Automation is crucial for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to scale their operations to the ever growing calls for of digital enterprise. Automation helps to enhance operational effectivity, mitigate operational danger, scale back prices, and offset the detrimental results of complexity. That’s why Cisco emphasizes not solely the product function but additionally its wealthy Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). APIs assist MSPs to simply automate and seamlessly combine merchandise into their present operations platforms. The new Umbrella APIs are based mostly on OpenAPI Specification (OAS), a regular that gives an enhanced expertise for MSPs.
The new Umbrella APIs present MSPs with the next advantages: extra use instances and workflow automation, enhanced safety, simplified API authentication, simple API key administration, and Dashboard.
More use instances and workflow automation
MSPs can now generate a number of distinctive API keys for every use case or job. In the previous, a company may have just one API key per sort, which compelled MSPs to share API keys with different teams leading to having few use instances. The new Umbrella APIs present extra flexibility, accelerating the method to automate and streamline workflows, scale back labor-intensive handbook duties, and get rid of expensive delays. Using the brand new Umbrella KeyAdmin dashboard, MSP directors can now create any variety of granular, multi-scoped Umbrella API keys. (See Figure 1 beneath)
Enhanced safety
Umbrella APIs helps MSPs to rapidly implement their safety integration. The token-based authentication technique for all assets with granular entry controls for every API key offers enhanced safety. MSP administration can now customise entry controls for every API key based mostly on want or consumer function. An API key can entry solely the API assets discovered within the API key scopes. Each scope and useful resource can now have both Read-Only or Read/Write entry privileges. In addition, an administrator can configure a lifetime or expiration time for every new Umbrella API key. (The default is rarely expired.)
Simplified API authentication
Previous Umbrella API keys for the Management and Network Device varieties had fundamental authentication, and the reporting sort had token-based authentication. All the brand new Umbrella API keys have the identical OAuth 2.0 consumer authentication and authorization technique, serving to to scale back confusion. An Umbrella API key and key secret can be utilized to generate an Umbrella API entry token, which may then be included in a request to the Umbrella API.
Easy API key administration
The new KeyAdmin API function helps MSPs to provision and handle Umbrella API keys. MSPs can use this function to automate API key creation and administration with out relying on GUIs. MSP administration can generate an Umbrella API entry token after which use that token to create and handle Umbrella API keys.
Dashboard
The API KeyAdmin dashboard within the Umbrella Managed Services Console offers a abstract and checklist of all of the API keys in a Org. Auditing for API keys turns into simpler to carry out with this new dashboard. Administrators can view all of the assigned APIs, their statuses, and particulars, serving to them make selections rapidly–for instance by having the ability to monitor and take motion in instances when sure APIs haven’t been used for a number of weeks.
In the pattern abstract proven in Figure 2 beneath, the crimson triangle identifies the variety of expired API keys, and the yellow triangle identifies the variety of API keys expiring inside 30 days.
Now it’s really easy for Managed Service Providers to implement and improve their operational effectivity. The new Umbrella API will present MSPs to construct a complete API administration and an automatic IT atmosphere. Consider together with Umbrella as a part of your managed safety technique for purchasers.
Additional assets
Learn concerning the Umbrella MSSP program
Learn extra about Cisco Cloud Security API
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