The Application Programming Interface (API) project sought to select a single API platform that meets WVU's current and future integration needs.
The API management platform project will help centralize control over API integrations while ensuring they continuously meet high-performance and security standards.
As a foundational project for the University's larger modernization effort, the objective is to identify and select a single full API management platform. WVU's current tools and technologies of the past no longer are sufficient to address the future requirements of the University's integration needs. WVU’s traditional integration designs include a mix of single-purpose built tools for extracting, transforming and loading data between systems. The University's future integration platform must be able to evolve and support connections to diverse data sources and targets in a wide variety of operating environments both on-premises and in the cloud.
- Todd Witter, Team Lead and Technical Program Manager for Strategic Partnerships
- Jay Allen, Assistant Director for University Relations
- Chris Boyer, IAM Engineer and Senior Administrator for Information Technology Services
- Erica Craft, Director of Enterprise Applications for Information Technology Services
- Priyatham Godavarthi, Professional Technologist for the Enterprise Middleware System for Information Technology Services
- Jimmy Morley, Director of Application and Web Development for Health Sciences
- Josh Murphy, Professional Technologist for Information Technology Services
- Kent Pirlo, Assistant Director of Application and Web Systems for Health Sciences
- Chetan Pradhan, Operations for Information Technology Services
- Peter Santiago, Assistant Director of Application and Web Development for Health Sciences
- Josh Smith, Assistant Director of Cloud and Virtualization Services for Information Technology Services
- Nathan Vickers, Assistant Director of Development for Information Technology Services
- Li Zheng, Operations for Information Technology Services
| Timeframe | Work to Complete | Status |
|---|---|---|
| July 2022 | Integration Signature Requirements | Complete |
| September 2022 | Vendor and Tool Selection | Complete |
| October 2022 | Tool Foundation Implementation | Complete |
| December 2022 | Implement Proof of Concept and Build Technical Skillsets | Complete |
| Q1 2023 | Define and Implement Operational Structure, Governance and Management | Complete |
November 1, 2022 Update
The API Management Platform design team completed a final roadmap review and is transitioning to the proof of concept phase of the project.
The proof of concept seeks to build upon the team’s current knowledge and capabilities of the selected platforms and help refine the API Management Platform governance model.
Evaluation criteria for the API Management Platform proof of concept include:
- Reusability of the platform;
- Capabilities in masking the complexity of source systems, providing an easy-to-use and reliable service to end users;
- Demonstrated ability to cross data silos as a singular service delivering accurate and timely information to end users; and
- Ability to advertise and expose available data and services to authorized WVU users.
After a thorough review of potential API management providers that could meet the University’s unique integration needs, the design team has selected the Informatica platform.
The selection of Informatica will help WVU maximize previous investments with the platform. Informatica already is used within existing Salesforce (TargetX) and data analytics implementations at the University.
Informatica also complements the University’s Data Management and Governance efforts by supporting the project’s data quality and master data management needs.
May 1, 2023 Update
After reviewing requirements and top vendors in the space, Informatica has been chosen as WVU’s Application Integration Platform.
The API proof of concept was completed by the end of February utilizing Informatica and was used as an input for the ADP proof of concept.
The design team members met at the end of April to review the lessons learned and outcomes from the proof of concept. We will be opportunistic with places where we can incorporate the new technologies to help make the University more efficient as we move forward.