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How do you convince the board ?
Having identified the technological benefits of a new approach , IT needs to communicate the advantages on offer to the business . Primarily , it ’ s important to emphasise that APIs can underpin the organisation ’ s plans for transformation . For example , if a business wants to improve its real-time inventory management capabilities , IT should highlight how APIs support this by enabling data to flow seamlessly between different supply chain systems , both internal and external . Or if the organisation ’ s goal is to build a platform for omnichannel engagement , IT teams can point to the ability for APIs to support the creation of a 360-degree view of the customer .
Lila Dorato , Senior Director , Solutions Engineering at MuleSoft
Whatever outcome the business hopes to achieve , IT leaders should demonstrate why a new approach to integration will power these initiatives .
Essentially , the IT team needs to prove the tangible value that a composable approach to integration can offer to the business . Whether the aim is to improve customer experience or become more operationally efficient , they should drive home how reusability in connectivity reduces costs , increases productivity and drives revenue .
The gift that keeps on giving average of around US $ 3.5 million per year , based on labour costs alone .
So , why APIs ?
When developing an argument for a new integration strategy , it will become apparent that the technological and business benefits offered by an API-led approach go hand in hand , helping to reduce maintenance overheads and improve the business ’ bottom line .
While IT teams are familiar with the benefits of a new integration strategy , they need to increase awareness and understanding across the rest of the business . They can begin by highlighting the technological benefits : with an API-led approach to integration , rigid pointto-point connections are replaced by loose couplings between data , applications and devices . These loose couplings save time and money that is currently wasted adjusting custom code every time change is needed . Governance also becomes easier as APIs entail a single and standardised approach to security .
Perhaps the most significant technological selling point of an API-led approach is the potential for reuse . With APIs , IT assets and capabilities become easily consumable and reusable across the business , as well as for partners and other third-parties . This will lead to enterprises that are fully composable in the future , enabling businesses to accelerate the launch of new applications and services , while reducing the workload upon IT teams .
One organisation that reaped the benefits of this virtuous cycle is City National Bank , which aimed to improve customer experience with an omnichannel strategy . The board of course prioritised the final outcome without giving too much thought to the technologies needed to get there . The IT team used APIs to connect the business ’ various customer data sources and applications . The result was a direct improvement to the end-user experience , which provided the board with clear proof of the benefits a new integration strategy could offer . Essentially , the IT team was able to demonstrate one advantage of APIs to sell other benefits to the board , and were therefore able to secure the support needed to establish a new , longer-term API strategy .
Ultimately , every business will have its own goals and planned initiatives , each of which will be powered by different technologies and strategies . Whatever initiative the business puts first , integration should always be the foundation for delivering innovation . p
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