At a glance
A global real estate technology franchise turned its internal APIs into a new revenue channel using Google Cloud's Apigee, an Application Programming Interface (API) management platform. Before this engagement, the client had internal APIs but no structured way to expose them to external vendors. SoftServe implemented Apigee to manage, secure, and expose the client's APIs to outside developers. The client now packages its APIs as a monetized product with ongoing visibility into how partners use them.
Client background
The client is the world's largest real estate technology franchise by agent count. Since 1983, the client has cultivated an agent-centric, technology-driven, and education-based culture that treats agents as stakeholders in the business. In 2015, the client began evolving from a real estate company into a technology company, building a platform preferred by agents' buyers and sellers. As part of this evolution, the client selected SoftServe to lead its digital transformation and generate new revenue streams by exposing its APIs to external vendors.
Business challenges
The client needed a way to turn its internal technology investment into a new source of revenue. Its teams could already support agents and internal systems, but there was no structured way for outside partners to build on top of the platform. Closing this gap required a secure, managed way to open internal APIs to the outside world and to package that access as something the client could sell.
Activities & Solutions
SoftServe built a secure layer between the client's internal systems and the outside world, letting external vendors connect without exposing what sits behind the platform. That layer gave the client a controlled front door for outside partners, rather than opening internal systems directly. On top of it, SoftServe added the pieces external vendors needed to find, use, and pay for API access.
Specifically:
- Implemented Google Cloud's Apigee to manage, secure, and expose the client's APIs
- Delivered a developer portal so external vendors could access API documentation directly
- Enabled API monetization through the AppDirect marketplace, positioning the client as an API provider
- Extended the platform with analytics integrations for operational visibility
Value delivered
SoftServe turned the engagement into a lasting revenue stream for the client, not a one-off technical upgrade. The client can now open specific parts of its platform to outside partners in a controlled way, turn that access into a sellable product, and track how the whole system performs over time. That combination lets the client keep expanding this revenue channel as its partner ecosystem grows.
These gains show up in four areas:
- Public APIs now support digital customer experiences and daily operational efficiency
- Apigee connectivity lets external vendors integrate directly with the client's platform
- The AppDirect marketplace turns the client's APIs into a monetized, sellable product
- Analytics dashboards track API traffic, developer activity, and other KPIs
Who this applies to
This approach fits large platform businesses that already have internal APIs and want to open them to outside partners without rebuilding their core systems. It applies to organizations with an established digital platform, a base of internal APIs ready for external use, and a strategic goal of monetizing that access as a distinct product line. Real estate, marketplace, and franchise businesses moving from a service model to a technology-platform model are typical candidates.
