IBM has announced the acquisition of StrongLoop, a software provider, to help developers connect enterprise applications to mobile, Internet of Things (IoT) and web applications in the cloud.
StrongLoop is a provider of popular application development software -- known as enterprise Node.js -- that enables software developers to build applications using APIs (application programming interfaces).
IBM said as data becomes increasingly critical in cloud environments, developers are using APIs to create protocols and routines that specify how one application can interact with another application.
For example, developers can create new information assets by combining data and services shared by other organizations, ranging from startups to global enterprises, to deliver new innovation and business value.
IBM intends to integrate Node.js capabilities from StrongLoop with its software portfolio, which already includes MobileFirst and WebSphere, to help clients better use enterprise data and conduct transactions whether in the cloud or on-premises.
These new capabilities will enable clients and developers to build scalable APIs, and to more easily connect existing back-end, enterprise processes with front-end mobile, IoT and web apps in an open, hybrid cloud. Node.js is one of the fastest growing development frameworks for creating and delivering APIs, IBM said.
Through integration on IBM Bluemix, these Java and Node.js communities will also have access today to many other IBM and third-party services including access to mobile services, data analytics and Watson.