The business world has exponentially grown in the recent past. Who ever thought that it would come a time that all business process will be automated? That the business processes and information would be accessible by a simple click? Well, that is the world we are living in today, whereby businesses are incorporating digital technology to streamline their processes hence making work more efficient.
If you are an entrepreneur, then you must have come across the term integration platform as a service (iPaaS). Businesses have many softwares that help them streamline their processes. Well, sometimes integrating different software to meet the consumer expectations can be hectic, and that’s where Integration platform as a service comes in handy.
What Is Integration Platform As A Service?
Integration platform as a service, otherwise known as iPaaS is a cloud service that connects software applications, technologies and systems within the cloud or on-premise. It enables the development and integration of on-premise systems within the enterprise. IPaaS has made it easier to share any data or information across applications as it basically automates all the business processes within the organization.
Often times, a company might want to expand their offerings on their already existing software and that’s where iPaaS is used. Instead of building out additional services, iPaaS allows you to integrate software that provides the service that you want to add.
For example, an iPaaS vendor who creates a software for their restaurant clients can realize that besides the software being able to get food orders, manage and give updates it should also be able to allow the customers to give their feedback. At that point, instead of building out and adding the feature, the vendor can use iPaaS to connect to the software.
How Does iPaaS Work?
The same way you would reach out to a tailor with the material and your measurements and leave them to work on the piece is the same way that IPaaS vendors work. Typically, they ensure that they supply the data infrastructures, middleware, servers and other tools to ensure that all the applications are well managed. The vendor sets the parameters such as a prebuilt connectors, API and other business rules to define any interactions within the cloud. As a result, the clients can be able to access, modify and share the information.
What Are The Advantages Of iPaaS?
Improved Security
Information is very crucial in the running of any businesses. And losing information or having it hacked can be a major downfall for any business. However, using iPaaS ensures that the information is well protected as it alerts you in case of any intruders and allows you to identify possible threats. This, in turn, enables you to take the necessary measures beforehand to ensure that vital information is not accessible to unauthorized persons.
Increased Efficiency
IPaaS eliminates the need to switch in between the systems in order to find information. For one, it can be destructive and secondly, very time-consuming. The integration platform as a service creates a centralized system whereby the information is accessible from a single point. As a result, it also mitigates data loss in the process and makes the work to flow seamlessly. So much so, the fact that the iPaaS vendor takes care of any maintenance or storage of the data means that you can now focus on other key competencies in your business as well.
Cost-Effective
Hiring an in-house development team to manage any of the software integration can be very costly. Needless to say, training your employees will mean that you will also need to use more money to hire trainers. However, by using an iPaaS vendor, you can be able to save up on costs as they get the job done for you.
Access To Information In Real-Time
Any information that is stored in the cloud can be easily accessible in real-time to the authorized parties. Also, it allows real-time data sharing, which in turn eliminates any delays in the business processes.
Ease Of Use
IPaaS makes the integrations easy to use and also has a user-friendly design which makes it easy for the users to link up the processes with multiple systems.