Let’s discuss APIs.
An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. It defines the methods and data formats that applications can use to request and exchange information, enabling them to work together and share functionality.
Why do APIs matter to businesses then?
I’m glad you asked. Becoming an API-first company can yield substantial benefits, including accelerated time to market, enhanced business opportunities, and the delivery of superior products and services. However, the feasibility and suitability of this approach depend on various factors. Firstly, it's essential to consider the industry landscape and competitive dynamics. In industries where digital integration and partnerships are paramount, such as fintech and IoT, embracing an API-first strategy can confer a competitive edge by fostering ecosystem growth and facilitating rapid innovation.
An API-first approach also aligns well with digital transformation initiatives. It empowers organizations to revamp legacy systems, foster third-party collaborations and construct agile, adaptable infrastructures. By cultivating a developer community and enabling seamless integrations, companies can improve user experiences and create new revenue streams.
It should be noted that transitioning to an API-first mindset necessitates a cultural shift, robust security measures and thorough ROI analysis to ensure that the benefits outweigh the associated risks and costs. That is why Kong, a developer of cloud API technologies, is on a mission to enable companies around the world to become "API-first."
Recently, Kong introduced Kong Konnect Dedicated Cloud Gateways, which offers a straightforward and budget-friendly approach to deploying Kong Gateways in the cloud, managed as a service and hosted on dedicated enterprise infrastructure. This infrastructure is solely allocated to each client, guaranteeing the absence of shared resources with other users, catering to the specific requirements of large enterprises in search of enhanced performance, security, and governance. These Dedicated Cloud Gateways can be accessed through Kong Konnect, Kong's comprehensive unified cloud API platform.
Dedicated Cloud Gateways offer a solution that addresses scalability and downtime concerns, alleviates staffing and training requirements, and minimizes operational burdens. These gateways automatically manage server failures and handle traffic spikes without interruption.
Kong's 24/7 response team steps in when needed, reducing internal team workloads. With Kong Konnect, it's as simple as a few clicks to add more API capacity, upgrade to more robust hardware, or expand microservices and APIs, all managed seamlessly with no downtime.
In the Dedicated Cloud Gateways mode of Kong Konnect, the control and data planes are fully hosted and overseen by Kong, eliminating the need for users to set up or manage servers. This reduces staffing requirements for maintaining global infrastructure, as Kong Konnect takes responsibility for uptime.
These gateways offer two operation modes: "Autopilot" automatically scales infrastructure based on traffic, and "Custom" allows users to specify instance sizes and numbers for precise control. Kong Konnect also maintains a hybrid mode, where the control plane is managed by Kong, and customers manage the data plane in their preferred environment, offering flexibility while integrating seamlessly with other Kong Konnect products. For those seeking on-premises options, Kong Enterprise extends Kong Gateway with advanced features, security, observability, GUIs and 24/7 support.
"Dedicated Cloud Gateways make it even easier for businesses and builders to quickly harness the power of Kong Gateway, the world's most adopted API gateway,” said Marco Palladino, CTO and co-founder of Kong. “It's the best of both worlds: serverless-like usage that's one-click for ease of use while running on fully dedicated multi-cloud and multi-region infrastructure that delivers the best performance and the lowest latency at all times.”
Dedicated Cloud Gateways cater to enterprise and commercial customers looking to offload the management of critical API infrastructure while enjoying the same security and performance assurances as traditional self-managed infrastructure, thanks to features like native support for private networking and global DNS routing based on real-time performance metrics across regions.
Contact the Kong's sales team to get early access to this capability.
Edited by
Alex Passett
