Workspaces elevate collaboration and enable up to 60 releases per week for Sanofi

In the early days of the Sanofi Digital Accelerator, Postman was used as a graphical interface. The platform was underutilized and not used for cURL requests, for example. Individual developers often used multiple tools.

Duplicate APIs that performed the same task were abundant. API governance needed to be improved to prevent inefficiencies. For example, up to twenty separate APIs were used to send emails.

Testing was inconsistent, reflected in API disparity. Sanofi recognized the importance of testing APIs to ensure quality and excellence in innovation.

Preventing numerous versions of the same solution from being implemented was a key objective for the Sanofi Digital Accelerator team. When APIs are re-used, time and resources are saved. Sanofi's APIs needed to be defined to work at scale, and not just used by one team.

APIs are the core of Sanofi's systems and the best way to interact with the app. Without well-functioning, robust APIs, there is no way to exchange information internally or externally. A data dystopia.

Postman's reputation for accelerating processes and improving quality - alongside its 35 million user base - made moving to the Enterprise plan an obvious choice.

“Why use multiple tools? The Postman API Platform is our single source of truth and makes collaborating incredibly easy. Workspaces organize roles, projects and APIs.”

Jean Burellier, Technical Lead, Sanofi

Additionally, Postman's ease of use means everyone, from software engineers to non-technical Sanofians, can use the platform. With Postman, the level of API collaboration has been elevated.

Onboarding has accelerated because there is no need to write code or complex documentation, also saving time. Person-to-person training has effectively been eliminated as Postman's API documentation is comprehensive and ahead of industry-leading peers in quality.

The universal understanding of APIs made possible by Postman means nearly any Sanofian can export a Postman Collection and create specific tests. It's now possible to see API responses and go on to build integrations.

Deployment of new feature releases has been expedited. Previously, validation from a Sanofian business partner was required before a release could go live.

“The Postman API Platform has made APIs accessible to an ever-growing number of Sanofians. We are onboarding, developing and releasing new features quicker than ever.”

Jean Burellier, Technical Lead, Sanofi

Since Postman has become the default API platform of choice, comprehensive, automated testing means the business partners can autonomously run tests. Nearly any Sanofian can self-serve by forking a collection, calling APIs, and assigning a specific test value. They can leverage the Postman CLI and independently approve deployment.

Postman is facilitating a digital transformation and a change of mindset across Sanofi. An ever-increasing number of Sanofians have become API-fluent and are working with the Sanofi Digital Accelerator team.

Each team has a workspace for a project, with some exclusively for internal use. Within the internal workspaces, some have restricted access and are only visible to the assigned team. The workspaces organize teams and APIs, creating an organized and ordered digital landscape.

Workspaces have created transparency between teams and API roles, preventing work from being repeated. APIs are extremely easy to find. Collaboration has been enhanced because teamwork is streamlined, increasing developer happiness.

API governance and a standardized process for building APIs at scale with a common schema are now available. With governance, an API's functional purpose is determined immediately, eliminating redundant conversations.

Sanofians can submit an OpenAPI specification to check compliance and maintain API governance. Validation has been automated for the majority of APIs that are deployed to production.

Since deploying Postman, API quality has improved, and an ever-growing number of Sanofians are using APIs. Postman has made APIs accessible by simplifying the complex. Software development productivity has accelerated in speed and quantity.

“Use Postman now! It is the home of high-quality APIs. You can test, share and collaborate with your team and across the entire organization easily.”

Jean Burellier, Technical Lead, Sanofi

Depending on the use case, the time taken to build an API has been reduced from weeks to a day. The speed increase in API building can be attributed to the ability to pre-set feedback loops and the advanced implementation of governance frameworks.

Postman enables different teams to work on various stages of the project simultaneously. Everyone can re-group later to complete the project quicker. Multiple feature releases are possible, for certain use cases, there are ten per day, as opposed to one deployment every two weeks. Some teams release up to sixty times per week.

Anyone can begin working with APIs nearly immediately. An API specification and use case are provided, and the individual needs to change values to suit their needs. A fully functioning API can be deployed in a day.

The Postman API Platform is helping Sanofi create a data utopia built on APIs, where the miracle of science can improve people's lives.