What is our primary use case?
I am an Enterprise API architect and we are one of the biggest conglomerate organizations in Dubai. We have a lot of retail businesses, automotive businesses, and other interests. What we are doing is using the API Management to build out a proper, consistent API layer for our legacy systems and microservices as well. That will enable us to expand our reach in digital channels. This will also help us serve the API Products for 3rd part consumptions.
We are already using Dell Boomi in our organization for ESB purposes and are more focused on that development right now and hope to do more with Layer7 in the future.
How has it helped my organization?
Layer7 is the most important step in our Application Modernization strategy. We envision to create an Open Architecture which allows us to adapt to ever-changing market needs. It is a key enabler in decoupling the core applications from the digital channels thereby giving us the flexibility to build the plug n play architectural landscape.
What is most valuable?
Because we have only used the gateway part of the Layer7 solution, we have not explored a lot of the potential and capabilities in detail. It would be premature to go into details about what we may use or discover will be useful in the future. We still have to go into production. Feedback in terms of usability or the broader scope of features is not possible. The product has more capabilities that we were looking for in an API gateway in terms of security as well. We plan to incorporate all its advantages.
The gateway and security features were the two most important requirements for us and the product has definitely met our expectations. That is currently most valuable to us.
Upcoming features that we will soon incorporate will be Developer Portal, Live API Creator and Blazemeter.
What needs improvement?
In terms of what could be improved, I think they do not have a good enough knowledge base on setting up the API Management Layer, especially on Azure using containers. In the corporate world, this solution is becoming very popular as we move forward.
So something that I would like them to improve on is their information resources because we need more assistance / support from them to get our API Management Layer set up correctly on Azure. They still have a lot to do in this area in terms of support and building a community. But we have confidence, it would improve moving forward.
When you talk about full API life cycle management, they lack inbuilt support of community forums as part of their offering which can be published to external developers. The forum can become an important hub for communication between our organization’s API Team and app developers who wish to use our APIs. Using the forums, developers will be able to post questions using the forum.
For how long have I used the solution?
I think we are dealing with only a smaller part of the capabilities of Layer7 as we have just started using the gateway. So we are using it almost only as a gateway right now. We plan to broaden the scope and we are in the process of onboarding full API life cycle management as well. We only deployed it a few months back on the gateway level.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have not had many problems, but again, we are not testing under full, live production loads.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not gotten far enough along to test the scalability of the product, but it was made for enterprise solutions so it should be readily scalable.
How are customer service and support?
From the support side, the Broadcom / CA Team has supported us well.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
For APIs, we were using Broadcom API Gateway. We were using Dell Boomi iPaaS, we were using F5 load balancing, and a web application firewall. All of these components we have in our organization. We may be able to reduce the number of solutions.
Broadcom is actually the same product as the CA Technologies API gateway. CA (Computer Associates) was bought out by Broadcom. So now the CA API is the Broadcom Layer7 management solution which they are updating and improving. We stayed with the product when the product changed names.
How was the initial setup?
The guys we used to do the installation were from a local UAE team. Their experience on Azure is limited. But at this point it is fine. I think we are more-or-less satisfied that what we have now is done correctly.
What about the implementation team?
We used combination of internal and external team because we thought it would save time and effort.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When it comes to pricing, I think we cracked a good deal with Broadcom on Layer7. It may be because of the COVID-19 situation. Whatever the reason, from a pricing perspective we have found the solution to be a good deal for us.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate Layer7 as a nine. Right now it is a bit premature to rate the product overall but in terms of the disappointment in the community support opportunities, I would rate it as a seven as of now.
I think with the situation that we are in and with the current economic atmosphere, there is definitely a reason for those looking for an API solution to also consider open-source products. Instead of going with the proprietary products, sometimes considerations depend on the size of the organization and the budget. Every organization should first analyze what they need. If they need an enterprise-class product definitely Broadcom Layer7 is a good solution. But if an organization can manage their needs with an open-source product, or the team has a good knowledge of the APIs and the ability to customize, then I think that open-source can be a viable option. As long as the product is sufficient to fit the needs, moving forward with some sort of an open-source product is just as well.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
