Multinational technology corporation IBM hopes to elevate its application programming interface (API) management with its acquisition of StepZen, a GraphQL-as-a-service startup that enables developers to better use the open-source language. Founded in 2020, StepZen provides engineers working in hybrid cloud environments with tools to build and scale GraphQL deployments. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.
StepZen was founded by the same team behind Apigee, an API management software provider acquired by Google in $2016 and has apparently only raised $8 million since its launch. The startup and its team will join IBM’s Software division and already boasts customers including DataStax, Komex, and HP Enterprise. With the current complex state of data storage, involving warehouses, lakes, and private and public clouds, gathering data across disparate systems requires APIs. StepZen’s solutions leverage GraphQL to help create a simplified way to cull data from a single API.
IBM’s continued investment in emergent software and technologies signals a commitment to stay at the cutting edge of digital transformation, with software accounting for more than half of its current revenues. The company is also leaning on its internal development as it streamlines its workforce, eliminating 1.5% (or roughly 3,900) positions.
