There are so many options out there for businesses to help increase efficiency, save money, help customers, and so on. It can be a bit difficult to determine what technology to use for what. Businesses fail because they can’t keep up with all the changing demands of customers. With the use of custom APIs and SDKs, businesses can integrate many different functionalities that work together as one. What are Custom API’s? Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) is the technology in which a business or a developer can manage the interaction of two different services. For example, the ability to share youtube videos on your facebook page is due to custom APIs. It has enhanced the way we assemble web applications with the ability to communicate with each other and consequently make use of one another’s functionality. The core reason why custom APIs matter so much for businesses in modern markets is that they enable faster innovation by helping them overcome the common barriers to change. With APIs in place, a company can create better products to become more competitive and help create a presence on more platforms. Businesses, in general, have their own unique integration needs so using readily available APIs by themselves will not do much for the business. There comes a time where you have to develop more customized APIs that fits your business requirements and needs perfectly which will enable a stronger customer relationship and better decision making. It’s essential to conduct a thorough research process on the custom APIs you need because the wrong choice might cause redundancies and potential overlaps, which may, in turn, derail your system. What are Custom SDK’s? SDK is an expanded Software Developer Kit that has all the information and pieces needed to build a specific application. For example, think about constructing a model car. The pack that contains all the necessary utilities is called the SDK. An SDK for an API has all sorts of information and pieces required to build an application that utilizes that API in a better and smart way. It resembles a guidance system for API integration or customization. The main components of the SDK include libraries, tools, relevant documentation, samples of code and implementation. It also includes the process explanations that act as a guide for the developer which facilitates building functions that makes use of the API. What is the importance of APIs in Business? Custom APIs have become a vital tool for businesses across all industries. To be upfront APIs offer companies tremendous opportunities to scale, foster innovation, and reach out to a wider audience range. Despite your company’s size or industry type, success factors depend on how well your software system connects with 3rd party apps, devices, and services. There are several reasons why a business requires APIs: 1. To increase their revenue and sales potential exponentially 2. Extend customer loyalty and brand equity 3. Being the backbone for marketing and sales initiatives 4. A proof of their technological innovation that keeps them at the forefront of competition 5. Streamlining the integration of backend data and software applications Let’s take a look at some examples of how other businesses who successfully use these custom APIs/SDKs: Gyms APIs definitely have the ability to disrupt the gym and fitness sector by offering customers more personalized experiences. APIs can collect massive amounts of data from phones, heart rate monitors, watches, and power meters that embrace a collaborative approach to developing new experiences for gym customers. Hospital & Healthcare Industry APIs have extensively impacted the hospital and healthcare industry because it has helped to create traction between their existing internal apps, electronic health records, and other data exchange tools by managing the flow of information and data between separate systems. With APIs, doctors can finally have all the patient history consolidated in one place so it is very easy to access and evaluate what needs to be done. This goes right alongside the use of wearables in the health industry as well. E-commerce With tons of eCommerce APIs available, online retailers can offer customers a seamless experience starting from product search, comparing prices and offers, shopping experiences, social sharing, shipping and payment options. Amazon has leveraged the power of APIs to activate robots and double-check the order placed by customers. Custom APIs, when used effectively for your business, can give existing and potential customers new reasons to interact and connect on a personal level. It helps businesses overcome all the traditional strategies that are expensive and time-consuming and offers the best breed of components to make your business operations more effective. It is also important to be wiser in hiring the development team to build a custom API/SDK for your business. SDI has an extended team of professionals with ample experience in leveraging the power of APIs/SDKs starting from conceptualization all the way maintenance. Recently, we have developed a super robust sand delivery management system. This system scans trucks license plates that enter the sand facilities using a camera and a beacon. The system then alerts the driver which port they must go to. Upon arrival at the port, the system knows exactly how much sand to load, and then tells the driver when loading is complete and where the driver must take it to. All of this creates a seamless and very efficient process saving money, time, and eliminating errors. Want to embrace the power of APIs for your business? Talk to one of our technical experts at +1.408.621.8481 or email team@sdi.la.