Integration Discussions and Vendor Strategies

API Management promises a nirvana of exposing data using well-known and simple techniques. Vendors focus on how easy it is to create the APIs and nearly always mention security as part of the API Lifecycle. Yet, we've all seen the headlines screaming the latest security breach so, what does Security really mean when it comes to API Management? In this post I try to differentiate the basic policies that all vendors discuss from the many other attack vectors that we need to be aware of.

Kubernetes - a skills issue Although the offerings I'm about to discuss are different, they're interesting enough to explore more closely. Both IBM and MuleSoft are claiming that the reason for implementing their solutions is because they perceive a lack of skills in containers and Kubernetes.

When I first joined Lightwell I was struck by how everyone discusses "on-boarding". What was this magical and mystical thing? Why was it discussed in such reverential tones? Having analysed this further I'm still a little mystified as to why the hush tones but I'll put a few words down here about what I consider on-boarding to consist of and why it's as much a human process as a technical challenge.

Last year I discussed how I saw the evolution of APIs and EDI evolving.  I'm going to grow that argument here to say that agile methodologies have more to do with API management's current proliferation than the usurping of EDI.

"App Connect" ring any bells at all? In case it doesn’t, App Connect is an  IBM integration  product suite released a couple of years ago. Now, IBM has announced that IBM Integration Bus (IIB) V11.0 is  now IBM App Connect Enterprise    There's more to this than just a renaming of IIB—IBM has added in some IBM WebSphere Cast Iron capabilities and they've created a new  IIB  GUI as well. In this blog entry I’ll go through these changes and look at what it means in the long-term.