APIs are leading the way, acting as both catalysts and enablers for the massive digital transformation of the new economy triggered by the proliferation of mobile devices, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, Big Data and social networks that are bringing in innovative and disruptive solutions to every industry in global business. API-driven platforms allow businesses to accelerate the pace of innovation, excel at their core competencies and partner with other businesses for co-creating value.
The success of this endeavor depends on the ease with which developers are able to discover, engage and integrate these API offerings with the degree of trust that they would place in any world-class product. The reality however, is that many API offerings are delivered as random features or applications transformed to APIs as an afterthought, offering no insights into their future roadmaps or changes. Many of these APIs are fragmented, overlapping or adhoc, leading to complex and expensive integrations. Inconsistent and incompatible interfaces across products lead to developer confusion and reliance on paid premier support options. Trying to maintain backward compatibility with such APIs is a significant technical debt that keeps accumulating.
