Digital transformation has been a top enterprise priority for years, and in the wake of the global pandemic, that urgency has only increased. Many industries have had to manage in weeks or months what previously would have taken years. According to surveys conducted for our “State of the API Economy 2021” report, three-quarters of enterprises remained focused on digital transformation in 2020, and two-thirds of those companies actually increased their investments.

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.

Over the course of just a few years, the ways in which we consume content have changed dramatically. In order to compete in this new landscape and to adapt to the technological change that underpins it, media studios and other content producers should consider providing relatively open access to their proprietary content. This necessitates a cultural change across the industry.

It’s been 24 years since Jerry Maguire hit movie theaters in 1996, and yet one line from the movie still resonates like no other.

Businesses migrating their SAP environments to Google Cloud do so for a number of reasons. Most cite the agility, scalability and security advantages of migrating SAP workloads to Google Cloud; many also focus on improved uptime and performance. At some point, most businesses also want to explore the idea that there's a fortune locked up in their business data—and that the cloud holds the key.

Application programming interfaces, or APIs, are how software talks to other software. They abstract the complexity of underlying systems so the systems can connect in novel ways even if they were never intended to interoperate. Consequently, APIs are key ingredients in both most modern digital experiences and the execution of many of today’s most exciting business opportunities.

We’re excited to share that Gartner has recognized Google (Apigee) as a Leader in the 2020 Magic Quadrant for Full Life Cycle API Management, marking the fifth time in a row we’ve earned this recognition. In this year’s report, Google (Apigee) is placed highest among all the vendors for the ability to execute.

Week nine of Google Cloud Next ‘20: OnAir is in the books—and what a week it was! From Google Cloud GM/VP Amit Zavery’s keynote to product announcements to customer demos to Google SVP Urs Hölzle presentation and Q&A, we explored multiple ways enterprises are leveraging APIs and no-code application development to accelerate their digital transformations. There was a lot to absorb, so let’s take a look back.