API strategy & practice conference in NYC – Are you going?

Alright, I am sure you have heard this again and again but it’s worth saying it one more time. The first ever API strategy & practice conference is going be in NYC on Feb 21, 22 (http://www.apistrategyconference.com/). If you are just finding this out, it might be way too late for you to get in (But I will tweet anything interesting happening from inside 🙂 ).  There are 72 companies that are confirmed to participate and sending their API whiz kids, gurus, learners, teachers, procrastinators there to make a difference. Intel is proud to be a Gold sponsor to this event.

Yes, Intel. Not only does Intel do software, but they do it really well too. We have an outstanding API Manager that we released recently which will be showcased there. If you happen to attend this, please stop by my 2 speaking sessions/ panels.

Day 1: 2:20-3:30 – Track 3: API Security and Scalability

As APIs gain adoption they become ever more critical gateways to a company’s core business – ensuring access is secure and scalable are mission critical for your business. Presentations include:

1. Paul Madsen (@PingIdentity) of  Ping Identity
2. Mark O’Neil (@TheMarkONeill) of Vordel
3. Travis Reeder (@treeder) of Iron.io
4. Andy Thurai (@AndyThurai) of Intel
5. Discussion panel on the challenges and solutions for API Security and Scalability

 

The “Intel” on Intel is we do software!

Are you surprised? I start off most of my presentations/ conferences with the following question:

How many of you know that Intel ‘does’ Software?

Very few hands usually go up, and that is exactly the challenge I have today in getting the word out about other exciting developments that people wouldn’t normally associate with this technology juggernaut. And while the Silicon Valley behemoth often conjures up images of powering a plethora of devices (including phones too!), it’s Application Security & Identity Products division (ASIP), my unit, is quickly escaping the formidable shadow of the “mother ship” as it gains prominence in the world at large with Cloud, Application security, Identity and Tokenization software now being “top of mind”. Intel ASIP group is on the cutting edge of innovation in a myriad of ways with some very advanced technologies such as Cloud SSO, Cloud based Identity services, Identity Manager, OTP (One Time Password), Big Data, Analytics, API Gateway, Cloud Service Broker, Security Gateway, Mobile middleware and Security as a Service.

Every Intel commercial you see on TV, or through other media channels, usually promotes Intel chips as that is a core strength of ours. But I want you to be aware that we are far more than just chips. We are a leading edge technology company that constantly renews itself as well as its raison d’être. We hold more patents than almost anyone else in almost every field that we are in. And we employ an army of engineers in some of the largest research efforts in the world, with one of the largest research budgets.

There was a great article in Forbes not too long ago, about how Intel is one of the largest software companies in the world, that you’ve never heard about. Lead by our fearless leader, Renee James – SVP of Intel Software group, Intel recently announced Security as our third pillar. Our CEO Paul Otellini didn’t just stop there; he showed the world he meant it by acquiring McAfee soon after. However, we’ve also made some very key strategic acquisitions in software security and identity areas to strengthen our position. Those include, but are not limited to: McAfee, Nordic Edge, Sarvega, WindRiver… (a complete list can be seen on the Forbes link below or at Intel.com). This is consistent with our strategy. We continue to acquire and develop a lot more software/ security solutions with unwavering commitment.

You might be surprised to learn the following:

• Intel turbo-charges the Linux community by putting hundreds of full-time engineers to work on the free operating system.
• Intel’s tools helped Apple’s engineers move its Macintosh computers to Intel processors.
• Intel helped Google move into the Smartphone business.
• Maybe the company’s biggest software triumph has been its push into high-performance computing. Five of the ten fastest supercomputers in the world now run Intel’s chips.
• Intel has a solution that helps companies Tokenize their sensitive data.
• Intel’s Cloud Service Broker (CSB) and API Gateway solutions help companies seamlessly move their enterprise applications to the cloud.

Along these lines, Intel has been a pivotal partner on many projects that have helped to move the “proverbial needle” by developing tools, frameworks and enhancements – all of which often have gone unrecognized since the efforts are not branded with any kind of Intel logo.

With the acquisition of security software vendor McAfee last year, Intel became one of the world’s 10 largest software companies. – Forbes May 2012.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/briancaulfield/2012/05/09/intel-is-the-biggest-software-company-youve-never-heard-of/.

If you have time, I suggest you give our annual report a read. You’ll get a first-hand look at the contributions of the software division. They are impressive. Just from the numbers alone, we could easily be considered one of the largest software vendors in the world.

We, the software group of Intel, get access to information coming from advanced security labs of McAfee and extreme performance labs from Intel. This allows our software unit to understand what is coming down the road and architect solutions for the future. That is why when you choose Intel for any of the aforementioned products, the performance comparison numbers against our direct competitors our numbers are truly outstanding. If you have any questions about this, please give me a shout and I will demonstrate to you how awesome we really are.

A very familiar AllState commercial states “Are you in good hands?”, With Intel I can guarantee you are.

Social SOA with API Gateway

In a recent conversation with a large customer of ours, some interesting facts came to light. This blog is a recapitulation of the insights I got from that discussion. I’ll not only tell you how this customer is using our solution, but also, how it is helping them to take their online presence to the proverbial next level.

Our customer, an online university, is using our solution, as middleware – providing both security and data mediation functions, to push through SOAP & REST API transactions to the backend. They are processing about 18 million messages per day. Now think about that for a second. The number in itself is mind staggering. While most educational institutions use freeware middleware solutions due to being part of an ultra cost-conscious milieu, this University decided to use our solution to bring their presence to a whole new level – while still doing so in a completely cost effective fashion.

We also helped the University integrate with a home grown single sign-on solution fairly easily so they would not be forced to “rip and replace” all of their technology, unlike some of the implementation plans that would be thrust upon them by some of our competitors. We integrate with identity management systems, as well solutions that address governance, various registries ,and an array of monitoring solutions. For us, it’s never about pushing an entire stack to a customer. Instead we feel customers should have the latitude to choose a technology from a range of available options, consistent with a “best of breed approach.”

Though it initially started off as more of an academic security experiment for a University, our solution has been embraced much more widely and has grown into a solution that encompasses SSL offloading, XSLT transformation, service aggregation, and service mediation. In addition, our solution is being used to abstract the authentication layer to communicate with a custom authentication service. We provide the backbone of their social SOA.