For the first time in a long time, CEOs, CIOs and IT groups are on the same page. They’ve seen the changes in the marketplace, and they know that if they want to compete, they must find a way to deliver new applications, services and capabilities faster and at a higher quality than ever before – and do so without taking on new costs or risks.

It’s clear why the current environment is the way it is: Thanks to the innovative consumer devices and services they interact with on a daily basis, today’s users have become conditioned to expect a compelling, flawless experience from every technology they encounter – whether in or out of the office. And if the experience isn’t meeting their expectations, they have no qualms with moving on to another one that does.

In the Application Economy, speed, innovation, and quality, have become table stakes. If you can’t meet your customers’ expectations, they will surely find a competitor who can. Whether your organization is in one of the sectors facing the most intense digital competition (like insurance, banking, telecommunications or retail), or a more traditional industry, how rapidly and successfully you embrace a software-driven digital transformation strategy will likely have a profound effect on your organization’s long term viability. In this Whitepaper, learn how the Application Economy is driving Digital Transformation in companies, and how you can position your organization for success.

Since the early days of computing, developers have struggled to make applications communicate. Specialized protocols, such as COM+, CORBA, and even SOAP, emerged over the years, but none were sufficient to meet the need for scale, simplicity, and cross-language functionality.

APIs are the technology behind this approach. APIs allow developers to create an open architecture for sharing functionality and data between applications. APIs are like windows into an application—a direct conduit that leads straight into the core functionality and data residing in the heart of the app.

The mobile app has become “the” strategic initiative for all digital organizations attempting to drive business forward. “By 2017, mobile apps will be downloaded more than 268 billion times, generating revenue of more than $77 billion — making apps one of the most popular computing tools for users across the globe.”1 The app has become more than a simple method of communication. It is the new critical point of engagement, the face of the organization, and quite possibly the difference maker in customers staying or leaving. Getting the “user experience” (or UX) right in the eyes of the consumer is no longer a nice to have but fundamental to achieving success.

Across industry sectors, the boundaries of the traditional enterprise are blurring, as organizations open up their on-premise data and application functionality to partner organizations, the Web, mobile apps, smart devices and the cloud. APIs (application programming interfaces) form the foundation of this new open enterprise, allowing enterprises to reuse their existing information assets across organizational boundaries.

Mobility is taking today’s world by storm. By 2017, mobile apps will be downloaded more than 268 billion times, generating revenue of more than $77 billion — making apps one of the most popular computing tools for users across the globe. Understandably, the pressure to deliver diverse apps to external and internal audiences is felt universally across every enterprise.

The mobile app has become “the” strategic initiative for all digital organizations attempting to drive business forward. “By 2017, mobile apps will be downloaded more than 268 billion times, generating revenue of more than $77 billion — making apps one of the most popular computing tools for users across the globe.”1 The app has become more than a simple method of communication. It is the new critical point of engagement, the face of the organization, and quite possibly the difference maker in customers staying or leaving. Getting the “user experience” (or UX) right in the eyes of the consumer is no longer a nice to have but fundamental to achieving success.