This presentation explores how the WSO2 API Manager platform is leveraged by Proximus to enable API-based digital product offerings towards its customers, partners, and more. Also included is an overview of how WSO2 overcame many challenges and is now the API management platform of choice at Proximus.
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Proximus PLC
● The largest telco in Belgium, headquartered in Brussels.
● Established in 1930 (name: RTT)
“Belgium's national telegraph and telephone company”
● 14K employees
● Revenue EUR 6B (~ GBP 5.3B)
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Many Consumers & Many Providers …
Service 1
Provider
Service 2
Service 3
Service n..
Consumer 2
Consumer n
Consumer 1
Consumer 3
Consumer 4
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Many functionally-different services…
Application
Ordering
Application
ApplicationApplication
Application
Sales
Application
ApplicationApplication
High Level
Problem
Example
Application
Repair, etc..
Application
ApplicationApplication
Application
Provisioning
Application
ApplicationApplication
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Core Idea
“..to stop thinking only in terms of systems
with ad-hoc customizations and integration mechanisms,
but instead build reusable, functionally shaped building blocks
that are loosely coupled and not overlapping
with specific technologies that we will compose
to create digital solutions..”
Result: higher quality and agility at lower cost
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Functional Domain
Each capability must be..
- Subject-matter expert (master of associated data)
- Mutually exclusive
- Unique and independent
- Self-contained
- Well-defined
- Abstract (from the organization)
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Structured Approach
● Simplification
○ Our APIs have simpler lifecycles than the existing SOA services
● Empowerment
○ Product teams have more control
● Agility
○ Self-service
○ Powerful yet simpler processes & release cycles
● Collaboration
○ Organisational change
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Coping With Change
“Bimodal” is a strategy of coping with change.
“Mode 1 and mode 2 are not separate groups of people,
separate departments, or separate subdivision of the company,
they are cycles.” -Gartner
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Bimodal Approach
Mode 1 Mode 2
• Marathon Runners
• More conservative and potentially more
powerful
• Protect and sustain the core business
• Is traditional, emphasizing safety and
accuracy. (rigorous: analysis, planning,
detail..)
• It is not devoid of agility.
• IT-centric, removed from customer
• Tries to control the unknown
• Business engagement is linear
• Enterprise suppliers, long-term deals
• Sprinters
• Potentially more disruptive
• Tasked with the design and
implementation of evolving strategy
• Is exploratory, emphasizing agility and
speed.
• Uncertainty is the norm, not the
exception
• Need to react and respond to things that
emerge, as and when they emerge
• Business-centric, close to customer
• Senses and Responds to Change
• Business Engagement Is Clustered
• Small, new vendors, short-term deals
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Bimodal Approach
● Mode 1
○ Internal APIs & existing SOA Services
■ Less frequent changes
■ Stricter governance
■ Internal domain model
● Mode 2
○ External APIs (and more recently, Internal APIs as well..)
■ Agile, adaptable to changing environment
■ Digital products
■ Strong security focus
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Key principles
● No domain-model dumping
● Design for loose coupling
○ Favour vendor-neutral industry standards (& frameworks & protocols)
■ eg: O-Auth2, REST, XACML, SID..
● Smart endpoints and dumb pipes
■ eg: avoid business logic in a centralised middleware
● Security should be configured not coded
● Avoid getting cut by trailing behind the bleeding edge
● Cloud native
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Sean Kelly
● Began professional career in 2000
● Past experience (specific to the UK) include
○ Centrica/British Gas (Solihull, West Midlands)
○ Sony (Basingstoke, Hampshire)
○ Philips (London)
● Middleware Architect @ Proximus in Belgium