API strategy

It has been a busy year for API Management with lots of new players and new types of API products. What does it mean for APIs going into 2013? 

As a larger cross-section of businesses see the value of APIs, API management platforms will become even more important. Imperative to any API Management effort are five areas: design, documentation, analytics, access and uptime.

While attending my first Business of API’s Conference in New York City, one of the key points that stuck with me was the idea of your API being a Product.

This concept is changing the way companies in all industries think and act. Normally, companies see their API’s as an extension and support for their product, but a new wave of thinking has come about that is rapidly changing the business playing field.

Today we are announcing our new version of the Mashery API Management platform and a reseller partnership with Intel.  Intel will be offering the Mashery portal, analytics and developer management tools, optional access to the developer network and our strategy services and developer outreach teams. Our press release is below.

 Mashery Accelerates the Extensible Enterprise with Full API Management for Web Service Technology Environments;

Here at Mashery, we clearly talk about APIs all the time.  While US-based companies make notable moves in the API space, there is a whole world out there beyond our borders.  All over the world, companies are opening up and exposing their data and services to spread their brand for an international audiences. 

There has been a lot of talk about how technology can change the way we think about education.  Bill Gates often talks about technology and education coming together to change the way we teach and learn. Neither technology nor education are going anywhere, so the question really is, how will they come together to make learning and teaching more cost effective and more successful.

In July 2011, the Poynter Institute, the go-to resource for breeding the next generation of journalists and other media creatures, took on the task of telling its audience about the birds and the bees.

With the economy (hopefully) starting to gain steam, hotels are starting to see some relief. Prices have been creeping back up over the last few years after the lows of 2008-2009. But hotel owners and managers still face the basic business dilemma – how do you get more revenue? The answer is obvious: fill more rooms! But how you fill those rooms is also important.

As you're packing for this week's Shop.org Annual Summit, it's useful to keep in mind how digitizing the retail experience for your business's consumers via APIs can really make your business stand out as an innovative and more influential player in the retail space. To help keep things in perspective before the show, we'll use Best Buy as a case-in-point example for how a traditionally brick-and-mortar store transformed its business model into one that has proven great success in this post-website era.

THE PROBLEM

If an API never really launched, will anybody notice when it’s withdrawn? In the case of the Google Weather API, at least, the answer is a quiet yes.

As our modern-day society evolves into a more interconnected ecosystem via ubiquitous Internet connectivity and the adoption of diverse device usage, we are also noticing that there is growing demand for quality developers and programmers. This trend of a more forward-thinking digital society has driven companies to not only realize, but also prioritize developments in creating faster, more efficient and user-friendly digital services and applications.

Some of my favorite stories emerging from the app economy are those of apps that actually created platforms. In most cases, these platforms emerge from vision and strategy where the backend driving the app can and should be available to serve a larger ecosystem. The following stories are of companies that saw the potential of their functionality beyond their own successful apps.

Functionality infusion with Sincerely

At this moment, we’re in the thick of the U.S. presidential election season—the Republican nominating convention is about to start and the Democratic one is just around the corner. Only a few weeks ago, the world was abuzz with the London Olympics, and now many of us are thinking about Labor Day, Back to School, NFL games, elections, and on to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, into the holidays.

Friday we reflected on multichannel expansion as a key business driver for retailers at eTail Boston this month, by comparing it to the technology recommendations of the analyst community. One fantastic point that Brian Walker touches on in his talk is that businesses in general cannot keep up with all of the emerging digital touch points in today’s market. Retailers are looking for strategies to reach customers across the rapidly growing array of channels most consumers touch daily: mobile, social, word of mouth, as well as traditional Web and traditional channels.

So, why APIs? For retailers, the answer is in your pocket. When was the last time you used a shopping app while inside a store? Or made a “spur of the moment” online purchase? Back in February, Forrester analyst Brian Walker laid this logic on retailers at eTail Palm Springs (Optimizing Your Business for the Era of Agile Commerce) in a message to retailers that: you have to go slow, to go fast.

Less than a decade ago, we were limited to accessing the Internet via a monitor, keyboard and speakers overtaking our desks. Today, we view and engage with connected content by virtually every kind of device in our lives: our smartphones, tablets, television sets, even alarm clocks. At the heart of this ‘magic’ are the same engines that power our apps and websites of today: APIs.