Serverless API Access Manager for License Auditing

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Managing licenses and billing for multiple third-party software providers is cumbersome and time-consuming, often leading to inefficient over-purchasing due to difficulties in obtaining cross-organization, multi-vendor, per-license usage metrics from multiple APIs.

Innovation Solution

A system that provides third-party API access as a service, leveraging a database of serverless functions configured to obtain specific data from third-party API endpoints, simplifying the process of accessing and processing data from multiple APIs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a managed service provider manually manages licenses and billing for multiple third-party software providers, then they can maintain control over access management, but the process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming, leading to over-purchasing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess management controlVSAvoidlicense management time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables automated self-service by having the access management system automatically query usage metrics from third-party software providers' APIs, process the data, generate invoices, and manage licenses without manual intervention. This eliminates the time-consuming manual processes while maintaining reliable access management control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously querying usage metrics from third-party providers, comparing actual usage against licensed capacity, and automatically adjusting license assignments or generating invoices based on real usage data. This closed-loop feedback prevents over-purchasing while maintaining control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Measurement precision

If the system queries usage metrics from multiple third-party software provider APIs, then accurate per-license usage data can be obtained, but the complexity of managing multiple API integrations increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveusage metric accuracyVSAvoidAPI integration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs a universal data processing layer that handles multiple third-party API integrations through a common framework. This multi-functional approach allows the system to query usage metrics from various providers (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom) using standardized processing logic, reducing the complexity of managing multiple API integrations while maintaining measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary data processing layer between the access management system and third-party APIs. This intermediary layer abstracts the complexity of multiple API integrations by providing unified data collection and processing mechanisms, allowing accurate usage metric acquisition without exposing the underlying integration complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If manual license auditing is performed, then detailed per-license usage review can be conducted, but the process is time-consuming and inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveper-license usage reviewVSAvoidlicense auditing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs continuous automated auditing by regularly querying usage metrics from third-party providers and processing this data through automated workflows. This continuous action eliminates the need for periodic manual audits, maintaining detailed per-license usage review while dramatically improving productivity through automation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces manual mechanical auditing processes with automated digital workflows that automatically query, process, and analyze usage data. This substitution eliminates manual labor while maintaining the precision of per-license usage review, thereby improving overall auditing efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS20250165380A1Scenario testing against production data for systems providing access management as a service

Publication Date: 2025.05.22 PAX8

AI summary

A system and method for providing access to third-party application programming interfaces (APIs) as a service. In particular, an API access manager can be configured to execute one or more serverless functions selected form a database of serverless functions in order to obtain data from one or more third-party APIs. Execution of different versions of the serverless functions (e.g., original and refactored) can be compared to determine whether the versions are equivalent and deterministic.