The Sharing Of Data Via APIs Will Be Key To Viability Of Every Industry

As I'm processing some guidelines around the importance of sharing data in the cybersecurity.theater a story on NPR came on the radio about the importance of data sharing when it comes to the emerging self-driving car marketing. I do API Evangelist, not to encourage everyone to do APIs and be the next Twitter, it is to help everyone understand the important of sharing machine-readable information in a secure and accessible way, to make all industries healthier, secure, and more viable environments for digital transformation (man I hate that phrase).

APIs are about sharing information in machine readable formats like YAML, JSON, and XML. Modern approaches to API deployment and management makes this information available in a self-service, secure way, ensuring those who should have access do, in a 24/7, always-on environment. Sharing cybersecurity threat information, and sharing of real-world and laboratory data around self-driving cars fall into this area, and APIs should be a default for anyone playing in these industries.

We are seeing API efforts emerge for expediting Zika virus research, by sharing machine-readable data that other researchers can put to work in their own efforts, without reinventing the wheel and duplicating work within many separate silos--we need more of this in other industries. If you need a primer on how APIs can be put to work in your industry feel free to reach out to me. APIs are not the next vendor solution, and if someone is telling you this, you should run the other direction. APIs are about sensibly, and securely sharing critical information by default across your organization, and industry, using low-cost web technology--not buying the next product or service.