Common Source Systems

After AD and M365, EDP should prioritize source systems that improve lifecycle visibility, operational correlation, governance, and audit readiness.

This page lists common systems to consider. It is not a commitment to integrate every system. Use the source inventory, business value, access feasibility, and pilot goals to decide what comes next.

Candidate Source System Categories

Category	Systems to Consider	Why They Matter
Identity and Access	Entra ID, Okta, Duo, Ping, Keycloak	Cloud identities, MFA, SSO, app assignments, access posture
HR and Workforce	Workday, UKG, ADP, BambooHR, Paylocity	Authoritative employee lifecycle, departments, managers, job status
Student Information Systems	Infinite Campus, PowerSchool, Skyward, Aspen SIS	Student lifecycle, schools, terms, courses, sections, rosters, guardians, attendance, grades
Learning Management Systems	Canvas LMS, Schoology, Google Classroom, Moodle, Blackboard	Course activity, digital instruction, enrollments, assignments, submissions, grades, learning engagement
Library and Resource Management	Follett Destiny, Alexandria, Accessit, Insignia	Library collections, textbooks, instructional materials, patrons, checkouts, fines, resource assignments
Service Desk and ITSM	ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Freshservice	Tickets, requests, changes, incidents, assets, approvals
Apple Device and Education Services	Apple Business Manager, Apple School Manager, Apps and Books	Apple device enrollment, MDM assignment, Managed Apple Accounts, app and book licensing, school roster context
Endpoint Management	ManageEngine Endpoint Central, Intune, Jamf, SCCM or MECM, Tanium, NinjaOne, PDQ	Device inventory, compliance, ownership, patch posture
Security Platforms	Microsoft Defender, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Tenable, Rapid7, Qualys	Risk, vulnerabilities, endpoint security, exposure management
Email and Collaboration	Google Workspace, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, Slack, Zoom	Communication, memberships, sites, mailboxes, collaboration governance
Network and Infrastructure	Cisco Meraki Dashboard, VMware vCenter, Hyper-V, Proxmox, Nutanix, Fortinet, Palo Alto, Cisco	VMs, hosts, firewalls, VPNs, network inventory, cloud-managed network configuration, capacity
Cloud Platforms	Azure, AWS, GCP	Cloud resources, IAM, costs, tags, inventory, policy posture
Backup and Disaster Recovery	Veeam, Rubrik, Cohesity, Commvault	Backup coverage, restore status, recovery readiness
Finance and ERP	NetSuite, Dynamics 365, SAP, Oracle, QuickBooks	Vendors, cost centers, assets, purchasing, financial context
CMDB and Asset	ServiceNow CMDB, Lansweeper, Snipe-IT, GLPI	Asset lifecycle, ownership, dependencies, inventory reconciliation
Monitoring and Observability	Datadog, New Relic, LogicMonitor, PRTG, Zabbix, Prometheus	Service health, alerts, uptime, infrastructure telemetry
Security Awareness and GRC	KnowBe4, Proofpoint, Archer, Drata, Vanta, OneTrust	Security awareness training, phishing simulations, controls, risk, compliance evidence
Source Control and DevOps	GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Jenkins	Repositories, pipelines, deployments, change history
Data and Database Platforms	SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, Snowflake	Existing operational databases and reporting sources
Facilities and Physical Security	Badge systems, camera systems, visitor management	Physical access and lifecycle correlation
Telephony and Contact Center	RingCentral, Teams Phone, Zoom Phone, Five9, Genesys	Call queues, users, licensing, operational metrics

Recommended Early Priority

After AD and M365, prioritize:

1. HR or workforce system
2. Student information system such as Infinite Campus when student lifecycle, course, and roster context matters
3. Learning management system such as Canvas LMS when digital instruction and roster reconciliation matter
4. Library or resource management system such as Follett Destiny when instructional materials, checkouts, or fines need visibility
5. Service desk or ITSM system such as ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
6. Endpoint management platform such as ManageEngine Endpoint Central
7. Google Workspace when the organization uses Google identity, Gmail, Drive, Meet, or ChromeOS
8. Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager when Apple devices or education rosters are material
9. Security awareness or training platform such as KnowBe4
10. Network or cloud-managed infrastructure platform such as Cisco Meraki Dashboard
11. Virtualization or cloud platform
12. Backup or disaster recovery platform

Why HR Matters Early

The HR or workforce system is often the missing authoritative source for identity lifecycle. AD and M365 can show accounts and access, but HR usually explains whether a person is active, starting, changing roles, on leave, terminated, assigned to a department, or reporting to a specific manager.

When EDP combines HR, AD, M365, and service desk data, it can answer lifecycle questions that usually require multiple spreadsheets:

• Has every new hire been provisioned correctly?
• Are terminated users disabled everywhere?
• Are active users assigned the right licenses?
• Are accounts missing managers, departments, or employee identifiers?
• Do access requests match role or department expectations?
• Are onboarding and offboarding tickets aligned with actual system state?

Selection Criteria

Use these criteria when deciding which source system to integrate next:

• The system participates in a high-value operational workflow.
• The data crosses or reconciles with at least one existing source.
• The source owner is identified and willing to support the integration.
• A supported API, export, or access pattern exists.
• Required permissions can be granted safely.
• Data sensitivity and retention rules are understood.
• The integration creates reusable entities, marts, dashboards, or workflow value.
• The connector can be operated repeatably through the platform runtime.

Documentation Expectations

Before a candidate becomes an active integration, document:

• Source owner
• Technical owner
• Data steward
• Access pattern
• Connector option
• Credential requirements
• Data sensitivity
• Refresh expectations
• Raw landing targets
• ODS entities
• Data Vault structures
• Data Mart outputs
• Quality checks
• Support path

Use the Source System Inventory and Connector Standard to keep these decisions consistent.