According to Ahuja, API governance must enforce standards and policies for consistent API development, covering the full scope of API operations. “Meaningful API governance involves API management practices that encompass consistency, operationalization, telemetry, security, and continuous improvements throughout the API lifecycle,” he says.
A burgeoning API culture also requires a governance framework to enable a highly secure state. “Any governance program must define a framework in which a product can be properly managed in time,” says Vázquez. “In the case of APIs, we need to address how they’re going to be monitored and maintained.” He adds we must also assure quality, security, and compliance throughout future updates and versioning.
What good API governance really looks like
In practice, many elements make up a successful API governance initiative. First, good API governance should improve the design of APIs, making them consistent from service to service. “When good API governance is in place, consistent design means all your organization’s APIs look like they were defined by the same team, even if many teams were involved,” says Gartner’s O’Neill. He adds that governance should be automated where possible so an API strategy doesn’t present a bureaucratic bottleneck for API producers or consumers.
In addition to establishing API design standards, Sabhlok emphasizes that quality API governance should consider visibility into APIs. This can be achieved through strategies such as documenting comprehensively, maintaining an active inventory, using observability, and creating operational guidance from the design phase through retirement. He also suggests establishing a center of excellence to review and update the framework components and take corrective actions where necessary.
Factors contributing to a quality API governance model should also future-proof the overall IT strategy. “Effective API governance allows organizations to quickly adapt to changes by enabling the easy creation, sharing, monitoring, and adjustment of APIs, thus helping organizations stay competitive in the long term,” says Busse. “Plus, it enables organizations to streamline and automate workflows, saving time and allowing individuals and teams to focus on business-critical tasks.”
Guardrails bring CIOs peace of mind
CIOs should consider API governance since maintaining a healthy API inventory benefits overall IT agility. “Making sure our API portfolio is healthy will allow us to be scalable, flexible, cost-optimal, and prepared for the adoption of new technologies, like gen AI, in a seamless and reliable way,” says Vázquez.
Additionally, governance helps establish better developer experiences, and a more secure technology posture, both critical for success with API-first initiatives. “API governance is vital for API uptake since it ensures they’re consistently designed,” says O’Neill. “It’s also central to API security since it involves creating access control policies for APIs.”
Plus, governance is crucial to guide strategic alignment between operations and IT strategy. “By adhering to defined standards and policies, CIOs can streamline IT processes, accelerate development cycles, and facilitate effective collaboration among teams,” says Ahuja. “API governance contributes to strategic alignment by promoting a cohesive and well-managed digital infrastructure, which enables CIOs to leverage APIs as strategic assets that drive innovation and support the organization’s broader business objectives.”
API governance can also give CIOs peace of mind by delivering leaner and safer digital experiences at a faster time to market, explains Mattson. “When implemented effectively, API governance enables an organization to create, update, and manage all APIs throughout their life cycles, and continuously adjust its practice toward optimal effectiveness,” he says. Proper governance guides the correct development and delivery of functionality, which reduces risks and helps meet customer expectations.
“CIOs must support API governance because of its many benefits,” says Sabhlok. However, it’s best to avoid boiling the ocean with full governance from day one, and instead take small steps and validate progress early on. “Identifying and getting early support is an excellent way to avoid developing crushing API technical or process debt that may impede enabling governance later,” he adds.
Helping to attain business objectives
In today’s hybrid and connected digital economy, data and software functionality are intrinsically tied to value. “In essence, an API-first strategy becomes critical to navigate contemporary tech trends, foster innovation, and ensure adaptability in a rapidly evolving technological landscape,” says Bhat. Proper governance steers any objective tethered to API-first strategies in the right direction.
Therefore, investments into governing API operations are necessary to attain business goals. “APIs are the foundation of nearly every CIO’s strategic plans to deliver business value,” says Mattson. “The attention and investment in API governance are necessary to make sure these strategic goals are achieved as envisioned.”
According to Sabhlok, governance not only results in more ready-to-use APIs across applications, but acts as a meter to gauge the ongoing success of new tech initiatives. To him, API governance elevates the business by delivering a more “confident impact assessment of making process enhancements or modifications.” It also provides a common forum for the company to share their process health experiences, including performance, data issues, missing transactions, outages, and security, he adds.
API governance can help future-proof an IT strategy, better positioning the business to adopt state-of-the-art technologies. This is important, as APIs are vital to plug in gen AI and LLMs, which are key tools to remain competitive, adds Busse. “Because of this, APIs will be critical to how we do business with customers and partners in an AI-driven future,” he says.
Much potential also lies in API productization — governance makes such externalization viable. “Getting business advantage from APIs often involves creating products from APIs,” says O’Neill. “API governance supports this by ensuring the APIs are consistently designed and managed.”
Governance guides more confident usage
Although APIs are simply a tool to an end, their surging reliance throughout the modern technology stack warrants keen assessment. Executives agree, therefore, that API governance will play an essential role to solidify the future of IT and business strategy. “The API is a tool in the arsenal and, in many cases, is the primary tool,” says Mattson. “Governance practices guide the organization and its tools to achieve all of these objectives with confidence.”
Ultimately, adds Ahuja, API governance contributes to the organization’s agility, innovation, and responsiveness to market demands. “It supports overarching business objectives and ensures the effectiveness of the digital ecosystem,” he says.
