The role APIs have been playing across startups, businesses, and technology circles in recent years is without a doubt undisputable. A lot of emphasis has been placed on change in business operations with user experiences facing evolution across all platforms. This transformative power has been bestowed on APIs, but are they also changing the way companies operate?
Well, they have changed operations in companies. The API is basically the driving force behind almost every digital transformation in the consumer space today. They have played a major role in increasing connectivity and enabling uninterrupted services, changing the way companies do business.
Are APIs Destructing or Disrupting Company Operations?
There is a slight difference between destruction and disruption when it comes to what APIs are doing to companies today. There are so many business models that have been disrupted, or perhaps destroyed by APIs. For instance, no one thought that the hotel industry could be disrupted until AirBnB was founded to empower customer choice and give anyone an opportunity to become a hotel manager.
Do you remember Blockbuster? About a decade ago, this company had over sixty thousand employees and nine thousand stores. They were a dominant player at the time. However, they have been pushed into the shadows by Netflix. Today, Netflix boasts of over 34 percent of internet traffic during peak times in the U.S.A. Netflix’s success has been made possible by its OpenAPI. It handles about two billion requests every single day. The API has made it possible for Netflix to build new applications to help them expand their platforms.
In return, they are able to cut down development time since only small components are required for each device. Netflix has been able to disrupt the entire television industry because of its OpenAPI. If you would like to convert your API to an OpenAPI, check out this site – https://apitransform.com/ – which allows you to upload your Postman collection for conversion.
Another good example of how APIs have changed how businesses operate is Amazon. For years, Amazon depended on APIs for all of their departmental communication. This positioned them as a leader when it came to companies that used APIs. This led to the disruption of a number of companies. Amazon even went for technical giants such as HP, IBM, and Dell that are the world’s largest companies creating hardware servers. Amazon started offering the same service but through APIs. To get a server today, you do not need to go and buy a physical one, you can easily create one using Amazon Web Services (AWS).
How are APIs Disruptive?
APIs are affecting both users and businesses by changing our expectations. A few years ago, it was normal to lack an app for doing something, or to not be able to do something on your phone, or to lack a Facebook login on a website. However, APIs have changed all this and much more. Consumers are today more demanding technology-wise, something we can attribute to APIs which have changed our assumptions and expectations. But how are APIs disruptive?
- Leverage: APIs make it possible for even small companies to do as much as big companies, or even more.
- Marketing Speed: APIs make it possible for companies to meet consumer requirements raising the rate of adoption of the company’s services in the market.
- Focus on Core Business: Due to APIs, companies can focus on what they are good at and depend on APIs for everything else.
APIs are more of a digital glue that holds our world together. They have managed to pull the technological world together and remove any barriers in the business world, changing the way businesses operate.