Integration is a process in which you connect different systems, applications or data sources to work together more efficiently and effectively. Integration enables automatic data exchange, improved workflows and seamless collaboration.

What is application integration?

In application integration you connect different software applications to exchange data and make functionalities work together. Applications are integrated using APIs, middleware and other technologies.

What is system integration?

In system integration you connect different IT systems, applications and data sources to optimise complete business processes.

What is IT Integration? IAM Connectors Explained

Integration (which we deliver within HelloID using connectors) is essential in the modern IT environment to make different systems, applications and data sources work together. Organisations use various technologies and platforms to support business processes. Without integration, such systems cannot communicate efficiently with each other. A lack of integration causes so-called data silos, inefficiencies and operational challenges. In IT integration we connect different IT systems, software applications and data sources. Thanks to integration you can share information in real time and optimise processes, which ultimately improves productivity and decision-making. In this article we explain more about integration within IT environments and provide examples and challenges. We then focus specifically on integration within IAM environments such as HelloID.

Types of integration within IT environments

There are various forms of IT integration, depending on technical and organisational needs:

Data integration: Also referred to as data integration, this focuses on combining and synchronising data from multiple sources into a single integrated data environment. This form of integration is used, for example, to design data warehouses, business intelligence environments and data science applications.
Application integration: This type of IT integration emphasises connecting different software applications so that they can work together efficiently and effectively. Organisations may wish to integrate their Enterprise Resource Planning application (ERP application) with their finance software.
System integration: This usually involves multiple forms of integration (such as application and data integration) in order to integrate complete business processes within an organisation. At companies implementing new applications or processes we usually refer to system integration.
Cloud integration: This form of integration focuses entirely on connecting and developing cloud environments. Connecting existing systems, including on-premises systems, with cloud platforms is also part of your cloud integration.
IAM integration: This is a specific form of integration to connect IAM platforms to all relevant source and target systems. We explore this further on in this article.

Benefits of integration

Integration of IT systems provides numerous benefits. A few include:

More efficient operations: You can better automate manual, multi-system processes and exchange data without errors.
Faster communication: If systems can exchange data directly, this accelerates the handling of your business processes and decision-making.
Cost reduction: Less manual and duplicate work reduces operating costs.
Improved data management: Integration prevents data duplication and inconsistencies between different databases. For each type of data within an organisation, or between organisations, you can work from a limited number of source systems.
Better scalability: Thanks to integration, business processes can be automated and scaled more easily; staffing is no longer the bottleneck.
Higher customer satisfaction: Customers experience a seamless service. Customer requests are processed faster while all available information is taken into account.
Better information security: Integration enables IT security to be organised and monitored in an integrated and consistent way. This prevents vulnerabilities within specific IT domains from being overlooked.

Challenges in IT integration

IT integration has benefits but also presents challenges. Compatibility is one such challenge. In system integration, legacy and modern systems often have to be linked, which is difficult when different languages and technologies are used. Complexity can be an obstacle in any case. Large organisations sometimes grow to hundreds of applications and systems. This requires a sound integration vision and strategy that deploys the right technologies and competences. Part of that complexity involves cyber security with complex issues such as end-to-end encryption, access controls and monitoring.

At the same time, new technologies continue to emerge to support and simplify integration. APIs have long been important building blocks for integration, and there are now, for example, low-code/no-code integration platforms to simplify the work. Open standards are an important aid for integration in any case.

Integration in IAM environments

Identity and Access Management is a specific domain with its own integration aspects. An IAM environment ensures that users can authenticate and authorise for connected systems easily, securely and quickly. Integration with identity providers, directory services and Single Sign-On platforms presents specific challenges in performance, speed and scalability.

There is also a more complex integration challenge. Using the Provisioning and Service Automation modules, HelloID ensures that, at large organisations, the accounts and access rights for sometimes thousands of users are issued and automated as far as possible. Hundreds of applications are sometimes in use and part of those systems must be connected to the HelloID platform. We see different integration questions. The most important are the integrations with source and target systems.

Integration with source systems

Accounts and access rights can be granted automatically based on user data such as role, department and competences. With concepts such as Role Based Access Control (RBAC) and Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC) you would, for example in a healthcare organisation, specify that a person with the job role ‘nurse’ or ‘doctor’ is granted access to the care application. In an additional rule you can then stipulate that these employees only get access to the patient data of the department where they work. Source data such as job role and department is obtained from the HR system so that you always use up-to-date information. Data may also come from other source systems. For example, organisations can use a separate application to manage contractors. Rota information from scheduling applications is sometimes used to manage access rights even more precisely.

The challenge with integration to those source systems is therefore that data from different sources must be mapped in HelloID to a single, uniform employee data model. Examples include the employee’s name and address details and employment contracts. This uniform data set is maintained within HelloID in the so-called Identity Vault. Standardisation is important because, when selecting a new HR platform, you only need to adjust that connector and the rest of HelloID continues to function unchanged.

Integration with target systems

We can provision accounts and access rights automatically based on RBAC/ABAC, as described above. We can also grant individual access rights using the Service Automation module. Regardless of how rights are granted, we must implement integration with target systems in order to configure and activate the accounts and rights in those systems. Tools4ever has developed numerous connectors to make that integration as straightforward as possible. The starting point is usually an available API of the target system. This is used to develop a connector that can create, then modify and further manage accounts and access rights.

Example IAM integrations

There are several types of source and target systems that can be integrated with HelloID. Below are a few examples of commonly used IAM integrations:

HR-IAM integration

HR applications are the most commonly used IAM source systems. HelloID therefore offers connectors for virtually all mainstream HR systems. The AFAS integration is a well-known example. With the data collected from such an HR system you can then create accounts in relevant target systems and assign the required access rights. Such an HR integration is usually bidirectional. HelloID can not only receive data from the system but can also change settings in the HR system. For example, you can use the AFAS integration to create employee accounts in the AFAS Insite self-service portal. This allows employees to view and manage their own HR data.

Integration with an identity provider

Many organisations use an identity provider such as Active Directory or Entra ID. HelloID is almost always integrated with such an identity provider to create accounts and configure access rights. Many customers therefore use the AD connector or Entra ID connector. This integration is important not only to give users access to office applications and email. The identity provider also provides Single Sign-On to other systems so that users do not have to log in repeatedly.

IAM-ITSM integration

HelloID is also often connected to IT Service Management systems. Several integration options are available for this, such as the TOPdesk connector. It is important to note that an ITSM integration is not only intended to create accounts and configure rights. You can also streamline downstream management processes with the IAM-ITSM integration. For example, the HelloID-TOPdesk integration can simplify handling of common tickets and changes, such as issuing assets, password resets and individual authorisation requests.

Connectors for EPRs and other healthcare applications

Integration with Electronic Patient Records (EPRs) and other healthcare systems is critical for care organisations. Manual account and rights management is not only labour-intensive but also highly complex. It is not only about providing staff with an account on time. To comply with information security standards such as NEN 7510, you must also configure precisely which functionality is accessible and which client or patient data may be processed. These settings can depend on a person’s role, competences and department. HelloID therefore provides several integration options, such as the certified Nedap Ons connector and the HiX connector.

Interdependencies between IAM integrations

Integration between your IAM platform and such a system is not a stand-alone matter. A platform like HelloID also orchestrates the workflow and data exchange between the various connected systems. You use data from the HR system to create accounts in, for example, Active Directory. Those Active Directory account details will then also be used to configure settings in, for instance, the HR and ITSM systems. HelloID therefore acts as an orchestrator and prevents the need for many complex point-to-point integrations, such as an AFAS-AD or AD-TOPdesk integration.

Learn more about IAM integration

More information about the options for connecting the HelloID platform to the various source and target systems can be found on the Tools4ever site. Including an overview of all connectors.

View all our integrations