Salesforce recently rolled out one of the more exciting behind-the-scenes updates in a long time: five free Integration User Licenses for every Enterprise Edition org (and above). That’s right—free. No strings, no add-on costs, just available.
For years, most integrations with Salesforce—like middleware, reporting tools, or custom-built apps—have relied on a shared user login. Often it’s called “api@yourcompany.com” or something similar, and dozens of systems use it to connect and move data in and out of Salesforce. This worked, but it wasn’t great from a security or auditing standpoint.
Salesforce’s update changes that. These free Integration Licenses are designed specifically for machine-to-machine authentication. Think of them as your secure, purpose-built pipeline to Salesforce—no need to “borrow” a regular user license anymore.
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Why Use a Dedicated Integration User?
If your integrations are still running through a standard user account, you’re not alone. But now’s the perfect time to rethink that setup. Here’s why:
Security – Isolating each integration with its own user means you can apply fine-grained permission sets and eliminate unnecessary system access.
Audit Trails – When something changes in your org, it’s now easier to see which system was responsible. No more digging through vague logs tied to a generic API user.
Stability – If one integration needs to be disabled, you can do that without risking others that are sharing the same login.
Free – Worth repeating. These are real Salesforce licenses, and they cost nothing.
How to Set Up the Integration Licenses
Setting up these licenses is straightforward—no coding skills required. Here’s a simplified version of the steps:
Assign the License
Go to Setup → Users → New User.
Choose the Salesforce Integration license type.Profile and Permissions
Assign a profile built for minimal access, then apply a Permission Set with only the exact objects and fields the integration needs.
(This is a great time to rethink what your integrations actually require.)Name Accordingly
Use a clear naming convention like “Integration – HubSpot” or “Integration – FinanceTool” so your team knows exactly what each user is doing.Monitor and Log
Consider turning on field history tracking or Login History reports so you have insight into what each system is doing.
Need Assistance?
This update may seem minor, but it solves a major pain point. Integration users have always been necessary, but until now, they’ve been a bit of a hack. With these new licenses, you can finally separate integrations the right way—with better security, better logging, and zero cost.
Of course, every org is different. If you’re not sure which systems are using your current API logins, or you need help setting up permission sets, Cloud Notions is here to help. We’ve already helped clients migrate their integrations to these new licenses, and we’d be glad to do the same for you.