API Strategy Fundamentals: Integrate The Technology | Dreamfactory

According to Deloitte, 96% of organizations are using APIs in 2021, representing a 16% increase from just last year. The value of APIs for modern-day organizations is hardly questioned, with Deloitte pointing out that they represent "a strategic enabler in modern enterprises to build up connected experiences and unlock value from existing data." Is you business considering how API strategy fundamentals like technology integration can support your long term goals?

For your organization, APIs will prove to be key enablers for your increasingly set of complicated systems, platforms, tools and data sources. As you look to integrate all of these capabilities for consumption by end-users across your ecosystem, you'll find yourself relying on one or more APIs. However, with the sheer number of APIs your organization is likely to end up using, it's essential that you choose the right API management platform now. The best API management platform will support a vast range of integrations and work to simplify your API strategy, not further complicate it. Here we'll discuss some finer points around integrating your business technology.

Avoid In-House At All Costs

As your organization moves into what is likely unfamiliar territory, the urge to keep costs low and keep solutions internal may be strong. However, it's important to recognize that your organization is no more suited to building its own API management solution than it is to building its own database management solution over Oracle or MySQL or creating its own content management solution over Drupal or WordPress. ​

The API management solutions that are on the market today are highly advanced, dedicated solutions that have been created through years of research, experience, and feedback. If you attempt to manage your APIs with an in-house solution, you'll only end up frustrating developers, causing bottlenecks, and complicating areas that should be simplified, if not automated, with the help of a robust platform. 

Take Time to Explore Rich Feature Sets

With the world of APIs being unchartered territory for many organizations, it can be difficult to separate useful features from all the rest. Depending on the size of your organization and the complexity of the applications you create, you may or may not need all of the features that some API management platforms offer, but taking the time to understand what's out there, and getting feedback from your developers, will help you make an informed decision.

For example, DreamFactory offers a host of features that can help your company reduce the time spent hand-coding APIs and empower your developers to shift their focus back to actually creating applications. These features include:

• A low-code environment designed to save time. Enjoy instant API creation that will save your developers countless hours spent coding. Plus, take advantage of automatic API documentation generation using Swagger, the leading open-source documentation platform.
• A user-friendly admin console for easy management. Centrally manage your entire catalog REST APIs, scripts, users roles, security settings, and more with DreamFactory's streamlined admin console.
• Publish and track APIs with each. Easy publishing, logging, and reporting tools make maintaining APIs easier than ever before, with a bird's-eye view into how your APIs are performing.

Interested in learning more about DreamFactory's many features? Explore the complete feature list, and all of their benefits today to understand how it could compliment your API strategy fundamentals.

Get Stakeholders Involved in The Decision

The best way to spearhead adoption for your API strategy is to get stakeholders and end-users involved in the decision-making process. Aside from those who have say-so over budget constraints, it's essential that your organization factors in the opinions of those who will be interacting with your API technology the most, like your development team.

By getting your developers to explore, try, and offer feedback on potential solutions, you'll help them feel like their voices are being heard. This means they'll be more engaged throughout the entire implementation process and motivated to become advocates for the initiative. What's more, the input from these key roles in your organization will help you understand challenges and potential time-saving and innovation opportunities that you otherwise might not know about. So, taking the time to gather this input and truly understand it can fuel better organizational outcomes.

Try Each Solution Before You Buy-In

API strategy fundamentals is about ensuring you have the right API management platform for your business requirements. Committing to an API management platform however without trying it first is like hiring an employee for a multi-year contract, sight unseen. It's a risky business decision that could end up costing you massive amounts of time and money, while potentially harming buy-in and adoption motivation. Therefore, testing should be a critical phase in the integration process.

DreamFactory makes things easy, allowing you to start a 14-day free trial and get hands-on with our robust platform so you can see for yourself how everything works. Start your free trial today and see why you should partner with DreamFactory, first-hand.