3 customer advantages of API-led connectivity 

There are 5 top benefits of API-led connectivity, but before jumping into real-life customer examples of these advantages, we need to take a step back and ask: what is integration and what is API-led connectivity?

Data integration is the process of connecting data, systems, and applications together for a specific purpose — whether it’s creating a single customer view or optimizing a business process. There are multiple integration approaches and data integration patterns, but a growing number of organizations are building APIs and adopting API-led connectivity — a methodical way to connect data to applications through reusable and purposeful APIs. 

So why are many organizations adopting APIs and what are the advantages of API-led connectivity?

1. Increase productivity by an average of 64%

With API-led connectivity, logic is distilled into its constituent parts — which means that logic can be reused across different applications. This increases productivity, prevents duplication efforts,  and allows developers to build on each other’s work.  

Take HSBC, for example; to be the disruptor, they needed to use APIs to securely unlock data from thousands of applications and make core banking services available to internal and third-party developers.

The team partnered with MuleSoft to implement API-led connectivity — enabling the bank to surface data from legacy systems and applications using APIs. HSBC developed APIs for core banking services — such as credit cards, mortgages, and payments — and provided them to developers. Developers then reused these APIs to launch different projects — from the Nudge app to a partner API portal. 

As a result of API-led connectivity, HSBC witnessed one major advantage: increased developer productivity. 

“With MuleSoft...we’ve been able to reduce our app development time by 75% and release new functionality to consumers every two weeks versus once a quarter.”

Dinesh Keswani, Group CTO and CIO of Retail Digital Banking, HSBC

2. Launch new projects by an average of 78% faster 

With API-led connectivity, comes reuse and productivity. The advantage? Faster time-to-market and project launches.

Take ASICS, a global athletic footwear and apparel company, for example. As part of a new digital strategy to drive eCommerce, ASICS had to unify multiple systems across all brands, geographies, and channels.

Leveraging an API-led integration approach, ASICS built APIs to allow the new eCommerce platform to access customer information, order status, real-time inventory, pricing — all the data previously held in various silos.

Every API is a reusable component. For example, the ASICS Email API, developed during the first project, will be reused dozens of times as the eCommerce platform is rolled out globally.

Thanks to the advantages of API-led connectivity, the first phase of the eCommerce platform — which was estimated to take 2.5 months — was completed in only four weeks because ASICS could reuse APIs and transform data with Anypoint Platform. 

The end result? 2.5X faster project delivery now and into the future. 

“MuleSoft helped us bring our new eCommerce platform to market faster.”

Phil Connaughton Director of Engineering, ASICS Digital

3. Lower maintenance and operational costs by an average of 74%

Another advantage of API-led connectivity is reduced integration costs, as a result of reuse. This translates to lower maintenance and operational expenses. 

One company that witnessed this advantage first hand is Employee Benefit Management Services (EBMS) — a third-party administrator of health plans. 

Prior to MuleSoft, EBMS had to manually create all up to 80,000 files per day to send to clients. Manually creating each of these was a cumbersome, time-consuming, and error-prone process .

EBMS took an API-led integration approach — using APIs and web services to build an electronic data interchange (EDI) solution that connects to different organizations’ systems and creates a single view of all data. With MuleSoft, EBMS can now securely send data to health providers, pharmacies, employers, and insurers in real-time via a web portal and mobile app.

EBMS now also has a real-time view of critical moments that happen in the insurance member journey — including submitting a claim, changing the status of a claim, and more. The company also witnessed a 40% reduction in operational cost as teams more easily reused MuleSoft assets to create the custom client-driven partner interfaces. 

The advantages of API-led connectivity don’t stop here

The benefits of API-led connectivity don't stop with HSBC, ASICS, and EBMS. Thousands of other organizations are turning to API-led connectivity as their primary integration approach. 

Read our eBook to learn about other industry leaders who are benefiting from API-led connectivity.