Build vs. Buy: Why You Should Buy an Embedded iPaaS

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Why Choose Embedded iPaaS?

An Embedded iPaaS comes with ready-made integrations and automation capabilities that you can easily embed into your application. This lets you quickly add value to your platform as a highly versatile user experience.

When you’re considering on offering an integration marketplace to your customers, the biggest question is — “Should you build your own solution or buy an existing one?”

Let’s go over the 2 options to help you make the best choice for your business.

Here are Some Factors You Should Consider for the Decision

Whether you should build or buy an embedded iPaaS solution depends on these core factors:

Time to Market: How quickly do you want to deploy the solution?
Budget: What is your budget for the development and ongoing maintenance?
Expertise: Do you have the in-house expertise to build and maintain a robust integration platform?
Scalability: Can you scale the solution easily to meet future needs?
Customization Needs: How specific are your integration requirements?
Security and Compliance: Can you keep up with the necessary security and compliance standards?

Building Your Own Integration Solution

Pros:

Complete Control: You have full customization and control over the integration architecture, ensuring it fits perfectly with your unique needs.
Tailored Solutions: Design integrations that are highly specific to your unique business requirements.
Proprietary Technology: Own the integration technology, which can be a valuable asset.

Cons:

High Development Costs: Building and maintaining integrations is a big investment, and there’s no fixed cost - it could go from $50,000 to $300,000 for initial development and $20,000 to $100,000 annually for maintenance.
Long Time to Market: Development, testing, and deployment can take up to 6-12 months. This means you will have to divide your development team’s attention and delay product launches or roadmap progress.
Ongoing Maintenance: You’ll need dedicated teams for continuous updates, bug fixes, and improvements to keep the integration space running smoothly.
Scalability Challenges: Scaling will prove to be complex and resource-intensive, potentially increasing costs by 20-40% for each major update.
Security Risks: Security and compliance upholding become your responsibility across all integrations, adding an extra $20,000 to $50,000 annually for certifications and audits.

Buying an Embedded iPaaS Solution

Pros:

White-Labelled: Comes in your branding and appears to your customers as an in-house feature of your product that you can market as a value proposition.
Rapid Deployment: Pre-built integrations and automation capabilities make for quick implementations, typically within 1-3 months, speeding up your time to market.
Cost-Effective: Lower upfront costs and predictable subscription pricing, starting from just $1,500 to $25,000 per month, can be more beneficial for expense tracking and ROI evaluations.
Scalability: Integration capabilities are flexible for expansion as your business grows, with minimal additional costs and reworks.
Ongoing Support and Maintenance: The iPaaS provider handles all the updates, improvements, and support, allowing you to redirect maintenance expenses elsewhere.
Security and Compliance: iPaaS providers ensure robust data security measures and have compliance certifications like GDPR, reducing the burden on your team.

Cons:

Fixed Customization: Although it is white-labeled, the solution may not offer the same level of customization as a bespoke integration.
Provider Dependent: You’ll rely on the provider’s uptime, support, and service quality.
Subscription Costs: Ongoing fees can add up over time, but they are often offset by savings in development and maintenance costs.

Make the Best Choice for Your Business

Whether you should build or buy an embedded iPaaS solution is a vital decision that can impact your business's growth, efficiency, and customer satisfaction heavily.

Both options have their own pros and cons, but the best choice ultimately depends on your use cases, resources, and long-term product goals.

If you're still uncertain about the best choice to make, we'd love to help you make the best decision for your business!