API sprawl leads to a growing collection of APIs that outstrip an organization’s ability to track and manage them effectively, resulting in lost control and visibility. This issue includes problems from shadow APIs, which are undocumented and unvetted, to zombie APIs that remain active despite being obsolete. These situations expose organizations to security risks and create obstacles to initiatives like AI transformation due to inconsistent documentation and unclear visibility. Furthermore, reliance on tribal knowledge can increase infrastructure costs and complicate understanding of security postures.
API sprawl describes an ever-expanding collection of APIs that outpaces an organization's ability to effectively track, manage, and secure them, leading to lost visibility and control.
Shadow APIs operate completely off the radar, often undocumented and unknown to security teams, meaning no security reviews or vetting take place, making them vulnerable to exploitation.
Zombie APIs are those that should have been decommissioned but remain active, often forgotten after a new version or service replaces them, existing outside normal oversight.
API sprawl is not just a 'messy' IT landscape; it can block critical strategic initiatives like AI transformation and lead to skyrocketing infrastructure costs.
#api-management #security-risks #infrastructure-challenges #ai-transformation #operational-efficiency
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