API

Photo courtesy of Asigra.com

The term “big data” continues to make headlines across the tech and business worlds, but what is it exactly and how can it help companies reach their full potential?

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Here at Mashery, we’ve seen firsthand the proliferation of hackathons around the world.  There is no question to the tremendous value it presents to the API space for enterprise, startups, and the developer community.  The transition of an idea into an app can be a difficult process, especially when solving a complex problem. Hackers deserve tremendous credit for meeting this challenge and continuing to redefine how digital innovation will change the industry.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about an API strategy specific to enterprise needs.  The strategy discussed in that post is one of dividing data into tiers.  Large companies have virtual landfills full of data, but not all company data is the same.  Some is public, some is for customers only and some is for internal use only.  The API strategy should reflect that.  It should have different tiers that are meant for different users.

The journey of Netflix from DVD rental service to video streaming platform and ultimately API powerhouse is a timeless and instructive story of adaptability.

From humble beginnings, Netflix’s API skyrocketed and has remained strong even through the company’s difficulties. By continuing to strengthen its API strategy, Netflix can only increase its momentum going forward.

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We are clearly far past the point of having to explain the benefits of API management and services, but there are still specific aspects where more attention is merited. In particular, partners.

In 2013, Learning how to enable your business with APIs is a common theme among enterprise IT departments and also among business. Enterprises are seeing that the current state of SOA Governance is headed towards extinction. These enterprises face a new kind of tension: the app and API economies on the one hand, where enterprises drive new revenue streams by (gulp) publishing corporate data APIs for third-party developers to use, and SOA on the other, where tight governance is the name of the game. But the loose coupling in RESTful web services forces a discipline all its own.

Here at Mashery, we believe in the transformative nature of APIs.  We hear from our customers and partners every day about the power of APIs to build new business models, new partnerships and new channels.  This fall, our Business of APIs (BAPI) conferences, gave us the opportunity to highlight our customers and how APIs transformed their business. 

ESPN and Cisco provided great examples. Summaries of their presentations are below, but I encourage you to watch the videos in their entirety (links below). 

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Healthcare has been a popular topic in the past few years.  A lot of attention has gone into legislation and how we can improve our ailing healthcare system.  While the fights over laws have gone on, innovators in the medical device space have made leaps and bounds, making healthcare more accessible to individuals.

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The Internet is rapidly transforming everyday objects like refrigerators, thermostats and even cars into super-connected machines. As the offline world moves online, this “Internet of Things” (IoT) is starting to revolutionize the way humans and machines interact.

Large companies have been a part of the API game from the start.  Ebay and Amazon have had APIs since the early 2000’s.  And now, more and more enterprises are developing API programs.   Large companies in industries as varied as retail (BestBuy), hardware (Cisco) and distribution (Coca-Cola Enterprises) are all creating successful API programs. 

2013 looks like it’s going to be a good year for APIs. Beyond Google, Facebook and Twitter, companies in the travel industry are beginning to recognize the benefits of conducting business via APIs.

Last week, Room 77, a hotel booking startup, provided yet more proof that API-based collaboration can generate massive and mutually beneficial ROIs.

There are over 8,300 APIs out there today and the number keeps growing.

After several days of eating your grandmother’s chocolate covered, sugar coated butter cookies, you may decide it’s time to hit the gym. Although… don’t you deserve another cookie just for thinking about getting off the couch?

If your dieting resolve tends to waver around triple-decker fudge bars and marshmallow cream pies, don’t worry. These mobile apps can help you stick by your New Year’s resolution no matter what goal you want to accomplish.

Carrots and Sticks

My first Mashery recruiting assignment came last year. When recruiting for an expansion stage technology startup that provides a product that most people aren't entirely sure of, you need to be tremendously compelling in your first message.  This was challenging because I always found myself first having to explain what an API was and then why an API management solution was so important.