--- title: "Tulip IT welcome guide" slug: "tulip-it-welcome-guide" updated: 2025-05-12T16:39:20Z published: 2025-05-12T16:39:20Z canonical: "support.tulip.co/tulip-it-welcome-guide" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.tulip.co/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Tulip IT welcome guide *An introduction to Tulip for IT* This article distills and organizes the vast world of Tulip into an easy-to-digest and referential format for IT teams. The article is organized into sections to make information easy to find. If you are completely new to Tulip, we recommend reading through our Get Started collection [here](/r230/docs/get-started). ### The Tulip Player The Tulip Player is an essential piece of software for running Apps built in Tulip. Our [Tulip Player](https://support.tulip.co/docs/how-to-run-an-app-in-the-tulip-player) article describes how to download and install this software. We also have [Device Recommendations](https://support.tulip.co/docs/recommended-devices-for-running-the-tulip-player) if you are looking to purchase new hardware. ### Tulip Edge Devices Tulip's Edge Devices are networked hardware accessory for the Tulip Platform that enables connectivity to many different [devices](https://tulip.co/devices), sensors, machines, and systems. Currently, Tulip offers two edge devices: - **Edge MC**: Our [Setup Guide](https://support.tulip.co/docs/setting-up-an-edge-mc) has information to help you get started and our [Edge MC Specifications](https://support.tulip.co/docs/technical-specifications-for-edge-mc) article contains the full device specifications. - **Edge IO**: Our [Setup Guide](/r230/docs/edge-io-overview) - **Tulip IoT Gateway**: Our [Setup Guide](https://support.tulip.co/docs/setting-up-a-tulip-io-gateway) has information to help you get started and our [IoT Gateway Specifications](https://support.tulip.co/docs/tulip-io-gateway-technical-specifications) article contains the full device specifications. Note that not all Tulip deployments will use a Tulip Edge Device. ### The Tulip Connector Host Tulip Apps are able to integrate with other networked systems such as HTTP APIs, SQL databases, and OPC UA servers. When this functionality is required, the requests from Tulip to the API, database, or server come from the Tulip Connector Host. All Tulip accounts include a Tulip Connector Host in the Tulip Cloud, but it is possible to install a Tulip Connector Host within your facility's firewall. [This article](https://support.tulip.co/docs/introduction-to-tulip-connector-hosts) has all of the information you need regarding Tulip Connector Hosts. ## Networking Requirements Our [Networking Requirements](https://support.tulip.co/docs/networking-requirements-for-a-tulip-cloud-deployment) article is the first stop for understanding how your facility can access Tulip. ### Connectors, DBs, and API Integrations Tulip uses [Connectors](https://support.tulip.co/docs/what-are-connectors) to connect to external systems such as [SQL databases](https://support.tulip.co/docs/how-to-write-a-sql-connector-function) [HTTP APIs (including REST and SOAP)](https://support.tulip.co/docs/an-overview-of-http-connectors) and [machines and OPC UA servers](https://support.tulip.co/docs/intro-to-machine-monitoring) ### LDAP and SAML Our [LDAP](https://support.tulip.co/docs/integrating-ldap-with-tulip) and [SAML](https://support.tulip.co/docs/how-to-set-up-saml-sso-on-your-tulip-account) articles outline how an identity management service can be used to authenticate users in Tulip. The default user management does not include an external identity provider and is managed within Tulip. ## Security Guide Our [Security Guide](https://support.tulip.co/docs/tulip-it-security-guide) should answer all of your questions regarding the security of the Tulip Platform. ### GovCloud It is possible to host your Tulip account in AWS's GovCloud. [This article](https://support.tulip.co/docs/deploying-tulip-in-aws-govcloud) has the information you need. ## Getting More Help If you need additional assistance, follow [this article](https://support.tulip.co/docs/how-to-get-tulip-support) to get in touch with Tulip Support. --- Did you find what you were looking for? You can also head to [community.tulip.co](https://community.tulip.co) to post your question or see if others have faced a similar question! **Tulip Player** **Tulip Player** is the Windows/Mac executable program where users can run Tulip apps. Tulip player allows you to create a more seamless user experience by removing the need for a web browser and allows increased IT controls. **Edge Devices** **Edge Devices** are any hardware intended to connect physical things to the cloud. This can include entirely mechanical devices, older machines without network functionality, PLCs, and more. Tulip sells the **Edge IO** and **Edge MC** that interface directly into **Triggers** in a breeze, but Tulip can also support other Edge Devices. **Edge IO** **Edge MC** is a Tulip-developed **Edge Device**. run **Node-RED**flows on dedicated hardware with built-in security and stability. **Edge Mc**can also act as a **Connector Host**or OPC-UA Broker **Edge IO** **Edge IO** is a Tulip-developed **Edge Device**. Interface with digital inputs directly from **Triggers**, flip digital outputs, run **Node-RED**flows, and more! **Edge IO**can also act as a **Connector Host**or OPC-UA Broker **Connector Host** Tulip **Connector Hosts**are designed to allow your Tulip Apps to interface with external systems such as databases, APIs, and machines. **On-Prem Connector Hosts**sit within your network and allow Tulip to interface with SQL databases and APIs that aren't accessible to the cloud. **OPC-UA** **OPC Unified Architecture** is a cross-platform, open-source, IEC62541 standard for data exchange from sensors to cloud applications developed by the OPC Foundation. **Connectors** **Connectors** enable real-time connectivity between your Tulip solution and a transactional system (e.g. an ERP). The output of a Connector Function can be used in Tulip Apps, Automations, and Functions. - **HTTP Connectors** utilize HTTP API endpoints. - **SQL Connectors** can enable connectivity with certain SQL databases. - **MQTT Connectors** can connect to MQTT brokers for machine monitoring. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/7c6ff534-cad3-4fc8-9583-912c4016362f/Images/Documentation/connector.gif) **Lightweight Directory Access Protocol** The**Lightweight Directory Access Protocol** is an open, vendor-neutral, industry standard application protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an Internet Protocol network. **Security Assertion Markup Language** **Security Assertion Markup Language** is an open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, in particular, between an identity provider and a service provider. Within Tulip, SAML can be used to authenticate **Users.**