The modern CIO is constantly looking for new opportunities to drive the organisation forward. Joel Reid, UK&I VP/General Manager, Axway, tells us why companies should be utilising Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in order to move forward faster.
In the face of the ongoing adversity seen since early last year, organisations across the globe had to rapidly virtualise, acting quickly to present a newly digitised version of themselves to their stakeholders.
But, embracing new technologies and business models often meant reckoning with outdated legacy systems that were no longer fit-for-purpose and that acted as straitjackets for digital dynamism. Indeed, a recent study published by GetApp found that 31% of organisations intend to replace software due to legacy systems failing to meet business needs.
The problem is, wholesale or even highly focused technology replacement is not always practical. Whether budgets don’t allow or the existing technology is so embedded in the current infrastructure or processes that change is extremely challenging, some organisations aren’t positioned to simply swap out old for new.
This is where APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) can bridge the transformation gap. APIs offer new communicative capabilities for legacy systems and can enable profound opportunities when modern systems are integrated. Not only can APIs work to actively transform IT architecture, but they can also work with a legacy system to minimise organisational disruption.
However, an API is useless unless it is delivered with consistent quality. To deliver on that need, an API gateway is required. This is programming that sits in front of an API, acting as the single entry point for defined backend APIs and microservices (which can be both internal and external).
A gateway is critical to the process because it helps ensure the performance, availability and scalability of APIs by enabling enterprises to initiate delivery with uniform supporting services, including traffic management, transformation and system integration.
In doing so, the gateway acts as a protector by enforcing security while ensuring scalability and high availability. In effect, the API gateway takes all API requests from a client, determines which services are needed and combines them into a unified, seamless experience for the user.
Delivering Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation has become one of those catch-all IT trends that can, in reality, refer to a wide range of activities and priorities. Modernising IT infrastructure is certainly central to where many organisations focus their efforts, but there is more than one way to deliver the right outcomes.
APIs, for instance, …….
Source: https://www.intelligentcio.com/eu/2021/10/30/how-apis-are-delivering-on-technology-modernisation/