Hi there,
My name is Allison Ziehr and I work in HubSpot’s Solutions Engineering Team. Part of my role as a Solutions Engineer is scoping how we can best integrate different systems with HubSpot.
HubSpot can do a lot, but not everything, which is why it’s so important to scope out what our options are for integrating with other systems. Some of the benefits of an integration include:
- The ability to sync data between systems to avoid data silos
- Driving efficiency
- Stronger team alignment
A question I receive on a daily basis is:
“How do we integrate X?”
Whether it is the sales team I support, prospects or customers I am currently speaking to, or internal colleagues, my approach to answer this question always stays the same. This post aims to give you a framework on how to approach the question “How do we integrate X?”
To kick off the integration scoping, we should ask the following questions:
- What data should be synced?
- In which frequency should the data be synced?
- In which direction should the data sync?
- What is the goal of the integration?
Given this information, it is easier for us to evaluate what a fitting or not so fitting solution is for integrating the systems. At this point, I check 3 methods of integrating with HubSpot:
- HubSpot Ecosystem
- Data Sync
- IPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service)
- Custom API connector
Generally speaking*, we can plot these methods across the following matrix:
*This will not hold true for every single integration, but is generally the experience that I have had in differentiating between the 3 methods.
When presenting my scoping findings to stakeholders, I like to present the different methods (when applicable) as well as the up- and downsides of using each method. This can help a prospect/customer evaluate what might be the best solution for integrating a system with HubSpot.
Resources:
Let me know if you have any questions or comments! Happy to provide additional insight 
Allison
