Customer story: Novicell.com opted for Enterspeed to create a decoupled, headless API

When international digital consultancy Novicell had to choose a composition layer to enable a headless API, they decided on Enterspeed. But Novicell not only chose Enterspeed for their own global website on Novicell.com. They’ve also suggested and implemented it on several customer projects requiring composability.

–  Middle layers are complicated software. It’s immensely expensive to build something that can achieve what the best off-the-shelf products already offer. Not to forget the many, many resources it takes to maintain it, upgrade it, and expand it.

Those are the words of Mikkel Keller, Head of Development in Novicell UK and widely respected industry expert on composable architecture and MACH.

The route to a headless API

Novicell UK led the development of a unified Novicell.com website for all Novicell country locations. From the get-go, it was important to Mikkel Keller and his team to build a flexible, headless architecture that’ll allow them to build and scale the frontend and the backend separately.

 –  While we don’t have a complex infrastructure with lots of backend sources or destinations, we did want to build headless, and we wanted to minimise dependency on our CMS, Mikkel Keller explains.

And to enable that, they chose Enterspeed.

– It came down to a choice between Enterspeed or custom code. And honestly, there aren't compelling reasons to opt for custom development when you can readily access a well-documented out-of-the-box solution that fulfils your requirements. Developing a middle layer consumes significant resources, and ongoing maintenance requires allocating additional resources. Documentation is also time-consuming, and that time is better invested elsewhere, he says.

By ingesting their data into Enterspeed and replicating the API contract within it, they can attain scalability and flexibility to incorporate additional source systems that they wouldn't achieve natively without modifying the CMS implementation or the frontend.

– What makes Enterspeed exceptional is the ability to facilitate the transition from a CMS-based API to a new infrastructure while adhering to the established 'contract.' It is well-documented, well-maintained, and hosted, providing us with the headless API we’re looking for without any hidden costs, Mikkel Keller explains.

An enabler of composability and true headless

Novicell has worked on numerous customer projects involving multisource, composable platforms, and Mikkel Keller particularly recognises the relevance of Enterspeed in such contexts:

– Enterspeed is an enabler of composability. When an architecture involves several data sources or destinations, it makes sense to go True Headless and minimise dependency on the CMS. Enterspeed is the flexible, composable enabler that ensures that we can combine content from various sources in a user centric and integrated digital experience. The user experience should be smooth no matter where the content is served from. And that’s where Enterspeed excels.

Facts:

• Novicell has offices in Denmark, England, Spain, Norway, Sweden, and The Netherlands.
• novicell.com is their joint website with language variables.
• novicell.com chose Enterspeed to enable a headless API not dependent on the CMS.

For more info contact Enterspeed CTO Emil Rasmussen.