Business Challenges Solved by APIs: What Every Executive Should Know
3 likes987 views
It seems like everyone either has or needs an API these days. Analysts are touting how critical it is for businesses to engage their customers across every touchpoint. APIs are supposed to fuel innovation for these new applications, new channels, and, ultimately, new ways to generate revenue. But getting your API strategy off the ground could be more difficult than it sounds. Even with the right strategy and architecture, there are very real technical challenges in your way. Join API experts from Elastic Path Software as well as API Evangelist Kin Lane for a frank discussion on the current state of APIs.
![[WSO2 Summit APAC 2020] Enabling Digital Transformation and Ecosystem Collabo...](https://cdn.slidesharecdn.com/ss_thumbnails/wso2summitapac2020enablingdigitaltransformationandecosystemcollaborationthroughapis-200909031828-thumbnail.jpg?width=560&fit=bounds)
Ad
More Related Content
What's hot (20)
Viewers also liked (11)
Ad
Similar to Business Challenges Solved by APIs: What Every Executive Should Know (20)
Ad
More from Elastic Path (20)
Recently uploaded (20)
Business Challenges Solved by APIs: What Every Executive Should Know
- 1. Elastic Path Software Inc. Business Challenges Solved by APIs What Every Executive Should Know May 25, 2012 David Chiu Matthew Bishop Kin Lane Elastic Path™
- 2. Introducing Elastic Path Software Digital Commerce for Innovators • We help the world’s biggest brands sell digital goods and services • We provide a flexible digital commerce platform and expertise in commerce strategy and implementation • #1 ecommerce blog www.getelastic.com • For more on-demand digital commerce resources www.elasticpath.com/resources Elastic Path™
- 3. What every executive should know • Distilling digital disruption into specific issues • The promise of an API strategy • The current reality of API technology • Why the developer experience is critical • What makes a great commerce API • The future of API technology • Taking it to the real world Elastic Path™
- 4. What exactly are we trying to solve here? Device and plan selection Elastic Path™
- 5. Digital disruption defined Source: Forrester Research, Inc Source: Forrester Research, Inc Elastic Path™
- 6. Digital disruption distilled Singular experience Everywhere Consistent Relevant Embedded Unobtrusive Partnered Fast Cheap Elastic Path™
- 7. Commerce APIs are great at these things (in theory) Singular experience Everywhere Consistent Relevant Embedded Unobtrusive Partnered Fast Cheap • Commerce-as-a-service • Allows core data and capabilities to be easily shared • Loops commerce into your BI stream • Puts commerce into every customer experience • Isolates the “do” from the “how” and “why” • It’s like the Borg from Star Trek • Empowers developers to do all these things Elastic Path™
- 8. The gulf between promise and reality Elastic Path™
- 9. The Promise Storefront Mobile OTT Apps CMS/CEM Social Partners Embedded In-App/In-Game Magical API Magic! PIM Acquisition Monetization Subscriptions Entitlements Billing Customer Care Analytics Elastic Path™
- 10. The Reality $$$ $$$ Conventional REST API PIM Acquisition Monetization Subscriptions Entitlements Billing Customer Care Analytics Elastic Path™
- 11. A good API gets the job done. A great API works like a superpower. Elastic Path™
- 12. What separates to good from the great? • A good API uses the REST architectural style • A great API conforms to Level 3 or 3+ REST • Very hard to do this with SOAP or RPC – SOAP is not designed for simplicity and human understanding – RPC does not communicate very well and is usually an existing programmatic API Elastic Path™
- 13. A model centered on the user, not the system • The names and data shapes should look like what you are trying to accomplish • You don't have to learn how their system functions in order to use it • Netflix's API uses terms and actions pulled straight from their user experience Elastic Path™
- 14. Consistency applied to all resources • Facebook's Graph API is a great example – All the resources behave the same way – View the same, post the same, search the same • You learn it for one resource and you have it for all the resources Elastic Path™
- 15. Thin data objects • Be wary of APIs that have huge objects – These are hard to maintain on both sides • Look for APIs that have expands to let your client shape the response – Our API calls this feature “zoom” Elastic Path™
- 16. Stateless • The API should let you call into it at any point without precursor calls, other than authentication Elastic Path™
- 17. The value of a great API is speed and agility. Go from an idea to a prototype in hours, not weeks. Elastic Path™
- 18. Questions For more on-demand digital commerce resources www.elasticpath.com/resources [email protected] 1.800.942.5282 (toll-free in North America) www.elasticpath.com Elastic Path™
Editor's Notes
- #6: Competitive and market pressure to innovate, differentiate, and extend reach (geographic, demographic, market share, audience)Upward pressure on speed, agility, and ROIDownward pressure on cost and time-to-marketShifting technological ecosystem – computing power, mobility, pervasive connectivity, data sharingResulting shift in consumer attitudes, preferences, and behavior (in-home, in-store, retail, content consumption)Change in how people buy – want to buy
- #7: This is how people want to engage, shop, and buy now – telco, media company, software company, or even at the cutting edge of retail
- #12: Ultimately, fulfilling the promise of APIs lies in the hands of your developersLet’s hear from one to understand what it is we need to be looking for if we want to meet and profit from the challenges of digital disruption