How Cloud-Based Systems and APIs Make Interoperability Easy and Seamless

Interoperability has become a cornerstone of modern IT systems, enabling organizations to unify their growing array of tools, platforms and devices into a cohesive system. Legacy on-premise infrastructure, often operating in isolation on a local network, is typically more difficult to incorporate into a larger ecosystem. Cloud-based systems, on the other hand, have emerged as transformative solutions to this interoperability challenge. Cloud infrastructure facilitates interoperability through APIs and custom-built integrations, offering a seamless and flexible answer to the operational challenges associated with managing numerous systems.

The Advantages of Cloud-Based Systems

Legacy IT systems operate in silos with limited connectivity beyond the local area network (LAN), creating inefficiencies and making it challenging to share data or connect with other tools. Achieving interoperability with legacy systems often requires additional hardware, which adds complexity and challenges scalability. These components can quickly become outdated from both a hardware and software perspective, making large-scale integrations a challenge.

Cloud-based systems solve this problem by centralizing operations and providing the distributed infrastructure needed to facilitate communication between multiple systems. Unlike their on-premises counterparts, cloud platforms are designed to integrate with other cloud-enabled tools, enabling organizations to seamlessly create a unified ecosystem without the management challenges of on-prem hardware. Cloud systems also remove the responsibility of needing to manage the upgrade process, ensuring that all systems operate with up-to-date software and hardware further guaranteeing compatibility. 

Another major benefit to organizations is the offering of native integrations with other cloud-based platforms. With integrations being one of the primary drivers for a shift to the cloud, many cloud service providers build integrations with systems like SCIM, SSO, MFA platforms easing the transition and helping organizations build their IT ecosystem. For situations where a native integration is not built, there is a powerful tool at the IT team's disposal that allows them to create nearly any integration they want. 

APIs: The Backbone of Interoperability

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are the foundational tool that enables different systems to communicate with each other and exchange data effectively. Many cloud-service providers offer a comprehensive, open and clearly documented API to organizations, allowing them to build customized scripts that exchange data between the systems they use. By using APIs, organizations can:

• Aggregate data from multiple sources into a centralized platform, enabling seamless, comprehensive analytics and reporting.

• Trigger alerts, update databases, and sync user permissions automatically, reducing the manual workload for IT teams and improving efficiency. 

• Help ensure compatibility between all systems and tools by seamlessly integrating into enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, and more.

While some legacy systems do offer APIs, they are often plagued by limitations that hinder interoperability, including:

• Having a foundation built on older technologies that are no longer widely supported, making them difficult to work with and integrate into modern systems.

• Providing only basic features, lacking the robust capabilities required for more complex, fully developed integrations.

• Increasing the risk of data breaches or unauthorized access by not meeting modern security standards. 

By contrast, many cloud-based systems are designed with interoperability as a core feature, offering robust, standardized and flexible APIs to facilitate data sharing. APIs in cloud environments act as bridges to connect diverse systems and allow organizations to turn their previously disparate group of systems into a cohesive ecosystem. 

Learn more about Verkada’s native Physical Security and IT integrations .

The Path Forward

The shift toward cloud-based systems is fundamentally transforming how organizations operate and scale. Through robust APIs and native integrations, cloud platforms are breaking down the traditional barriers that once kept systems isolated, enabling a new era of operational efficiency.

As organizations continue to embrace cloud solutions, they gain not just the immediate benefits of improved interoperability, but also position themselves for future innovations. The cloud's inherent flexibility and continuous update cycle ensures that systems remain current and compatible, while standardized APIs create endless possibilities for customization and automation. This technological foundation is already enabling organizations to:

• Build more resilient and adaptable technological ecosystems

• Reduce operational complexity while increasing capabilities

• Deploy new integrations rapidly in response to changing business needs

• Focus on strategic initiatives rather than managing infrastructure

As cloud technologies and API capabilities continue to advance, the possibilities for innovation and efficiency will only expand, making cloud-based interoperability not just a technical advantage, but a crucial strategic imperative for modern organizations.