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Mike Hajj, Co-FounderFollowing is the conversation that CIO Applications Magazine had with Eric (Rick) J. Valdez, Co-Founder of Corsair M360.
What are the challenges that companies face today, and how is Corsair M360 effectively addressing these issues?
Clients today are overwhelmed with the number of solutions and technologies available in the market. In some cases, this hinders them from deciding what to use and how to begin. SMBs and enterprise organization, on the other hand, have already gone through this phase. Their engineers are constantly looking for the best technologies to extend their products.
We designed our platform based on these scenarios. Although MaestroM360 was recently released, it took us many years of research, and our experience in building complex applications helped us shape it into this form.
MaestroM360 is available in two models. First is the SAAS model, which is suitable for startups and SMBs who plan on building MVPs or whose product serves a small market. Second is the Enterprise model, which is suitable for enterprise organizations that build products that serve high traffic markets and deploy on hybrid infrastructure.
Please walk us through the Application Programming Interface Solution that you offer.
“Maestro M360” is composed of three components that work together: API Gateway – Middleware – Console.
API Gateway
The “API Gateway” eliminates many layers that engineers need to code and place on top of the business logic of their component while building an application to flag that component as ready to be published on production platforms. These layers have little impact on the business logic, but an engineer must include them. These layers are also present in every component of an application and enable them to communicate together.
Middleware
The “Maestro M360 Middleware”, also known as “Middleware”, is an open-source, multi-technology component that gets installed as a dependency in any microservices deployed behind the API Gateway. The Middleware is available in every web programming language and allows Maestro M360 to integrate and extend any product no matter the technology it is using.
Console
Some components created problems with certain programming languages. For example, the AI Engine required using Python, which introduced new challenges.
The “Maestro M360 Console”, also known as “Console”, is an interface that acts as a control panel to manage and operate the “Maestro M360” product. Engineers use it to configure, monitor, and operate their applications.
The Console contains wizards that allow engineers to create multiple environments, connect resources from different technologies, connect hosting platforms from several cloud providers, and deploy components. These wizards guide engineers in defining who has access to their deployed components, monitor, and troubleshoot running systems.
Please cite a case study on how you have enabled clients to overcome hurdles and attain desired outcomes?
Our client, Spread is a part of the Choueiri (Chew-Yet-Ree) Group Network, an industry leader in the advertising and publishing sector for the Middle East and North Africa regions. Their problems identified were:
Maestrom360 is available in two models. First is the saas model, which is suitable for startups and SMBS who plan on building MVPS or whose product serves a small market. Second is the enterprise model, which is suitable for enterprise organizations
Some components created problems with certain programming languages. For example, the AI Engine required using Python, which introduced new challenges.
• The Legacy Accounting Application did not support APIs. An upgraded Accounting Software Application was simply impractical. Therefore, a custom solution that bridged the connection between the legacy accounting application of other applications was required.
• Payment networks have different procedures, workflows, and APIs. The solution required loading drivers dynamically based on the geographical area where the customer making the request was located; and was also dependent on the credit card that they use.
•The notifications via email and SMS also offered similar challenges, and on top of that, customers needed to be able to choose how they wanted to receive notifications.
To solve all these problems, the application needed to transform into a microservices architecture. The Maestro API Management Platform was introduced and allowed Spread to pivot in just a few days. Using the configurator, Spread mapped the settings for each of their clients with notifications, payment gateways, and the driver that connects the application to the Choueiri Group’s legacy accounting software. And, since the API Gateway offers an advanced out-of-the-box multitenancy solution, multitenancy was integrated into the AI engine and allowed it to load different drivers on-demand that connect with different Ad platforms based on the client’s inputs and account settings.
What separates Corsair M360/ differentiating factors that give it a competitive edge?
Corsair M360’s Maestro platform includes many distinct features that place it ahead of the competition to provide a superior customer experience. These features include:
Keith W. Bacon, Co-FounderSpeed & Performance
MaestroM360 is equipped with an API gateway and Middleware that offer advanced caching, empowering applications to operate at optimal speed. In addition, both components are portable and get deployed next to your components, thereby reducing the latency that occurs when the communication takes place.
Traffic Management
MaestroM360 is equipped with an internal WRR load balancer that operates per microservice version and per instance. It also provides out-of-the-box support for traffic throttling strategies, cloud awareness, and canary deployments.
Security
MaestroM360 offers an advanced security system composed of several layers. This system is equipped with out-of-the-box support for oAuth 2.0, Device & Geo Locking, a flexible RBAC engine that applies to microservices and their versions, and finally all components that utilize the MaestroM360 product MUST operate with SSL certificates. The security system is provided as an out-of-the-box solution and only requires configuration.
Multitenancy
MaestroM360 offers multitenancy out-of-the-box allowing engineers to build scalable multitenant APIs or uplift existing APIs to support multitenancy without any revamps. The API Gateway handles the heavy lifting, and the Middleware extracts the information and supplies it to the business logic. The engineer can then map the information in their business logic and voila!
Portability & Multi Cloud Support
MaestroM360 is shipped as executable software and runs on any cloud provider or private network. This boosts the security and the performance, especially when all components are on the same network and behind the firewall.
Flexibility & Technology Agnostic
MaestroM360 integrates with your application and extends its features without any revamp. Deploy the API Gateway in the same network as your application, and then use the Middleware in your new microservices. MaestroM360 is Data Model Free; it is not designed to build a specific type of application.
No Expert Talent Needed
The API Gateway of MaestroM360 provides an executable program. You run the executable program and configure the settings via the Console. The Console is a user interface and contains all the wizards you need to manage and operate the API Gateway and other microservices.
The middleware is open-source and gets installed as a dependency in your code. It is available in the most common programming languages with support to different frameworks.
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