What is an embedded iPaaS?

It facilitates seamless integration with various software applications, data sources and network devices without requiring the user to leave the host application environment.

At the enterprise level, computing networks are extraordinarily complex and dynamic. And as businesses adopt modern development practices and cloud-native technologies (such as Agile and DevOps methodologies, microservices, Docker containers, Kubernetes and serverless computing functions), networking and application management is only growing more intricate.

Nonetheless, enterprises must find a way to manage the constant influx of integration requests from existing and prospective customers, which can be a challenging feat for businesses with limited engineering resources.

EiPaaS services streamline the process by creating a data orchestration layer that handles integration requests and interacts with third-party app application programming interfaces (APIs) across the network.

Adopting embedded iPaaS technologies enable businesses to use development resources more efficiently. Engineers get to focus on integration logic and feature innovation and enterprises get more secure, more agile computing networks.

Like iPaaS, embedded iPaaS (EiPaaS) offers many benefits to businesses looking for advanced integration solutions. EiPaaS, however, was designed specifically as a white-label, software-native solution for scalable customer integrations.

Leading EiPaaS platforms offer several features that help teams automate and optimize data integration processes, including:

Most embedded iPaaS vendors offer ready-made application connectors for popular SaaS applications across a range of categories to streamline integration development. For instance, a file storage solution might include connectors for Box and Dropbox, a CRM tool might include Salesforce and HubSpot connectors and a human resources information system (HRIS) might include Namely and Workday connectors.

Pre-built connectors come with built-in logic and algorithms that are designed to simplify connection and data syncing, so teams can quickly implement connections without building integrations in-house.

EiPaaS platforms provide pre-configured automations that development teams can use out of the box or tailor to their specific needs. Templates can automate simple tasks like data synchronizations and more complex processes such as lead routing.

Many embedded integration systems offer a combination of low-code and no-code visual editing tools and scripting capabilities. This approach significantly reduces the coding necessary to configure product integrations, making iPaaS tools more accessible to team members who lack programming expertise.

Embedded iPaaS vendors typically provide options for both single-tenant or multi-tenant architectures. These tools can be deployed across loosely coupled frameworks (microservices, serverless computing and event-driven architectures, for instance) or within monolithic architectures, offering flexibility in how resources and data are managed.

Platform bots can extend the capabilities of EiPaaS by enabling users to access data integration functions directly in their preferred communication platform (Slack, for instance). They also enable users to bring built-in automations from the developer’s platform into their business communication platform.

For example, a developer might offer a product integration that enables users to receive notifications and updates from a scheduling application directly in Slack or another messaging app that teams use to communicate.

Embedded iPaaS software provides centralized dashboards (charts, graphs and other visual tools) to give network administrators a clear view of all synchronization activities, including both active and failed syncs.  

Dashboards also enable administrators to manage every facet of every data integration—including connection and error monitoring and event trigger configuration—from a centralized location

Teams can set up real-time updates and data exchanges by creating conditional event triggers or using EiPaaS automation tools. Event triggers enable developers to formulate more effective responses to specific events or changes in the system, optimizing data integration processes.

Embedded iPaaS solutions offer robust authentication management tools, which can handle access tokens, API keys and a diverse range of protocols. Vigilant authentication processes enable streamlined security verification of user identities and permissions and help development teams maintain the integrity and security of the network.

EiPaaS tools provide extensive documentation to help administrators troubleshoot and resolve issues without support engineering, reducing overall reliance on technical support personnel.

iPaaS is a suite of self-service, cloud-based tools and solutions that enables enterprises to build and deploy integration flows across hybrid and multicloud ecosystems. iPaaS platforms orchestrate data exchange and integration to safeguard end-to-end data delivery to consuming applications, or to data warehouses and lakes for later analysis.

If, for instance, an integration depends on APIs, the iPaaS will manage the API calls, handle authentication and make sure data is exchanged securely.

iPaaS tools provide a single platform for all an enterprise’s data exchange and integration needs. However, iPaaS requires engineering teams to build and deploy every integration flow. It also focuses entirely on internal workflow and integration automation, so it’s best suited for businesses prioritizing internal infrastructure optimizations that benefit internal stakeholders.

For example, if an organization wants to post team brainstorm ideas as a single document to the company’s intranet so the entire company has access, it would use traditional iPaaS integrations to do so. The iPaaS software will integrate data from each team’s application interface with data from the intranet platform for the benefit of team leaders and employees

Like iPaaS, EiPaaS offers many benefits to businesses looking for an advanced integration solution, but EiPaaS was designed specifically as a white-label, software-native platform for scaling customer integrations.

EiPaaS services facilitate customer-facing integrations between third-party SaaS products and a vendor’s platform so that customers can easily link their apps with the vendor’s services. With EiPaaS, clients can build and deploy their own SaaS integrations within the provider’s software, or vendors can build integrations on the client’s behalf and allow them to choose which integrations to adopt.

For example, consider a SaaS provider that wants to make sure that a network of restaurants, hotels or other customers in the hospitality industry can easily integrate its personnel scheduling software. The provider could incorporate EiPaaS tools into the software to facilitate the integration of each restaurant’s interface with the provider’s software, empowering the customer and simplifying the integration process.

Unified APIs—also called normalized or universal APIs—streamline integration across multiple applications within a specific software category (CRMs, for instance) by consolidating various APIs into a single interface. This process creates an extra layer of abstraction over existing systems’ APIs and data models, making it easier to interact with different software applications without handling multiple distinct API integrations.

Unified APIs can streamline connections and operations across diverse systems by offering a more unified and simplified interface. However, they often struggle to complete non-standard operations.

Because unified APIs lack a comprehensive integration stack, they require developers to handle most of the integration process themselves; therefore, they’re best suited for businesses seeking simple and quick integration deployment.

Embedded iPaaS tools offer enterprises native integration and automation features, so end users can benefit from streamlined integration processes. They enable a variety of integrations without extensive custom development, improving ease of use for non-technical personnel and reducing demand on developer and IT resources.

EiPaaS is particularly advantageous for B2B SaaS companies because it embeds integration capabilities directly within their platforms, improving workflows and enhancing the user’s integration experience. It’s suitable for companies looking to implement a more robust, scalable, customizable integration framework.

As an enterprise grows, so does its user base; and as the user base grows, developers must integrate more apps and databases into the network to meet user demand. Relying on embedded iPaaS tools can accelerate the process, boosting both SaaS business growth and customer engagement and satisfaction.

An embedded iPaaS platform’s ready-to-use software components and connectors also streamline integration and infrastructure scaling, which helps businesses reduce research and development costs and fast-track product delivery.

However, not all EiPaaS providers offer identical features. When choosing the best embedded iPaaS vendors for your architecture, it’s important to consider:

Each EiPaaS vendor offers developers different options for embedding and automating integration workflows, but most offer at least four foundational options.

External link embedding links software applications to an external integration hub, which embeds and deploys the integration workflow. External linking is the simplest approach, but it offers limited customization options and can create compatibility issues for users.

iFrames embedding (or inline frames embedding) allows applications to embed iFrames—HTML components that nest HTML pages within another page—that connect to external integration hubs. iFrames, unlike external links, allow users to operate within the application, but they present similar limitations. 

Customer user interface (UI) embedding uses the iPaaS vendor’s API to help teams create a fully customized UI. This option offers high flexibility, but it also requires significant effort from research and development teams.

JavaScript SDK embedding uses a JavaScript UI SDK (software development kit) from the EiPaaS vendor to embed pre-designed UIs. JavaScript SDK enables developers to integrate JavaScript interfaces with their own apps and web services, maximizing customizability and minimizing personnel requirements. It also helps teams build modern, aesthetically pleasing interfaces to enhance software appeal for end users.

Embedded iPaaS vendors offer ready-made connectors, but organizations might need to build custom connectors to handle their unique APIs or business logic.

Many providers enable development teams to build custom connectors using a set HTTP API template, but this feature might not accommodate all of an organization’s custom transformations and business processes. It can also struggle to manage third-party APIs, which don’t allow developers to modify their logic or processes.

Choosing a vendor that provides unlimited connector usage and allows complete connector customization can help enterprises optimize network flexibility and keep EiPaaS software costs down.

Because many embedded iPaaS platforms rely on a SaaS model, maintenance and personnel onboarding are relatively straightforward. However, hosted models often relay application data back to the vendor, which may present issues for businesses with strict data privacy and security requirements.

On-premises installations can mitigate these issues, providing teams enhanced data security and privacy protocols and more customization options.

Embedded iPaaS platforms offer developers drag-and-drop, no-code workflow automation functions to help teams customize their integrations. But it’s equally important to confirm that UI builders can be seamlessly integrated into your software so that end users can access them. An e-commerce application might, for example, want to make sure that customers can access shipping provider details directly in the app.

These features help make sure that new integrations align with the organization’s branding and aesthetics and that users have a cohesive customer experience.

Choosing an embedded iPaaS that enables the organization to record the data flows that users and development teams create can prove invaluable to monitoring and optimization efforts. Recordings enable businesses to maintain comprehensive activity logs, visualize business intelligence using centralized dashboards and improve automation tracking and data analysis over time.

When selecting an EiPaaS vendor, it’s also important to review the vendor’s documentation to determine the software’s customizability with organizational use cases and the effectiveness of the vendor’s customer support and troubleshooting features.

Many leading embedded iPaaS providers offer no-cost trials, enabling development teams to get a proof of concept with the vendor’s software before making a significant financial investment and fundamentally changing their product roadmap or integration strategy.

• Enhanced infrastructure flexibility. With EiPaaS tools, businesses can adapt quickly to shifting technological landscapes by easily adding or modifying integrations.

• Streamlined scalability. Pre-built EiPaaS connectors and software components can automate and streamline integration workflows, simplifying infrastructure scaling and accelerating product delivery.

• Increased focus on core competencies. With EiPaaS, product teams don’t have to spend time and effort building and maintaining integrations; instead, they can focus on improving their core product offerings.

• Reduced development costs. Using an embedded iPaaS eliminates the need for extensive development resources, as many integration tasks are handled by the platform.

• Better user experience. By embedding integration capabilities in SaaS applications, users can manage all their integrations from a single interface, improving app efficiency and customer retention.

• Faster time to market. EiPaaS enables software providers to quickly offer integration features without developing them from scratch, allowing faster deployment of new product features.

• Increased product value. Embedded iPaaS tools make each of a developer’s SaaS apps a workflow automation hub, which automatically increases the value of each product.