Embedded integration is the process of building third-party connectivity directly into a software application so that users can connect with other tools without leaving the interface.
Instead of relying on external middleware, standalone connectors, or manual data transfers, embedded integration makes connectivity a native part of the product experience. For the end user, it feels like a built-in feature, not an add-on.
The demand for this approach has grown fast. With the average enterprise now running hundreds of SaaS applications, teams need their tools to communicate without the constant tab-switching and copy-pasting that kills productivity. Interestingly, integrations are the third most important factor for buyers of SaaS apps, which tells you exactly how critical seamless connectivity has become.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how embedded integration evolved, how it works under the hood, the differences between iPaaS and embedded iPaaS, key platform features to evaluate, who benefits most, and practical use cases you can implement today.
Key Takeaways
- Embedded integration brings third-party connectivity directly inside an application, eliminating the need for external interfaces or middleware.
- It relies on APIs, webhooks, and event-driven protocols to sync data between connected systems in real time.
- iPaaS handles internal, cross-application integrations, while embedded iPaaS (eIPaaS) delivers customer-facing integrations natively within a software product.
- Modern embedded platforms combine AI-assisted configuration with scripting flexibility to handle everything from simple syncs to advanced, multi-platform workflows.
- Software vendors, legacy system operators, MSPs, and companies that want to offload integration complexity to experts all benefit from embedded integration.
- Use cases range from cross-tool workflow orchestration and ITSM synchronization to real-time escalation pipelines and cross-company collaboration.
Embedded Integration: The Origin Story
SaaS applications exploded over the past several years, driven largely by the shift to remote and hybrid work. Teams adopted tools that fit their workflows—project trackers, service desks, CRMs, dev platforms—but these tools rarely talked to each other out of the box.
The result? Companies ended up copying data between systems, toggling between apps, and spending time on manual handoffs instead of productive work.
Then the realization hit: this doesn’t scale. Organizations need automated, accurate, and secure data exchange between their applications.
SaaS vendors picked up on this quickly and started developing native ways to integrate with commonly used tools. The goal was straightforward: increase user adoption, reduce churn, and keep customers engaged within the product.
That’s exactly where embedded integration was born. Rather than sending users off to a third-party tool or middleware console, vendors started bringing integrations directly inside their applications.
At the simplest level, embedded integration is a way of providing native connectivity within the app, reducing the friction of switching between unknown interfaces.
But how does the integration actually function inside the application?
What is Embedded Integration?
Embedded integration is the process of using third-party apps or APIs within an application to connect with other applications or systems seamlessly.
With an embedded integration, most of the integration capabilities function within the application’s interface. The user doesn’t have to learn a new tool or navigate an external platform to set up, configure, or manage their connections.
Unlike traditional integration methods that often involve external middleware or connectors, embedded integration brings the power of connectivity directly into the application, enhancing user experience and reducing complexity.
How Embedded Integration Works
Embedded integrations rely on APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), webhooks, or event-driven protocols to enable real-time data exchange between connected applications.
Here’s what happens under the hood:
When a trigger event occurs in the source application—say, a status change on a Jira work item or a new Salesforce case—the embedded integration detects it. It then transforms the data into the format required by the destination system and pushes it through, often in real time. The reverse can also happen, making it a true bidirectional exchange.
The key is to make this process transparent to the end user. They shouldn’t need to think about data formats, API calls, or connection protocols. It just works.
For instance, integrating your existing team’s workflow with another team’s unique workflow without anyone having to modify anything in their respective workflows. Each side controls what data it sends and receives, keeping things clean and autonomous.
So, how did companies evolve from building integrations from scratch to using dedicated embedded integration platforms?
The Evolution: From Custom-Built Integrations to Embedded Platforms
Data-heavy organizations with stringent security requirements or large enterprises with ample resources often choose to build integrations in-house.
While this can be feasible for a few companies, it’s rarely the best long-term choice. Scalability, resource requirements, and ongoing maintenance are just a few of the challenges that come with building integrations on your own. Every time a connected platform updates its API, your in-house team has to react, and that gets expensive fast.
Such enterprises then shift focus to third-party integration vendors who can manage their integration needs. These vendors continue evolving to keep their platforms relevant as the SaaS landscape changes.
Enterprises were just getting started with third-party solutions when a new player entered the space —iPaaS.
What iPaaS Brought to the Table
Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) vendors offer pre-built templates, active monitoring, and built-in security in their cloud integration offerings. They provide a unified environment for designing, deploying, and managing integrations between various systems.
But iPaaS comes with its own limitations. Organizations often found themselves investing heavily in training, working with no-code templates that couldn’t handle complex edge cases, dealing with heavyweight platforms that felt like overkill for simpler needs, and navigating expensive vendor contracts.
iPaaS works well for internal integrations by connecting the apps your own teams use. But when it comes to offering a cohesive, native-like integration experience to customers or external partners, it falls short. That gap gave rise to embedded iPaaS.
iPaaS vs. Embedded iPaaS: What’s the Difference?
iPaaS operates as a standalone integration platform, independent of specific applications. It’s designed to connect internal systems across your tech stack.
Embedded iPaaS (eIPaaS) is different. It takes the core capabilities of iPaaS and embeds them directly within a software product, so end users can access integration functionality without ever leaving the host application. The user experience feels native, branded, and seamless.
Here’s a quick comparison:
iPaaS is best for internal operations, which helps in syncing your CRM with your ERP, connecting your HR platform to payroll systems. The integration is managed centrally by your IT or operations team.
Embedded iPaaS is best for customer-facing integrations, letting your end users or partner organizations connect their tools to yours, directly from within your application. The integration is experienced as a built-in feature of your product.
Building on top of the iPaaS ecosystem, embedded integration platforms combine the automation benefits of iPaaS with a native user experience. They started as a variation of embedded iPaaS, but have since matured into their own category.
The Role of AI-Assisted Configuration and Low-Code Flexibility
Around the same time, another shift hit the integration landscape, which has led to the rise of low-code tools and AI-assisted configuration.
Modern embedded integration platforms leverage AI to reduce setup time and complexity. Instead of writing integration scripts from scratch, users can describe what they want in plain language, and the AI generates the configuration logic.
For example, Exalate uses Groovy scripting for advanced integrations, but also offers AI-assisted configuration that lets teams set up sync rules faster with fewer errors and less reliance on specialized scripting knowledge. Exalate also provides Aida, a scripting assistant that helps users find relevant guides, scripting examples, and troubleshooting steps without leaving the platform.
The result: a complex integration built using low-code scripts that provides a native-integration-like feel in your application, making integration a fundamental aspect of the product itself.
Teams can connect their applications—whether it’s Jira, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Zendesk, Azure DevOps, Freshservice, Freshdesk, Asana, GitHub, or custom platforms—with their counterparts, all from within their own tools.
What to Look for in an Embedded Integration Platform
Not all embedded integration platforms are created equal. When evaluating options, here are the capabilities that matter most and how they impact your integration outcomes.
Data Operations and Transformation
A strong platform handles the full spectrum of data operations: pulling, pushing, routing, formatting, and transforming data between applications. This matters because different systems structure data differently. A Zendesk ticket and a Jira work item don’t share the same schema, so the platform needs to translate between them on the fly.
Customizable Sync Rules and Automation
The platform should allow you to automate data flows across your company’s software products and your end customers’ applications. Look for the ability to set granular triggers based on platform-native query syntaxes (like JQL for Jira, WIQL for Azure DevOps, or advanced search syntax for ServiceNow) so syncs fire automatically based on conditions you define.
Unified View of Integration Health
A unified view gives you a clear picture of your integration network’s health, focusing on what’s syncing, what’s failing, and where attention is needed. This is especially important when managing multiple connections across different platforms.
Hybrid IT Environment Support
Many organizations operate in hybrid environments that combine on-premises systems with cloud applications. An effective embedded platform bridges both, connecting tools like Azure DevOps Server (on-premise) with Jira Cloud or ServiceNow, for example, without compromising performance. For organizations in government, financial services, or healthcare with strict compliance requirements, this flexibility is non-negotiable.
Vendor-Agnostic Connectivity
The best platforms connect with a wide range of applications regardless of vendor. Exalate, for instance, supports Jira, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Azure DevOps (Cloud and Server), Zendesk, GitHub, Freshservice, Freshdesk, Asana, and offers custom connectors via REST API for specialized requirements. This reduces dependency on a specific technology stack and future-proofs your integration infrastructure.
Security That’s Built In, Not Bolted On
Enterprise integration platforms need robust security, not as an afterthought, but baked into the architecture. Look for capabilities like token-based authentication, RBAC (role-based access control), end-to-end encryption, and TLS 1.2/1.3 for data in transit.
Platforms should also hold relevant certifications like ISO 27001:2022 and maintain a transparent Trust Center where you can verify their security posture. This matters even more for cross-company integrations, where data flows between different organizations.
Scalability Without Re-architecting
Your integration needs will grow. The platform should let you scale from a single connection to a network of integrations across multiple platforms without requiring a complete overhaul of your setup. Adding a new connector or extending an existing integration should be straightforward.
Flexible Pricing
Pricing models vary across the industry: pay-per-seat, pay-per-use, outcome-based pricing tied to active synced entities, or flat rates. Outcome-based pricing, where you pay for items actively in sync rather than user seats, tends to scale more fairly with actual business value.
Calculate time and money savings from automated bidirectional sync.
Integration as a Service
Some vendors go beyond providing just the platform. Exalate, for example, offers the entire integration as a service, from concept to full-scale operation. This means you can offload the design, configuration, and maintenance of your integrations to experts, freeing your team to focus on core business priorities.
Who Needs Embedded Integration Platforms?
Software Vendors (ISVs)
Independent software vendors who offer point solutions or platform solutions—whether on-premise or SaaS—are natural candidates. Embedding integrations into their product enhances functionality, reduces customer churn, and makes the product stickier in competitive markets. When your users can connect your tool to their Jira, ServiceNow, or Salesforce from within your interface, you remove a major objection during the sales process.
Legacy System Operators
Companies running legacy systems that need to communicate with modern platforms face a unique challenge. Using the right embedded integration approach lets these organizations connect old and new without the painful overhead of re-engineering legacy infrastructure. A platform that can bridge on-premises systems—like Azure DevOps Server—with cloud-based tools eliminates the technical debt that typically comes with legacy modernization.
Managed Service Providers (MSPs)
MSPs, acting as service integrators, need to connect and manage diverse client systems while maintaining high service quality. Embedded integration helps MSPs deliver a unified experience by connecting their SaaS applications with those of their customers.
Additionally, managed security service providers (MSSPs) can use embedded integrations to meet specific customer security requirements, syncing incident data between platforms while ensuring only authorized information crosses organizational boundaries.
Companies That Want to Offload Integration Complexity
Then there are organizations that recognize integration is complex from day one and choose to hand it to experts. They want reliable partners to take their integration from concept to implementation without building internal integration teams.
These companies benefit from no-code/low-code embedded integration systems that combine ease of setup with the depth to handle advanced use cases. When paired with AI-assisted configuration and professional services, even complex cross-platform scenarios become manageable.
How to Choose the Right Embedded Integration Approach
Choosing between building in-house, using iPaaS, or adopting an embedded platform depends on several factors. Here’s a framework to guide the decision:
- Build in-house if you have dedicated engineering resources, the integration scope is narrow, and you need complete control over every line of code. Be prepared for ongoing maintenance costs as connected platforms evolve their APIs.
- Use iPaaS if your primary goal is connecting internal systems, syncing your CRM with your ERP, and connecting HR tools to payroll. iPaaS shines when the integration audience is internal teams managed by IT.
- Use embedded iPaaS if you need to offer customer-facing integrations within your product. This is the right choice when end users, partners, or external teams need to set up and manage connections from within your application. Look for platforms that support both simple no-code patterns and advanced scripting for complex scenarios.
- Use Integration as a Service if you want to outsource the entire integration lifecycle — design, implementation, monitoring, and optimization. This is ideal for companies without dedicated integration teams or those managing multiple complex cross-company scenarios.
At the end of the day, embedding integration into your product is a strategic choice. Non-embedded, external UI-based integrations still work for some scenarios. But if native user experience, scalability, and cross-company collaboration are priorities, embedded integration platforms deliver clear advantages.
Embedded Integration Use Cases
Workflow Orchestration Across Development and Service Teams
Case: A software company uses Jira for development and ServiceNow for IT service management. When a customer reports a defect through ServiceNow, the support team needs to escalate it to the dev team’s Jira backlog, but without manually copying ticket details, losing context, or giving support staff direct access to the engineering environment.
Solution: An embedded integration syncs specific ServiceNow incidents to Jira as work items, mapping statuses, priorities, comments, assignees, custom fields, and attachments bidirectionally. Triggers are configured using ServiceNow’s query syntax to only escalate incidents that meet certain criteria (e.g., priority = P1, assignment group = Product). On the Jira side, JQL-based triggers route incoming work items to the correct project and board.
Real-world application: The support team works entirely within ServiceNow. The dev team works entirely within Jira. Neither team switches tools, yet both have real-time visibility into the progress of the defect, from initial report through development, testing, and resolution.
Real-Time Escalation Pipeline Across Messaging and Project Management
Case: A product team uses Asana for task management and needs real-time visibility in Slack or Microsoft Teams. When task statuses change, deadlines shift, or blockers are flagged, the relevant stakeholders need instant notifications without setting up separate webhook configurations or monitoring dashboards.
Solution: An embedded integration links the project management platform to the messaging tool, pushing real-time updates to designated channels. Filters ensure only meaningful changes trigger notifications, not every minor field edit.
Real-world application: When a task status moves to “Blocked” in Asana, a notification is sent to the team’s dedicated Slack channel. When a Jira work item tied to the same initiative is marked “Done,” a completion summary is posted to the same channel. Stakeholders stay informed without opening a single tracking tool.
ITSM Cross-Platform Synchronization
Case: An MSP manages three enterprise clients. Client A uses ServiceNow, Client B uses Jira Service Management, and Client C uses Freshservice. The MSP needs to pull relevant ticket data from all three into their own Zendesk instance for unified reporting and SLA tracking without exposing client environments to each other.
Solution: The MSP sets up embedded integrations between each client’s ITSM tool and their Zendesk. Sync rules are configured independently for each connection, determining which fields flow in which direction. The MSP can filter what they send and what they receive. For instance, syncing only P1 and P2 incidents from ServiceNow, while syncing all work items tagged “MSP-escalation” from Jira Service Management.
Real-world application: The MSP views all client ticket activity within their Zendesk, applies their own SLA policies, and sends resolution updates back to each client’s native tool. Each client sees the updates appear in their own platform, as if the MSP were working inside their system directly. This approach elevates service delivery and ensures SLAs are met consistently.
Cross-Company Collaboration Without System Access
Case: After an acquisition, a manufacturing company runs development in Azure DevOps while the acquired team uses Jira. Both teams need to collaborate on shared product initiatives without granting direct system access across organizational boundaries.
Solution: An embedded integration connects the two Azure DevOps and Jira instances, syncing work items, statuses, comments, and attachments bidirectionally. Each side controls its own sync rules independently. The Azure DevOps team defines what leaves their environment, and the Jira team defines how incoming data is mapped and routed. AI-assisted configuration generates the initial sync rules based on a plain-language description of what needs to sync, reducing setup time from days to hours.
Real-world application: Developers in Azure DevOps create and update work items in their environment. Those updates automatically appear in the corresponding Jira project. When the Jira team adds comments or changes a status, those changes sync back to Azure DevOps. Neither team needs VPN access, extra tool licenses, or training on the other side’s platform.
Syncing Customer Feedback Between CRM and Development
Case: A B2B SaaS company tracks customer feedback in Salesforce. When a feature request or critical bug report comes through, the sales team needs it to reach the product backlog in Jira with enough context for the dev team to act on it immediately.
Solution: An embedded integration syncs Salesforce cases tagged with specific criteria (e.g., Type = “Feature Request” or Priority = “Critical”) to Jira as new work items. The sync maps Salesforce case fields to Jira work item fields, including the account name, contact, description, and priority. When the dev team updates the Jira work item with progress notes or a resolution, those updates sync back to the Salesforce case so the account team can communicate with the customer.
Real-world application: Sales and support teams never need to open Jira. Developers never need to check Salesforce. Both sides get the context they need, in the tool they already work in. Customer response times drop because the feedback loop is fully automated and bidirectional.
Wrap-Up
Embedded integration has moved from a nice-to-have feature to a competitive differentiator for software vendors, MSPs, and enterprises dealing with multi-platform environments.
The approach solves a real problem: teams use different tools, those tools don’t natively connect, and manual workarounds create friction, errors, and wasted time. Embedded integration eliminates that gap by making connectivity a core part of the application experience.
Whether you’re an ISV looking to reduce churn by offering native integrations, an MSP connecting diverse client environments, or an enterprise syncing ITSM, CRM, and development platforms across organizational boundaries. The right embedded platform can transform integration from a pain point into a strategic advantage.
Platforms like Exalate bring together AI-assisted configuration, flexible scripting, vendor-agnostic connectivity across Jira, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Azure DevOps, Zendesk, GitHub, Freshservice, Freshdesk, Asana, and custom connectors, all with enterprise-grade security built in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is embedded integration?
Embedded integration is the practice of building third-party connectivity directly into a software application. It allows users to connect with other systems in order to sync data, automate workflows, and manage integrations without leaving the host application’s interface.
How is embedded integration different from iPaaS?
iPaaS connects internal systems across your tech stack and is typically managed by IT teams through a standalone platform. Embedded integration (or embedded iPaaS) is designed for customer-facing use cases, where integrations are delivered as native features within a software product. The end user experiences it as a built-in part of the application.
What systems does Exalate support for embedded integration?
Exalate connects Jira Cloud, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Azure DevOps (Cloud and Server), Zendesk, GitHub, Freshservice, Freshdesk, Asana, and custom platforms via REST API connectors. It supports bidirectional sync across all of these, with full control over what data flows in each direction.
Can I use embedded integration for cross-company collaboration?
Yes. Embedded integration platforms like Exalate are specifically designed for cross-company scenarios. Each side of the integration controls its own sync rules independently, meaning you define what leaves your environment and what enters, without exposing your internal systems to the other party. Security is handled through JWT token-based authentication, TLS encryption, and role-based access controls.
How does embedded integration handle data security?
Look for platforms with built-in security capabilities: token-based authentication, end-to-end encryption (TLS 1.2/1.3), RBAC, and compliance certifications. Exalate, for instance, maintains a transparent Trust Center and is ISO 27001:2022 certified, with data hosted in Tier 4 datacenters in Europe.
Does Exalate require coding knowledge to set up?
Not necessarily. Exalate offers an AI-assisted configuration that generates sync rules based on plain-language descriptions. For more advanced scenarios, you can use Groovy scripting for full control over data transformations, conditional logic, and field mappings. Aida, Exalate’s scripting assistant, also helps users find scripting examples and troubleshooting guides.
What’s the difference between one-way and two-way embedded integration?
One-way integration syncs data in a single direction. For example, receiving status updates from a GitHub repository in your Azure DevOps instance. Two-way (bidirectional) integration lets data flow in both directions, keeping both systems in sync. Most enterprise use cases benefit from two-way sync to maintain full context on both sides.
Can embedded integration work with on-premises systems?
Yes. Platforms like Exalate support on-premises deployments, including Azure DevOps Server. This is critical for organizations in regulated industries, where data must remain within controlled infrastructure. The platform can bridge on-premise and cloud environments without compromising security.
How long does it take to set up an embedded integration?
For standard use cases, embedded integrations can be configured in hours rather than weeks, especially with AI-assisted setup. More complex scenarios involving custom field mappings, conditional routing logic, or multi-platform topologies may take longer but still require significantly less time than building integrations from scratch.
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