The entire world works via APIs so why aren’t your IT systems doing the same?

Over the past couple of years, we have seen APIs becoming one of the main catalysts for innovation. Not only did they enable true agile collaboration between develop teams, they’ve also given birth to their own little part of our economy’s ecosystem: the API economy. And as if we didn’t already get the message, their importance becomes even more obvious for companies shifting towards an (API driven) AI first strategy. In this article, we’ll take some time to recap on why it’s vital to implement an API strategy in your enterprise and how APIs are driving innovation.

Before digging into IT systems and APIs I believe it’s important to take a step back and look at how today’s world functions. Did you ever notice that nearly every interaction you have with machines (dishwasher, microwave, etc.…) happens via some sort of user-friendly interface? Without exception, each of these interfaces is serving a singular goal: hide the complexity of that device’s workings from the evolved monkey. Think I’m talking nonsense? Fair, but allow me to prove my point by indicating the absence of lift operator positions on job boards. The complex task of comfortably steering an elevator with the right acceleration and deceleration up until the exact floor no longer exists. Instead it was replaced by an interface comprising a simple series of buttons. This interface allows you to perform what is in hindsight a pretty complex and meticulous task. Easy, efficient and without specialized labor.

As a result, APIs have become a metaphor for how our entire world works and evolves: easy to use interface hide complexity from users. By doing so they allow for the introduction of complex devices in our daily life, in such a way that none of us would even consider interacting with our world in any other way. This exact same usage of system interfaces (or APIs) is at present accelerating the pace at which innovative IT systems are developed and offered to their customers. Take for example any company that wants to develop a new web shop. These companies generally start by hiring/training a small army of front-end developers and graphical designers to implement this. Now by default none of these people have a clue how the back-office systems of that company work. They don’t know anything about the logistics, product management and price determination (just to name a few). And still it’s their task to interact with these systems to get the required information in the shop and create the customer’s orders.

This issue can be resolved in either one of two ways:

• The hard way: for each of the required front-back interactions the development teams must be provided with intensive instructions, coaching and guidance by their various back-office counterparts. These people must make the front-end developers familiar with their system’s specific workings and help figure out how the new web-shop can collaborate with the existing systems. And you know what the bad news is? If you ever decide to sell your products via some other sales channel (say a mobile app) this entire process will have to be repeated!
• The API way: by instituting a companywide API strategy all back-end teams start to develop a series of APIs. These APIs are required to hide their system’s internal complexity while they do provide access to all required functionality. The front-end teams can start using these APIs and remain focused on what is important… developing your web shop. And what is the amazing news in this scenario? If the APIs where build in a correct and reusable way any future project can reuse them, over and over. Doesn’t that new app suddenly look way closer to reality?

All of this brings me to the completely weird part of the entire API story: for some reason a lot of IT organizations simply aren’t convinced of this when they’re developing new IT system. Hiding a system’s internal complexity behind an easy to use API seems an impossible task. Instead complex interactions between teams and systems are favored.

Now the usage of APIs doesn’t stop between your front and back-end, any system inside and outside your organization can benefit from APIs to resolve their interactions. And far beyond this, APIs have given birth the what is referred to as the API economy. A variety of APIs, as diverse as our world itself, available for anybody to use over the internet. Each of them at your disposal to offer your products and customer interaction that little bit extra. You could even start offering some of your APIs in this ecosystem and benefit from the additional revenue, market visibility and many other perks.

So, are you convinced now? Keep an eye out for our upcoming blog posts on how to implement an API strategy and pave your way into the API economy!