SaaS Integration

The Problem: Integrating SaaS Applications Into Enterprise

More and more enterprises are adopting Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, trading off security concerns for cost and convenience.

But in order to maximize the value of their cloud-based investments, enterprises are starting to address questions around how they can more safely and easily consume cloud services:

• How do I let my users access external services like they would internal services?
• How do I make my external services securely talk to my internal systems?
• How do I track who uses what so I can better manage my licenses?

The Solution: CloudConnect

There are some systems within the enterprise (primarily mainframe-based billing and accounting systems) that won’t be migrating to the cloud anytime soon. However, securely integrating these with each SaaS vendor’s offering would greatly speed up key business processes such as order-to-cash or billing and claims processing. Integrating enterprise systems with SaaS providers using standards like Web services provides a straightforward, flexible and “future proof” way to ensure systems of record are always up to date. Combined with a single sign-on product (or by extending existing identity and access management infrastructure) to provide SSO capabilities for users and systems, enterprises can create a solution that makes SaaS applications and other external cloud services feel like a natural extension of their enterprise.

Layer 7 Value: Integration & SaaS SSO in One Solution

Layer 7’s CloudSpan CloudConnect product combines Web services-based integration with the ability to extend corporate IAM infrastructure to provide SSO capabilities for both Web and Web services, allowing enterprises to better govern their consumption of cloud services:

• Simplify Access:
  • Create a single point of maintenance for all user/machine ids
  • Simplify logon for end-users
• Streamline and Govern Integration:
  • Ensure systems of record are always up to date
  • Create functional integration between enterprise and SaaS apps
• Monitor Usage:
  • Log, track and audit access cloud service interactions
  • Ensure compliance around which data and functionality has been shared