To survive and thrive in the modern market, your business should have digital transformation strategies set in place—making choosing the right API solution a top priority. If you don’t know where to start, here are five important factors according to strategic intelligence and research firm INOVIS that can help you determine the best API solution for your company.
Ease of Use
At the very top level, ease of use means how simple it is to implement. Although that is important, other elements contribute to an API’s ease of use. One primary consideration is how painless it is for the developer to utilize—to discover the APIs, see their value, understand how to use them properly, and generate code for integration whenever necessary. Additionally, it should be trouble-free for the manager to handle the team of developers using the APIs.
It is vital to know if the solution you are leaning towards can conveniently integrate into your existing infrastructure. If your business needs modernization solutions on the IBM i (AS400) platform, Profound Logic is your best bet. It is essential to ensure that integrating into the existing application infrastructure will provide connectivity across data sets. Data is critical for any kind of business, so modernizing it should also empower its usage.
Scale
Almost all businesses require the ability to scale up, which involves many areas of concern that should be addressed. In its simplest terms, scalability is the company’s ability to handle a high volume of transactions compared to the one it is regularly getting. However, scalability involves the API’s ability to operate across all platforms, including on-premises, SaaS, and hybrid. There should be software readily available to guarantee that APIs can perform at a more considerable level depending on throttling, prioritization, and routing.
A successful API architecture involves the APIs’ ability to scale and evolve to grow as the business grows. This doesn’t simply mean scaling up to maximum capacity but also having the ability to right-size the interfaces and the API infrastructure while keeping the adaptability needed to support evolving business and technical needs.
Security
With data at the heart of many modernization efforts, security is a massive concern. At the minimum, APIs should adhere to policies that protect against web-based threats, mandate a secure layer (SSL), and protect against other data vulnerabilities.
Flexibility
Companies should put priority on discussing flexibility when it comes to choosing the right API solutions. Whether it is on-premises, Saas, or hybrid, the organization must closely evaluate enterprise requirements. Moreover, the company must decide on the form factor to determine if the solutions are available on hardened appliances, virtual appliances, software, or containers.
Breadth
Before making any decisions, evaluate the completeness of the API solution. Identify whether it only covers API management or it handles multiple components in the entire management process. The best API solution is the one that addresses a considerable portion of the API management model, if not its entirety.
The best API solution for your company
When it comes to the matters of a business, the company, along with the public and private sectors, must revisit their data lifecycles and data management practices, whether it is for internal or external data, locally or at a global scale. Moreover, there should be technologies in place to obtain more vital trust and loyalty from consumers. Contact Us for more information to select the best services and features for your API solution.
