- Amazon Web Services (AWS) was named the most developer-friendly platform. — Accenture, 2018
The newest report from Accenture, which surveyed over 750 US-based developers to determine which platforms are best serving their needs, named Amazon Web Services the most developer-friendly platform. The full report, outlines the challenges and benefits developers face with 15 different platforms, including Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud and iOS, among others.
The point to keep in mind is that the developer community it a very diverse pool of talented individuals that use these platforms on a daily basis. If they aren’t getting the tools and resources they need to be successful and advance in their careers, they will move to a service more likely to provide what they need. This report brings to light very useful information that can be used by companies to create services that engage and inspire a whole community of technology professionals, beyond what a normal business is looking to do.
So, what do said developers value the most?
- Platform market position 90%
- Technically accurate content (82%)
- Timely support (81%)
- Learning new skills and improving skills (78%)
- Integration with other leading platforms (76%), and
- Monetization opportunities (64%)
One of the most interesting conclusions from the report was that developers don’t think platform providers are doing enough to educate, inspire and support their advancement as professionals. Support resources are most often lacking and 47% of respondents think every developer ecosystem is more or less in terms of usefulness.
There is a huge opportunity for platforms to differentiate and provide valuable, useful resources to developers. Especially considering that most developers are curious and inspired individuals that are looking for new and innovative technologies and information.
Accenture even outlined advice from developers about what would make platforms better:
- “Continually push technology boundaries and expand developers’ opportunities to innovate
- Open source their code, and grant access to their libraries and repositories
- Provide relevant, continually updated, and comprehensive learning and certification programs
- Be there when needed most, in ways tailored to each development group”
And one of the most important components for platforms will be to recognize that the success of the platform and the developer are strongly intertwined and it will be in the best interests of both to create channels of communication and feedback.
View the full Accenture report.
