The explosive growth of APIs is reshaping every industry, here’s how IBM i organizations can lead, not follow.
Bottom Line Up Front: The global API management market is projected to surge from $10.02 billion in 2025 to $108.61 billion by 2033, a tenfold increase that signals a fundamental shift in how businesses create value.
For IBM i organizations, this isn’t about abandoning your heritage systems. It’s about positioning them to capture new opportunities in the API economy. The question isn’t whether to embrace APIs, it’s whether you’ll lead or follow.
The API Economy Isn't Coming, It's Already Here
The numbers tell a story that’s impossible to ignore.
While many see modernization as updating legacy systems, the reality is far more transformative. The global digital transformation market reached $1,070.43 billion in 2024 and is expected to hit $1,316.62 billion in 2025, growing at a compound annual rate that outpaces nearly every other technology sector. At the heart of this growth? APIs.
By the end of 2025, over 90% of new enterprise applications will incorporate APIs as core components of their architecture. This isn’t a technology trend; it’s a business imperative. Organizations that master API-driven integration are unlocking new revenue streams, accelerating time-to-market, and creating customer experiences that their competitors simply can’t match.
And here’s what makes this moment critical for IBM i organizations: your platform isn’t an obstacle. It’s your competitive advantage.
From Weeks to Minutes: Real Results from the API Economy
Let’s talk about what this looks like in practice.
A large banking institution faced a critical challenge: dependency on their core software provider meant waiting 4-8 weeks for each requested change, with each modification carrying substantial costs. In an industry where fintech competitors launch new services in days, this pace wasn’t just inconvenient, it threatened their competitive position.
After implementing Profound API, the transformation was dramatic:
- Service development time: From 8 weeks to 45 minutes
- Transaction processing capacity: 2,000 transactions per second
- Revenue increase: 23%
- Vendor dependency: Eliminated
- Strategic impact: Gained autonomy for customization, iteration, and rapid service rollout
This wasn’t about replacing their infrastructure. It was about unlocking its full potential through API-enabled integration. The bank preserved decades of proven business logic while gaining the agility to compete with digital-first competitors. More importantly, they transformed from being dependent on vendor timelines to controlling their own innovation pace.
Why Traditional Modernization Approaches Miss the Mark
Here’s where most modernization conversations go wrong.
The traditional narrative suggests you need to “upgrade” or “replace” your IBM i systems to participate in modern digital ecosystems. This overlooks a crucial reality: studies show IBM i delivers the lowest total cost of ownership on the market, with companies saving up to 30% compared to other platforms. Your IBM i platform isn’t the problem—it’s how you integrate it with the broader digital economy.
This is where futurization differs fundamentally from modernization. Modernization implies making old things new. Futurization means positioning proven systems to capture future opportunities. It’s the difference between updating what you have and unlocking what’s possible.
40% of organizations now report business-oriented directives guiding API development, with explicit focus on revenue generation and external partnerships. The API economy isn’t about technology for technology’s sake, it’s about creating new business models, opening new revenue streams, and delivering experiences that differentiate you in the market.
The Business Case: Why APIs Drive Measurable Growth
Let’s ground this in business outcomes. Companies focusing on customer experience through digital transformation report economic gains ranging from 20 to 50 percent. But that’s just the beginning.
Organizations leveraging API-first architectures see multiple compounding benefits:
When you can create new services in 45 minutes instead of 8 weeks, you don’t just move faster, you fundamentally change how your business operates. You can test ideas rapidly, respond to competitive threats immediately, and capitalize on market opportunities before they close.
According to a Global Supply Chain Executive Report, 49% of senior executives said proactive investments in integration technology increased their company’s agility, allowing them to gain $1 million or more in additional revenue in previous years. APIs aren’t cost centers—they’re revenue engines.
Digital platforms leveraging APIs contributed to over $12 trillion in global economic value. Organizations that can easily expose their capabilities as APIs and consume third-party services position themselves at the center of digital ecosystems rather than at the periphery.
The Profound API Approach: Simplifying Complex Integration
This is where strategy meets execution. Profound API takes what’s traditionally complex, API creation, management, and governance, and makes it accessible. Our low-code/no-code environment means your existing IBM i team can create robust, enterprise-grade APIs without becoming API specialists.
- For RPG Developers: Continue using the languages and skills you know while exposing your programs as modern REST APIs. No need to rewrite decades of proven business logic.
- For Non-RPG Developers: Work with familiar tools and frameworks while seamlessly integrating with IBM i systems. Node.js developers can build on top of IBM i capabilities without learning RPG.
- For Business Leaders: Accelerate time-to-market for new digital initiatives without the risk and cost of replacing proven systems.
This isn’t theoretical. Beyond banking transformation, organizations across industries are achieving measurable results:
Logistics: Witra Logistics doubled their daily processing capacity from 6,000 to 12,000 SKUs while achieving a 30% increase in delivery volume. Using Profound API, they integrated a sophisticated automated sorting system with their Power System running on IBM i, creating seamless communication between modern automation and their heritage system through REST interfaces.
Manufacturing: Kamik transformed their operations by building Genisys 4, a comprehensive web and mobile platform that enables sales reps to access their entire product catalog on iPads and generate custom PDFs on the fly. Their Director of IT built Node.js applications using Profound API that process orders from multiple sources—Amazon, EDI, and their Magento platform—automatically integrating them through their ERP and warehouse management systems. “Thanks to Profound API, our applications are now incredibly seamless, flexible, and dynamic,” says Trevor McCullough, Director of IT at Kamik.
All while preserving their IBM i investments and the decades of business logic they contain.
The Cost of Waiting
Let’s address the elephant in the room.
Only 35% of companies worldwide succeeded in achieving their digital transformation goals. Why? Because they approached transformation as a technology project rather than a business evolution. They focused on replacing rather than enhancing. They chose disruption over coexistence.
With the API management market growing at a CAGR of 34.7%, the organizations that move now establish competitive positions that become increasingly difficult to challenge.
Meanwhile, every quarter of delay means:
- Lost revenue opportunities as competitors launch new digital services
- Increased skill gaps as developers gravitate toward API-enabled platforms
- Growing technical debt as integration challenges multiply
- Missed partnerships with ecosystem players looking for API-enabled collaborators
The API economy isn’t just growing, it’s evolving rapidly. Organizations that build API capabilities now position themselves to adopt emerging technologies as they mature.
Your Path Forward: From Heritage System to Future Platform
Here’s what taking action looks like.
Start by identifying processes where faster service creation or external integration would drive immediate business value. The banking institution we discussed didn’t try to API-enable everything at once; they focused on new service creation, their biggest pain point. This focused approach delivers quick wins that build momentum for broader transformation.
Your IBM i systems run critical business operations, and Profound API’s approach means you enhance capabilities without disrupting existing processes. Test, validate, and scale at your own pace. Rather than replacing systems that deliver cost savings compared to other platforms, extend their capabilities to capture new opportunities. This is futurization; positioning heritage systems as platforms for innovation.
Whether your team consists of seasoned RPG developers or full-stack engineers, API-enabled futurization creates paths for both to contribute. This addresses the skills challenge while leveraging existing expertise. Your RPG developers continue working in familiar territory while exposing their business logic as modern APIs. Meanwhile, contemporary developers can build on these APIs using the languages and frameworks they know best.
The Profound Logic Difference
The API economy represents a $108 billion opportunity by 2033. For IBM i organizations, this growth isn’t happening despite your platform—it can happen because of it.
At Profound Logic, we don’t just offer tools. We provide a comprehensive futurization approach that combines:
- Profound API for seamless API creation and management
- Proven methodologies refined through hundreds of successful implementations
- Expert guidance to navigate from strategy to execution
- Coexistence capabilities that eliminate “big bang” risk
We believe in simplification, making complex integration straightforward. We’re driven by innovation, pioneering paths in technology futurization. We’re committed to accountability, ensuring every engagement delivers measurable business value.
Most importantly, we believe in taking action. Not just talking about transformation but delivering results that move your business forward.
The Question Isn't If, But When
The API economy is reshaping how businesses create and capture value. With the market projected to grow tenfold in the next eight years, the organizations that establish API capabilities now will define the competitive landscape for the next decade.
Your IBM i platform, with its proven reliability and rich business logic, positions you to participate in this growth.
The question is simple: Will you lead this transformation, or will you watch others capture the opportunities?
Ready to explore how API-enabled futurization can transform your business? Reach out to our team at Futurization@ProfoundLogic.com or visit https://www.profoundlogic.com/profound-api/ to discover how organizations like yours are turning heritage systems into competitive advantages in the API economy.