apiGrove application programming interface (API) management
engine to promote a standardized way of making networks more
programmable and drive creation of a new wave of valuable
services
Paris, September 6, 2012 - Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and
NYSE: ALU) today introduced an open source software engine,
called apiGrove, that
will enable companies to more effectively manage the
application programming interfaces (APIs) they use to expose
the capabilities of their cloud platforms, telecommunications
networks or enterprise infrastructure.
APIs enable data to flow easily between applications and
devices and provide access to the core network assets that
are critical for the creation of new services. apiGrove gives
companies an easy way to manage the APIs they use to make
their networks more programmable, supporting the development
of services for both internal operations and for delivery to
consumers and businesses.
Laura Merling, Senior Vice President, Application Enablement,
at Alcatel-Lucent said: "We've reached a point where basic
API exposure and management is 'table stakes' for doing
business in today's economy. Network exposure, through APIs,
is becoming a commodity. The future of the API ecosystem lies
in building on an open industry foundation and a holistic
approach that spans the network, cloud and enterprise/IT
spaces. We believe apiGrove gives our customers and the
community the foundation they need to make this a reality."
Laura discusses this topic further on her
blog post and she can be followed on twitter
@magicmerl.
The apiGrove installation package, source code, and
documentation are available effective immediately on the
open-source repository and collaboration tool GitHub under the
business-friendly Apache 2.0 license. The apiGrove software
is based on Alcatel-Lucent's
Open API Platform used by communications service
providers around the world.
Companies including Citrix Systems and Olliance Group have
expressed enthusiasm for this initiative.
Kevin Kluge, Vice President, Products, Citrix Systems said:
"This is a bold move by Alcatel-Lucent and an even
bigger deal for the API industry. They are making API
management readily available to everyone as an open source
project that will set the de facto standard for how APIs are
managed."
Andrew Aitken, Sr. Vice President, Olliance Group said:
"There's a collective momentum around open source in cloud
computing. This move by Alcatel-Lucent continues that
momentum, taking the API piece of the puzzle deeper into the
cloud computing and communications network infrastructure
stack. They're effectively doing to the enterprise API
market what RedHat did to the enterprise server
market."
One of the key benefits of the open source approach embodied
in apiGrove is that companies can contribute to the basic
apiGrove code, helping ensure that their particular
requirements are captured. As this open source initiative
moves forward, Alcatel-Lucent will continue in its role as
lead contributor to the project. API management remains a key
tenet of the company's Open API Platform and the company will
continue to make additional capabilities available as part of
Alcatel-Lucent's commercial API management offer. At the same
time, the company will actively support the efforts of
open-source software developers worldwide.
Ben Kepes, cloud evangelist, commentator and investor
from Diversity, Ltd. said: "Existing API vendors are focused,
by their very nature, on the technology of the API and hence
the business discussion is secondary. I envisage a future
where API delivery and management solutions are another
offering sitting on top of cloud infrastructure, such that an
API management function - say increasing a rate limit - can
be automatically adjusted in the same way that cloud
infrastructure scales. In order for this to happen the very
API platform needs to be constructed on its own open APIs,
allowing for clear hooks between it and other
platforms."
About apiGrove
apiGrove offers an unrivalled option for any company looking
to strengthen the management and utilization of their APIs,
enabling them to explore the benefits of API exposure with
little or no financial commitment. If a more robust platform
is required, clients can migrate to Alcatel-Lucent's
commercial Open API Platform solution or make their own
modifications to apiGrove to address their needs.
apiGrove lets businesses manage APIs at scale, while handling
access policies and security needed to protect critical
assets. apiGrove supports scalability through clustering,
load balancing and request routing. At the base of
apiGrove's security lies authentication and authorization,
injection detection, and certificate management. apiGrove
also includes metering features for rate limiting, quota
management, and generation of sophisticated transaction
records.
Alcatel-Lucent's Application Enablement Strategy: Driving API innovation
apiGrove supports Alcatel-Lucent's Application Enablement strategy, which brings value to communications service providers and enterprises by enabling them to transform their networks into platforms for innovation. apiGrove and the recently introduced Alcatel-Lucent API Life-Cycle Methodology, which supports service providers wherever they are in defining, designing and implementing their API strategy, are part of Alcatel-Lucent's expanding portfolio of assets, services and expertise that provide complete support for service providers and enterprises as they design and implement an API development strategy.
distributed by |