What does it really mean, to “think APIs”? Some people simply point to the API value chain, but is that all there is to it? Is that what the excitement is all about?
Personally I feel that such an answer is too simplistic. As earlier discussed there are decisions to be made regarding the balance between enterprise and opportunistic APIs. There are decisions around the Ts&Cs under which APIs can be shared. There are decisions regarding how to map required APIs to existing assets, whether data or services. And all of these decisions in the end depend on the desired business outcome.

So, not surprisingly the key part of the phrase “think APIs” is the word “think” First and foremost, think about what you are trying to achieve, business wise. Next think about which audience to engage to enable that outcome. Then think about what kinds of APIs are required to engage the audience. Finally think about how to curate your data and application assets to support the provisioning of APIs that you need to provide. And in the process don’t forget thoughts about what APIs you are going to consume and from whom – thinking APIs is not just about being an API provider, many organizations consume several times the number of APIs that they provide themselves. Those are the core elements of an effective API strategy.

In short, not all entry points are created equal. Stay tuned for a discussion of five typical API entry points and how they impact the decisions that an organization needs to make.

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