However, I think he was referring to APIs in part. I personally haven't met a scheme that I really liked. With that being said, I'm generally a fan of limiting access by IP, assigning API keys or tokens, access over SSL, and simple hashing to verify message integrity. Obviously this doesn't work for all things, but you get the picture.

Overall, I doubt that there is a one size fits all solution. Security is generally many parts working together to limit penetration as well as ensure message integrity and authenticity.