# How Does Bridge LMS Integrate With Your Existing Tech Stack? ### How Does Bridge LMS Integrate With My Existing Tech Stack? Bridge connects with HRISs, CRMs, content providers, SSO tools, calendars, and other business systems using native integrations, APIs, and other integration methods. For more complex environments, the Bridge technical team works with customers to design workflows that integrate with their existing systems. ### Can Bridge Connect With My HRIS Systems? Yes, Bridge has native, pre-built [HRIS integrations](https://www.getbridge.com/blog/lms/integrate-hris-lms-learning-development/) with the major platforms—including ADP, UKG, Workday, Paylocity, Paycom, BambooHR, and Oracle—supporting both single and multi-entity subaccounts. ### Does Bridge Integrate With CRM Platforms? Yes. Bridge can integrate with CRM platforms such as Salesforce, but it’s important for us to understand what you need the CRM and LMS to do together. For some, the CRM is effectively the system of record for employees, members, partners, or other external learners, so connecting it to Bridge can automate user provisioning much like an HRIS integration. More advanced use cases involve sending course completions and certificates back to CRM records, or combining learning data with CRM metrics to answer questions such as: Do people who complete training activate customers faster, hit quota sooner, or perform better? In other words, the value of a CRM integration can evolve from simply keeping user data in sync to connecting learning to performance. And with [Bridge performance management](https://www.getbridge.com/products/performance/), you can go a step further, connecting learning and CRM data with goals, performance conversations, and talent reviews to create a more complete view of performance. #### CRM Integration Use Cases: From Basic to Advanced Whether you choose to build learning content in-house, buy off-the-shelf courses, or use a combination of both, integrating that content with your LMS gives learners one consistent place to access the training they need. Instead of managing different content libraries, platforms, and learning experiences separately, an integrated approach makes it easier to curate and distribute the right learning based on employees’ roles, skills, goals, and organizational priorities. By bringing custom and curated content together in one learning environment, teams can spend less time managing training and more time creating relevant, engaging learning experiences that support both individual development and wider business goals. ### Basic: Use Your CRM to Provision Learners If Salesforce or another CRM holds the authoritative record for your employees, members, affiliates, or partners, that data can be used to create and maintain the corresponding learner population in Bridge. ### Intermediate: Bring Learning Results Back Into the CRM Organizations may also want completions, certifications, or other learning records available within the CRM. This is particularly useful for external learning, membership, and partner enablement programs because users and internal teams can see relevant learning history without treating the LMS as another system they need to check. ### Advanced: Connect Learning to Business Performance The bigger opportunity is combining Bridge learning data with the operational metrics already captured in your CRM or business intelligence tools. Instead of reporting only that someone completed training, you can analyze learning alongside data points such as customer activation, sales performance, or quota attainment. Note that this would need to be done in a data lake or BI tool to compare the two databases and make comparisons and synthesize. ### Can Bridge Automatically Trigger Training From Another System? Yes. Bridge can automatically assign training when learner information changes, using [Smart Groups](https://www.getbridge.com/walkthrough/smart-groups/), human-made groups based on custom fields or user attributes. Those values automatically place learners into a group that has specific training tied to that affiliation (required, recommended, or content visible in the Learning Library for self-enrollment). For example, when a new hire is added through your HRIS, or an employee changes roles or departments, Bridge can automate assignment to the appropriate training through smart groups and learner relevance. The same approach can work with other connected systems, such as a CRM, as long as the relevant learner information is passed into Bridge. You can also use recurring enrollment rules for training that needs to be renewed, such as annual compliance courses. ### How Does Bridge Integrate With Outlook and Calendar Tools? Bridge integrates with Outlook and Google Calendar specifically for live/instructor-led training sessions. When a learner registers, an invite auto-populates their calendar and they can launch the session directly from it. Under the hood, this runs through a plugin integration. ### Does Bridge Integrate With My Content Provider? Yes, we have content integrations and ready-made content available through Skillsoft, OpenSesame, LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, and iAM Learning. You can learn more about [Bridge LMS content integrations](https://www.getbridge.com/blog/lms/maximizing-lms-potential-learning-content-integration/) and options. ### What Should I Bring to a Bridge Implementation Planning Session? The most productive LMS implementation planning sessions start before the technical work begins. Based on the integration questions Bridge teams regularly encounter, companies can avoid common delays by arriving with six things documented: the right technical stakeholders, confirmation on what will be the users' unique identifier (UID), a preferred data flow between systems, and clear decisions on the custom fields that need to come over for all users to support automated training delivery and reporting requirements. #### 1. A Map of Your Existing Systems Document the systems Bridge needs to connect with before your planning session. At minimum, identify: - Your HRIS or other employee system of record - [Your SSO](https://community.bridgeapp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047442514-What-is-Single-Sign-On-SSO) or identity provider, such as Okta or Microsoft Entra ID - Any middleware involved in moving data between systems - The number of entities, domains, or Bridge subaccounts you need to support This becomes especially important if different employee populations use different systems or if multiple entities have separate domains. A simple map of the systems that need to connect with Bridge gives the integration team a clear picture of where data originates, where it needs to go, and which systems need to communicate. #### 2. The People Who Own Those Systems An LMS integration isn’t solely an L&D project. Bring the people who can make decisions about the systems involved. Depending on your setup, that could include your HRIS administrator, SSO or identity management owner, IT lead, and middleware or API owner. Having these stakeholders involved early means technical questions can be answered during planning rather than becoming follow-up items that delay implementation. #### 3. Your Unique Identifier Decision Decide which identifier will be the source of truth for creating and updating users. For example, your organization may have an employee ID, email address, and identifiers generated by individual systems. If SSO and provisioning workflows aren’t aligned on which identifier represents each user, account creation and updates can fail or create unnecessary troubleshooting. Before your integration session, document which unique identifier should follow each user across your HRIS, identity provider, and Bridge. You can learn more about [how user provisioning works in Bridge LMS](https://www.getbridge.com/blog/lms/bridge-lms-easy-user-provisioning-management/). #### 4. Your Preferred Data Flow (And Who Owns It) Determine how employee and learning data needs to move between systems. You don’t need to design the integration yourself before meeting with Bridge. But you should be prepared to answer questions such as: - Does the data need to move on a schedule? (Bridge syncs once per day) - Which system owns the source data? - Who will host and secure any file-transfer location? - Does data only need to enter Bridge, or does Bridge data also need to flow into another system? These answers help our technical team determine an appropriate integration approach for the workflow you’re trying to create. #### 5. Your Required Fields and Sync Population Define what data should sync and who should be included. Bring a list of the fields that you want affiliated with all users, and make sure the fields available in your test environment match what you expect to use in production. Missing custom fields during testing can create gaps that only become visible later in implementation. You should also define your user population more precisely than “all employees.” For example: - Should contractors be added? And are they in the HRIS (or somewhere else) and do they have company emails (and SSO)? - What happens when an employee is terminated? Bridge only soft deletes users, so those who go on leave are advised to be removed from the auto-feed. This is because Bridge doesn’t have a “leave” status (so the learner will continue to get enrolled, have overdue assignments, etc.). Removing the learner removes some of this noise. - Are only certain departments, locations, or employee groups included? - Do different populations require different access rules? #### 6. Flag Upcoming System Changes Tell the Bridge team if you’re planning to change your HRIS, identity provider, domains, or related infrastructure in the next 6-12 months. An integration designed immediately before an HRIS migration or SSO transition may need to be redesigned soon after launch. Sharing your target go-live date and upcoming technology changes helps the team plan the integration around where your ecosystem is going, not just how it works today. **The goal isn’t to arrive with your integration already designed.** It’s to arrive with the business and technical decisions Bridge needs to help design it with you. The more clearly you can define your systems, owners, identifiers, data requirements, and user populations, the faster the conversation can move from discovery to an integration plan. And if the requirement represents a capability Bridge doesn’t currently support, we’ll tell you. Rather than presenting a custom integration as a guaranteed solution, the Bridge team can identify the gap, explore possible alternatives, and determine whether additional product or technical scoping is needed. ### What Happens When Bridge Doesn't Have an Out-of-the-Box Integration? Not every system has a pre-built Bridge connector, but that doesn't necessarily mean the integration isn't possible. When there isn't an out-of-the-box option, Bridge works with your team to understand what you're trying to accomplish and determine the best way to connect your systems. For more complex integrations, Bridge recommends validating the approach before committing to a full build. Your technical team can review Bridge's documentation and test the proposed workflow in a sandbox environment, so both teams understand what's possible and any limitations before implementation begins. ### Bridge LMS Integrates With Your Tech Stack Bridge doesn't require every company to have the same tech stack or integration requirements. Whether you want to sync with your HR system, connect learning activity with CRM data, trigger training from another business system, or simplify training calendars, the Bridge integration team works with your existing architecture to determine the right connection method. Take a look at all of the [integrations available in Bridge LMS](https://www.getbridge.com/integrations/).