The power of API integration in streamlining Investigations

What is an API?

API stands for Application Programming Interface. If we humans use user interfaces (UIs) to interact with programs, machines such as computers and devices utilize APIs to interact with and connect, programmatically, with other applications.

In short, an API is a set of protocols and standards that enable software applications to communicate with each other.

Using APIs, two or more systems can interact with each other, integrating one in the other in real-time, saving time and money, and providing much more accurate and up-to-date data.

The use of APIs can simplify investigation processes, eliminate data silos and cut down on repetitive work.

So why should we care about APIs?

Enhances your investigation experience

APIs are critical in the investigation and analysis process, primarily but not exclusively for data collection. We can use external tools via their APIs to integrate them into our existing workflows, or our extant investigation and analysis platforms to keep everything in one place.

For example, by integrating multiple email resolution tool APIs, we could query one email address simultaneously for results across a number of sources, and then have the results be automatically stored in our team’s database.

Our own internal sources and databases may have APIs as well, enabling us to interact with them programmatically by writing simple Python scripts.

High-performance technology

API integrations perform well in a number of ways.

Data can be moved between apps in milliseconds, so analysts can get the data they need at any time without serious limitations. In addition, we can receive our results in a structured JSON format, and run advanced queries automatically every given period of time.

Modern API connectors are easy to set up and manage. For instance, 3rd-party connectors can account for any changes to APIs over time without disrupting the integrations they’re used in. As an example, if one OSINT API adds a new platform, we wouldn’t have to go and manually reconfigure the API from scratch every time a new source is added.

Boosts analysts productivity

Without integration, your analysts likely switch between over a thousand applications on a daily basis; the Harvard Business Review estimates that employees waste nearly four hours each week switching between applications.

API integrations provide analysts with the data they need within the applications they use regularly. APIs can also empower analysts to query results received from other APIs, and even automate this process - cutting down on time drastically.

Analysts can get all the information needed about social media accounts by using an investigation platform with Vetric API (for example) rather than going to Twitter directly or opening other software.

Error-reducing

Forcing employees to copy and paste data between applications can lead to all kinds of issues, from inputting the wrong information to adding it to the wrong place. And while not every human error has significant repercussions, many do. For example it is possible for someone in the finance investigation team to enter the wrong amount in a transaction. This can completely change the course of an investigation.

Analysts can minimize downstream errors by avoiding copying and pasting error-prone data through API integrations by relying on programmatic responses, which never have spelling or other human errors.