The proliferation of mobile tools and bring your own device policies is underscoring the importance of application programming interfaces (APIs) to businesses, developers, and solution providers. APIs deliver an array of benefits from simplified access to application functionality for developers and easier analytics to data portability and agile development. The IT infrastructure is quickly adopting APIs to fuel internal and commercial app development.
This growing demand is good news for Apigee, a provider of API technology and services for enterprises and developers. Its clients include eBay, Netflix, and Gilte Group. Greg Brail, chief technology officer of Apigee, told me that it offers developers a cloud-hosted solution and on-site software that sits between the people who use the API and the team that produces it. And even though Apigee traditionally has focused on selling directly to large organizations, its sales model is evolving, he said.
Our bread and butter is API providers -- the direct enterprise sale -- from midsize to the largest companies in the world. They get everything from us, from actually buying the technology to helping make API a reality to consulting on our technology to general consulting. In some instances, we help them design their API, and in some cases, we help with their general API strategy.
Apigee has free services that helps companies analyze, test, and debug APIs. Its free API consoles help developers and solution providers work with and test APIs such as Twitter, Facebook, PayPal, and Salesforce. The fee-based Apigee Enterprise, available in on-premises or hosted varieties, includes security, scalability, compliance, mediation, analytics, policy management, and developer community tools.
Increasingly, enterprises want to build APIs that support employees' multiple mobile devices -- iPads, notebooks, Android and Apple smartphones, and now (perhaps) tablets from Google and Amazon. "The days of the corporate VPN are coming to a close," Brail said, and consumer devices like gaming systems are also becoming part of the collaborative communications mix.
Likewise, solution providers are more involved with APIs -- whether writing them for clients or developing them for internal use. Apigee works with general business and global solution providers, and Brail said some vertical market VARs could succeed in APIs, depending on the industry they target. Telecommunications companies, for example, are heavy API users. They are trying to discover ways to monetize their networks, and they want to empower companies to build apps on these networks.
A VAR in the telco market has a lot of places to go. Anyone involved in media or online video has APIs. I mean, it was interesting. One of our first sets of customers was involved in the email marketing industry. There were six or seven of them, and they all got an API. They were a fairly new industry. They didn't have a legacy system to deal with. I think the really interesting thing is when industries come together and build some standards. Telcos have come together already, and we're just starting to see travel APIs. We're just starting to see connected car APIs. I think APIs are going mainstream, but it's different in different industries.
For employees, APIs should deliver simplified processes. They're deceptively easy, Brail said, and IT or solution providers must delve deep into both API technologies and the enterprise's business challenge. "The challenge for the solution provider is to help the customer design an API strategy that works for them and then implement it." An insurance company may want to move from a terminal-based process to a claims process that employees complete via smartphone, tablet, or notebook by accessing an application from the office or the field. Benefits can include improved customer service, an expanded workforce, extension of the brand, more marketing exposure, and increased revenue, he said.
By developing APIs, IT departments and solution providers can empower their organizations to embrace mobile devices easily and productively, regardless of their vertical. Now that's a great way to keep business moving forward.
Alison Diana 7/9/2012 11:51:30 AM User Rank Blogger
Re: APIs and cloud base solutions
APIs really speed-up the development and adoption of applications, both internal and commercial. Internal IT houses and solution providers can benefit by writing APIs that address businesses' specific needs. And, of course, there are millions of commercial apps out there to choose from!
I feel its really dependent upon the organization and the data you are dealing with. Security should not be skimped on. However, I am sure at your non profit organization the costs of more important elements outweighs the benefits of installing additional security.
I agree. Unfortunately, in our case, funds were limited given the non-profit nature of the organization, so we had to skimp on certain things in certain areas. Security shouldn't be one area to skimp though, but management saw passcodes as "being safe enough."
I feel like depending upon the company that situation may or may not work. In some workplaces where security is of the utmost concern a passcode will not be enough. Furthermore, where security would most likely be breached is at home when the device isnt secured 24/7. Anything can happen.
All we did was have them sign a form acknowleding they have to setup a passcode and if they didn't have one already, we made them make a passcode before we would even hook their phones up to the network. Although it won't do a whole lot of they leave and take the passcode right off, but at least at that point, they are liable and can be punished accordingly if they disregard what they agreed to.
I completely agree the security is one of the most important aspects of the BYOD movement. BYOD is a great advantage because it allows users to use devices they are already comfortable with. However, with familiar personal devices can come more issues with security. For those of you who have deployed BYOD in the workplace is it costly to deploy security software or does a simple passcode work?
Security is certainly one of the most important aspects of the BYOD movement. Fortunately, many devices support support security capabilities. I remember when I worked at a Hospice we allowed BYOD but each employee who did so, had to setup a lock on their device that was password protected.
Another area that gets to be a royal pain for both employer and employee is how to go about being reimbursed for those BYOD's because most users aren't going to be happy having to use their own devices, data and voice plans, etc. without being reimbursed to a certain extent.
We had a pretty straight forward policy: If the user wished to use their own device, they would get $50 a month regardless of how much they actually used it. Of course, you can imagine that just about everyone signed up to get the $50 but it came at a cost in which they were more or less available 24x7 and if they weren't, they would hear about it from the powers that were.
Having APIs available makes everything much more easier, companies can actually transform their custom applications and utilized functionalities available in the cloud base solutions seamlessly. They do not have to re-write all these capabilities into their custom code base.
I am glad that companies like Apigee are working to help make BYOD more available. I personally support BYOD, even though VPNs are not a bad thing. I just think that it will allow employees to feel more confident if they work on a device that they already know how it works. However, I will admit that it does bring issues such as a security threat (much like what HUB Support pointed out)-even though companies are working hard to prevent that already.
Alison Diana 6/29/2012 4:07:29 PM User Rank Blogger
Re: Death knell for the corporate VPN
Ah yes, the VPN: Source of connectivity and much employee angst over the years. As you say, HUB Support, APIs will change the face of corporate connectivity -- and no doubt there are malware creators busily trying to figure their way through these systems. Strong, agile, and efficient security will be critical to the ongoing success of APIs.
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