Performing an action every x minutes

Hi,

I am currently developing a Solution that makes external calls to pull in data from our API. I have got the process working on a manual button would ideally like the system to pull in new data automatically. I have tried a variety of different approaches including waiting workflows, holding onto threads in a plugin and scheduling bulk deletes but due to the short time-span between calls I keep running foul of timeouts and loop detection.

Is there an established way to have regular calls or any tips for getting around this issue? We have a lot of clients that would implement this package so the ideal solution would work for cloud / on premise and across as many versions as possible.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks,

Ciar.