Finding a way to connect multiple platforms will save your organization time and money. Companies across industries are looking for multi-platform integration tools to connect the systems within their SaaS sprawl.
While this might improve connectivity across platforms and organizations, it can also act as a source of hiccups and business interruptions—we don’t want that.
So in this article, I’ll explore everything worth knowing about multi-platform integration.
What is Multi-Platform Integration?
Multi-platform integration is the process of connecting more than one independent system within a company or across organizations to allow them to share information and interact seamlessly.
As the name suggests, multi-platform integration involves at least two non-compatible systems. This could be an integration between a work management system like Jira Service Management and a CRM solution like Salesforce CRM.
Similar to cross-platform integration, connecting multiple systems makes it possible for teams using different applications to go over the compatibility and interoperability hump without incurring massive technical debt.
Multi-Platform Integration Models
The connection models for multiplatform integration vary by setup and underlying architecture. Let’s go through the most common models.
- Point-to-Point Connection: This involves directly connecting two or more systems via API endpoints. This is perfect for cross-company collaborations and partnerships.
- One-to-Many Connection (ESB): This model features an enterprise service bus (ESB), which acts as a centralized message broker for handling communication between various systems. It can be used to integrate complex internal systems of large companies.
- Hub and Spoke Connection: In this multi-platform integration model, the central hub acts as a connector between multiple endpoints through spokes. This works perfectly for internal integrations involving multiple systems and teams.
- Hybrid Integration Platform (HIP): This involves integrating on-premises and multi-cloud environments, making it possible for large organizations with many internal and external cross-platform connections.
Learn how Exalate helps companies get the best out of every B2B integration scenario with other organizations.
One-Way vs. Two-Way vs. Multi-Platform Integration
Going by the name, one-way integration is the unidirectional connection between two systems, where only one of them sends information and the other acts as the recipient. There’s no back-and-forth transaction between them.
Two-way integration involves a bidirectional connection between two platforms in order to get them to share data back and forth. Both sides can decide what to share and what to keep private.
How does this differ from multi-platform integration?
Connecting several platforms at the same time can feature a combination of one-way and two-way connections.
Let’s imagine a tripartite multi-platform connection between Jira, ServiceNow, and Azure DevOps.
The ticket comes in through Jira Service Management, and its contents get forwarded to the team on ServiceNow. They can now decide to forward it further to the developers on Azure DevOps.
After working on the associated work item in Azure DevOps, the status is forwarded back to the ServiceNow instance, and subsequently to Jira Service Management, completing the cycle.
You can see how information flows bidirectionally across three levels of connection.
So, in essence, multi-platform integration involves more than one platform. Depending on the model, the integration could feature more than 3 platforms and different forms of directional data flow.
Use Cases for Multi-Platform Integration
Here are some real-world examples of multi-platform integration.
Support Triage and Ticket Routing
Just like in the tripartite connection mentioned above, you can implement multi-platform integration for support triage.
When the homepage of the company’s website is broken, an incident will be created in ServiceNow. The integration solution will create an issue for the support staff using Jira Service Management. They’ll now decide to escalate the issue to the development team for further assistance as an Azure DevOps work item.
Once the development team has sorted the issue with the website, they can mark the work item as “closed,” and the incident state will change to “resolved”.
This same multi-platform connection is also applicable to security incidents and outsourced service management.
Product Customer Service
A financial services provider can use multi-platform integration to improve the customer experience for users of its applications or web services.
For example, when a banking app user forgets their password, they can open a Zendesk ticket with the help desk, who will then forward it to the service team in ServiceNow.
And boom! The password has been reset.
Sometimes, a virtual assistant replaces one of the systems in the pipeline. The chatbot will automate the resolution by sending you a password reset link. So the minor password reset issue no longer needs to clog up the service queue.
Retail and eCommerce Enablement
A multi-platform connection between a CRM (Salesforce), an eCommerce platform (Shopify), and a payment gateway (Stripe) will help online stores run their business smoothly.
You can also provide your shoppers with a smooth shopping experience by connecting with live chat support and AI-powered self-service portals.
Supply Chain Management
Logistics companies can manage their supply chains by linking their field service managers with drivers and haulers across multiple platforms.
For instance, a trucking company can connect its support staff with the field management dashboard to monitor delivery progress. Users will now be able to track their packages from their mobile devices.
Read how a global logistics company used Exalate to streamline processes between their call center and support teams.
How to Implement Multi-Platform Integration
Back to the tripartite connection we had earlier (Jira, ServiceNow, and Azure DevOps). I’ll use them as an example to show how to implement multi-platform integration using Exalate.
Step 1: Exalate Installation
First, you need to install Exalate on all platforms.
To install Exalate on Jira, go to the Atlassian marketplace and the Azure DevOps marketplace. For the ServiceNow installation, start your trial from the integrations page.
Follow the video tutorial to get the complete step-by-step installation instructions.
Step 2: Jira to ServiceNow Connection
After installation, set up a connection between Jira Cloud and ServiceNow.
Click the “Initiate connection” button in the “Connections” panel.
Enter the destination instance URL, which is Jira in our case.
After a quick check, you’ll be prompted to choose between two configuration modes: the Basic mode and the Script mode.
The Basic mode is used for simple synchronization use cases and consists of predefined sync rules. Using this mode, you can sync only incidents and issues.
The Script mode allows you to use Exalate’s full functionality, including the AI-powered scripting engine. You can add advanced mappings, set conditional logic, and do much more using Groovy-based scripts.
Let’s continue with the Script mode for this specific multi-platform data integration.
Select the “Script” mode on the modal that prompts you to choose the modes and click “Next”.
On the Connection details screen, give a name to the Jira and the ServiceNow instances.
Add a description to understand how you plan to use the connection and click “Initiate”.
Copy the generated invitation code, click “Done” and go to the Jira instance.
Head over to your Jira instance, navigate to ‘Connections’ in the Exalate console, and click ‘Accept Invitation’.
Then, paste the code in the designated field.
The code will be validated automatically when you click ‘Next’. Select the project on the Jira side, and then click ‘Confirm’ to proceed.
You can configure the sync rules for each side independently from the other side. This is intentional, allowing each side to maintain its autonomy.
Once you’ve accepted the invitation and the connection is established between Jira Cloud and ServiceNow.
Step 3: ServiceNow to Azure DevOps Connection
The Exalate UI is the same across all systems, so you can follow the same configuration steps from the previous connection.
Select “Script” on the screen to choose the configuration type and click “Next”.
You can give each side of the connection a name and an optional description. This will help other people who may need to work with these connections later.
After entering the details, click the green “Next” button. In the drop-down box, select a project from the available options, and then click the green “Initiate” button.
Copy and paste the invitation code over into Azure DevOps. Then click the green “Next” button.
The connection between Azure DevOps and ServiceNow is successful.
Step 4: Configure Mappings
You need to set up mappings for each part of the connection using Groovy scripts.
But you don’t have to write all the scripts from scratch. Fortunately, Exalate comes with an AI-powered scripting engine that accepts user prompts and produces scripts as output.
Let’s say you want to sync urgency between ServiceNow and Jira, the code for the incoming data in ServiceNow will be:
| def urgencyMapping = [ // Jira issue urgency <-> Snow incident urgency “High”: “1 – High”, “Critical”: “1 – High”, “Medium”: “2 – Medium”, “Low”: “3 – Low” ] def defaultUrgency = “3 – Low” def urgencyName = urgencyMapping[replica.urgency.value] ?: defaultUrgency // set default urgency in case the proper urgency could not be found entity.urgencyValue = urgencyName |
When working with custom states and urgencies, you can tweak the code to match the values on both sides.
Then for the other side of the connection between ServiceNow and Azure DevOps. Let’s say you want to sync a custom field named “Mood” between both instances. The generated code for the mapping will look like this:
| workItem.customFields.”Mood”.value = replica.customFields.”Mood”.value |
This snippet fetches the text value from the custom field in ServiceNow and stores the value as a replica (a payload) which is then received in Azure DevOps.
Step 5: Set Up Automation Triggers
To get Exalate to initiate any transaction between systems automatically, set triggers and detail them using filters.
Jira Cloud uses Jira Query Language (JQL), Azure DevOps uses WIQL (Work Item Query Language), while ServiceNow relies on the advanced search syntax.
| Platform | Code | Meaning |
| Jira Cloud | project = LEVIOSA AND labels = sync | Synchronize any issue in project ‘LEVIOSA’ with label ‘sync’. |
| Azure DevOps | [Work Item Type] = ‘Task’ AND System.TeamProject = ‘Leviosa’ | Synchronize all work items with type ‘Task’ from a project ‘Leviosa’ |
| ServiceNow | short_descriptionLIKELeviosa | Sync incidents that include “Leviosa” in the description |
With your triggers set, your multi-platform system integration is now ready to exchange data and establish an automated ecosystem between teams.
What are the Challenges of Multi-Platform Integration?
While integrating multiple systems might solve many of your organization’s connectivity problems, it also presents a host of other unique challenges.
Security and Compliance Concerns
Any connection with another system introduces an additional potential point of failure. The more platforms involved in the connection, the greater the security concerns and the easier it is for things to go wrong.
Another concern is compliance. Depending on the data being shared across applications, you might need to adhere to different compliance standards.
For example, financial data going from a payment gateway to a service desk might require a solution that is compliant with GDPR, CCPA, etc.
Compatibility and Interoperability Issues
Although multi-system integration gets rid of compatibility and interoperability issues, the solution might not be perfect.
In some cases, you might need to onboard more than one integration service provider to get things working, especially in cases of vendor lock-in and legacy systems.
System Maintenance
When more than one system is connected in a multi-platform integration, there needs to be a way to keep track of API changes and service disruptions. If not managed properly, it could increase the technical debt.
Scalability Limitations
Any multipartite connection will struggle to scale because the needs of all sides must be considered at every stage. This introduces one more hurdle when one side experiences a surge in tickets, and the other lacks the capacity to handle such an unprecedented event.
Also, API rate limitations on different platforms can affect the applicability of any middleware or third-party integration application. Rate limits could literally make or break the integration by affecting the solution’s performance.
How to Make Multi-Platform Integration Work Smoothly
Adding more systems to an integration scenario exponentially increases the chances of things going wrong. So, let’s go through some of the best practices of multiple platform integration.
- Set clear objectives for all parties. Meet with other side admins to determine the fields, objects, entities, and projects that should be integrated.
- Align with your partners on the technological solution to choose for the integration. This will help all parties check security and compliance concerns off their checklists.
- Add firewalls and extra security measures to protect sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands. Use tokenization, multi-factor authentication, and encryption to keep data safe at rest and in transit.
- Use monitoring tools and real-time alerts to track progress and get ahead of potentially harmful incidents.
- Standardize all formats and run tests in a sandbox environment to ensure that all transformations are accurate and consistent.
How Exalate Handles Multi-Platform Integration
Exalate is a multi-platform integration tool that supports one-way and two-way syncs between several diverse systems.
With a consistent UI, any user can set up connections between platforms such as Jira (Cloud and On-premise), GitHub, Zendesk, Freshdesk, ServiceNow, Salesforce, and Azure DevOps.
The Exalate console also comes with an AI-powered scripting engine that supports the Groovy language (it is easy to learn).
By connecting multiple platforms, Exalate aims to help organizations create a network of connected companies. This also works in the MSP integration context as well as in collaborations with suppliers, vendors, and outsourcing partners.
If you have a complex use case involving multiple platforms, contact us for a quick demo with our engineering team.
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