Usage of application programming interfaces (APIs) to embed a variety of communications services into applications has become one of the hottest segments of the overall API economy. This week, TeleSign announced it plans to play a much bigger role in that space by opening its communications platform-as-a-service (CPaaS) to any developer capable of invoking a REST API.
Previously, the TeleSign CPaaS was only available as a private service. By opening the platform for more developers, TeleSign Vice President Ryan Disraeli says TeleSign expects the availability of those open APIs to expand usage of its global services well beyond large organizations.
“We wanted to enable self-service on the platform,” says Disraeli. “We think there’s an opportunity to expand outreach into the small to midmarket.”
As part of its expansion effort, TeleSign has published two new APIs to access messaging and voice services alongside its existing security services. Disraeli says that TeleSign is already processing six billion API calls a month. Most of those interactions get started using a two-factor authentication service that TeleSign developed to help organizations provide secure access to applications, But Disraeli notes it’s not too long before developers that consume one API service begin to discover the entire portfolio.
In fact, TeleSign, citing International Data Corp., estimates that CPaaS as a category is now an $8 billion market. Competition across a category that size is naturally going to be fierce. But with $100 million in annual revenue, Disraeli says TeleSign is already the second largest CPaaS environment.
TeleSign is betting that its expertise with delivering security services coupled with communication services will enable it to grow at the expense of rivals. Regardless of the approach taken by organizations to include security and communication services, the one thing that is for certain is that there’s no excuse for not embedding security and communications services inside anything that purports to be a modern application.
