Pam Baker at ReadWriteWeb posted an interesting article this morning advocating the atomization and integration of enterprise software. She argues that integration and accessibility are becoming as important as features and functionality.
Remember the old days, when a mainframe or PC operating system dictated what corporations would buy and support? They seem so quaint now. “Anything that’s platform-specific is doomed,” agrees Peter Price, Webalo’s CEO. “Employees are driving the need to have mobile enterprise apps work on the devices they prefer,” explains Price.
The importance of the application programming interface (API) extends far beyond the development of mobile apps as well; not only do business users want to be able to access application data on the go, but they also want to be able to have App A talk to App B. While the user interface facilitates humans using the program, the application interface facilitates bi-directional communication between applications.
The apps are built like Lego’s and connect to one another with flexibility and ease. In this latest case, though, the little building blocks are the beginnings of programming interfaces between the apps themselves. What is important is not the code itself, but what is being communicated between programs.
Baker’s analogy uses outcome- or task-specific software as the individual atoms that make up a larger molecule or organism. She argues that communication between those applications is integral to both successful software systems and empowered employees. Suddenly, rigid software and hardware that locks businesses into an information silo seems much less appealing to the task-conscious team member and the cost-conscious CIO.
Have you run into an application that ties itself in beautifully with another? What applications do you wish could speak with each other?
Sources:
It is All About the API, Not the App by Pam Baker
