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API Middlemen: How big companies will get linked in...
Having worked at one of the largest, and most tightly controlled, data repositories, it may be that I am biased. But, I see a clear role for a new breed of service companies to help facilitate the freeing up of large data assets in a manner that also works from a compliance & security (and, no doubt political) perspective. Not quite “middleware”, but rather ”middle service”…firms like Mashery, or widget application developers like JS-Kit, are needed to help provide a singular point of contact to the large data systems on the back-end and the rapid proto-typing, restful (and restless!) start-ups eager to mash-up the data and explore the “nooks & crannies” of various business models and ideas.
For example, one area that is desperately lacking is an “Affiliate Network” for application developers that includes not only affiliate payment commission tracking (and proper ad serving within the widgets) but also API key management and compliance monitoring. Commission Junction, Affiliate Fuel, are you listening? Banners ads are dead, long live the widgets!
One thing that also needs to be cleared, however, is ownership of the “platform” or connection technologies. Contracts should have flow-through rights that both enable the middle-service firms to retain long-term advantages, but provide legal and marketing relationships to the large firms as well…similar to how existing affiliate networks operate from a “relationship” perspective and DART from a technology angle.
Expecting large data repositories or firms engaged in businesses that generate large amounts of data, but where data dissemination is not their core business, to build the necessary API management, payment mechanisms, and developer network programs is just unrealistic (unless you are Google!). Third-parties will be critical in this process of bringing this “dark data” into the light, and linking in big data assets for the better of all.
ACEdge
