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Survey results from 650 IT leaders at global enterprises (1,000+ employees) reveal top technology trends, priorities, and challenges in MuleSoft’s annual Connectivity benchmark report.

In today’s connected world, businesses are competing on speed and agility to meet tremendous expectations of customers. The vast majority of organizations (97%) are currently undertaking or planning to undertake digital transformation initiatives — through technologies including mobile, cloud, and analytics. Their key goals are increasing efficiency in IT (79%) and the wider business (77%) alongside improving the customer experience (71%).

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In a market where digital is the threshold for competition, organizations must tackle a new set of challenges if they are to come out on top.

MuleSoft’s 2019 connectivity benchmark report

MuleSoft commissioned independent market research company Vanson Bourne to survey 650 IT leaders from global enterprises to discover:

  • How is the role of IT evolving in the customer-centric era?
  • What are the top challenges IT organizations face?
  • Which strategies and technologies are enterprises adopting to get ahead of the market?
The research was conducted in December 2018 across the U.S., U.K., Germany, Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, and China. Respondents were IT decision makers from enterprises with 1,000+ employees, across both public and private sectors.

Digital transformation: it’s all about the connected customer

Only 36% of IT leaders report their organization offers a completely connected customer experience. Looking ahead, companies will use digital technologies to better understand their customers; to fold cohesive experiences across all channels in customers’ ecosystems; and to operate so efficiently that changes can be delivered in real time.

Though the goal is clear, businesses are struggling to overcome the traditionally fragmented way of operating. To truly stand out in a market where every organization is digital, enterprises must go beyond adopting digital tools, overcome several persistent business challenges, and strive for digital maturity to shape the market.

Key takeaways for IT leaders

What is the state of today’s digital transformation initiatives?

Nearly all (97%) IT leaders report that their organization is currently undertaking or planning to undertake digital transformation initiatives. The key goals of such activities are most commonly focused on increasing efficiency in IT (79%) and the wider business (77%) alongside improving the customer experience (71%).

However, challenges do remain — disconnected infrastructure and systems (37%), resources and budget allocation (32%), and a lack of skills or experience in the IT team (29%) are all inhibitors of digital progress. Finally, as the amount of data, applications, and devices within organizations grows, IT teams are increasingly bogged down by data silos and lack of integration.

How is the role of IT evolving in the customer-centric era?

In the race to meet growing customer expectations, IT and the business are more aligned than ever – only the minority (28%) report misalignment as a challenge compared to last year (43%). Demands for integration now span beyond the IT department for almost all (92%) organizations, and IT leaders report a 32% increase in the number of projects they are currently being asked to deliver.

What are the top challenges IT organizations face?

While the organizational DNA of today’s enterprises is shifting to become increasingly digital, IT organizations face several persistent business challenges. IT and business inefficiencies, disconnected systems and applications, and limited resources are three of the top concerns for IT organizations in 2019. With the growing investment in disconnected technologies, such as such as security (57%), big data/analytics (55%), IoT (49%), and AI (36%), the IT delivery gap continues to widen.

Which strategies are enterprises adopting to get ahead of the market?

IT departments are undertaking a number of formalized initiatives and processes in their expanding role as a catalyst for digital development. Of the organizations that have begun to adopt API management and integration strategies across the business, only 15% report a leadership-mandated API-led strategy. Additionally, organizations are shifting toward agile software development with the reuse of assets and the leveraging of APIs. Many have experienced significant business benefits as a result, such as increased productivity (53%), greater agility (46%), and increased innovation (40%).

Of organizations that have adopted an API strategy, those that treat APIs like products — including agile software development and deployment — are even more likely to see benefits such as  increased productivity (62%), greater agility across teams to self-serve IT (58%), and increased innovation (49%).

For more research and industry trends, download the full 2019 Connectivity benchmark report.