Standardized API Connectors for Fast Secure Third-Party Integration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems face significant delays and errors in connecting computing devices to third-party systems due to the cumbersome process of obtaining and configuring certificates and building API connections, which requires manual intervention and extensive testing, often taking over 100 days to complete.
Innovation Solution
A centralized system provides pre-built, secure, and pre-tested standardized connectors that collect necessary information for digital certificates and test connections, eliminating the need for repetitive configuration and exhaustive testing by pre-configuring and pre-validating API connections based on diverse client and third-party system characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional manual processes are used to obtain and configure certificates and build API connections, then security requirements are met, but connection time becomes excessively long (over 100 days)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-building and pre-testing standardized connectors before deployment. The system pre-configures API connections, pre-obtains necessary certificates, and pre-validates security protocols for multiple third-party systems. When a client needs to connect, the pre-prepared connectors are immediately deployed, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual certificate acquisition and connection building during actual deployment.
2Reliability
If manual certificate acquisition and connection building processes are used, then security protocols are followed, but the process becomes complex and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by creating standardized connector templates that replicate proven, security-tested connection configurations. Instead of manually configuring each connection from scratch, the system uses pre-crafted connector copies that embed proper security protocols, certificate requirements, and API configurations. These standardized templates can be reused across multiple connections, ensuring consistency and reducing errors while maintaining security compliance.
3Reliability
If exhaustive testing is performed on each connection, then connection reliability is ensured, but deployment time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs exhaustive testing in advance during the connector preparation phase. Each standardized connector undergoes comprehensive security validation, API compatibility testing, and performance verification before being made available for deployment. This preliminary testing ensures that when connectors are deployed to clients, they are already validated and reliable, eliminating the need for time-consuming testing during actual deployment while maintaining high connection reliability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If custom connections are built for each client-third party system pair, then specific requirements are met, but the process becomes repetitive and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates universal standardized connectors that can serve multiple third-party systems and client configurations. Each connector is designed to work with specific third-party systems (e.g., Salesforce, Workday) but can be deployed to serve multiple clients with similar requirements. The standardized connectors encapsulate common configuration patterns, certificate types, and API protocols, allowing a single connector template to fulfill multiple connection needs across different clients and use cases.
Data Source
AI summary
A network system to provide a centralized system to connect to third-party systems by using pre-built, secure, and pre-tested standardized connectors to data and services provided via APIs. A service provider pre-configures third-party systems connections to establish a type of certificate required, establish a security level required for each third-party system connection, pre-configure a software connection, and test the connection. The service provider presents a graphical user interface to a user of a client system with representations of each pre-configured third-party system connection. When a client selects a third-party system connection to connect with the client system data, the service provider generates a certificate signing request, communicates a private key to the client system, and communicates the client system data and the certificate signing request to a certificate authority system. Based on the obtained certificates, the service provider provides access to the required APIs via the pre-configured connection.