The Top 14 Questions to Ask Your Integration Platform Provider

No two businesses or government organisations have the exact same data integration needs. With a wealth of solutions generating, managing and storing data in an almost infinite amount of ways, it can be an overwhelming prospect to identify an integration tool capable of tying all your disparate information together.

At Seamless our expert team can guide you on the exact solution you need to solve the data integration challenges you face, answering your most pressing questions and mapping out your most effective options, such as FME Cloud.

Over our history we’ve found that some questions are asked more regularly than others, so today we’ll look at 14 of the most common queries we hear from customers, in the hope that they’ll help you understand what you need both in an integration platform and from an integration vendor such as ourselves.

Without further ado, let’s FAQ.

There’s no point in choosing an integration platform that breaks down when it’s asked to deal with certain types of data. You’ll only get true value from a tool if it can bring together all of your organisation’s disparate information, painting a holistic picture of your situation, and granting you access to more accurate insights.

FME is capable of handling all data formats, even those that are proprietary. If it’s made of zeroes and ones we can manage it, or even convert it into your preferred format!

Data validation is the most manual of manual processes, demanding endless, monotonous hours from whoever is unlucky enough to be given the job. Automated validation is the way forward, so it’s vital that you choose an integration platform capable of it.

FME can not only validate your data, it can also send it back to the source for enrichment if information is missing or an error is identified.

Most organisations will have a wealth of legacy tools and technology. If you are to get maximum return from your integration investment, you need to ensure that these often core technologies can be integrated.

By using a hybrid approach, at Seamless we can add a layer of modernity – FME – over the top of your legacy systems, integrating those tools and allowing you to get full value from your data.

Do you find yourself forever in need of an extra set of hands (or ten)? Automated workflows are a gamechanger for modern organisations, allowing your team to do the work of one that is two, five or ten times the size of itself. With technology taking care of the busywork – those tasks that are monotonous, laborious and low value – your team can focus on the high value work, like capitalising on the insights your integration tool generates.

FME allows you to do just that, by automating workflows within the cloud, and taking a huge weight of work off the shoulders of your team.

While cloud-based integration platforms (integration platforms as a service, or IPaaS) are becoming increasingly popular for a wealth of reasons, on-premise solutions still have their place in certain situations.

Ideally your preferred vendor will offer cloud, on-premise and hybrid integration systems, as we do at Seamless. What’s more, FME offers integration with all cloud services, including AWS, Google Cloud and Google Drive, Salesforce, Esri, Microsoft SharePoint and Azure.

Many modern businesses and government organisations simply can’t afford to make decisions based on a picture of their organisation painted using data from yesterday, last week or last month. Real-time data transfer is critical to success, so it’s something that your preferred integration platform should offer.

FME transfers data in real-time, ensuring you’re always looking at an accurate and up-to-date picture of your organisation.

Getting the most out of your IPaaS is about understanding the features that will help you. Your vendor should see themselves as a partner in your business or organisation, and should be eager to show you how to maximise the return on your technology investment.

At Seamless we see ourselves as that partner, and as such we offer as much FME training and support as you need or want.

Perhaps you’re not so keen to get your hands dirty, or don’t have the knowledge or skills to do so, and would be quite happy for an expert team to manage your data integration process. In this case you’ll be looking for a provider that offers a managed service. In reality, most organisations will add the most value by creating and using integrations, not by feeding and watering the system that facilitates those integrations. That’s where we come in.

If you simply want the hassle of data integration dealt with, you can leave it to us. You give us the basics, like case definitions and stakeholder contact information, and we take care of the rest!

Price is inevitably an organisation’s biggest concern when choosing an integration platform, and unfortunately IPaaSs can be expensive, with some of the most popular options costing up to $100,000/year. Often the pricing structures are also complex, with a wealth of features, capabilities and other variables making it difficult to know exactly what you’ll be paying.

At Seamless we wanted to do things differently, which is one of the reasons we partnered with FME. It allowed us to create a simple and incredibly cost-effective pricing structure for our clients.

You want to ensure your integration platform can keep up with the trajectory of your business or government organisation. As you grow your integration needs will increase exponentially, which can be a problem for some solutions, particularly those that are on-premise.

One of the most alluring features of FME, and IPaaS technology in general, is its scalability. You have all the storage and computing power you need, ready to be utilised whenever you need it.

Many organisations will use their integration platforms 24/7, whether they’re being used by a global team, or are automated to run outside of office hours. In these situations update implementation is critical, as downtime could affect profitability.

Seamless Subscription, our managed services offering, sees us taking care of all updates for you. This results in minimal downtime, so you can be confident that FME will be there whenever you might need it.

Data ownership and privacy are key concerns for modern businesses and government organisations, and you need to make sure that no matter which IPaaS solution you choose, your data stays yours.

At Seamless we do not claim to own your data, and we don’t have to store it either. If you so choose, FME Cloud can act as a simple thoroughfare, with data moving through it and on to its destination. That said, if you’d like us to securely store your data (and provide you with complete logging and reporting), we’re more than happy to do so.

Another key concern is security. How resistant is an integration solution to threats?

This can be a difficult question to answer without diving into the nitty gritty and technicalities, but put simply, cloud solutions are very secure, as they encrypt any data that comes in or goes out. Our expert team is more than happy to go into more detail as to how FME secures your data, and why it is one of the most secure options available.

Finally, it’s wise to check whether an integration technology vendor has previously dealt with your particular problem or in your particular industry, as experience can be crucial in delivering a successful integration.

At Seamless we have worked with businesses, NFPs and government organisations from across a wealth of industries and sectors. It’s more than likely that we have a case study that aligns with your data integration goals, but why not chat to our team today to find out?