Don’t Pass on Combining iPaaS with a DFPM Platform

Businesses are under an ever-increasing pressure to maintain exceptional experiences for their customers, making seamless connectivity across tools a must. This is true for industries like financial services that need to provide enhanced digital payments, or for healthcare organizations that need to share critical data across systems quickly. The need for connected infrastructures has become the norm. 

This is where integration platform as a service (iPaaS) and Data Flow Posture Management (DFPM) solutions come in. By using both, companies can ensure that their integration flows are secure, accessible, and reliable. This blog will provide helpful definitions of what iPaaS and DFPM are, the benefits and challenges of iPaaS, and why data-first and security-centric companies are choosing to combine iPaaS and DFPMs to optimize business efforts.

What is iPaaS

Integration platform as a service (iPaaS) is a cloud-based software model for integrating data from multiple applications into a single platform. Most modern companies rely on multiple applications to handle various aspects of their day to day operations. iPaaS solutions like Boomi, Informatica, and Mulesoft help to facilitate the smooth flow of data between systems and applications. By using iPaaS, organizations can connect disparate systems and automate workflows without needing to introduce extensive custom code.

What Are the Pros and Cons of iPaaS Solutions

‍The significant advantages of iPaaS are its scalability and flexibility. iPaaS solutions enable companies to easily accommodate increasing data volumes and the need for additional applications. This can introduce improved operational efficiency and better decision-making capabilities. By leveraging iPaaS solutions, companies can:

• Automate data synchronization across multiple platforms
• Improve scalability and flexibility for growth efforts
• Implement effective and manageable integration processes
• Gain real-time data access and analytics
• Reduce the time spent on manual integration tasks

Additionally, iPaaS solutions break down silos between departments and systems, enabling collaboration and informed decision-making. However, while iPaaS solutions offer many benefits, they also can introduce challenges. Common challenges include:

• Cost management: iPaaS pricing is often usage based and can become very expensive as usage scales.
• Security and compliance data risks: Transferring data between systems, specifically across cloud environments, introduces security and compliance risks. Ensuring data protection, encryption, and compliance with regulations like GDPR, HIPAA and  industry-specific standards can be challenging.
  

Teams need to introduce a solution that focuses on working with iPaaS systems to provide granular visibility and compliance controls on data in motion without introducing a bottleneck.

What is DFPM

DFPM stands for Data Flow Posture Management. DFPM platforms provide automation and centralization of the identification, classification, and remediation of security risks across code, environments, and services for any data in transit. DFPM platforms are designed to answer questions about the entire border of the data ecosystem – where an organization’s controls are often weak. At their core, DFPM platforms accomplish two critical tasks

1. Provide visibility of what third parties are receiving data and what data is being sent
2. Provide protection for outbound data, ensuring sensitive data only ever reaches intended endpoints
   

What Additional Value Do DFPMs Bring with iPaaS

A recent report analyzed more than 13 billion files stored in public cloud environments and found sensitive data in more than 30% of cloud assets. With a focus on getting data to the next location as quickly as possible, implementing security guardrails for data in transit is often an afterthought. This is where DFPM solutions help. DFPM platforms work with iPaaS systems by providing granular visibility and compliance controls for all data in motion. For example, when iPaaS systems pass data between many different apps, DFPM solutions work in parallel to enable data masking, data redaction, and data redirection to maintain compliance with regulations and data sharing agreements. By introducing a DFPM platform alongside an iPaaS solution, teams are enabled to:

• Know what exact data is flowing to third parties 
• Know what data is flowing over various protocols
• Know which data flow governance policies are currently active, and which ones are actively being violated
• Continuously discover existing, new, and shadow data exchanges across environments
• Flag and mask sensitive data everywhere it exists and document those exposures
• Automate remediation for tasks like applying encryption to data in motion 

‍Combining iPaaS and DFPM Solutions‍

In conclusion, iPaaS offers a range of benefits, including streamlined integration processes, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. But implementing a DFPM solution alongside a iPaaS system ensures that companies can:

• Maintain visibility on where sensitive data is going: always know who is receiving data and what specific data is being sent.
• Mitigate data breach causing risks: The incorporation of advanced security measures for data in transit creates another defense layer against the ever-evolving landscape of threats. DFPMs proactively detect and remediate risks, mitigating costly breaches.
• Comply with data protection regulations (e.g. GDPR, HIPAA): DFPMs serve as a compliance ally, ensuring that organizations navigate the intricate terrain of data protection regulations seamlessly. Whether it’s the rigorous standards of GDPR or the stringent healthcare-specific mandates of HIPAA, DFPM solutions ensure you stay in compliance with relevant regulations.
• Enhance trust among customers and stakeholders: Data security and compliance forward companies usingDFPM tools can ensure that sensitive information is always responsibly handled.

iPaaS solutions represent a paradigm shift in the realm of integrations, offering unparalleled agility, scalability, and collaboration. While they excel in bridging gaps between disparate systems, ensuring data security and compatibility remains key for unlocking their full potential. To learn more about how a DFPM platform can work with your current iPaaS solution, find a time to talk to our team.