Don’t isolate yourself – collaboration is the future

What makes the smartphone a truly remarkable device is not that it is a very clever phone, but that it is a complete lifestyle platform. The apps that give the block of glass, metal and plastic in your pocket utility – Uber, Twitter, Netflix and the rest – aren’t usually made by the manufacturer, but by some completely separate – often even rival – corporation.

“Without an API, a company is closing itself off from today’s interconnected world”

The lack of direct connection between the manufacturer and developer is what allows for true innovation. Each app has a separate set of developers and funders, maximising the device’s capabilities to produce a focused and often novel point of utility, as opposed to a closely linked, but ultimately tepid set of applications supplied all-in by the hardware manufacturer.

In the same way, the opening up of application programming interfaces could easily lead to new, high-value services springing up in company ecosystems. It could bring increased value to customers, creating loyalty and, very importantly, additional revenue.

Companies often have huge amounts of data that could, in theory, hold the key to improving their business processes for customers. The problem is that data is usually spread across a number of different apps, with no simple way of being brought together for meaningful exploitation.

APIs – which are, simply, a set of rules, protocols and tools programmers can use to interact with a pre-existing system – make this exploitation possible. A third-party developer can access these tools and use them to create their own technological offerings. This means APIs aren’t just useful for the original software manufacturers, but for the businesses that make them as well.

By multiplying the number of platforms a company is on, APIs also multiply the number of innovators the organisation is working with, creating new ways for customers to interact with the business and, consequently, increase levels of interaction with the company’s products.

While it might be easy to dismiss APIs as a way for companies to piggyback off someone else’s success, it would be an expensive criticism to make; without an API, a company is closing itself off from today’s interconnected world, denying the realities of a market that delivers revenue through collaboration and innovation.

APIs are the glue connecting the disparate systems that make up modern technology. Instead of forcing a customer to navigate away from a website in order to access a product or service, APIs allow services and products from different companies to be embedded in each other’s sites.

FloomIt, for example, is an app that lets you share photos with strangers without divulging personal information. From the app, you can directly order prints of photos from pharmacy chain Walgreens. Because Walgreens had made its printing API available to developers, FloomIt was able to create a way for its users to order prints in a secure and hassle-free way, benefiting both companies as well as their customers.

But while the mutual benefits of having an API are obvious, hesitant companies may soon not have a choice in the matter. Regulatory bodies are increasingly interested in using companies’ open APIs to streamline methods that monitor business practices, and as a consequence, adopting robust APIs may soon be a legal requirement.

Strategy or product? However, in order for APIs to be effective, somebody needs to be monitoring and maintaining them. Research conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value has identified that the key to providing a successful API comes from a business treating it as its own product for the potential customer – the developer looking to improve its own creation.

“IBM SlamTracker can track and actually understand the conversations taking place on social platforms”

Organisations need to put a significant amount of effort into making sure their APIs are appealing and easy to use. And they need to be designed that way from the start, because only by using integrated cloud systems can a business make its API as user-friendly as possible.

IBM also identified that the most successful APIs were developed with an insight into what it was that customers actually wanted. An API is useless unless it provides access to the right tools, services and information. If a company wants to meet those needs – and especially if it hopes to locate new ones – it has to monitor the ways APIs are used across various industries, and not just its own area of expertise.

They are not static things; APIs need to be regularly redesigned and reorganised to ensure their developers are taking full advantage of their capabilities, while not misrepresenting the API owner’s business. APIs need to reflect the owner’s values and priorities so they can be used in a way that represents the company. They also need to be consistent, allowing customers to easily identify and understand the product they are using.

However, developing a successful API is only half the battle; as with any product, a comprehensive implementation strategy is also required. Companies need to plan, execute, analyse and iterate at every step of the way, making sure the product they end up with is multi-faceted and adapts as technology – and consumer need – changes. They will succeed if they understand their business goals, make sure they have the appropriate infrastructure in place, and always have one eye on how the product is being received.

With the IBM Bluemix platform, a company’s API can be stored in the cloud in such a way that it is easily accessible to developers. Tools such as IBM’s API Connect can coordinate each of the critical stages of an API’s lifecycle, from creating the system through to running it, maintaining it and – importantly – securing it. APIs encourage speedy, dynamic and unprecedented innovation in the developer community. If a business doesn’t already have one in operation, it is closing the door on a potentially endless list of possibilities for future growth.