In the age of digital transformation, businesses can facilitate the seamless transfer of their data across various software applications. This means the need for integration for companies. This means the need for integration for companies. Integration greatly helps you achieve your company’s goals by streamlining operations. To get the maximum benefit from the integration, they should avoid using integrations that can stand alone in a warehouse. This means integration has to be smart.
Common integration types widely used today include iPaaS and SaaS platforms. SaaS applications are widely used by organizations for their daily operations. iPaaS is a newer technology that integrates organizations’ SaaS data.
For organizations to implement an integration strategy, it is important to understand these two technologies, their purpose of serving, and the difference between the two.
What is SaaS (Software as a Service)?
SaaS stands for Software as a Service. It is a software delivery model where applications are hosted and managed by a third-party vendor and delivered over the internet. The application or service is accessible via a network connection, typically over the internet. Email clients, productivity suites, and collaborative software are examples of these applications.
SaaS is software based on pay-as-you-go logic. You rent the app and your users usually connect to the app via a web browser.
Why Should You Use SaaS Product?
- It can quickly deploy your business applications and streamline the entire development process.
- You don’t need to buy any hardware, middleware or software.
- You can access SaaS applications and data from any place connected to the Internet and from any screen (computer, phone, tablet…).
- Software providers update and backup for you. Software providers update and backup for you. In this way, you always use the best version to come out.
- SaaS companies are more economical than traditional methods because they work on a pay-as-you-go basis.
- SaaS providers offer their users multiple subscription options. By adjusting your subscription type, you can optimize costs while still getting the services you need.
What Are SaaS Integration Working Examples?
SaaS applications are usually accessed via a web browser and users do not need to install any software on their computers.
Some examples of work performed by a SaaS are:
- Email: Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo Mail are examples of SaaS email applications.
- Office productivity: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Zoho are examples of SaaS office productivity apps.
- Customer relationship management (CRM): Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 are examples of SaaS CRM applications.
These are just some of the numerous SaaS solutions out there. SaaS applications can be used for a variety of purposes including business productivity, collaboration, customer relationship management, human capital management, project management, content management, e-commerce, and security.
What is iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service)?
IPaaS (Integration as a service platform) is a cloud computing service that provides infrastructure and middleware to facilitate the management, development and integration of various applications and data from multiple systems.
It is possible to develop and manage IPaaS-related applications and their integrations from a single platform.
Why Should You Use iPaaS?
- It provides the efficiency of your business by providing seamlessly data integration between multiple systems.
- Provides workflow automation.
- It speeds up the integration processes.
- It enables customers to solve problems quickly and access data easily. By leveraging the power of customer networks, businesses can increase their efficiency while providing a better customer experience.
- It processes and transforms your data and applications the way you need them.
- It provides a web-based service so you can centrally create, execute and deploy your integrations.
- iPaaS has scalable features. It can meet your business needs as they change, grow and evolve.
- iPaaS is budget-friendly because it is cost-effective.
What are Examples of iPaaS?
iPaaS can be used to interconnect a wide variety of systems, including on-premises, cloud-based, and hybrid systems.
- Connecting applications: It can be used to connect a wide variety of applications, including iPaaS, CRM, ERP and SCM systems. This can increase efficiency and productivity by helping businesses share data and processes between different systems.
- Integrate data: iPaaS can be used to integrate data from a variety of sources, including databases, files, and social media. This can help businesses learn from their data and make better decisions.
- Automate business processes: iPaaS can be used to automate business processes such as order processing and customer service. This can help businesses save time and money.
- Management integrations: iPaaS can be used to manage integrations such as monitoring changes in integrations and managing security. This can help businesses ensure their integrations are secure and compliant.
What Are The Differences Between iPaaS and SaaS?
- IPaaS and SaaS solutions serve different purposes. You should make your purchasing decisions based on your company’s needs. That’s why it is important to understand the distinctions between the two to best utilize them.
- iPaaS applications are all part of SaaS. But the same is not true for SaaS.
- SaaS applications are completely cloud-hosted individual services. iPaaS enables seamless integration between SaaS services, facilitating the transmission of data between two or more applications.
- Even if no part of the SaaS application is on-premises, iPaaS allows the user to integrate both on-premises and cloud-based services.
- SaaS cloud services (Dropbox, Google Apps, etc.) do not allow users to connect multiple data, resources or applications. Therefore, it is not possible to categorize it as iPaaS.
- iPaaS solutions allow businesses to integrate data from different sources in a single interface.
MIP is an iPaaS tool with multiple pre-built connectors for businesses to drive integration using APIs.