Software AG announced new research revealing that 97% of IT specialists believe it would be beneficial to combine the utilization of APIs, microservices and integration, while only 1% say that they do so already. Conducted by Vanson Bourne, the survey of 950 global IT specialists examined the state of APIs, microservices and integration, uncovering trends in adoption, challenges and opportunities for further improvement in helping organizations become truly connected enterprises.

For modern organizations, having a highly connected IT environment is essential. The need for fast and efficient integration – between different systems, applications, departments and individuals – in enterprise organizations has never been greater, according to 92% of survey respondents. This need will only continue to grow, especially considering IDC’s prediction that over 500 million digital apps and services will be developed and deployed using cloud-native approaches by 2023.

Suraj Kumar, GM of API, Integration and Microservices Business Unit, Software AG, commented:

“The ability to liberate and integrate all data across applications, devices and partners is a mandate for digital business excellence. However, this survey demonstrates that while businesses recognize this, they’re currently having difficulty achieving it. We understand this challenge and built a unified platform that connects microservices, integration and APIs, helping them to build a truly connected enterprise. With this platform in place, they are free to innovate and differentiate themselves in the eyes of their customers. This is true digital transformation.”

IT specialists agree on the benefits of APIs, microservices and integration

The overwhelming majority of IT specialists surveyed by Software AG recognize the benefits of APIs, microservices and integration solutions – and have already implemented them within their organizations, specifically:

•  APIs:

98% of respondents believe that APIs are or would be extremely or very important to their organizations’ operations.

More than eight of 10 (86%) IT specialists believe their organizations would be working in silos without the use of APIs.

Nearly just as many (79%) said they utilize APIs for digital transformation projects.

• Microservices:

Most (81%) IT specialists currently utilize microservices within their organization to some extent and almost a fifth (18%) don’t use microservices currently, but plan to in the future.

95% believe that microservices are or would be extremely or very important to their organizations’ operations.

More than half (54%) plan to implement the use of microservices within the next year.

• Integration:

Integration solutions are now commonplace in organizations, with 99% using one.

Organizations are most likely to be running some form of hybrid integration solution, both on-premises and in the cloud (64%), versus cloud-only (23%) and on-premises only (12%).

Nearly all (99.9%) respondents identify at least one benefit that is experienced in their organization as a result of using integration apps or systems, with the top three reported as: improved productivity/time savings (54%); greater visibility across the organization (47%); ability to manage information better (47%).

Challenges persist, limiting further success

Despite widespread adoption, barriers remain that limit APIs, microservices and integration systems from being maximized. Notably, concerns around lacking the needed skillset exists across all areas. The top three challenges faced when utilizing APIs include: ensuring API security (48%); limited staff skillset to utilize APIs (41%); risk to scalability and quality of service (40%).

When it comes to microservices, the following pitfalls were noted: limited budget to invest in this (48%); limited staff skillset to utilize microservices (47%); difficult to manage the entire IT environment (45%); complexity (45%); integration of different apps/services is more difficult (45%).