Configuring credentials to faciltate sharing data in a secure manner

A method for facilitating sharing secure access to data and/or functionality while keeping specific credentials used for the secure access secret, the method comprising:

• presenting a User Interface (UI) mechanism allowing user configuration of account credentials and settings with a software application, wherein the settings allow user specification of custom authentication header fields;
• accepting user input for the custom authentication header fields, wherein the custom authentication header fields include a field specifying a token for a custom header;
• providing, based on the user input, the token to the software application;
• receiving the token at a secure connector from the software application;
• employing the secure connector to use the token to obtain the account credentials;
• using at least a portion of the credentials to request data from the data provider to the secure connector;
• and
• transferring the requested data from the secure connector to the application.

An apparatus for facilitating sharing secure access to data and/or functionality while keeping specific credentials used for the secure access secret, the apparatus comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a tangible processor-readable storage device including instructions for:
• presenting a User Interface (UI) mechanism allowing user configuration of account credentials and settings with a software application, wherein the settings allow user specification of custom authentication header fields;
• accepting user input for the custom authentication header fields, wherein the custom authentication header fields include a field specifying a token for a custom header;
• providing, based on the user input, the token to the software application;
• receiving the token at a secure connector from the software application;
• employing the secure connector to use the token to obtain the account credentials;
• using at least a portion of the credentials to request data from the data provider to the secure connector;
• and
• transferring the requested data from the secure connector to the application.