TRENDING look to connect and derive more value from their new and existing apps and data .
• So many applications , so little integration : On average , organisations use 843 individual applications . However , only 29 % of these applications are integrated ( a slight increase from 28 % in the previous year ), highlighting huge potential for organisations to drive change and deliver more connected experiences .
• Connected customer experiences remain a challenge to achieve : Only 18 % of organisations integrate end-user experiences across all channels , with almost half ( 48 %) stating they have found it difficult to do so . However , for those organisations that have successfully integrated end-user experiences , increased customer engagement ( 53 %), business transformation ( 53 %) and innovation ( 50 %) have been the major benefits .
• Data-related roles have the biggest integration needs : Outside of IT , data science ( 47 %), business analyst ( 42 %) and finance ( 42 %) are the roles with the biggest integration needs . This further highlights how business users and initiatives with a data focus are prime candidates for integration support .
Empowering enterprise-wide innovation
Organisations recognise the strategic importance of integration to help achieve revenue goals and
Organisations asked IT to deliver on average 30 % more projects this year . deliver connected experiences faster . To lessen the integration burden on IT and drive innovation and productivity , organisations are looking to drive reuse of existing integrations and empower the wider business to connect apps and data .
• Integration and API strategy is being led from the top : More than two-thirds ( 69 %) of organisations say they have a top-down approach to integration and API strategy . This is an increase from 63 % last year , highlighting the growing importance of integration to achieving business goals .
• API reuse is a massive area of opportunity : While most organisations ( 96 %, up from 80 % last year ) are using APIs to build integrations and deliver new projects , best practices around API reuse remain an area of improvement . The reuse of code , APIs and best practice templates has plateaued over the last two years . Organisations have on average 42 % of such internal assets and components available for reuse . This is a massive area of opportunity as organisations leveraging APIs experience increased productivity ( 59 %), self-service ( 48 %) and increased innovation ( 46 %).
• Enabling all business users : Four in five organisations recognise the need to make data and integration accessible to business users to increase productivity , deliver connected experiences and drive innovation . Over a third ( 36 %) of organisations say they have a mature approach to enabling non-IT users to easily integrate apps and data sources through APIs . Another 44 % say they are in the process of developing plans , further highlighting that organisations are looking to empower business users with integration . p
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