Secure 3rd party software integration

Organisations are seeking ways to centralize their systems and operations. The need for cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems is, without a doubt, increasing due to many benefits like security by design and cost efficiency. However, integrations between CRM systems and third-party software may create vulnerabilities. This research finds out whether organisations and developers are considering security while creating integrations. The research includes a case study where organisations and developers were asked about their integration security expertise and where they think the responsibility of secure integrations lies. The research aimed to provide security best practices for integration and insight into sharing responsibilities between stakeholders.Research showed that the size of the organisation and the developer's experience correlate with their security knowledge. However, results also showed that organisations and developers do not focus on integration security as much as needed. This research recognised a need for further research.