API's - Application Programming Interface's

There is a lot of industry buzz around API’s and their importance, especially as it relates to cloud, cloud services, obtaining relevant information and utilizing them to break into new markets and scale business.  The application programming interface (API) is a cornerstone of today’s software world as a way to develop for a specific platform, such as Windows. Today, newer platform providers, like Salesforce, Facebook and Twitter, are producing APIs that help the developer, a specific company or in some cases even individuals, who don’t even know how to program, leverage data and information to help them become more efficient and expand into other opportunities or become more efficient. As the name suggests, it's a language that lets one product or service (think Google Maps) talk to another (think Weather Underground) that most likely share different code and produce a specific result.  Because these inherently different platforms can exchange data, working together through this common language, you can combine their different capabilities, and only the pieces you want or need to suit your own needs or even create entirely new products or services.

To break it down into the primary pieces, let’s take a look at the Application, Programming and Interface pieces separately.

Application:

Think about your Smartphone.  Pretty much everyone has one and is familiar with the apps that are on it. From basic calculator functions, to email, to games or social media…these are all different kinds of applications. 

Programming:

 Programming is how individuals like software engineers make the applications we use to play our games or connect to our friends via social media.

Interface:

An interface is a common place shared by two app’s that allow communication between the two. This is a common tool like a laptop or Smartphone.

So basically, an API is a common way for people to interface with a certain application in a certain way that it will understand on a common device, in a common type fashion. Easy - Peasy!!!

It’s interesting to think that API’s are a seemingly new idea (eBay launched their first API in 2000 and Amazon launched their first in 2002), but the travel Industry has been using machine-to-machine communication for decades. While APIs started relatively early, particularly in the field of e-commerce, they haven’t become truly relevant until the supporting cloud solutions and mobile tools became more readily available.

Why Are APIs Important for Business?

• Businesses create apps with API’s
• Many businesses today are creating software and tools that pull certain data from open API’s that can help that business run more efficiently. And we all know that business that can run more efficiently are more profitable.
• People in business use apps:
• API’s are important for business people because they allow software developers to develop cool tools that help us more effective in doing our jobs. 
• Businesses need open API’s:
• API’s are important for businesses that provide them, because that companies software developers can build out their own applications that feature the use of the company’s main product or service.  

Here at Arrow, we utilize API’s in our ArrowSphere Marketplace. These are important for our partners who want to do business with and leverage some of our vendors. The ArrowSphere marketplace utilizes API’s to send bill feeds that our partners can use to automate their MRR billing, can automate consumption and make reports available in real time, and  even allow partners to build their own white labeled cloud portal.  It’s just one of the ways that differentiates us a Value Added Cloud Distributor.   If you have questions about how Arrow can help with your cloud, feel free to drop me a quick note and lets chat.  Also, if you are interested in learning more about API’s and want a crash course, check out www.udemy.com/learn-apis/.