A new survey has revealed that enterprises are making application programming interfaces (API) a strategic priority as they adapt to mobile, cloud and the Internet of Things (IoT).
In the survey of 300 IT decision makers (ITDMs), about 75% of respondents said their company has an API strategy, with over 50% stating that they are generating revenue via an API or will be within a year.
About 33% of financial services organisations and 50% of media/telecom companies are deriving revenue from APIs, making over $10m through the channel.
According to the survey, 70% of organisations are integrating about 20 apps; of those making $10bn or more in revenue, 58% are integrating 100 or more apps.
On IoT, 77% of respondents said that their company has an IoT strategy, and about 75% rank it as very important or important to their business plans in the next 12 months.
70% of respondents said their organisations are either currently integrating wearables or plan to do so in the next 12 months.
In addition, 64% of large enterprises plan to invest more in mobile this year than last year, with 60% of ITDMs increasing their investment in iOS and Android more than in any other development platform, including Linux, Windows/.NET and AWS.
About 66% of respondents said microservices will be important or very important to their business strategy over the next 12 months and 25% cited SaaS as their top integration priority.
The survey, which was carried out by MuleSoft, has also found that 86% of IT respondents are under moderate to extreme pressure for delivering services quicker than last year.
MuleSoft founder and vice president of product strategy Ross Mason said: "Business success depends on connecting the unconnected. To launch a new product, create a new service or improve what you already have, organizations need to connect applications, data and devices.
"It’s clear from this report that businesses are taking that truth to heart. They’re embracing microservices. They’re creating mobile apps. They’re laying the groundwork for a world of connected sensors.
"Above all, they’re embracing APIs to make all these connections efficiently. They understand that APIs aren’t just tools for integration. They’re a way to build a composable business that can adapt, innovate and transform itself faster than the competition."
