Issue link: https://axway.uberflip.com/i/991640
www.axway.com 2 The acronym API stands for "Application Programming Interface." It might not mean anything to most individuals, but for organizations that want to use the cloud, mobile, big data, and the Internet of Things to introduce new business models and product offerings, it means everything. APIs are a simple concept: they are the glue that ties data together. While traditionally used to integrate discrete applications, they are the key technology that makes new insights and many other IT changes possible. If we look at the IT trends apparent today, APIs play a critical role in all of them. Cloud projects use APIs. Software that interacts with sensors uses APIs. Contextual mobile applications use APIs. And getting big data into systems to be ingested and analyzed is the task of the humble API. The growth in the use of APIs has impacted buyer expectations and vendor offerings. Customers that have seen the benefits of using APIs to access their software provider's services realize the unmatched flexibility that it provides and want vendors to increase the availability of APIs. Vendors, in particular in the B2B market, have seen more use of their services via APIs than through traditional user interfaces. So APIs aren't simply the buzzword of the day; they are an integral part of the rise of an entirely new way of approaching business problems and potential technology solutions, and they will increasingly be seen as a critical part of the operation of any organization. 10 API Best Practices that Drive Digital Success Change is the new normal — the new style of enterprise IT The world is undergoing a series of economic, societal and environmental changes that will require companies to be more innovative and more agile than ever before. Technology can be an enabler for much of this organizational reinvention, with one caveat: the way technology works within the organization also needs to change. Traditional enterprise IT was typified by monolithic solutions from a small number of vendors. These solutions were mostly self-contained and didn't have much of an ability to interact with other systems of record. Implementation tended to be long and expensive, as was customizing them for the particular requirements of customers and partners. The digital innovators of today have demonstrated the value of a more agile approach to IT. A multispeed IT architecture separates slower systems of record development from the faster cycles for systems of engagement that manage interactions with customers. It is these customer engagement systems that need to support continuous change and innovation. APIs, and the systems that manage them, provide the bridge that enables both speeds to proceed at normal pace. Regardless of how you use APIs, it's critical to take a strategic, rather than tactical, view of how you plan, design, implement, and manage them. A strategic view will enable you to address the tactical needs of today while providing the flexibility clearly needed to support continuous change. The best practices that follow can help you achieve success while also optimizing flexibility.