaaS solves complexities associated with:

The management of software management updates.

1. Legacy systems, like legacy technology (Hardware and software) which is obsolete but contains important information.
2. Various suppliers.
3. Different software structures and interfaces.

The fragmentation of business applications is a natural result of the development of new software used to manage different departments within a company. Different applications operating in departmental and technological isolation from each other house information that could otherwise be used to create new efficiencies within a company.  Exploiting these small but significant efficiency gains are of existential importance to companies in today´s hypercompetitive business environments. This is why it is elemental to have technology which bridges these gaps and provides a customizable and scalable solution to these challenges.

How does iPaaS work?

An application integration process involves a series of basic processes that allow several dispersed applications to share information and keep it synchronized.

What is this process?

The integration platform communicates with different applications to extract data. Through the mapping process, it transforms data to the format of the target applications and integrates them.

Advantages of iPaaS

• Accessibility. iPaaS is characterized by having a web interface that’s accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection.
• Connectivity. It puts communication through connectors to main market applications in multiple categories (CRP, ERP…etc.) to the most common databases (SQL, MySQL, ORACLE) and to text files such as OData and ODBC.
• Constant updates. In addition, this connectivity must be guaranteed with the incorporation of new connectors that allow users to standardize future integration processes as much as possible.
• Integration. It integrates cloud2cloud and locally. iPaaS integrates solutions and data that come from inside or outside an organization from virtual and local environments.
• Agility when implementing the system that does not require software installation or the acquisition of software.
• Access to information in real time between systems. This advantage favors decision-making in more efficient times, resolves incidents quickly and improves customer response times, etc.

iPaaS offers companies several added advantages such infrastructure maintenance (updates and licenses are the responsibility of the service provider), lower costs compared to the previous local integration systems EAI (Enterprise Application Integration) and locally installed solutions that establish connectivity through complex tools and architectures allowing for the integration of data and processes.

Does your business need iPaaS?

1. Yes, if you rely on management systems in the cloud: IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), SaaS (Software as a Service) and PaaS (Platform as a Service).
2. Yes, if you want to connect information from on-premise software and cloud2cloud applications.
3. Yes, if you chose the EAI (Enterprise Application Integration), the application integration system that preceded the development of the current iPaaS platforms and you want to overcome some of the disadvantages such as high economic costs and long implementation times.
4. Yes, if you want to break free from the current scenario and have more in common with business environments based on the isolation of applications and data. This will allow you to enter an ideal scenario characterized by the integration of services and applications that favor the automation of new processes and the availability of data from different sources in real time which when analyzed are an important resource to companies.