API Management Consulting Australia
Your business depends on connections between systems. We make sure they are secure, watched and kept working.
- 20+ years connecting business systems
- Works with Xero, MYOB and the systems you already use
- Fixed quote after a free chat
Over time, your systems end up connected to each other: your online store to your stock system, your job system to Xero or MYOB, a supplier or customer sending you orders automatically. Often nobody is watching those connections or knows who has access to them, so when one breaks, you find out days later from a missing invoice or an angry customer.
Our API management consulting sorts that out. We find every connection, decide who and what should have access, set up monitoring and alerts to a named person, and document it so it isn't locked in one person's head. You get connections you can rely on, fewer surprises, and a clear picture of how your systems fit together.
What Is API Management, in Plain English?
An API is the doorway a piece of software provides so other software can read and send information. Xero, MYOB, Shopify and most modern business software have one. API management is looking after those doorways.
What That Covers
- Access: only the right people and systems can connect, and each sees only what it needs
- Security: access keys stored safely and changed regularly; information encrypted as it travels
- Limits: no single system or outside party can overload the others
- Monitoring and alerts: you know straight away when a connection fails, not days later
- Documentation: a clear record of what connects to what, so it doesn't depend on one person
- Handling changes: when a system is upgraded, the connections that rely on it keep working
Without this, problems tend to show up as missing orders, figures that don't match, or a former contractor who still has access. Getting it right is mostly about good habits and the right alerts, not expensive software.
When Businesses Need API Management Help
Customers or Suppliers Connect to Your Systems
If trading partners send you orders, check stock or receive invoices automatically, those connections need proper access controls, clear instructions for the other side, and alerts when something fails.
Connections Have Grown Without a Plan
Links between systems were added one at a time, by different people, over years. Now nobody can say exactly what connects to what. We map it, tidy it up, and put it all where it can be watched.
You Hold Sensitive Information
Customer details, financial records or health information travelling between systems must be protected. We check who has access, remove access that shouldn't be there, and make sure every connection is encrypted and logged.
Connections Are Slow or Unreliable
If information arrives late, goes missing or arrives twice, we find out why and fix it, with automatic retries and alerts so problems are caught early.
An Older System Needs to Talk to Newer Ones
We can put a modern doorway in front of an older system, so newer software can use its information without replacing it. See our older system replacement page if it is reaching the end of its life.
What We Do
Planning
We work out which connections you have, which you need, and the simplest sensible way to run them. You get a plan written in plain English, with a clear order of work.
Choosing and Setting Up a Platform
If a platform is needed, we compare the options against your needs and budget, then set it up to fit the systems you already run. If one isn't needed, we say so.
Building Connections
Where a doorway into one of your systems doesn't exist yet, we build one, with clear rules for what it shares and how changes are handled.
Access and Security
We make sure only the right people and systems can connect, each with the least access it needs, with information encrypted and every change logged.
Monitoring and Alerts
We set up a simple view of what is working, and alerts to a named person when something fails, slows down or behaves oddly.
Documentation
A clear record of every connection: what it does, who owns it, and what to do when it fails. Useful for your team, your IT provider, and anyone who connects to you.
What Drives the Cost
- Number of systems and connections: tidying up two connections is a very different job from looking after many.
- Platform choice: no platform at all, a cloud provider's gateway, or a larger platform each need different amounts of setup.
- Security: access controls, limits and audit logs all add work.
- Older systems: connecting older systems usually needs some custom work.
- Ongoing support: whether you want us to look after monitoring and changes after go-live.
We look at your setup first and give you a fixed quote after a free initial chat.
Other costs to budget for (paid to the vendor, indicative only):
- Platform licences: from nothing (open-source) up to $20,000+/month for the largest platforms
- Cloud hosting: $200-5,000+/month, depending on size
- Monitoring tools: $50-1,000/month
- Training for your team, if you want to look after it yourselves
The Technical Side: Common Platforms
For whoever looks after your systems. Many smaller businesses need none of these; good monitoring is often enough. Prices are the vendors' indicative figures and change often.
| Platform | Deployment | Cost (Indicative) | Best For | Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS API Gateway | Cloud (AWS) | Pay-per-use: $3.50/million requests | Businesses already running on AWS | Works best inside AWS; less suited if you use other clouds |
| Azure API Management | Cloud (Azure) | From $135/month (consumption tier) | Businesses already running on Microsoft Azure | Gets expensive as use grows; fits well with Microsoft software |
| Kong Gateway | Your own servers or cloud | Free (open-source) or $200-5,000+/month (Enterprise) | Busy connections, flexibility | Needs technical skills to set up and run |
| Google Apigee | Cloud (Google) | From $500/month + usage | Large organisations, detailed usage reporting, charging for access | Higher cost; built for large organisations |
| MuleSoft Anypoint | Cloud or your own servers | From $15,000/year (base) | Large organisations with many complex connections | Expensive, hard to learn, more than simple needs require |
| Tyk | Your own servers or cloud | Free (open-source) or $2,000+/month (Enterprise) | Mid-sized organisations with their own developers | Fewer add-ons and specialists than Kong or AWS |
| Gravitee | Your own servers or cloud | Free (open-source) or custom pricing (Enterprise) | Systems that send instant updates to each other | Newer, with a smaller user base |
Choosing a Platform
The right choice depends on:
- What you already use: if you already run on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, their own gateway usually fits best
- How busy it gets: high-traffic connections suit performance-focused platforms like Kong
- Budget: free open-source options (Kong, Tyk, Gravitee) cost less in licences but need more technical care
- How complex it is: simple needs work fine with AWS API Gateway; MuleSoft is usually more than a mid-sized business needs
- Who will look after it: some platforms need specialist skills to run day to day
- Being tied in: a cloud provider's own gateway is harder to move away from; open-source platforms are easier to move
Common Questions
Not Sure What's Connected to What?
Start with our Process & Systems Audit. We map your systems and the connections between them, flag the risks, and give you a plain-English list of what to fix first. Or start with a free initial chat.