What feature should an Architect consider to secure data in transit during an integration?

The chosen answer, Transport Layer Security (TLS), is essential for securing data in transit during integration because it establishes a secure channel between communicating applications. TLS provides encryption that protects data from eavesdropping and tampering while it travels across networks, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of the data. When sensitive information is exchanged over the internet or other networks, using TLS helps prevent unauthorized parties from accessing the data, making it a fundamental security measure in integration scenarios.

Other options like IP whitelisting, data masks, and monthly security audits, while important in the broader context of security practices, do not specifically address the need to secure data as it moves between systems. IP whitelisting restricts access based on known IP addresses, which is useful but not focused on the data itself during transit. Data masking pertains to the obfuscation of data at rest or in use rather than during transit. Monthly security audits help maintain overall security posture but do not provide direct protection to data as it travels between applications. Thus, TLS stands out as the most critical feature in this context.