iPaaS

What is iPaaS?

iPaaS is a cloud-based service that provides a set of tools and features that make it easy to connect applications and automate workflows. iPaaS can be used to integrate IT, CRM, ERP and HR applications to improve efficiency, reduce costs and improve user experiences and customer service.

iPaaS functions as a bridge that connects software systems so they can communicate and share data seamlessly. It removes the complexity of direct point-to-point connections, reducing the time and work involved in linking multiple systems without the necessity for in-depth coding knowledge or technical skills.

Why is iPaaS needed? 

It’s hard to overstate the importance of effectively integrating multiple applications across an enterprise’s digital environment. Integration binds a corporate digital environment by linking internal and external applications to improve operations, boost efficiency and flexibility and provide superior customer service. It lets companies swiftly respond to changes and challenges and ensures their IT architecture aligns with business needs. 

A non-iPaaS approach to integration can present significant complexities and hurdles. Traditionally, it necessitates costly and time-consuming custom development work. The arrival of iPaaS has enormously simplified integration, including for IT service management (ITSM). 

How does iPaaS work? 

An iPaaS provides a unified platform equipped with ready-to-use connectors and pre-designed templates enabling easy application integration: 

• Pre-configured integrations: iPaaS platforms are equipped with an extensive library of integrations that facilitate easy connections with widely used applications (e.g., Salesforce, ERP, CRM and marketing automation tools). 
• Data conversion: When applications are connected, the data they share must be aligned. iPaaS platforms leverage data-mapping tools to maintain the accuracy and consistency of data being shared across multiple systems. 
• Process automation: By automating workflows that operate across different applications, iPaaS platforms improve operational efficiency and minimize manual intervention and human error. 

Tools related to iPaaS 

iPaaS links multiple software applications across an organization. This cloud-based platform enables the connection of various systems and automates data flow among them. It’s a go-between enabling communication among different software applications. 

PaaS  

Platform as a Service is essentially a cloud-based environment in which developers can build, test and deploy applications without managing underlying infrastructure. It’s often used in low-code/no-code development scenarios, enabling quick application or other build development. PaaS is about building new applications while iPaaS connects existing ones. 

SaaS  

Software as a Service refers to any cloud-based software application (versus an on-premises application) that users can access through a web browser. A SaaS user needn’t worry about development or infrastructure; they simply use the software. Common examples include CRM, ERP and email services. 

ESB 

Enterprise Service Bus is a traditional integration technology that acts as a central message broker for applications, typically on-premises and requiring more technical expertise to configure. While it can handle complex integrations, often it lacks the user-friendliness and scalability found in iPaaS. 

API management 

API management focuses on the creation, management and publishing of Application Program Interfaces and involves security, rate limiting, analytics and developer portals. While API management may be part of a broader integration strategy, it's narrowly concerned with the interface between applications. 

An iPaaS platform might include ESB and API management but is overall a more modern, cloud-based and user-friendly integration solution. 

Common iPaaS use cases 

iPaaS is seeing increasing adoption across a wide range of industries and business functions. Common use cases include: 

• Customer relationship management (CRM) integration: Connecting CRM systems with marketing automation, sales and customer support platforms for centralized customer visibility and control. 
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration: Integrating ERP systems with supply chain, finance and human resources applications to make operations more efficient. 
• Data integration and analytics: Combining data from multiple sources to create a unified, single source of truth to support data-driven decision making. 
• E-commerce integration: Connecting online stores with inventory management, payment gateways and shipping systems for effective order fulfillment. 
• Cloud application integration: Integrating cloud-based applications like Salesforce, Dropbox and Google Workspace to boost collaboration and productivity. 

Benefits of adopting iPaaS 

Adopting an iPaaS platform offers an organization several distinct advantages: 

• Increased agility: Quickly adapt to changing business needs by easily connecting new applications. 
• Improved efficiency: Automate tasks and processes, reducing manual effort and errors. 
• Enhanced data management: Consolidate data from multiple sources for better insights and decision-making. 
• Lower IT costs: Reduce the need for custom integration development and maintenance. 
• Scalability: Easily handle increasing data volumes and integration complexity. 

Benefits of iPaaS for ITSM

iPaaS is particularly valuable for ITSM, delivering faster incident resolution, improved service delivery and better-informed decision-making.   

iPaaS allows ITSM tools and other business systems to achieve real-time data synchronization, ensuring every system is updated with the latest information. This real-time data integration improves the precision and efficiency of ITSM operations.

Additionally, response time and efficacy improve as IT teams can respond swiftly and effectively to customer inquiries and issues.

And, as companies’ technological requirements expand or evolve, they can seamlessly integrate or detach ITSM tools and applications as required, ensuring sustained efficiency. 

Use cases for iPaaS within ITSM  

Common use cases in which iPaaS augments ITSM include:  

• eBonding and ticket forwarding: iPaaS enables seamless two-way connection between different ITSM or ticketing systems, both within and outside an organization. This is often essential for service providers who need a direct linkage of their service management platform with that of a customer. While it commonly covers back-and-forth incident management, its scope can broaden to include changes and assets/configuration items based on the terms agreed upon by the customer and the service provider.  
• Procurement: To enhance the management of service requests, service fulfillment and asset lifecycle processes, integrating with a procurement system such as SAP or an equivalent platform may be essential. Furthermore, linking with external vendors like Dell or CDW can streamline the procurement request process. 
• Onboarding: When you bring a new employee into your organization, it's important to involve not just HR, but also IT, payroll, facilities and any other necessary departments. Streamlining the onboarding process across all these areas can be achieved via automation, regardless of the specific applications being used, such as Workday, SAP or ADP. This allows seamless integration and handling of all necessary tasks. 
• DevOps: To ensure the success of the DevOps/DevSecOps process, it's vital to simplify development procedures. Using iPaaS to enable seamless automation plays a key role in streamlining and improving the processes of application development, deployment, operations and security. 
• Communication/collaboration: Many organizations use different collaboration tools, like Microsoft Teams or Slack, for instant messaging, as well as virtual agents like Espressive and Moveworks. When these tools can communicate with each other, it lets employees use their preferred tools, improving their overall experience and ensuring that no communication gets lost. Enabling these tools to automatically integrate and communicate with service management is crucial. 
• Operations management: Organizations use multiple tools to monitor their operational environment, covering network, server, application and security monitoring. It's crucial to ensure that these tools communicate with service management to provide accurate and timely information to the appropriate teams. Integrating these solutions should allow for updates to be shared in both directions, ensuring consistency across all environments. 
• Request fulfillment: An iPaaS platform can help expand the scope of integration beyond ITSM to include external third-party solutions for processes such as approvals and procurement and external vendor systems such as CDW, Lenovo or Dell. This results in a smoothly functioning workflow that spans various external systems, improving the efficiency of your request fulfillment process.  

Read more: How to Simplify ITSM Integrations with iPaaS 

Overcoming iPaaS implementation challenges 

Adopting and deploying an iPaaS solution can present several common challenges. Addressing them takes careful planning, thorough testing and ongoing management to maximize iPaaS benefits. 

• Data quality and mapping: Ensuring data consistency and accuracy across different systems can get complicated. Be sure data fields are mapped properly and that the data is accurate. 
• Integration complexity: Integrating legacy systems with modern cloud applications may involve technical challenges and requires careful planning. Using an iPaaS platform with a large number of out-of-the-box APIs is a solution. 
• Security and compliance: Protecting sensitive data while integrating systems requires robust security measures and adherence to industry and government regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA). Be sure your iPaaS provider satisfies these standards. 
• Change management: Implementing iPaaS can disrupt existing workflows, so be certain to set up effective change management strategies to ensure user adoption.  
• Vendor lock-in: Choosing the right iPaaS provider is essential to avoid vendor lock-in and ensure future flexibility. 
• Cost management: Optimizing iPaaS costs involves careful cost projection and usage monitoring to avoid unexpected expenses. 
• Performance and scalability: Be sure that your platform can perform integrations efficiently and can handle increasing data volumes is crucial for optimal results. 

Choose the best iPaaS for your business  

Choosing the right iPaaS platform can significantly enhance an organization's IT infrastructure. The best of these can provide a cost-effective and efficient solution that is agile and scalable, making it ideal for securing and integrating ITSM, ITAM and line-of-business applications.  

It should be able to integrate smoothly with the ITSM admin experience, simplifying development, monitoring and troubleshooting within ITSM, ITAM or Enterprise Service Management. Using such platforms allows businesses to optimize their IT operations, boost service delivery and secure a competitive edge even in today’s fast-evolving technological landscape. 

The right iPaaS platform should also support industry-standard open APIs, including REST API, SOAP and Webhooks, to extend and enhance an organization’s integration capabilities.  

It should also be backed by a provider with a long track record of innovation, ROI and customer support. The iPaaS platform you choose will need to be able to scale and update to meet future challenges, and that requires a technology partner who’s engaged for the long haul.

Learn more: Ivanti Neurons iPaaS transforms ITSM integration