Our “State of the API Economy 2021” report indicates that despite the many financial pressures and disruptions wrought by COVID-19, 75% of companies continued focusing on their digital transformation initiatives, and almost two-thirds of those companies actually increased their investments and efforts. Because APIs are how software talks to software and how developers leverage data and functionality in different systems, they are at the center of these digital transformation initiatives.

Our “State of the API Economy 2021” report confirms that though digital transformation has been among enterprises’ top business imperatives for years, the COVID-19 pandemic and changing market conditions have increased this urgency. Organizations across the world weathered the pandemic by compressing years of digital transformation into just a few months.

2020 was a challenging year for many organizations as they faced sudden changes in consumer behavior and market dynamics. The shift to digital channels is nothing new, and even in 2019, digital was already the preferred option for commerce and collaboration across many industries—but in the wake of the global pandemic, these channels became the first and only option for many businesses. Preference gave way to necessity almost overnight.