Consider the following scenario. You’re a managed service provider that leverages a mix of RMM (remote monitoring and management), PSA (professional services automation), storage and security services software. Now, you want to tie all of those applications together. With that goal in mind, vendors are promoting APIs (application programming interfaces) to their platforms. But are all APIs created equally?
Frankly, I don’t know.
But I do know this: The MSP software provider with the best API strategy could emerge as the Windows of managed services — ubiquitous, and sitting at the center of an emerging software market.
History shows APIs are critically important to the direction of software industries. In the 1990s, Microsoft’s Win32 API attracted thousands of developers and allowed Windows to cement Microsoft’s dominant position in the operating system market. IBM’s OS/2, Novell NetWare and other operating systems all imploded for a number of reasons — but the number one reason in my mind was lack of native, easily written third-party applications. (Anybody else remember horrid NetWare Loadable Modules?)
Managed Services APIs: Six Questions Worth Asking
Now, the API wars are coming to the managed services software market.
Here are six API-related questions I’d ask an MSP software provider before making a platform decision:
1. How many third party applications plug into your platform TODAY, and which ones?
2. What about emerging markets, like managed print services or hosted applications like Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS)? Is there a way to easily monitor new and emerging platforms through open APIs? Or are there alternative approaches for such monitoring?
3. Are applications “certified” to integrate with your platform, and how does that certification process work?
4. Let’s take the following scenario: I want to integrate RMM software with PSA software.
- Is the PSA software provider writing to the RMM company’s APIs?
- Or is the RMM company writing to the PSA company’s APIs?
- Or is it both? Why?
5. Do you have a software development kit for your platform, so that I can write (and perhaps even sell) applications that plug into your platform?
6. How does your API strategy differ from the competition?
Did I miss any questions? Am I overstating the importance of APIs? I’m all ears.
Food for Thought
I’ve been thinking about the Managed Services API wars for about two years now. And I’ve blogged a bit about it before. But since I don’t actually “use” MSP software, it’s impossible for me to point readers to the “best” API strategy.
I decided to raise the API topic again for three reasons. ConnectWise created some buzz on its Twitter feed about a week ago, talking about growing momentum around its API strategy. Then, Zenith Infotech CEO Akash Saraf called me this week to discuss Zenith’s accelerating API work. And if you rewind to the Autotask Community Live conference in March, MSPs took the stage and talked about the widgets they were writing for Autotask’s SaaS software.
Winner Take All?
I realize virtually all MSP software companies now have API strategies. But to repeat my key point: The company with the best API strategy could emerge as the Windows of managed services — ubiquitous, and sitting at the center of an emerging software market.
I hope the questions above help you make more informed buying decisions. And if you think there are additional API questions MSPs need to raise, please share your thoughts.
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Posted In: On Premise | Professional Services Automation (PSA) | Remote Monitoring & Management Software | Software as a Service and Hardware as a Service
Tags: Autotask APIs | Autotask Community Live! | ConnectWise APIs | Managed Services APIs | Managed Services Application Programming Interfaces | MSP Software
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With regards to question #4 and integrating RMM and PSA data. The responsibility for integrating them lies with whichever vendor is trying to aggregate the data. The one providing the data to be aggregated should only be responsible for making the data readily available. Ultimately, I would prefer to see a third party provide a universal dashboard, rather than rely on one of the existing MSP software vendors do it.
Jim, Readers: An apology… I accidentally deleted some comments on this items plus other site comments on Saturday morning. Manual error on my part. We’re trying to recover the comments and re-post them. We’ll keep you updated on our progress.
Jim: Which “third party” would you like to see in the market offering a dashboard? Is there an opportunity here for a start-up to provide that universal dashboard?
No worries, Joe. You didn’t lose MY comment.
I think there is a unique opportunity for a startup–but the dashboard is only a part of it. What about alert aggregation? Every tool or service an MSP uses throws off alerts. Each has its own notification lists, notification windows, etc, etc. Managing this is a royal pain. It would be natural fit for the dashboard provider to centrally manage alerts as well.
Level Platforms goal is to “See all, Manage all” implying a central management dashboard for all technologies. We have built integration points with over 350 products and recently announced support for SaaS and Cloud Services reflecting the fact that managing PCs and Servers now represents a declining part of the MSP opportunity. Our goal in all cases is to leverage standards and the rapidly growing built-in manageability features offered from vendors rather than compete with them using proprietary management agents.
On the related point of RMM and PSA products, we have opted for as deep and seamless integration as possible on the theory that nobody really cares who does what as long as it works. With this in mind, Level Platforms has established deep two-way integration with Autotask, ConnectWise, Microsoft CRM, Solutions 360, TigerPaw, and others including many NOC help desk tools (alphabetically listed to confirm our 100% commitment to providing choice). In addition, our APIs support full multiple synchronization among all of these so that MSPs can collaborate with each other and other service providers including their NOC of choice without concern for the PSA tools they happen to use. And while our dashboard is comprehensive, many MSPs work with their PSA as their main application, a practice we fully support and encourage.
Peter Sandiford
http://www.levelplatforms.com
Hi, my name is Brittny, and I am a student at El Camino College. I was wondering where you got the picture of the man standing on the puzzle pieces. The picture that is on the article titled-Managed Services APIs: Six Questions You Need to Ask, Posted June 18th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri. I am doing a school assignment, and I could really use that picture in one of my assignments, but I wanted to make sure I get legal rights first. My assignment is Due November 2, 2009, so if you could get back to me before then, that would be great.
Thanks!
Hi Brittny: Thanks for the note. Feel free to send me an email (joe [at] NineLivesMediaInc.com) and we can dig up the art source for you.