This article will explain: - What is the difference between API and integration. - What connection exists between the API and Salesforce. - Can Salesforce be integrated into any website.
You probably already know what an API (Application Program Interface) is and how it is used in many business processes. If not, I suggest you read the article What is an API: the complex in simple words. Also, in the future, we will often talk about integration and API, and you may think that they are one and the same, so I suggest you understand what is what.
Integration and APIs: are They the Same Thing?
Answer: no. We can talk about the similarity of the processes, but these two things are far from the same thing. Let's start with the fact that Integration appeared much earlier than the API, so it is older, has much less functionality and cannot boast of speed. In fact, Integration Tools connect from one point to another point, all by hand. Multiply that by the thousands of devices and applications in today's business, and it would take decades to connect anything using this old method.
On the other hand, the API is designed with cloud computing in mind, so it's just as adept at connecting cloud applications as it is at integrating on-premises applications. This versatility makes it particularly well-suited to the hybrid IT configurations used by most businesses today.
So, in theory you have several different integration options, they only have one correct choice: to accept API integration.
API and Salesforce: Connection and Benefits
Now you understand the importance of API and Salesforce, all the possibilities and gains they can give you, but you can't really grasp how they should interact and help each other. I will say right away that this connection exists, but I propose to see it with an example.
You started your own non-profit volunteer organization. In order to publicly show the reporting of how much and who sent you funds, you decide to show it on the website. All your donations are stored in Salesforce. What is the most cost-effective way to do this? Use the Salesforce data API and automatically update it every time relevant data enters the application.
While the integration isn't automatic, it's pretty straightforward, and it automates your sales and marketing processes, so your teams can focus on finding opportunities instead of making sure all fields are filled, and the right fields are set.
Salesforce Website Integrations
In fact, few organizations are able to cope with the integration of Salesforce on their own website, using only internal resources. Why? Because the integration process is really complex and requires programming for each system. But there are also positive aspects: despite the complexity, the work is one-time and does not require constant repetition, provided it is performed qualitatively.
Many companies hire specialists to integrate Salesforce into their website. These specialists already have experience working with various stages and types of Salesforce integration, foresee problems that may arise and warn them.
A Salesforce integration done right saves time, increases productivity, and delivers a lightning-fast return on investment. Salesforce integration maximizes all of an organization's systems and applications to deliver the best results.
Therefore, the conclusion is simple: if you want your company's users, third parties or employees, to get a lot of great built-in capabilities, take an API-based approach to your Salesforce. Entrust your website only to professionals with competence and experience in the field of Salesforce integration - and Vindevs can offer you this and even more.
