Item: IBM API Connect
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

IBM API Connect is the central, strategic platform of choice to enable cross organisational data sharing and exposure. In a global manufacturing organisation with services and value add offers at the forefront of increasing margins as well as improving efficiency internally, few other platforms are as critical and empowering for the business at this point in time.

Pros and Cons

Versatile deployment options
Powerful developer portal
Easy to use and get started with
Secure and controlled access layer

Subscription and consumption based financing model
Simple out of the box multicloud deployment
Copilot automation features

Return on Investment

I consider IBM API Connect as a business capability enabler - the ROI level is practically secondary.
With this platform at the core, associated architectural framework and guardrails ensure that we can progress with distributed development and automation in autonomous teams - a key factor to deliver required time to market performance.
At this time, security and trust is key. A flexible yet secure API manager layer is necessary to ensure our relationships with partners and customers.

Usability

Lots of nifty built in features to facilitate automation, CI/CD pipelines, developer autonomy and freedom. You can tell that it is a platform built by developers for developers, where few compromises have been allowed. Together with documentation and online support, it's easy to get started and accelerate development in parallel.

API Security

As mentioned in several of the previous answers, security is key to building trust with partners as well as customers across the board. The flexibility and security offered through this product and framework give us the confidence to invite external development, autonomous development teams, and application-based teams injecting features into the core platform API catalogue.

Alternatives Considered

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

This is more of a combinatory set of features where it isn't a question of either or, but rather what and how when. Choosing the right tool and implementation format for the problem at hand - and having the option to select tooling from the full set in the toolbox.

Key Insights

Do you think IBM API Connect delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with IBM API Connect's feature set?

Yes

Did IBM API Connect live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of IBM API Connect go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy IBM API Connect again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Unit4 Enterprise Resource Planning, HubSpot Marketing Hub, Microsoft 365

Likelihood to Recommend

IBM API Connect is ideally suited for enterprise grade, heavy duty, large scale, high requirement deployments. It has the expected bells and whistles, renowned support, and lots of built-in flexibility to implement the architecture you have in mind.

For smaller, lightweight, standard out of the box, no customization needed-scenarios - it might be a little too much, although solves the task just as efficiently.

IBM API Connect for all your API needs

Overall Satisfaction with IBM API Connect