Apiida
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Why inadequate API Management is slowing down the Business
The key to unlocking the power of APIs for your business
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are the backbone of modern software and application development. They play an essential role in facilitating integration between various systems and applications and have become a cornerstone of modern architectures that enable businesses to stay agile and compete effectively. The explosive growth of APIs has disrupted traditional IT infrastructures, sparking a new API-driven economy.
However, despite their importance, many organizations still struggle with API management and inadequate API management is slowing down API adoption and posing significant challenges to businesses in realizing the full potential of APIs.
API Sprawl: A Growing Challenge
APIs enable businesses to create new revenue streams, connect with partners and customers, automate business processes and enhance the customer experience. As a result, API management has become a critical component of modern IT infrastructure.
However, managing all the APIs in organizations is a significant challenge, as their exponential growth has given rise to new challenges. As APIs continue to proliferate, businesses increasingly face the challenge of managing API sprawl. Gartner predicts that “by 2025, less than 50% of enterprise APIs will be managed, as explosive growth in APIs surpasses the capabilities of API management tools.”
Shadow APIs, or APIs that are not managed by IT, are a growing concern. Shadow APIs can pose a security risk, as they may not be properly secured or monitored. API governance is essential to ensure that APIs are developed, managed, and secured in accordance with the company’s policies. A robust API management solution should offer total visibility of all APIs, uncover unmanaged APIs, identify API security and quality issues, and monitor API usage.
Multi-Vendor API Environments: Increasing Complexity
The evolution of hybrid cloud computing, the increasing use of SaaS services, and the adoption of microservices has led to multi-vendor API environments quickly becoming the norm. These environments result in varied policies, procedures, and technical specifications, which makes managing APIs even more complex. The need to manage multiple vendors, cross-platforms, and applications requires a unified API management solution that can streamline the management of APIs.
Organizations must focus on what matters for the business and transform API management into a strategic IT discipline. This can be achieved by unifying the management of multi-vendor, cross-platform environments, implementing a “centralized management, decentralized execution approach”, also known as Federated API Management.
Unlock the Power of APIs for Your Business
To unlock the power of APIs for your business, it is essential to focus on what matters for the business. API management should be a strategic IT discipline that is aligned with the company’s overall business objectives. A single source of truth for both API and app developers can simplify API consumption and accelerate time-to-market. Total visibility of all APIs can help uncover unmanaged APIs and identify API security and quality issues. Finally, a unified API management solution can reduce complexity and costs by providing a centralized view of all APIs across all platforms.
API management is critical to achieving business agility, reducing costs, and driving innovation. A comprehensive API management solution can help businesses overcome the challenges associated with API sprawl, API governance, security and complexity. By focusing on what matters for the business and transforming API management into a strategic IT discipline, organizations can unlock the full power of APIs to achieve their objectives and strive in today’s interconnected business world.
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