Software today affects nearly every aspect of our lives, a fact that is shining the spotlight on developers and putting them in an influential position. To further support these developers, SAP has initiated new programs to inspire developers, enable new technology adoption, and facilitate an easy, targeted, and open development experience. In this article, you'll learn more about the first of these programs: the SAP Developer Center.
It's a great time to be a software developer. Software affects nearly every aspect of our lives, putting developers in a highly influential position. Redmonk's Stephen O'Grady1 refers to the once underappreciated developer as the new "kingmaker" of our time. Forrester Research notes that organizations are seeking more engineering "rock stars" and are investing in the hiring and on-boarding of engineers.2 Enterprises are increasing their software development costs, acknowledging the need for innovation through new application development. Forrester also points out that mobile development has grown exponentially, with more than three-quarters of enterprises indicating they have or plan to have in-house mobile developers by 2012. And ABI Research predicts that in 2011 alone roughly 29 billion apps will have been downloaded for mobile use.3
In addition, independent developers are more empowered than in years past. With the rise of mobile app stores, developers can now advance their own creative ideas, architect and develop applications, and perform their own marketing, sales, and support as well. This transformation from performing programming to practically becoming mini business owners is occurring across the development community. SAP sees harnessing the momentum of this entrepreneurial movement as a great opportunity to empower developers even more. That's why SAP is launching initiatives that will help developers achieve their technological and business objectives.
Technology at a Tipping Point
SAP is at a unique point in its technology roadmap, giving developers a wealth of new options for their enterprise application environments with innovative technology in areas such as:
- In-memory. SAP HANA provides a platform to analyze massive quantities of real-time data and produce immediate results from analyses and transactions.
- Mobility. Sybase Unwired Platform offers an enterprise mobile platform for SAP and non-SAP systems, supporting hybrid device landscapes and a wide range of mobile scenarios. In addition, SAP NetWeaver Gateway extends Sybase Unwired Platform's capabilities for SAP Business Suite integration.
- Cloud. SAP Business ByDesign and SAP NetWeaver provide a cloud platform for core business applications and extensions.
These technologies not only position SAP at the forefront of the enterprise platform space, but also give developers an unprecedented opportunity to develop innovative applications based on cutting-edge technologies. Engineers with experience developing business applications using existing SAP technologies, such as the ABAP technology platform, are in a great position to develop next-generation applications. To accelerate this innovation, SAP has initiated new programs to inspire developers, enable new technology adoption, and facilitate an easy, targeted, and open development experience. The first of these programs is the SAP Developer Center.4