FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Chris Grimm – cgrimm@appdevelopersalliance.org
Application Developers Alliance and Leaders in Innovation, Digital Infrastructure and Software Development Launch Developer Workforce Initiative
Apcera, AT&T, Built.io, Ericsson, Facebook, Ford, Google, Intel, and MapR Headline Global Effort to Prepare Developers for Rapidly Shifting Markets and Next Generation Technologies
Washington, D.C. (March 8, 2016) – Software developers have become an essential workforce, building the tools, programs, and platforms transforming modern life. The Application Developers Alliance and a group of industry-leading companies have announced a global effort to increase the size, expertise, and understanding of that workforce. The Developer Workforce Initiative is a first-of-its-kind campaign to engage, educate, and support the world’s software developers everywhere, across all platforms, technologies, and industries.
“Software developers are the essential workforce of the digital age,” said Jake Ward, President and CEO of the Application Developers Alliance. “This is an important time for any company or organization that depends on developers to build products and services and to drive enterprise-wide innovation. Every company, regardless of size or industry, is transitioning into a technology company. The men and women at the center of software development are essential to every facet of our economy, our governments, and our lives. Investing our time and resources to support the developer workforce is an investment that benefits everyone.”
The world’s most innovative companies and organizations are embracing next-generation technology tools and platforms to transform their business models and disrupt traditional marketplaces. This “Digital Transformation” will increasingly rely on attracting the most talented, creative, and expert software developers to work on a broader range of technologies, across industries, and within more complex systems. To meet the growing demand across all industries and sectors, a global cross-industry commitment is being made to engage, educate and support developers and grow the size of this essential workforce.
“Businesses will win or lose based on their software product design, deployment and operation. IT must move from being a cost and control function to being a strategic asset that does not increase risk to the business,” said Geoff Hollingworth, Head of Product Marketing Cloud Infrastructure at Ericsson and Chair of the Alliance Board of Directors. “Real Time Enterprise is the future of development and it is our goal to prepare a new type of developer for a new type of market by providing the developer community with the experience, skills and tools necessary to succeed.”
The Developer Workforce Initiative includes a number of specific plans and programs, including:
- Defining and shaping the capabilities of the Industrial Internet
- Gathering industry leaders and technologists to host events and deliver programming to developers
- Deploying educational resources and content for developers preparing to enter the development workforce
- Creating core competencies and set criteria for industrialized application development
- Matchmaking developers with companies looking for talent
- Conducting research and providing analysis on the changing needs of the developer workforce
- Identifying new trends in software development
“Enterprises are realizing that they must innovate or die,” said Neha Sampat, CEO of Built.io. “Our mission is to equip developers with the tools and technologies to deliver to the Fortune 500 the same, powerful disruption and agility normally associated with startups. Ultimately, it’s about democratizing innovation and the Developer Workforce Initiative is the perfect vehicle to amplify our vision and to engage developers across all industries.”
Initial corporate supporters of the Developer Workforce Initiative include Apcera, AT&T, Built.io, Ericsson, Facebook, Ford, Google, Intel, MapR and other Alliance members. The group welcomes additional industry stakeholders to join them in this effort.
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The Application Developers Alliance is a non-profit global membership organization that supports developers as an essential workforce of creators, innovators, and as entrepreneurs. We promote software industry growth and advocate on behalf of our members on public policy and industry issues. The Alliance global membership includes the world’s leading technology companies, small businesses and startups, and a global developer network.
