Now that we have all understood the core capabilities of an iPaaS, we can begin to talk about what makes iPaaS valuable in today’s utilities. Gartner states that for every dollar spent on a new application development, you will spend an additional five on integration. As a result of the rapid growth in Smart Metering and IoT devices implemented in the grid, data integration has become critical for many utilities and iPaaS’ offer some improvements over traditional integration methods and techniques.

Key benefits of an iPaaS

Organization – iPaaS platforms offer a centralized work area for all your integration and API needs. With iPaaS you can develop, test, edit, and monitor all of your integrations end-to-end with a single interface. This is particularly useful when dealing with high numbers of integrations and end-points.

Security – When using a reputable iPaaS you can feel safe knowing that the latest in security protocols and updates have been taken care of for you. Since iPaaS vendors deal with a wide variety of client and partner needs, its safe to say that their security prowess has been checked and double checked over the years. By now, their security protocols have become standardized and hard-wired into the platform itself and certified by ISO/IEC 27001. While I am not saying they are impenetrable, they do offer a sizeable improvement over the multitude of security implications that go with creating multiple hard-coded, stand-alone integrations and relying on a mix of development teams and consultants.

Faster Implementation Time – A modern iPaaS can be implemented in weeks instead of months or even years. This is a great improvement from back when hand-coding integrations was the only method.

Capable – An iPaaS is recommended for those that manage complex integration projects. They are capable of advanced multi-step integrations, able to validate and quality assure data between end-points, able to trigger integration within a workflow, and are perfect for moving large amounts of data in a relatively short time.

User Friendly – iPaaS platforms have standardized many of the steps involved in creating integration applications, and this has made it much easier for a non-developer to create and manage utility specific integrations. Of course, it is still recommended to have capable developers and architects within your team or partner supplier, but when it comes to monitoring and making small adjustments, an iPaaS is a lot easier for a layman to understand than a traditional integration application. Setting up integrations used to require nothing but code, but with iPaaS, there are graphical interfaces and low-code environments that non-developers can use to build integrations and monitor for issues.

Scalability – iPaaS does what cloud products do best, and that is linear scalability by design. You do not have to purchase any hardware and if your needs change the amount of iPaaS you have can easily change with you.