As digital transformation becomes imperative for businesses everywhere, so does the need for a robust API strategy and architecture. APIs allow you to securely share data and functionality with internal and third-party applications to create a seamless experience for your customers across each platform leveraged by your business.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to API strategy and architecture. Every business has different needs and requirements, so it is essential to tailor your approach accordingly. However, there are a few constants to remember when building your API strategy and architecture.
What value does an API strategy deliver?
APIs are becoming increasingly crucial for businesses; they provide a way to open up your data and functionality to partners, developers, and other customers.
An API strategy delivers significant value to your organisation by providing a clear and concise roadmap for building, deploying, and managing APIs. Your API business strategy should address key concerns such as security, performance, scalability, and availability. By addressing these concerns upfront, you can avoid many of the common pitfalls that can occur when building and deploying APIs.
An API strategy can also save your business time and money by helping to avoid duplication of effort and providing a clear and consistent approach to how your organisation will build its APIs. By having a well-defined API strategy, you can track API performance and make changes as needed to improve their overall quality.
Layers in API architecture
When designing your API strategy and architecture, it is important to understand what each layer is responsible for and how they all work together.
- The interaction layer is where developers and customers interact with your data and business applications.
- The application layer houses the app functions that run the organisation. It is mainly becoming replaced by microservices to cater to modern business applications.
- The information management layer stores the data accessed through the API. It provides a real-time inventory to deliver accurate and consistent information to the users.
- The integration layer ensures service access between devices and users.
Aligning your API integration strategy and architecture with the business goals
You must design your API strategy and architecture to meet your business needs. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re planning your API strategy to align it with your business goals:
- Define your business goals and objectives. What do you want to achieve with your API?
- Know the role of APIs in your business and define the use cases they will serve.
- What integrations and applications will the API need to support?
- Accommodate your business’ future needs by picking a solution that will scale.
- Create an API management strategy to ensure you can easily manage and scale your APIs.
Bringing these considerations into your API strategy will help you align it with your business goals, setting you up for success.
Working with an external firm on API management
Building an API strategy and architecture is a worthwhile investment, but it can take up a lot of internal resources. Therefore, working with a partner that deeply understands APIs and can support you with the process end-to-end is ideal.
Working with an external team of professionals on your API strategy and architecture management can be beneficial for various reasons. Here are a few key things to keep in mind when deciding to work with a partner on API management:
- What time and resources do you have to build your APIs in-house? If you do not have the resources to develop your API architecture in-house, it is best to speak to an organisation that can build the APIs to suit your specific business requirements.
- Consider the time you can internally dedicate to publishing, analysing and maintaining your APIs. Even if you have an in-house IT team, they may be stretched thin working on other projects and may not have the time to manage your APIs.
- Even after delivering your API project, you will need analytics to monitor API performance and usage from developers. A firm that provides API management will support ongoing monitoring and maintenance of your APIs.
If you are considering outsourcing API management, keep these things in mind to ensure a successful outcome. You can reap the benefits of a well-designed and executed API strategy with the right partner.
Integration Services with MakeSense
To overcome the IT complexity and embrace the digital revolution, you need connectivity to unlock productivity, assets and data to thrive. Our integration expertise is built upon our technical capabilities and the wealth of intellectual property and industry experience gained from countless integration projects, which we deploy to make every investment count and deliver results.
API development and management are among our capabilities. Please view our Integration Services page for more on our capabilities.
