The Core Capabilities to Becoming an API Innovation Powerhouse
Blog: The Tibco Blog
The TIBCO Connected Integration Cloud, featuring TIBCO Cloud Mashery, is a tremendously powerful tool to help you manage your APIs wherever they may live—in the cloud, in your data center, and everywhere in between. But these tools are only one part of the equation. To maximize your value from these products and turn your API program into an innovation engine, you need to adopt the core capabilities for what I like to call ‘REAL API management’.
REAL API management focuses on the people and processes in your organization that actually make your program a success. Whether adopting API-led integration or developing a strategy to leverage your corporate information to enhance your strategic partnerships and engage with the wider ecosystem, your teams will need to learn new skills and adapt to rapidly changing market conditions. To succeed, your API team must start by developing three core competencies: supporting and engaging with developers, monitoring and improving API performance, and measuring and honing your success.
Developer support is critical to API success, as developers—whether internal or external—are your end users. Your goal should be to give them the information they need to solve their toughest challenges with your APIs, then get out of their way. This starts with creating a great developer experience that goes beyond the design of your APIs.
While API uptime and latency should be consistently monitored, you must also dig into the common use cases and their associated API flows to make sure you’re delivering an optimal experience. But even the best designed APIs and most carefully written documentation can lead some developers astray. Monitoring for developers who use your APIs inefficiently and identifying bad actors who may be seeking weaknesses to exploit can help shore up the integrity of your systems and keep the data flowing smoothly.
The most successful APIs are those that closely adhere to and drive forward the goals of the organization. You should review these goals on a regular basis and make sure you’re capturing the right KPIs to measure your success and sending them to the right people to find opportunities for growth and optimization.
How your team develops these capabilities will depend largely on who your APIs are intended to serve and what goals they help to accomplish. At TIBCO Now Chicago I will dive deeper into the factors you’ll need to consider to help your organization develop these skills and identify more opportunities to leverage your APIs to become an innovation powerhouse. I look forward to seeing you there!
Check out the breakout session, “Keeping Your Innovation Engine Running with Real API Management” on Wednesday, June 12 at 10 am at TIBCO NOW Chicago, led by Rob Zazueta. Haven’t registered yet? Visit now.tibco.com and sign up today!
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