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Almost all large organizations have software they rely on, software that an application programming interface (API) can leverage in several ways. These interfaces help developers, or even non-techies, connect software like a human resource application and website to automate processes. Using these tools to connect important applications can save money, save time, and improve the user experience for customers. Survey your enterprise architecture and look for opportunities to gain one or more of those benefits.  

A complex enterprise might have dozens of pieces of software running in the background. That collection of software would include tools many business people recognize like SharePoint and SAP but also applications for reporting, cybersecurity, data collection, communication between programs, and email. Some of those many applications can only share information through custom interfaces.  

Any large organization probably has at least one report, web view, or dashboard object that someone has to manually generate, update, or create. Whatever the software behind that view, object or report, someone probably created an API that can automate some of the work. Instead of “integrating” data from different sources by manual processes, a developer could design a custom process that extracts and shares the relevant data. A cloud-based data repository can pull updated information from another app and feed it to a third app via API, to cite one more example.   

Instead of creating an app, your development team could use APIs to perform some of the functions of a 100% custom app for your employees. Streamlining steps in that way should save some development time that you can allocate to other tasks. 

Anything that makes it easier to extract, combine, or present user data is potentially helpful for marketing. Data on website visitors and their behaviors can help senior management make decisions on marketing tactics and strategies. They can get the information they need anyway, but the point is to make it faster and easier.  

The backend of any large online business likely has dozens of applications running on local machines, on employees’ mobile devices, and the company’s networked devices. The larger or more IT-dependent your company is, the more likely you have the potential to benefit from improving connectivity.  

If you have custom enterprise software, make sure it can be connected to other key pieces of software via an API. Custom software for a company might not need an API because you can use existing tools to send or receive commands and data. If you want to integrate your custom software with Asana or SAP, they will have an API that your technical team can use.  

This focus on automated connections is not just for larger organizations. If you are self-employed or you work with a remote team, you might want to take advantage of APIs for some of your software. Sharing work, submitting invoices, and uploading or downloading work might be easier. In some scenarios, your ability to work seamlessly with enterprise apps might help win some business.  

DevDigital has completed hundreds of software development and app development projects for clients in numerous industries. We also create enterprise software and develop learning management systems. These are two areas where full API utilization can yield substantial benefits in terms of productivity and client satisfaction.