Frends Business Automation Portal (BAP) - Detailed Service Description and Restrictions
Version 1.0. - 28.03.2025
1. Background & Purpose
The purpose of this service description is to clarify and describe what is included and excluded from the Frends Business Automation Portal (“BAP”). BAP is an Add-On component to the Frends iPaaS platform, designed to provide organizations—whether direct enterprise users or ISV partners—a simplified, user-friendly interface for discovering, configuring, and monitoring integration processes. The BAP supplements, but does not replace or override, the core Frends iPaaS service descriptions, including any Service Level Objective (“SLO”), Recovery Point Objective (“RPO”), and Recovery Time Objective (“RTO”) commitments.
2. Definitions
“Business Automation Portal” or “BAP” means the add-on user interface and service layer built on top of the Frends iPaaS platform, designed to allow non-technical or external users to discover, configure, and monitor integration processes in a self-service manner.
“Frends iPaaS” means the Frends Integration Platform as a Service, provided by Frends, which BAP augments.
“SLO” (Service Level Objective) has the same meaning as in the underlying Frends iPaaS service description. It measures the percentage of five-minute intervals in a given calendar month during which the platform is functional.
“RPO” (Recovery Point Objective) has the same meaning as in the underlying Frends iPaaS service description: the targeted maximum age of data that could be lost in a disaster scenario.
“RTO” (Recovery Time Objective) has the same meaning as in the underlying Frends iPaaS service description: the targeted maximum duration of time the platform can remain unavailable during a disaster scenario.
“Organizations” means logical groupings of end-users or business units within BAP, used to manage user access, governance, and usage.
“Integration Templates” means pre-built or custom-created Frends processes that can be published and exposed through BAP for user configuration, deployment, and monitoring.
3. Relationship to the Frends iPaaS Service
Add-On Nature: BAP is provided as an add-on to an existing Frends iPaaS subscription. Access to BAP does not by itself constitute a full Frends iPaaS subscription.
Dependence on Underlying Platform: BAP relies on the features, hosting, deployment, and runtime of the Frends iPaaS environment. All SLO, RPO, and RTO metrics—and any compensation remedies—apply as they are stated in the main Frends iPaaS service description (unless specifically amended herein). Any unavailability or outage caused by the underlying iPaaS platform will similarly affect BAP.
White-labeling: The BAP can be white-labeled or branded for the Customer’s or ISV’s purposes to the extent described in Section 7 of this document.
4. Hosting
Same Hosting as Frends: Because BAP is part of the Frends iPaaS ecosystem, it inherits the same hosting infrastructure as the Customer’s Frends environment (commonly Microsoft Azure in North Europe or West Europe, or as otherwise agreed upon).
Multitenant Configuration: BAP may be hosted in a multitenant configuration. Logical isolation is implemented, ensuring each organization’s data remains separate according to Azure best practices.
5. Core Features and Functionality
- Integration Catalogue:
BAP provides a searchable, categorized catalogue of Integration Templates. Authorized users in each organization can browse these templates and initiate onboarding wizards to deploy an integration. - Integration Wizard:
Configure Variables: Users supply configuration details (e.g., credentials, API keys, file paths) for the selected template.
Test Integration: A test-run is executed in a dedicated test environment. Test results are displayed in a simplified, business-friendly manner.
Deploy to Production: Once tested, the integration is automatically built and deployed for production usage. - Integration Monitoring:
High-level overview of each active or inactive integration within BAP.
Execution details, including success/failure states, plus a textual business report.
Ability for authorized users to re-run or deactivate integrations. - Organization & User Management:
Creation and management of “organizations” within BAP.
Invite-based user onboarding and role management within organizations.
Optional single sign-on (SSO) support, subject to separate configuration. - Governance and Access Control:
Fine-grained controls to specify which templates or integrations are visible or deployable by each user or user group.
Tag-based or environment-based restrictions from the underlying Frends iPaaS. - BAP Administration:
Full governance view for designated Administrators to manage approvals of new organizations.
Access to whitelabeling settings, advanced user management, environment connections, and auditing.
6. Updates and Maintenance
Automatic Platform Updates: BAP updates are administered by Frends whenever deemed necessary. BAP is continually developed and improved in tandem with Frends iPaaS.
Downtime during Updates: Any downtime resulting from updates will remain within the Frends iPaaS SLO (see the main Frends service description).
Emergency Maintenance: In the event of critical security vulnerabilities or emergency patches, Frends may apply updates or temporarily suspend BAP access. Force majeure events, emergency maintenance, and connectivity issues outside Frends’ control are explicitly excluded from the SLO calculations.
7. Whitelabeling and Customization
- Whitelabeling: BAP provides options to replace logos, background images, color schemes, and certain static text. Advanced whitelabeling includes custom CSS or HTML header injections to integrate tracking scripts, custom fonts, or brand styling.
- Scope Limitations: Whitelabeling cannot override core platform architecture or user flows, nor does it allow rebuilding the entire UI.
- Responsibility for Custom Code: Any user-provided custom CSS, JavaScript, or HTML snippet is the sole responsibility of the Customer/ISV. Frends is not liable for performance degradation or security risks introduced by custom code.
- Intellectual Property Rights (IPR): The Customer must ensure they have all necessary rights, licenses, consents, and permissions to upload or use logos, images, or other custom materials in BAP. Frends disclaims any liability arising from unauthorized use of such materials.
8. Service Level Objectives (SLO), RPO, RTO
- Inherited SLO, RPO, RTO: BAP is dependent on the underlying Frends iPaaS environment. The same SLO, RPO, and RTO described in the Frends iPaaS service description apply, including any associated compensation remedies and exclusions.
- Exclusions: As stated in the Frends iPaaS agreement, the following are excluded from SLO calculations: force majeure events, emergency maintenance for critical security patches, user-caused disruptions, internet provider outages, or unavailability due to Customer-managed infrastructure.
- Compensation: Failure to meet the SLO shall not constitute a breach of contract by Frends. The compensation percentages, maximum caps, and timelines for written claims in the main Frends iPaaS contract remain in effect for BAP.
9. Restrictions
The following restrictions apply specifically to BAP:
Dependency on Frends iPaaS: BAP cannot be used as a standalone offering without a valid Frends iPaaS subscription.
Limited Technical Access: Non-technical BAP users do not see or edit low-level details of a Frends integration (e.g., custom code, agent-level configuration). BAP surfaces only business-friendly data or logs.
Customization Boundaries: While BAP provides a simplified UI for configuring and monitoring integrations, advanced integration logic may require direct use of the Frends iPaaS core UI or professional services.
Agent Deployments: BAP itself does not deploy or manage on-premises or hybrid agents. All agent configurations remain subject to the main Frends iPaaS policies.
Security & Compliance: BAP’s compliance posture (e.g., ISO certifications, GDPR readiness) is inherited from Frends iPaaS. The Customer is responsible for ensuring that any user-generated content, personal data, or custom scripts comply with relevant legal and regulatory obligations.
No Dedicated HA for BAP: Unless otherwise agreed, BAP is not provided in a separate high-availability configuration.
10. Customer Responsibilities
User Management: The Customer is responsible for inviting, managing, and removing BAP users in accordance with internal policies.
Integration Configuration: The Customer is responsible for providing correct data inputs (e.g., credentials, keys) when configuring templates and is solely liable for any data errors arising from incorrect inputs.
Data Ownership: The Customer retains sole ownership and responsibility for data processed or displayed through BAP, including compliance with applicable data privacy regulations.
Support: Standard support channels for BAP are those offered under the main Frends iPaaS agreement. Any extended or additional support for custom BAP features may be governed by a separate agreement.
11. Limitation of Liability and Remedies
All limitations of liability and exclusive remedies set forth in the main Frends iPaaS service agreement apply equally to BAP. No additional remedies are provided in connection with BAP beyond those specified in the main Frends iPaaS contract.
12. Versioning and Changes
Version Control: Frends may release new versions of BAP from time to time with new features, security enhancements, or bug fixes.
Change Notifications: Material changes that affect contractual terms or service scope will be communicated to the Customer in writing.