What is an API Consumer?

ccrowe
Participant I

What is an API Consumer? And how do you identify the API Consumer along the Digital Value Chain?

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ccrowe
Participant I

I often get the question, what is an API consumer? In order to answer this question, you have to understand the Digital Value Chain coupled with the concept of Multi-speed Enterprise IT.

First, the Digital Value Chain. Moving from left to right, the User is the end consumer of the application (i.e., mobile apps on a smartphone, a retail website, etc.) This connected experience is provided by an app developer (reference Developer in the picture above) who bases their development on APIs built by an API team. The APIs connect to backend systems (see far right) and provide access to data. This is the Digital Value Chain in its simplest form.

For most companies, large enterprise companies as well as smaller, start-up companies, the API team will be comprised of two teams with different goals, speed of development and focus areas. This is where multi-speed IT comes into play. A new API tier allows for one team to focus on APIs for Systems of Engagement and another team to focus APIs for Systems of Record. See diagram below.

Application developers move at a much faster pace to meet consumer demand for mobile applications. The pace at which new features are created for mobile apps, also known as Systems of Engagement, are days versus months or years. On the other hand, those API teams that are focused on backend systems are responsible for Systems of Record. These API teams need to ensure that their backend systems are not negatively affected by requests for data. They need to ensure that performance remains high, latency is minimal or non-existent and availability is always “ON”. Think of financial systems or support systems that must be available 24x7 with 99.999% availability. The pace of change or enhancements to Systems of Record are defined in months or years. With two different points of views, the API team must be differentiated. I call the two teams:

  • API Delivery team who has an “outside-in” point of view, focuses on providing value to the end consumer at a rapid pace and
  • API Services team whose focus is on ensuring stability and security of backend systems, maintaining a high level of performance and whose pace of change is measured in months or years.

See the expanded API Teams along the Digital Value Chain below.

So, to answer the question, “What is an API Consumer?”

The API Consumer are those Developers or Partners creating connected experiences in the form of mobile apps and responsive websites for the End User.

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ccrowe
Participant I

I often get the question, what is an API consumer? In order to answer this question, you have to understand the Digital Value Chain coupled with the concept of Multi-speed Enterprise IT.

First, the Digital Value Chain. Moving from left to right, the User is the end consumer of the application (i.e., mobile apps on a smartphone, a retail website, etc.) This connected experience is provided by an app developer (reference Developer in the picture above) who bases their development on APIs built by an API team. The APIs connect to backend systems (see far right) and provide access to data. This is the Digital Value Chain in its simplest form.

For most companies, large enterprise companies as well as smaller, start-up companies, the API team will be comprised of two teams with different goals, speed of development and focus areas. This is where multi-speed IT comes into play. A new API tier allows for one team to focus on APIs for Systems of Engagement and another team to focus APIs for Systems of Record. See diagram below.

Application developers move at a much faster pace to meet consumer demand for mobile applications. The pace at which new features are created for mobile apps, also known as Systems of Engagement, are days versus months or years. On the other hand, those API teams that are focused on backend systems are responsible for Systems of Record. These API teams need to ensure that their backend systems are not negatively affected by requests for data. They need to ensure that performance remains high, latency is minimal or non-existent and availability is always “ON”. Think of financial systems or support systems that must be available 24x7 with 99.999% availability. The pace of change or enhancements to Systems of Record are defined in months or years. With two different points of views, the API team must be differentiated. I call the two teams:

  • API Delivery team who has an “outside-in” point of view, focuses on providing value to the end consumer at a rapid pace and
  • API Services team whose focus is on ensuring stability and security of backend systems, maintaining a high level of performance and whose pace of change is measured in months or years.

See the expanded API Teams along the Digital Value Chain below.

So, to answer the question, “What is an API Consumer?”

The API Consumer are those Developers or Partners creating connected experiences in the form of mobile apps and responsive websites for the End User.