An iPaaS (integration platform as a service) is a cloud product built to connect applications. Products such as MuleSoft, Boomi and Workato are common examples. You build each integration on the platform, and it carries data between your systems.
What an integration platform does
Whatever form it takes, an integration has the same jobs to do:
- Connect to each system, usually through its API.
- Map and transform fields so each side understands the other.
- Orchestrate the steps, in the right order.
- Queue and retry messages, so a busy or offline system doesn’t lose updates.
- Monitor and log every message, so problems can be found and fixed.
- Secure the data on the way, with authentication and encryption.
The real difference between the two isn’t the list of jobs. It’s where the integration lives, and who controls it.
Where an iPaaS runs
An iPaaS runs on its vendor’s cloud. When it connects ServiceNow to another system, the data leaves your instance, is processed on that platform, and is sent on. That adds another system to secure, contract and review for data residency, and a second place to look when something goes wrong.
The native alternative
A native ServiceNow app runs inside your instance, so the integration lives where the work does. Unifi, our app for eBonding, maps, queues, retries and logs each integration on ServiceNow itself, and talks directly to the other side’s API. Integration records and logs stay in your instance’s own tables, and your roles, access controls and audit cover the app too. There’s no middleware in between, and nobody else processes your data.
When an iPaaS is the right choice
If most of your integrations don’t involve ServiceNow (an ERP talking to a CRM, say), or you already run a central integration hub across many systems, an iPaaS can be the right tool. It’s built to connect everything to everything.
When a native app is the better fit
When ServiceNow is where the work happens, such as tickets moving between you and your customers or suppliers, a native app keeps the process and the data in one instance. Your ServiceNow team builds and supports it with skills they already have, and there’s no extra platform to run.
