APIs have risen exponentially with over 9000 public APIs in use. Enterprises are adopting APIs in a big way making it a core component of their cloud, mobility and social strategy. Learn why having an API strategy is crucial for a product manager.

1. Some facts on APIs
PublicAPIs haveincreasedexponentially13 times
since 2007.Thisis onlyatip of theiceberg.
Source:Programmable Web

2. More facts on APIs
In5 years,86.5%of largecompanieswill haveAPI
programs
Source:Layer 7

3. Your API
is
Your Product

4. @arocks
arunrocks.com
Hi!

5. Introductionto API
SMACForces
Business
Benefits
Success
Stories
Coming
Revolution
Business
Models
API Product
Manager
Fin
Hi!
Casestudy
Questions

6. ImFit
ImmersiveFitness

7. ImFit
Howitworks
ImFitAPI
JSON/XML
REST
Django/
Rails/
Node.js

8. API – déjà vu?
ApplicationProgrammingInterface

9. What is an API?
An API(oraservice)isa businesscapability
deliveredoverthe Internetto internalor external
consumers, insimple terms a contract
Keyfeatures:
• Networkaccessible function
• Availableusingstandard web protocols
• Withwell-defined interfaces
• Designedfor access by third-parties

10. What will be the connected
mobile and Internet of Things
powered by?

11. APIs helpsyou to deliver an
experiencerather than
supporta device.

12. GartnerNexusof Forces
APIs
Social
Mobile
Cloud
“Web APIs are emerging as a way for organizations to deal with the mobile,
social, cloud and big data nexus of forces”
- Gartner
Big
Data

13. API Success Stories
faberNovel,6 Reasons Why APIs Are Reshaping Your Business, November 2012.
“90%ofwhatwedois
businessthrough APIs”
Save9Billionannually by
notneedingadditional
salesforce
Saves1Billionannually
throughathriving
ecosystemofdevices
7millionwebsitesandapps
useFacebookConnect
Saved$1milliondeveloping
20applicationsoverAPI
APIswouldplayamajor
partintheforthcoming
digitalstrategy

14. What are API’sbusiness benefits?
• APIs allow companies to open their resources in a secureand
controlledway while bringing them closer to their customers
• Create radically new business models and revenue streams
• Opens new distribution channels like Smartphone, Tablet, Game
consoles or SmartTV ; extending your reach
• Foster innovation by exposing some of their resources and
promoting co-creation
• Opens up possibilities for new partnerships at a low marginal
cost
• Adds agility andflexibility to internalprocesses
faberNovel,6 Reasons Why APIs Are Reshaping Your Business, November 2012.

15. In the 90’s youcouldn’t
do withouta website;
today you can’tdo
without an API!

16. What Business Problems does API
Address?MonetizationChallenge
– “How do I actually perform investment re-capture activities?”
– “Once I offer an API, what should be theshow-back, charge-back mechanism?”
GovernanceChallenge
– “Who is consuming APIs and services?”
– “How APIs and services are being used?”
IT InvestmentChallenge
– “Meet SLAs with business units with consistent QoS”
– “How can I improve developer adoption and reuse of services?”
BudgetingChallenge
– “Can I get early returns versus long running SOA projects?”
SecurityChallenges
– “Can I built an App store-like marketplace for trusted access and self-discovery?”
OperationalChallenge
– “How can I track the usage of various services across the organization?”

17. Ignore the man behind the curtain
• RESTwon theprotocolwars and isthe API protocolof choice
• XML orJSON wouldbe the data formats of choice
… +goodideas from WWW

18. Facebook Growth and API
Facebook Connectis a set of APIsfrom Facebook that marks an inflectionpoint


19. The API Leaders

20. Glaring omissions: SOA Software and ProgrammableWeb

21. Tremendous interest in API leaders
• (Apr 17) MasheryIs Selling To IntelFor More Than $180M
• (Apr 22)CA Technologies,snatched up Layer7
• (Apr 23)MuleSoft buys ProgrammableWeb
• (Nov26) AxwayFinalises Acquisition of Vordel
• (Apr 24) 3Scaleannounced a new round of funding ($4.2mi)
2013

22. Even the Whitehouse has an API strategy
“Make Open Data, Content, and
Web APIs the New Default”

23. Am I missing
something?

24. The ComingAPI Revolution

25. It all started with this…
Jeff Bezon’s Big Mandate (2002):
1. All teams willhenceforth expose theirdata and functionalitythrough service
interfaces.
2. Teams must communicate witheach other through these interfaces.
3. Therewillbe noother form of interprocesscommunication allowed:no direct
linking,no directreads of another team's data store, no shared-memory model,
no back-doors whatsoever. The onlycommunication allowedis via service
interface callsoverthe network.
4. It doesn't matter whattechnologytheyuse. HTTP, Corba, Pubsub, custom
protocols-- doesn't matter. Bezos doesn't care.
5. All serviceinterfaces, withoutexception,must be designedfrom the ground up to
be externalizable.That istosay, the team must planand designtobeable to
exposethe interface to developersinthe outside world.No exceptions.
6. Anyone who doesn't dothis willbefired.
7. Thank you; have a niceday!

26. 2002: Online bookstore
2005: Extensible API for entire
Infrastructure
2006: Initial beta of Amazon EC2
with API
2008: Amazon EC2 and EBS goes live
2013: Biggest Cloud Playerin the
world with 34 APIs and 400 mashups

28. Agile Powers API Revolution
• ContinuousImprovement
• LeanStartup
• Kanban
• SCRUM
In2000s,Agile
transformedProduct
Development
• API
• REST
• ServiceOrientation
• CloudComputing
In2013,Agilewill
transform Product
Architecture

29. Building a Successful
API

30. Building a Successful API
1. Determinethe business purposefortheAPI.
2. Understandthecost/benefitoutcomesforthe
business and intendedusers.
3. Agreeon thepriorityand delivery schedule for
theAPI.
4. Structure your business tosupportand
manage theAPI.

31. Building on your API success
• Realizingthatdevelopersareyour channel
• Beingrecombinantand easilymixed
• UnlockingyourlegacydataintoopenAPIs
• Drivingnewdata intoyoursystem viaopenAPIs
• Supportingyour applicationecosystem

32. API Business Models

33. API Business Models

34. What does an API
product manager do?

35. What does an API product manager do?
• SME and product expert forAPIor other products that are managed
• Deep understanding ofclient needsand market trends, through client
interaction and other market research
• Owning and creating theproduct strategy and roadmap
• Reviewingthe roadmap with key stakeholders
• Determiningproduct priorities,including new features and bug fixes
• Owning and creating the business/product requirements documentation
• Management of clientAPI integrations and pipeline
• Ownership ofAPIdocumentation (ie– developer’s site)
API Product
Manager
Front-end
Engineer
ClientAPI Engineer API Project
Manager

36. My API is My Product
• APIsexistedbut theywereinternaltoolscalled
SOAs
• Amazon popularizedthe conceptwhenthey
made theirinternaltoolsavailable to thepublic
• Turn YourAPIServiceintoa Product
• APIProductManagerMakestheMagicHappen

37. @arocks