In the past, it was common for each department in an organisation to procure applications independently, in order to manage their own data for their own needs. These applications were built to serve a specific purpose with little provision for the future. 

Over the years, to address the increasing need for connectivity and data-sharing, IT departments started connecting these applications with what is known as point-to-point or one-to-one integrations. However, with an average lifespan of anywhere between 15 to 40 years, a large enterprise today may have amassed over a thousand applications! 

This animation explains in simple terms what is an API and when it's time for a company to consider moving from point-to-point integrations to API-led connectivity.