Developer Programs and APIs in the News – Volume 2, Number 3

In today’s interconnected world, companies in all industries need to publish APIs and cultivate a developer community to access and use them. To be competitive today, attracting and supporting developers is essential. The key to cultivating a vibrant developer community that uses your APIs and supports your platform is a good developer relations program. “Developer Programs and APIs in the News” is a series of news items from developer programs around the world.

Developer Programs and APIs in the News

DataDog – Feb 15 – Datadog Announces General Availability of Application Performance Monitoring – “Datadog APM (application performance monitoring) extends visibility beyond the infrastructure and into the code-level for service-oriented applications. This new expansion of the company’s existing infrastructure monitoring platform will enable development and operations (DevOps) teams to quickly troubleshoot issues in highly distributed, service-oriented applications that use microservices, containers, and run across hybrid cloud environments.”
IBM – Feb 15 – IBM Brings Machine Learning to the Private Cloud – “IBM today announced IBM Machine Learning, the first cognitive platform for continuously creating, training and deploying a high volume of analytic models in the private cloud at the source of vast corporate data stores. Even using the most advanced techniques, data scientists – in shortest supply among today’s IT skills1 – might spend days or weeks developing, testing and retooling even a single analytic model one step at a time. IBM has extracted the core machine learning technology from IBM Watson and will initially make it available where much of the world’s enterprise data resides: the z System mainframe.”
Radar – Feb 15 – Introducing Radar – “The location platform for mobile apps. We’re ten years into the smartphone era, but building products and services with location is still too hard. We’re building Radar to change this.
Radar is the location platform for mobile apps. Our mission is to help companies collect, analyze, and act on location data. Add the SDK to your iOS and Android apps to start tracking user locations with fewer than 10 lines of code. Create unlimited geofences, representing places or regions, via the dashboard, bulk import, or the API. Receive geofence entry and exit events client-side or server-side via webhooks. Or, export events for analysis.”
Google – Feb 15 – Announcing TensorFlow 1.0 – “Today, as part of the first annual TensorFlow Developer Summit, hosted in Mountain View and livestreamed around the world, we’re announcing TensorFlow 1.0. It’s faster (1.0 is incredibly fast!). It’s more flexible (1.0 introduces a high-level API for TensorFlow). It’s more production-ready than ever (1.0 promises Python API stability).”
Galamon – Feb 14 – Gamalon Invents and Commercializes Radical New Approach to AI; Accelerating Machine Learning By More than 100x – “Today, Gamalon, Inc., emerged from stealth mode to announce that it has developed a game-changing new approach to artificial intelligence/machine learning called Bayesian Program Synthesis (BPS). Gamalon’s BPS technology – for the first time – writes and rewrites its own Bayesian programs. This technology achieves higher accuracy and uses orders of magnitude less computation and training data relative to today’s state-of-the-art deep machine learning.”
Google – Feb 14 – Introducing Cloud Spanner: a global database service for mission-critical applications – “Today, we’re excited to announce the public beta for Cloud Spanner, a globally distributed relational database service that lets customers have their cake and eat it too: ACID transactions and SQL semantics, without giving up horizontal scaling and high availability.”
IBM – Feb 13 – IBM Delivers Watson for Cyber Security to Power Cognitive Security Operations Centers – “IBM Security (NYSE: IBM) today announced the availability of Watson for Cyber Security, the industry’s first augmented intelligence technology designed to power cognitive security operations centers (SOCs). Over the past year, Watson has been trained on the language of cybersecurity, ingesting over 1 million security documents. Watson can now help security analysts parse thousands of natural language research reports that have never before been accessible to modern security tools.”
CloudFoundry and IBM – Feb 13 – IBM Sponsors New Node.js Track at 2017 Cloud Foundry Summit Silicon Valley – “Cloud Foundry Foundation, home of the industry-standard platform for cloud applications, today announced IBM (NYSE: IBM) will host a Node.js track at the Cloud Foundry Summit Silicon Valley. IBM is also a Cloud Foundry Summit Silicon Valley Platinum sponsor. Cloud Foundry Summit Silicon Valley will take place June 13-15 in Santa Clara, California and is the premier event for enterprise application developers. The event will focus on microservices and continuous delivery in all languages and frameworks.”
NXP – Feb 9 – Is 2017 the year of the smart meter? – “Ultra-low-power and low data rate applications make up one domain that is particularly well suited for this discussion. For example, devices that address the smart meter domain, building or home control as well as asset tracking and monitoring do not need to run over traditional high data rate telecommunications networks such as 3G or 4G. There are a number of good reasons to seek alternative solutions reaching from cost per connection, handling of SIM cards and the simple fact of course that mobile networks are specifically designed for high data rates incurring high power consumption on the end points.”
Google – Feb 9 – Android Wear 2.0 is here with new hardware features! – “Today, we are releasing the final SDK for Android Wear 2.0. In this release, we have added support for the new hardware features announced yesterday. If you have not done so already, it really is time to publish your apps so as to not miss the consumer hardware launch tomorrow.”
GoogleFuzzing PCI express: security in plaintext – “With the risk of malicious behavior from compromised PCIe devices, Google needed to have a plan for combating these types of attacks, especially in a world of cloud services and publicly available virtual machines. A key weapon in our arsenal is fuzzing, a testing technique that uses invalid, unexpected or random inputs to expose irregular behavior, such as memory leaks, crashes, or undocumented functionality. The hardware fuzzer we built directly tests the behavior of the PCIe switches used by our cloud GPUs.”
Microsoft – Feb 8 – Run ad campaigns using Windows Store services – “Use the Windows Store promotions API to programmatically manage promotional ad campaigns for apps that are registered to your or your organization’s Windows Dev Center account. This API enables you to create, update and monitor your campaigns and other related assets such as targeting and creatives. ”
Intel – February 8 – Intel Supports American Innovation with $7 Billion Investment in Next-Generation Semiconductor Factory in Arizona – “Intel’s Fab 42 will Target Advanced 7 nm Technology and Create More Than 10,000 Jobs in Arizona – ‘Intel’s business continues to grow and investment in manufacturing capacity and R&D ensures that the pace of Moore’s law continues to march on, fueling technology innovations the world loves and depends on,’ said Krzanich. ‘This factory will help the U.S. maintain its position as the global leader in the semiconductor industry. Intel is a global manufacturing and technology company, yet we think of ourselves as a leading American innovation enterprise,’ Krzanich added. ‘America has a unique combination of talent, a vibrant business environment and access to global markets, which has enabled U.S. companies like Intel to foster economic growth and innovation.'”
Intel – Feb 8 – Intel Unveils Deep Learning Library for Apache Spark – “Intel today announced the open-source BigDL, a Distributed Deep Learning Library for the Apache Spark* open-source cluster-computing framework. The deep learning library is part of Intel Corporation’s strategy for enabling state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence in the industry. The BigDL features an efficient large-scale distributed deep learning library built on Spark architecture that makes deep learning more accessible to big data users and data scientists. BigDL enables the exporting of AI expertise to data scientists now working across thousands of applications in hundreds of fields.”
Intuit – Feb 7 – The $100,000 Small Business App Showdown is back – and this year, it’s YOUR turn to win the $100,000 grand prize! – “Intuit Developer is excited to pre-announce our second $100K Small Business App Showdown – an awesome app contest exclusively for developers who successfully publish their apps on Apps.com between August 16, 2016 and August 15, 2017.”
Intel – Feb 8 – Intel Unveils Security Readiness Program to Help Prevent Cybercrime in Health Care – “Intel has teamed up with over 40 solution providers to create the Healthcare Security Readiness Program, aimed at helping to prevent breaches, including cybercrime hacking and ransomware. Nearly 90 percent of health care organizations – often seen as vulnerable targets lagging in security compared with peers in other industries, such as financial services – have experienced a breach in the past two years.”
Intel – Feb 5 – Intel Drones Light Up Lady Gaga Performance During Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime – “Today during the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show, Intel Corporation collaborated with the NFL, Pepsi and six-time GRAMMY®*-winning music icon, Lady Gaga, to create a unique drone light show experience to kick off her performance. Three hundred Intel® Shooting Star™ drones lit up the sky in a choreographed aerial performance marking the first-ever drone integration during a televised event and a Super Bowl.”
Google – Jan 31 – Introducing the Mobile-Friendly Test API – “The Mobile-Friendly Test API lets you test URLs using automated tools. For example, you could use it to monitor important pages in your website in order to prevent accidental regressions in templates that you use. The API method runs all tests, and returns the same information – including a list of the blocked URLs – as the manual test. The documentation includes simple samples to help get you started quickly.”
GM – Jan 26 – Tech Crunch: GM’s new SDK for in-car infotainment apps offers access to nearly 400 data points – “Historically, the automakers haven’t made it very easy for partners to really utilize the connected vehicle experience, Wrenbeck explained. So we set out about seven months ago, as part of our API platform to really fix that and make it very easy for the corporate community to exploit the connected vehicle experience.”
Uber and Garmin – Jan 4 – Introducing the Uber ETA app for Garmin wearables – “Today, we’re excited to introduce the new Uber ETA app by Garmin for Connect IQ – powered by the Uber Trip Experiences API. ‘The insight that each screen or device serves a specific purpose in the life cycle of any workflow – including an Uber ride – is a great one. We’re excited to work with Garmin to create an elegant solution for their wearable devices that makes it easier than ever for riders to keep an eye on their ride’s status with a flick of the wrist,’ Chris Saad, Head of Product, Uber Developer Platform”

 

Send me your Developer Programs News!

If you have news about your Developer Relations Program, send me an email about the news.

David I - Developer Relations Conference

David Intersimone “David I”
Vice President of Developer Communities
Evans Data Corporation
davidi@evansdata.com
Blog: https://www.devrelate.com/blog/
Skype: davidi99
Twitter: @davidi99
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidi99/

Template Letter Requesting Approval to Attend a Developer Conference

Conferences are, and have always been, a mainstay of developer outreach and marketing. Developers like conferences, especially those with a lot of meaty technical sessions by the engineers that build the technology. Key benefits for attending developer conferences include the technical sessions by developers who know great tips and techniques. Developers attending conferences also mention the social aspects of a conference: the networking, social interaction, and discussion with other developers. Sometimes developers need to send their manager a “Conference Approval Letter”.

Most conferences are put on by vendors and concentrate on that vendor’s technology, platform, service, device, etc. You might think that conferences would only be put on by very large companies with breadth and depth to provide a full schedule of keynotes and sessions. Smaller companies might put on conferences that are shorter and with less sessions. Some companies will partner with a non-competing company to put on a conference. Other companies will piggy-back a conference on a larger industry event. In any case, developers attend conferences, and most attend more than two per year.

One of the conference to-do items that I’ve used in the past is to provide potential attendees with a template letter they can customize to convince their manager to allow them to attend the conference. The letter includes information about the event, what attendees will learn, what best practices and ideas will be brought back, what contacts will be made, and how attending will help their company, employees, products and customers.

As an example of what a request to attend a conference template letter might look like, I have created a sample email/letter/memo for our upcoming 13th Annual Evans Data Developer Relations Conference.

Conference Approval Letter

Template Email/Letter/Memo Requesting Approval to Attend a Conference

 

Here is a draft email/letter/memo you can use to request approval to attend the 13th Annual Evans Data Developer Relations Conference, March 27 & 28, 2017 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Palo Alto, California

Subject: Request for Authorization to attend the 13th Annual Evans Data Developer Relations Conference

I would like your approval for me to attend the 13th Annual Evans Data Developer Relations Conference, March 27 & 28, 2017 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Palo Alto, California. The conference features two days of keynotes and sessions by leading executives and directors of Developer Relations and Advocacy programs for top technology companies in the world. This is a conference unlike any other, developer relations experts from leading companies in the software, telecom and web markets will come together to discuss best practices and reveal the techniques behind their success!

At the conference I will learn developer outreach best practices, tips & advice, and other aspects of running a world class developer relations program from the business side (program ROI, the connection between developer programs and company revenue, budgeting for/costs of developer programs, how to get an organization’s commitment of internal resources, etc.) to the marketing side (techniques for recruitment, awareness tactics, community loyalty building programs, legal/privacy and global privacy considerations, conducting a privacy audit, internationalizing a US-based developer program, etc.), and much more.

During the conference I will have ample opportunity to network with top developer relations program managers, ask specific questions that can help our developer outreach plans and learn “The Art of Evangelism” from Guy Kawasaki, the chief evangelist of Canva, board of trustees member of the Wikimedia Foundation, a brand ambassador for Mercedes Benz USA, executive fellow of the Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley) and former chief evangelist of Apple.

Who will be attend:

  • VPs, CTOs, and CEOs
  • Business Development Managers & Directors
  • Managers & Directors of Developer Programs
  • Product Marketing Managers & Directors
  • Marketing Managers
  • Technology & Developer Evangelists
  • Products Managers
  • Research Managers
  • Corporate Communications Managers
  • Heads of Developer Marketing

 

If you approve my attendance before December 31, 2016 I can take advantage of the super early bird pricing and save our company $400. If you approve before January 31, 2017 I can save $300 on the full conference price of $1295.

Thank you in advance for considering this opportunity for me to attend this unique conference. Please let me know if you need additional information about the conference. You can find additional information, conference schedule, speaker list and companies planning to attend on the conference web site at https://evansdata.com/drc/2017/

I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

PS: There is also a pre-conference Developer Relations Boot Camp that can additionally prepare me for the two day conference. The Evans Data Corporation’s Developer Relations Boot Camp provides a solid foundation on which I can build or enhance our developer program. Concentrated sessions in this one-day instructional program provide the insight and actionable information I can use to build our brand and establish strong relationships with our developer community.

The combination of an experienced boot camp faculty and Evans Data developer research will guide:

  • Careful consideration regarding the reasons why developers seek out and participate in developer programs
  • The most effective means of reaching out to them
  • How you can leverage social media to greatest effect.

 

At the end of the day I will leave with a certificate of completion as well as the knowledge and confidence to create, enhance and run a world class developer program.

 

Other “need to convince your boss?” example conference template letters

Here are a few additional examples of template letters that conferences have provided for their target attendees.

 

Do you have developer conference manager approval template letters?

If you have your own template manager approval letters that you provide to your program members, send me an email with the link or text.

David I Facebook Avatar

David Intersimone “David I”
Vice President of Developer Communities
Evans Data Corporation
davidi@evansdata.com
Blog: https://www.devrelate.com/blog/
Skype: davidi99
Twitter: @davidi99
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidi99/