Google Apigee Health Check Are you falling behind in your digital transformation journey? Achieve Internet and APIsec have partnered to help you achieve your API goals. Our Health Check service will give you a complete review of your Apigee environment, a security audit of your APIs, and detailed recommendations. Apigee Health Check Our team of Apigee experts will: Examine your Apigee platform, underlying infrastructure and developer tools Provide recommendations and best practices to improve security and efficiency Assist in the remediation of any critical issues discovered during our evaluation API Security Assessment With our partner, APIsec, we will: Perform an analysis of your critical APIs Create a suite of security tests tailored to your APIs and mapped to OWASP Top 10 Identify security vulnerabilities, business logic faults and access control issues Provide remediation details and guidance Benefits to Apigee Customers Gain a complete, detailed view of your Apigee landscape Ensure utilization of all features and tools of Apigee to secure your APIs Assess the security of your most critical APIs and identify vulnerabilities Identify Apigee updates and configuration improvements to avoid service disruption Provide expert guidance to improve operations (logging, CI/CD monitoring, reporting) Set up a complementary call to see how Achieve and Apisec can help you realize the full power of Apigee! Connect with us and we will bring our top engineers to a complementary initial call to see how our Health Check will be of value to your business. Let our many years of experience as a premier Apigee partner give you an Edge! Contact Us for More Info!

It Seems hard to imagine, but less than 3 weeks ago, the world-at-work was a completely different place. We had just signed on for a significant project effort with a client in the Midwest. All of our flights and hotels were booked for our content-packed, on-site kickoff meeting that we use to ignite momentum into the process of delivering a mission-critical platform. On the Friday before our Tuesday on-site, our client informed us that their campus was closed to all outside visitors, with no exceptions, due to the growing concerns surrounding what is now the Coronavirus worldwide pandemic. Additionally, we were told the project was still very much "on" and that we still needed to get things rolling as soon as possible to keep to a very aggressive timeline for go-live. So, what were we to do? After assessing the facts around what was happening in the world around us and the need to keep the project to the proposed schedule, we came up with a strategy to address all concerns. It was really rather simple, yet strategic in that we had always started these engagements on-site and felt clients valued the in-person interaction and ability to pivot conversations quickly to tailor to the most immediate needs. Being thrust into what is now being referred to as the "greatest work-from-home experiment in history" we broke our two days of eight-hour marathon sessions into easily digestible two-hour virtual meeting sessions spread over 4 days. This outcome of this format with a new-client wasn't entirely predictable, and being in-person is always more effective to build relationship trust and understand different personalities on the team (in my opinion, at least). Additionally, for those that are camera-shy, meetings online can be a distraction/hindrance to engagement that affects the productivity and effectiveness of the sessions due to a reluctance to be on-screen. What was the result? Fortunately, the client resources and those leading the meetings from Achieve Internet were more than comfortable using online meeting tools for video conferencing at kickoff and throughout the working/whiteboarding sessions during the week. Personally, I was impressed on how efficient and effective we were in all of the sessions, and I think the unspoken "camera-on" rule and the 2-hour limit was a big reason for that. Individuals stayed engaged and it was easy to tell when virtual meeting glaze began to set in. We were able to get through all content in a shorter span than we usually do and always had time to dig deeper into some of the problem areas the client was experiencing. As a team we set a path toward successful delivery all while allowing people to do their "other jobs" when not in session. We were also able to tailor materials for the next session during our off-time and further improve the content and flow, as well as set the tone for future interaction where the virtual pop-in for questions and quick answers is now the norm and the project continues to track on a rapid path to completion. This is going to be the only path for client interaction for the foreseeable future, and these mission-critical projects are not going away for many organizations, but from a productivity perspective, we continue to see significant upside. Stay safe, stay indoors, and stay healthy!

Businesses develop APIs for a range of reasons. Not all of these involve monetizing the API, but many do. Here are some valuable steps for starting the monetization process. If your goal is to monetize your API, there are five critical questions you must answer first. 1. Users and Personas – Who will use your API and what capabilities does each type of user require? Using personas to identify your audience can help define the roles and the access needed for the different user types. For example, different market segments may only need to view a portion of your product line, but your partners and internal users may need more access or unlimited server calls. This is a good time to understand your unauthenticated user experience vs. users that have been identified with certain needs via SSO. This may also drive some decisions around self-serve revenue opportunities and the need to deliver a product that is invoiced or bundled. You will likely find that you have several types of users with different needs. Examples of user types include developers, business owners, existing customers, and new/prospective customers. In addition, you may have partners that need access to a subset of the API’s full functionality. These entities could include companies/organizations, universities, and participants in proof of concept trials. 2. Integrations – What integrations are needed to support the API? Most organizations have a current infrastructure that needs to be assessed for integration into this new commerce offering. Important integrations include: finance software such as Oracle, CRMs/Lead Generation software including Salesforce, gateways that are currently in use elsewhere and SSO solutions you currently use like OKTA. To avoid creating new silos of data and missed opportunities, you should create workflows to ensure proper integrations to these repositories, which enable you to add, edit and market to your users. Internal users may also need to bypass some of the commerce solutions, so getting the details right can save time down the line. 3. Pricing Models - How will users pay to use the API? There is a range of pricing models that can be used for API monetization. Options include; freemium, flat rate, access fee + variable cost, pricing per packet(pure variable), and bundling with other offerings. Most companies will find the need for more than one model to compliment current revenue models. For example, a partner may get limited access free of charge, while users that find the API products via search may need to enter a credit card via the commerce software. Bundling may also be appropriate for existing customers, particularly when there is a danger of cannibalizing successful revenue models already in place. If you are not certain about your pricing models up front, another option could be to use promotional codes that offer specific pricing for a limited time, or to a limited group of customers with maximum flexibility to make changes quickly. 4. Governance & Administration - Who will you run the processes you are establishing? Your API product supported by many internal processes that are supported by many teams. In order to deliver a quality product and experience, resources will be needed to maintain the API management software, the community, the content, the marketing, and the finance end of the solution. Mapping out workflows to fully understand the processes and resource requirements will help in building the solution as well as run it efficiently down the line. 5. Marketing & Promotion - How will you market and promote your API products? Lastly, this is a website just like any other. It’s also a product line. Working closely with the marketing team will impact the UI/UX as well as the integration into their toolkits. If you use Google Analytics or SiteCatalyst, a commerce plan for analytics should be modeled. Additionally, all customer notifications and communication touch points should be considered as a baseline. Specifically, for API revenue models, it is a good idea to discuss API guides, “try it” experiences and tutorials in addition to the documentation. This is also a good time to look at the user profile dashboard and tools. Do the product offerings require monitoring or advanced analytics for the customer? Are the API products complex and need additional education or live customer service tools? These can be rolled out in phase, but are good to discuss during planning. While the process is demanding, if monetizing your APIs is part of your digital transformation initiatives, these steps are a good, high-level start.

The Goal To support an ongoing push for digital transformation, Anthem needed to build an API Portal that was easy to use for non-developers. The Challenge The developers in charge of the project struggled to merge the technical elements in the portal with the practical features required for widespread adoption. The Solution The Anthem team trusted Achieve Internet to build an API Portal that had all of the necessary functionality, in a very simple, user-friendly interface. The Impact The API Portal was no longer holding back their digital transformation, instead, it was a catalyst that propelled their API Program to increase adoption by over 30% The Goal: Building an API Portal for Everyone Health insurance giant, Anthem, Inc serves over 73 million people across the United States. Anthem is the largest for-profit managed health insurance company in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Providing data with other departments in multiple states can take months and cost millions of dollars every year in the highly regulated health insurance industry. Anthem wanted to create an API Portal to support their digital transformation effort across the organization. Their internal team had already built what was essentially a document repository, but they wanted to build a truly API-first ecosystem that would be accessible to all members of their team and partners. The Challenge: Simplifying a Complex Portal The developers in charge of the project struggled to merge the technical elements in the portal with the practical features required to make it easier to use. Building a portal while ensuring compliance with the HIPAA laws and governance of the larger organization required a very unique skill set that the current dev team was lacking. Initially, the team set out to build their API portal in-house, but what resulted was essentially a document repository that was effective for developers, but failed to extend its accessibility to a wider audience. Without a user-friendly interface, the portal was not practical for widespread adoption - so another option was required to get the project to the finish line. The Solution: Building an API Portal for Everyone Anthem brought in the Achieve Internet team to build an API Portal with all of the functionality they needed to support their business goals, including automated access to data, and ease-of-use for all of their partners. The solution was straightforward - but often easier said than done: make it simple. The new API Portal powered by APIboost was built with a focus on navigation, clarity, and ease of use. Some of the specific functionality added to the API Portal includes: Enhancement of user experience through iconography and imagery for easy navigation Custom tab structures to delineate functionality and content Analytics for enhanced administrative controls that drive better business decisions The Anthem portal built with Achieve was not only user-friendly but still managed to maintain compliance with the incredibly strict guidelines associated with the health insurance world. The Impact: Increased Adoption of the API Program by over 30% Anthem’s API Portal was no longer holding back its digital transformation strategy. Instead, it was a catalyst that propelled their API program to the next level. The clear documentation and usability of the API Portal drove better adoption across the organization by over 30%. Automating access to data, simplifying design elements, and making the user experience easier ultimately helped Anthem adopt an API-first ecosystem. Many businesses are turning to platforms like Apiboost to help them build a powerful API Portal to transform their APIs into API Products. Achieve Internet is Apiboost's premier agency partner, which has vast experience implementing Apiboost and building bespoke developer portals and API portals using Apiboost as a foundation. Apiboost is a true extension of that expertise - not just an add-on. This, along with our partnership with API management vendors like Apigee, makes Apiboost a superior alternative to others on the market. Ready to take on the digital transformation of your APIs? Reach out to us today for a free consultation.

The Goal StubHub wanted to make their client portal more user-friendly, streamline the client journey, and enhance user engagement. The Challenge StubHub lacked system cohesion in their developer environment which resulted in inefficiencies both for the user and the customer. The Solution Together, StubHub and Achieve Internet built a developer portal that serves as a "one-stop shop" for all previous external systems. The Impact The new API Portal served to improve StubHub’s team collaboration and workflows, enhance the user experience, and create a rich environment for developers and external users to engage with the brand. The Goal: Boosting Engagement Across the Board StubHub is one of the largest online ticket exchange companies, providing services for both buyers and sellers of tickets to sporting events, concerts, and entertainment. They see over 16 million unique page views and service 10 million live shows per month. StubHub wanted to make their client portal more user-friendly, streamline the client journey, and enhance user engagement. Making their developer portal user-friendly for all of their clients was another target for their new portal. It was important to categorize clients based on their needs & requirements. Depending on their needs, some users may only require access to simpler tasks or trials, while others may require access to more advanced products and documentation. Finally, they wanted their new API portal to mirror their brand. The old developer portal design lacked character, and there was no focus on user engagement. The Challenge: Working With Too Many Data Sources The team at StubHub was using products, processes, websites, and systems outside of their organization. This created a lack of system cohesiveness in their developer environment which promoted inefficiencies to both the user and the customer journey. StubHub wanted access to all of these systems on one single platform to streamline the journey for their clients and partners. Building a developer portal that brought together all of these different products and resources was a challenge because with so many different tools being used, it required expertise in all of them to pull and adapt the data flow. The Solution: Bringing It All Together StubHub and Achieve Internet’s experts worked together to create a single API portal that brought all their external systems together. Achieve Internet implemented custom tiered level management for its customers. The access levels that customers have now are based on their individual needs: new clients have access to standard products, and as they grow, they can upgrade to higher level products, while current and larger clients can upgrade to new products. Achieve Internet applied StubHub’s branding throughout their API portal by working closely with StubHub’s designer to ensure their message was consistent with the overall brand. The Impact: A Fully Functional All-In One Portal Partnering with Achieve Internet, StubHub was able to bring everything in-house, creating a better, more personalized experience for everyone involved. StubHub's team collaboration increased with streamlined processes and led to a dramatic improvement in workflow. As a result of Achieve Internet's expertise, StubHub now has a ‘one stop shop’ for all the previous external systems used by the company.