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API Management for Telcos

The Opportunity: Building a Successful Business Using APIs

 

The value and necessity of open APIs is clear in all industries and with initiatives like GSMA’s OneAPI, telcos have begun to adopt a low-friction model for third-party developer engagement. However, this is only part of the story and a successful API business needs to address multiple constituencies across internal users, partners, enterprises and the long tail.

To effectively serve each of these constituencies, a carrier’s platform must be inherently flexible – a quality lacking in many existing implementations. There are many new services available in telco networks that demonstrate unique value for applications. Bringing these services to market quickly will prove essential for success.

 

The Layer 7 Solution: A Common Access Point for APIs

 

Layer 7’s API Management Suite provides a bridge between legacy systems and new applications, by acting as a hub of API connectivity. This means that new APIs, composite services and orchestrated business processes can be constructed quickly through configuration and the visual policy editor in Layer 7’s API Proxy and other SecureSpan API Gateways. 

SecureSpan Gateways can be used to:

  • Integrate with legacy platforms to expose RESTful APIs
  • Enable flexible security and policy enforcement
  • Provide a one-stop shop for APIs across wireline, wireless, IPTV, M2M and cloud networks

Benefits of SecureSpan Gateways include:

  • Flexible Integration
 
    Support for data processing across API, enterprise and telco protocols
  • Secure Connectivity
 
    State-of-the-art cryptography and access management features
  • Traffic Control
 
    Policy management, instance-aware routing, and detailed traffic monitoring
  • High Scalability 

    Optimized message processing for high concurrency and low latency
  • OneAPI & NSGI Support
 
    Seamless integration, translation and proxy of GSMA OneAPI and OMA NGSI/NetAPI network services

For a complete telecommunications solution, the API Management Suite delivers a range of API Gateway and developer management products:

  • SecureSpan API Proxy 

    To securely expose network services and enterprise application functionality as APIs and to manage API service levels
  • API Portal 

    To manage developers building applications that leverage telco services and to provide these developers with the information they need to make effective use of APIs
  • OAuth Toolkit 

    To configure access-control policies that are fit for M2M and mobile apps and able to leverage backend infrastructure
  • Enterprise Service Manager
 
    To provide a deployment and configuration management platform for the Gateway and to deliver API-oriented monitoring and management
 

Learn more about the API Management Suite >>

 

In addition, Layer 7 provides all the support services required to successfully launch an API program, attract developers and support application development, via the API Academy. Services include:

  • API Design & Architecture Boot Camp
  • API Strategy Consulting Services
  • Hackathon Promotion & Management Services