Continuous API Management, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1. The Challenge and Promise of API Management

Management is, above all, a practice where art, science, and craft meet.

Henry Mintzberg

According to an IDC report from 2019, 75% of the companies surveyed expected to be “digitally transformed” in the next decade and expected that 90% of all new apps would feature microservice architecture powered by APIs.¹ It was also noted that, for API-focused organizations, up to 30% of revenue was generated via digital channels. At the same time, these companies identified key barriers to API adoption as “complexity,” “security,” and “governance.”

Finally, this was one of the key summary findings: “Defining the right app architecture requires a deep understanding of the challenges related to governing, managing and orchestrating these foundational technology components.”² This survey, like the one from Coleman Parkes we cited in the first edition of this book, contains a mix of encouragement and caution.

An interesting trend we have seen in the last few years is a widening gap between the “API haves” and “API have-nots.” For example, when asked the question “Does your company have an API management platform?” 72% of media and services companies answered “yes,” while only 46% of companies in the manufacturing sector replied in the affirmative.³ All indications are that APIs will continue to drive business growth going forward, and it is imperative that companies from all segments of the economy step up to the challenge of digital transformation. ...