Spencer Nguyen - November 9, 2021
Once you find a platform that makes it easy for you to execute an effective API strategy, it becomes obvious why your business needs a standardized, secure and documented APIs. If you’ve had negative experiences with APIs that can take a long time to build or don’t offer the functionality you want, it’s time to take a pause and learn more about how you can benefit when you have an advanced API management platform working for you.
Get More Usefulness from Your Applications
In 2017, Fortune reported that the average business worker used 9.4 apps during the typical workday. No one has published a more recent report showing the number of apps used by employees, but you can bet that it’s considerably higher than 9.4. Just look at the average number of apps used by Americans between 2019 and 2021. At the beginning of 2019, people used about 44 different apps per month. Usage peaked at 48 in 2020 and has fallen slightly to 45 in 2021. The increase during 2020 might have a connection to an increase in remote work.
Regardless, the growing number of available apps and apps that specifically target business users suggests that companies will continue to adopt more technology, creating a diverse ecosystem that they cannot control and leaving them open to cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
APIs make it easier for you to integrate your applications so they can work together efficiently without disruptions. Instead of working in silos, employees can share information with other departments and teams even when they use different tools. Do you have questions about whether API can integrate your apps? Contact DreamFactory to learn more about why your business needs an API-led strategy to work more efficiently and securely.
Understand Customer Needs Better
An API ecosystem can give you deeper insights into your customers’ needs. Look at which APIs your customers use most often and how they interact with them. By doing so, you can discover things like:
- Potential areas of improvement.
- How to optimize your digital supply chain.
- Channel gaps that create challenges for users.
Since you have all of your API data in one place, you can make informed decisions quickly to improve the user experience.
Develop Apps Quicker and More Easily to Save Money
Organizations that adopt API-led connectivity tend to develop apps faster and more easily, which helps them save time and money. Ideally, you will discover that you don’t need as many apps as you think because you integrate existing applications and databases. You can also use robotics process automation to automate repetitive tasks. Even when you need to build new apps to perform services, connecting them to existing applications can significantly reduce the amount of development that goes into the new product.
Improve Security
The Identity Theft Resource Center says that publicly reported data breaches reached 491 compromises during the second quarter of 2021, a 38% increase from the year’s first quarter. Most of those breaches came from phishing, but unsecured APIs can play a critical role in data security, too. With the right security requirements, APIs can give third parties access to information without compromising your data. To make APIs secure, make sure you have control over:
- User management
- JSON web tokens (JWT)
- OAuth
- SAML integration
- Role-based access control on endpoints
- SSO authentication
- Record-level data permissions
- LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)
- Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)
Without these and other security features, you put your data at risk. Talk to the professionals at DreamFactory to learn how the DreamFactory platform can improve your API and data security.
Collect More Data for BI Analytics
An unbelievable amount of information flows through APIs. Monitoring that information can show you what data users find essential, which users want to access that data, and when users pull information from your endpoint. Collecting this information and giving it to business intelligence analytics software can reveal trends that the human brain cannot notice. If you don’t collect and analyze data from your API, you’re likely missing an opportunity to learn how you can optimize your services.
Getting Started With DreamFactory
The right platform makes it much easier for you to reap the benefits of API for your business. DreamFactory gives you a long list of essential and useful features, including live API docs, instant API creation and robust security controls. Start your free 14-day free trial with DreamFactory to discover how a top API platform can improve your business’s technology.
Related reading:
REST APIs: An Overview of Basic Principles
As a seasoned content moderator with a keen eye for detail and a passion for upholding the highest standards of quality and integrity in all of their work, Spencer Nguyen brings a professional yet empathetic approach to every task.