The advent of the REST API has ushered in a sea change in the software industry, and today we are thriving in an interconnected application ecosystem. No longer do applications stand in silos. No longer are users locked in. No longer is data trapped in to a vendor or platform.
Using APIs in your business can achieve many benefits:
- Seamlessly integrate applications to eliminate tedious, error-prone, manual work and improve efficiency.
- Synchronize data between systems; break down communication barriers between departments.
- Externalize internal business services to partners, suppliers, or customers to open new revenue streams and make it easier to do business with you.
- Improve and streamline the customer’s experience working with your business.
- Optimize or automate marketing opportunities.
To maximize open APIs in your business, you need a vendor with a broad background integrating a wide range of APIs, as well as one with deep technical experience with the know-how you need to get the job done right.
Tecture is at the leading edge of this API revolution by designing and building APIs for products and services to facilitation integrations. Examples of our work include:
- API used by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to send Inter Library Loan (ILL) information to the Medical Library Association (MLA) for use in its EFTS platform.
- Shipping Data API used by a sailing schedule data provider (Linescape) to deliver schedule, vessel, port, and carrier data to its users, including its website.
- Ticketing platform API used to integrate music venue WordPress websites to a ticketing platform to deliver real-time data about event prices, ticket availability, and provide customers with cart and purchase mechanisms.
- Payment provider API used by sellers of automotive extended warranties to submit contracts for new warranties.
Beyond creating our own APIs, Tecture has experience using a wide range of APIs across many industries. Here are just some we have worked on:
Payment Gateways
- Authorize.net
- Example: create a customer profile and tokenize a saved card for future use
- Stripe
- Much more than merely a payment gateway, Stripe has advanced features for recurring subscriptions, coupons, products, and hardware credit card readers.
- Card Connect
- Chase Paymentech
Point of Sale Hardware
- Verifone P400
- Magtek iDynamo
- BBPOS WisePOS E
- Example: use Stripe’s JavaScript API to integrate a POS hardware to a web-based ticket ecommerce application to allow venue staff to sell tickets at the door.
Financial Services
- Oracle Daybreak
- Nortridge
- Nortridge offers an ASP.NET-based Borrower Portal which can be customized to specific needs.
- Bill.com
- Example: generate an invoice automatically in Bill.com, send automatically to customer, and receive receipt of payment into another system.
Notifications
- Twilio
- Example: send text message reminders to a customers reminding them of a deadline to submit information.
- Email (SMTP)
- Example: generate an email ticket with a QR code to send to a customer.
Digital Signature Platforms
- DocuSign
- Right Signature (Citrix)
- Example: dynamically construct a PDF contract based on user input in an outside application and present to a customer for signature.
Content Management Systems and Portals
- WordPress API
- Example: triggering the creation a new website page from an outside system.
- Example: synchronizing data from WordPress post custom fields into an outside system.
- SharePoint API
Email Marketing
- MailChimp
- Example: sending data about customers and their interests to MailChimp for segmentation and targeting (lists, interests, tags, and merge fields)
CRM
- Salesforce
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Example: embedding a Dynamics form on a website and capturing lead submissions.
Scanners
- QR code scanning with a smartphone camera
- Example: ticket QR code scanning for customer admittance to an event.
Data Processing and Delivery
- Secure FTP (SFTP)
- Example: a batch processing system securely sends certification data and receives license data as part of a medical system.
- Website scraping
Considerations when designing and building APIs include:
- Authentication
- Data security
- Encryption
- PCI compliance
With data on the rise, and the increasing prevalence of real-time APIs, Tecture can help you stay connected while designing elegant solutions that are easy to use and understand. Please contact us to meet and learn more about how we can help you.