The COVID-19 pandemic’s most significant damage, in addition to the deaths, is the collapse of global economies. In 2020, many countries were compelled to enter a state of lockdown, substantially reducing people’s freedom of movement.
Traditional enterprises that depend on the physical presence of people, such as physical stores, hotels, restaurants, and airlines, were severely hit as the pandemic persists. To reach their consumer base, businesses must develop fresh techniques.
Prospects for huge businesses are even more questionable given the current situation. The increased need for quick digital transformation in response to the shutdown and anticipation of the post-COVID world is a recurring theme that we are currently observing. IDC released intriguing statistics on how “digitally determined” most large organizations were before the health crisis broke out. They discovered that only 12% of those who are digitally determined (37%) are at an appropriate level of continuous transformation, indicating that the majority (63%) are digitally distraught and are falling behind with their digital transformation.
The current COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered how people interact with goods and services, forcing huge businesses to undergo digital transformation in weeks or months rather than the years predicted in many of their digital strategies.
Whether you are planning to replace your current IT systems or are creating a transformation capability on top of them, it is widely acknowledged that APIs (Application Programmer Interfaces) are essential components of a successful digital transformation.
How precisely does an API strategy look for a digitally-driven business adaptable to ongoing change, agile enough to respond to it, and prepared for whatever the post-COVID-19 world holds?
A New Approach to APIs
To be successful in the post-pandemic world, it is a must that your original API strategy includes a mindset change. The more adaptable you are, the better. Once the building blocks have been established, your company is probably looking to expand the number and scope of APIs (especially internal APIs) and open up the API lifecycle to a broader audience outside of just developers, most notably business product managers within their business ecosystem. If you attempt to scale up quickly and securely while retaining consistency, a flaw in the framework is revealed.
Prior to COVID-19, developers created APIs and submitted them to the Source Code Management (SCM) system using simple code editors as part of API design and development tooling. Often, businesses must choose between quality and quantity. These tools and process approach inevitably lead to inconsistent, poorly controlled APIs that require a lot of effort and duplication of functionality to achieve the scale needed for the next level of maturity. This inefficiency hinders your capacity to create new digital applications and, more importantly, to be agile and adaptable with the ones you already have. It also adds to your growing technological debt. It also calls for a sizable developer task force, which is problematic given that many corporate security rules have restricted the number of developer contractors because they cannot access systems remotely due to the need for remote working.
Expanding the API lifetime beyond developers is another necessary condition for API strategy maturity. Since the API’s details are hidden deep within implementation-specific code and are consequently inaccessible to all but the most highly expert audience, SCMs are inappropriate to serve as the system of record for this. Some businesses believe that developer portals are the solution. Still, they were created to expose only a few APIs with a public interface. They are not scalable to the volume of internal APIs required for the digitally savvy business.
Adapting to the changing times is where Profound Logic comes in. Businesses are producing more data and utilizing more applications than ever before. Unfortunately, the sheer number of apps and how they are created and handled can lead to application silos. Modern, scalable, and portable business systems are made feasible via APIs. With the help of Profound Logic’s API Development Service, REST API will be delivered rapidly, transforming your Systems of Record into Systems of Engagement.
Going Digital Is Key
Finding a way for a business to communicate to customers will be the most prominent issue that organizations will have to overcome. Just consider what retail store owners would do to contact consumers in a city coming out of a lockdown. How will they survive?
People have become used to limited mobility, so they will undoubtedly receive standard corporate services via the web or mobile devices. A few instances include placing online orders for food and groceries, paying bills, and attending lectures. These things weren’t a surprise. They were available even before the outbreak.
present, providing business value over the Internet is the only option. Businesses that don’t use digital means will inevitably fail very soon.
APIs and Creating Digital Business Ecosystems
Businesses that are linked must communicate efficiently and regularly. It might be B2C or B2B communication.
Let’s look at a gadget store as an example. In the past, customers probably come to the store to look at a new phone or laptop and purchase it later. Therefore, they didn’t take online selling as a serious thing. Except for the website, which merely lists their items, there are no IT apps that directly interact with customers. Other systems, such as those used to reserve orders and manage inventories, are entirely internal.
Managing IT is neither a store’s nor a small- or medium-sized retailer’s primary skill. They shouldn’t be keeping a fleet of vehicles and personnel to do doorstep deliveries, which is a complicated task. It may even involve the logistics and supply chain. However, managing IT and deliveries will be essential survival skills in today’s business world.
The same shop can work with a logistics company to offer their customers new devices that are delivered to them. By doing so, the store is relieved of the responsibility for fulfilling orders and freeing up resources.
The key takeaway from all this is that companies shouldn’t try to go digital independently unless they have the necessary resources. They should always create ecosystems to supplement one another’s abilities. This will help businesses get through the upcoming tough times and aid the economy by creating new sources of income.
Based on the example above, the delivery service, gadget store, and mobile app will continue to generate revenue as the pandemic continues even after it by doing what they do best. Their tightly linked environment is the secret to their success.
An order should be reported to the shop via the mobile app. The store should also inform the delivery service that a shipment is ready for delivery. To seamlessly do this, making use of APIs is the best way.
Profound Logic and Your New API Strategy Towards Success
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