Significant Shift in Salesforce Security: New Connected App Restrictions

By Rafat Khan, CRM Delivery Head, Nihilent Limited

Significant Shift in Salesforce Security: New Connected App Restrictions

Salesforce has always been more than a CRM platform; it is the digital nervous system of thousands of organizations. But as its ecosystem has grown richer and more complex, so too have the risks of integration sprawl.

This September, Salesforce will introduce new restrictions on “uninstalled” connected apps, a change that might sound technical, even obscure, but whose implications run deep.

In every Salesforce org, integration is the lifeblood that connects sales, service, finance, marketing, and beyond. However some integrations are custom-built and often registered locally without being published as official apps.

Escalating cyberattacks and rising compliance pressure, the shadow integrations are potential entry points for bad actors.

• Security & Trust: By restricting uninstalled connected apps, Salesforce is closing loopholes that could allow unauthorized access.

• Governance & Compliance: As industries face tighter regulations, companies need stronger assurance that every active integration is visible, approved, and traceable.

• Future Readiness: Salesforce is quietly nudging customers toward a more controlled, auditable integration model, one that aligns with the broader enterprise shift toward zero-trust security architectures.

In essence, this change is about ensuring innovation doesn’t come at the expense of trust. The ripple effects could be profound:

1. Integration Discovery Will Be Key Full inventory of the custom integrations running in your Salesforce landscape. This change makes it urgent to map them.

2. Partner Ecosystem Accountability Consulting partners can now be held to a higher bar, every integration must be registered, documented, and supportable.

3. Increased Operational Discipline Teams will need governance frameworks to ensure every connected app is monitored, approved, and maintained.

To-Dos for Leaders:

1. Audit Your Integrations: Identify every connected app in your org.

2. Engage Partners Early: To confirm whether their built custom apps will remain
   compliant under the new rules.

3. Invest in Governance: Ensure all future integrations are registered, reviewed,
   and aligned with security policies.

4. Educate Your Teams: Business stakeholders need to understand that certain
   apps may stop working if not brought into compliance.

For years, the power of Salesforce has been its openness, anyone could build, connect, and extend the platform with speed. That openness is not going away, but it is being reshaped into a more disciplined openness, one that balances flexibility with trust.

How prepared is your organization for this change?