Free eBook Reveals Six Trends and Long Term Best Practices in API Management

Sensedia, a global leader in delivering API and microservice solutions, today released Beyond the Trend: Forecasting the Future of APIs in 2023, a revealing eBook disclosing the state of API management and what leaders need to know now to prepare for the future. The eBook, written by API expert and former Forrester analyst, Randy Heffner, and in collaboration with Kleber Bacili, CEO of Sensedia, is a must-read for business leaders during a time of rapid change and uncertainty.

“Every business runs on software and can change only as quickly as its software changes. No matter how good and fast an organization’s software team is, well-designed APIs can make them faster because they’ll have less software to build,” says API and software industry analyst Heffner. “APIs provide a survival edge by driving specific investments in business efficiency and opportunity. Understanding API trends and best practices provides a foundation for business agility.”

The eBook uncovers key trends to consider in 2023 and long-term best practices to assist in creating more open and flexible businesses in the coming years. While no one can predict the future, Heffner and Bacili bring a wealth of analysis and experience to trends that increase awareness of future possibilities and offer risk management strategies when situations change.

“Open business is becoming part of every business,” Bacili comments. “APIs have evolved as a built-in part of all aspects of the solution architecture landscape. Randy and I enjoyed discussing, debating and summarizing this evolution and believe that leaders who act on these trends increase their odds of creating more agile platforms and systems.”

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In addition to the seven best practices and six near-term trends for the coming year, the eBook offers a collection of six specific planning considerations that complement each of the trends.

Highlights from the eBook include:

• “Open everything” goes beyond regulatory mandates to business outcomes.”
  As business API visions, plans, and industry cooperation grow across multiple sectors, the term “open everything” is enabling a kind of “no limits” discussion on the potential scope and business impact of API strategy.

• API Management embraces multi-gateway scenarios.
  API management solutions are expanding functionality and deployment architectures to accommodate complex multi-cloud connectivity and security.

• API delivery blends with tool chains, integration and other adjacent infrastructure.
  APIs are now embedded into every part of the solution architecture landscape, allowing each piece of the puzzle to play its part in the whole architecture. Whether it’s cloud platforms, internet of things, AI, data or security infrastructure, SaaS, mobile or web apps, microservices, integration, software delivery tools, etc., APIs make it easier to bring many disconnected, distributed pieces into a coherent whole.

• Adaptive end-to-end governance emerges from API governance.
  Governance is moving away from one-size-fits-all and becoming more flexible and automated. This is especially important for business API portfolios, where domain design and governance work together to keep APIs aligned to deliver successful business outcome metrics.

• APIs and API infrastructure benefit from platform engineering.
  To increase delivery speed and operational resilience, platform engineering consolidates software infrastructure design and configuration concerns into platform teams, separate from application development teams. Development teams can then focus more tightly on applications, while platform teams handle intricate issues of platform resilience and security. The concepts and practices of platform engineering are being leveraged in multiple ways to improve API platforms, strategy, and operation.

• APIs become a pillar for enterprise efficiency over time.
  These are uncertain times, and businesses are exploring technology for answers and opportunities. API-based investments address immediate needs for operational efficiency, while also building a foundation to facilitate ongoing business change, experimentation, and innovation.

“Businesses can respond to near-term trends by building thoughtfully for the future whether they take leaps or small steps forward,” Heffner comments. “When considering whether to act on any trend, it’s wise to practice late commitment, thus leaving options open in this fluid world. And remember, when adhering to the longer-term principles of API best practices, keep your teams on target with continual reminders of why these practices matter.”

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