PaaS for App Dev and Deployment

PaaS for improved application development and deployment

Progress PaaSResearch results

July 2014

Progress - PaaS research results1

•Progress commissioned independent technology market research specialist Vanson Bourne to undertake the research upon which this report is based. 700 IT decision-makers from organizations with between 100 and 1000 employees were interviewed between April and June 2014. These interviews were conducted using both online and telephone methodologies.

•The research was conducted by Vanson Bourne:

Vanson Bourne is an independent specialist in market research for the technology sector. Our reputation for robust and credible research-based analysis, is founded upon rigorous research principles and our ability to seek the opinions of senior decision makers across technical and business functions, in all business sectors and all major markets. For more information, visit www.vansonbourne.com

•Copyright Vanson Bourne 2014. All rights reserved.


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Demographics


…size …sector …country

700 IT decision-makers from mid-sized organisations (100 – 1000 employees) were interviewed in April-June

2014, split in the following ways...

700 IT decision-makers from mid-sized organisations (100 – 1000 employees) were interviewed in April-June

2014, split in the following ways...

Figure D1: “How many employees work in your organisation?” (700 respondents)

Figure D2: “Within which sector is your organisation?” (700 respondents)

Figure D3: Country of respondents (700 respondents)

Five areas of interest:

1: PaaS for application development and deployment

2: Application delivery3: Integrating data sources for application development4: 'Mobile first' applications:

The future of development?5: Programming languages


1: PaaS for application development and deployment


Extent of PaaS use for development/deployment


Figure 1: “Does your organisation use PaaS when developing and deploying new applications?” Asked to all respondents (700)

Figure 2: Analysis showing the percentage of respondents whose organisation is looking to invest in PaaS for application development in 2014, and the average investment (US$). Asked of all respondents (700)

Approaching half use PaaS for their existing application development and deployment, with a further 22% who

plan to start using it in the future

Only 18% have been using PaaS for longer than one year, suggesting uptake

is relatively recent

Approaching half use PaaS for their existing application development and deployment, with a further 22% who

plan to start using it in the future

Only 18% have been using PaaS for longer than one year, suggesting uptake

is relatively recent

The majority of respondents plan to invest in PaaS for application development in 2014 and the average figure is over $250,000

Existing PaaS users are more likely to invest and will be investing more than those not currently using PaaS at all

The majority of respondents plan to invest in PaaS for application development in 2014 and the average figure is over $250,000

Existing PaaS users are more likely to invest and will be investing more than those not currently using PaaS at all

PaaS has led to direct improvements


Figure 4: “What benefits has your organisation experienced as a result of using PaaS for application development?” Asked to respondents that currently use PaaS for application development/deployment (335)

Both development (93%) and deployment (95%) of new applications have been improved for the vast majority of PaaS users

Specific examples of where PaaS has benefited them include a reduction in timescales (54%), reduced costs for development (51%) and an increased capacity for innovation (47%). Only 1% of PaaS users say that they have not experienced any benefits as a result, and each respondent has

observed three different benefits on average

Both development (93%) and deployment (95%) of new applications have been improved for the vast majority of PaaS users

Specific examples of where PaaS has benefited them include a reduction in timescales (54%), reduced costs for development (51%) and an increased capacity for innovation (47%). Only 1% of PaaS users say that they have not experienced any benefits as a result, and each respondent has

observed three different benefits on average

Figure 3: Analysis showing the percentage of respondents that say PaaS has improved the development/deployment of new applications. Asked to respondents that currently use PaaS for application development/ deployment (335)

2: Application delivery


What is the length and frequency of typical internal developments?


For these internal teams, it takes an average of 6 months to develop and deploy a new application

Currently, each organisation requires three different applications to be rolled out each year, on average – 72% require a new application to be deployed at least once a year

For these internal teams, it takes an average of 6 months to develop and deploy a new application

Currently, each organisation requires three different applications to be rolled out each year, on average – 72% require a new application to be deployed at least once a year

To what extent do other parts of the organisation, outside IT, get involved?To what extent do other parts of the organisation, outside IT, get involved?

Figure 5: “How long does it take your internal application development team to develop and deploy a new application, on average?” Asked to all respondents (700)

Nearly all respondent’s organisations (93%) have internal application development capabilities

Nearly all respondent’s organisations (93%) have internal application development capabilities

Contributors outside the IT department


Figure 6: “Do departments outside of the IT department contribute to the development and deployment of new applications?” Asked to all respondents (700), split by those who do or do not use PaaS

Figure 7: “Which other departments are contributing to application development and deployment?” Asked of respondents whose organisation has departments outside of IT contributing to the development and deployment of new applications (559)

Four in five (80%) report that departments outside of IT contribute to

the development of new applications

This rises to 94% among respondents that use PaaS for development,

suggesting PaaS makes it easier for inter-departmental development

Four in five (80%) report that departments outside of IT contribute to

the development of new applications

This rises to 94% among respondents that use PaaS for development,

suggesting PaaS makes it easier for inter-departmental development

Sales and marketing is the most likely group to contribute to development, with nearly half (47%) saying this is the case

Other departments that are likely to be involved include finance (44%) and manufacturing (38%)

Sales and marketing is the most likely group to contribute to development, with nearly half (47%) saying this is the case

Other departments that are likely to be involved include finance (44%) and manufacturing (38%)

Significant demand for faster development


The substantial majority of respondents (85%) report demand within their organisation to develop and deploy new applications more quickly

Beyond the IT department (where all respondents are based), a large proportion say that the pressure is top-down, i.e. from the C-suite/board level. The most common internal

departments to demand this follow a similar pattern to those contributing to development, with sales/marketing ahead of others. External pressures also arise from

customers, competitors and partner groups

The substantial majority of respondents (85%) report demand within their organisation to develop and deploy new applications more quickly

Beyond the IT department (where all respondents are based), a large proportion say that the pressure is top-down, i.e. from the C-suite/board level. The most common internal

departments to demand this follow a similar pattern to those contributing to development, with sales/marketing ahead of others. External pressures also arise from

customers, competitors and partner groups

Figure 9: “Where does the demand for rapid development/deployment come from?” Asked of respondents whose organisation experiences demand to reduce delivery time (598)

Figure 8: “Is there a demand within your organisation to reduce the time it takes to develop and deploy new applications?” Asked to all respondents (700)

Internal

External

Frequency of application deployment


Figure 10: “Is your application development team aiming to deploy applications more frequently for any of the following reasons?” Asked of respondents whose organisation develop some applications internally (647)

88% of respondents are looking to deploy new applications more

frequently

88% of respondents are looking to deploy new applications more

frequently

The majority of respondents developing applications internally report factors as

to why they want to increase frequency, such as responding to market needs

more effectively, taking advantage of new opportunities and ensuring cross-

system compatibility

On average, each respondent considers two of these objectives as being behind the increase, suggesting multiple sides

to be addressed

The majority of respondents developing applications internally report factors as

to why they want to increase frequency, such as responding to market needs

more effectively, taking advantage of new opportunities and ensuring cross-

system compatibility

On average, each respondent considers two of these objectives as being behind the increase, suggesting multiple sides

to be addressed

With the an increasing number of applications being built in shorter

timescales, do organisations currently have the ability to deliver?

With the an increasing number of applications being built in shorter

timescales, do organisations currently have the ability to deliver?

Can existing processes and infrastructures cope with these demands?


Only 18% of respondents consider their current processes to always be agile

enough to deliver applications as quickly as they would like

This rises to 27% among PaaS users alone, suggesting that PaaS has enabled

higher levels of agility for development

Only 18% of respondents consider their current processes to always be agile

enough to deliver applications as quickly as they would like

This rises to 27% among PaaS users alone, suggesting that PaaS has enabled

higher levels of agility for development

With existing infrastructure, respondents are more likely to report that development is difficult than deployment

Respondents using PaaS find these marginally more easy than those without. However, there are still significant numbers of PaaS users encountering difficulty

With existing infrastructure, respondents are more likely to report that development is difficult than deployment

Respondents using PaaS find these marginally more easy than those without. However, there are still significant numbers of PaaS users encountering difficulty

Figure 11: “Do you believe that your application development processes are agile enough to enable you to develop and deploy applications as quickly as you would like?” Asked to all respondents (700), split by those who do or do not use PaaS

Figure 12: Combination of those stating ‘difficult’ to “Considering your organisation's existing infrastructure for developing and deploying new applications, how easy are the following?” Asked to all respondents (700), split by those who do or do not use PaaS

How are current UIs geared to development?


Respondents using PaaS for new applications are more likely to use a single

overarching UI than those without; 77% say this is the case versus just 31% that do not

use PaaS for this purpose

Only 6% of PaaS users have no plans for a single UI, compared with 44% of non-users

Respondents using PaaS for new applications are more likely to use a single

overarching UI than those without; 77% say this is the case versus just 31% that do not

use PaaS for this purpose

Only 6% of PaaS users have no plans for a single UI, compared with 44% of non-users

Despite a majority being under pressure to reduce timescales of development and deployment for applications, most have a UI with equal balance between productivity and control. This suggests that increased speed of deployment does not come at the expense of the ability to build more complex applications

Despite a majority being under pressure to reduce timescales of development and deployment for applications, most have a UI with equal balance between productivity and control. This suggests that increased speed of deployment does not come at the expense of the ability to build more complex applications

Figure 13: “Does your application development team use a single, overarching UI for application development?” Asked to all respondents (700), split by those who do or do not use PaaS

Figure 14: “Is your application development UI more focused on productivity (i.e. developing applications quickly) or on control (i.e. allowing development of more complex applications)?” Asked to all respondents (700)

3: Integrating data sources for application development


Numerous data sources required and not all are accessible


Just 10% of all respondents only ever require a single data source for each new application created. Over two thirds (68%) report that they require multiple sources to

be integrated on half or more of these applications, and for an average application, 81% require two or more data sources

Despite this clear requirement, three in five (61%) do not have full access to each required data source. Why is this the case?

Just 10% of all respondents only ever require a single data source for each new application created. Over two thirds (68%) report that they require multiple sources to

be integrated on half or more of these applications, and for an average application, 81% require two or more data sources

Despite this clear requirement, three in five (61%) do not have full access to each required data source. Why is this the case?

Figure 15: “When new applications are developed/deployed, is there a need to integrate multiple data sources?” Asked to all respondents (700)

Figure 16: “Do you already have access to the data sources that you require when developing new applications?” Asked to all respondents (700)

Challenges surrounding data source integration


Figure 17: “What challenges does your organisation experience when integrating different data sources for application development?” Asked to all respondents (700)

The vast majority (86%) experience at least one challenge

when integrating data sources

The vast majority (86%) experience at least one challenge

when integrating data sources

On average, each respondent claims two different challenges are having an

impact, not just a single issue. Foremost among these are on-premise sources

(47%), length of time (34%) and unanticipated costs (32%)

On average, each respondent claims two different challenges are having an

impact, not just a single issue. Foremost among these are on-premise sources

(47%), length of time (34%) and unanticipated costs (32%)

Can using PaaS for application development help organisations address

these concerns?

Can using PaaS for application development help organisations address

these concerns?

Advantages for PaaS users


Those using PaaS for application development are able to integrate new

data sources in half the time of those without (3 days vs 6 days, on average)

Those using PaaS for application development are able to integrate new

data sources in half the time of those without (3 days vs 6 days, on average)

There is also more flexibility around the types of data sources that can be integrated

PaaS users and non-PaaS users are equally likely to use relational data sources, but those using PaaS are significantly more likely to be using or planning to use non-relational and big data sources

There is also more flexibility around the types of data sources that can be integrated

PaaS users and non-PaaS users are equally likely to use relational data sources, but those using PaaS are significantly more likely to be using or planning to use non-relational and big data sources

Figure 18: “On average, approximately how quickly can new data sources be introduced to your organisation and integrated into existing applications?” Asked to all respondents (700), showing average number of days, split by PaaS users vs. non-PaaS users

Figure 19: “Does your organisation connect your applications to any of the following data sources?” Asked to all respondents (700), split by PaaS users vs. non-PaaS users

Currently using PaaS

Not currently using PaaS

PaaS users have far greater capacity for integrating cloud sources


On average, respondents say that 28% of their data sources are stored in the cloud. This is significantly higher among those using PaaS for application development, with these respondents having over double the average percentage of cloud-based data sources

PaaS users are also more likely to have integrated their on-premise and cloud-based data sources. 71% say that they have fully or significantly integrated these sources, compared with just 31% of those that do not use PaaS in their application delivery

On average, respondents say that 28% of their data sources are stored in the cloud. This is significantly higher among those using PaaS for application development, with these respondents having over double the average percentage of cloud-based data sources

PaaS users are also more likely to have integrated their on-premise and cloud-based data sources. 71% say that they have fully or significantly integrated these sources, compared with just 31% of those that do not use PaaS in their application delivery

Figure 20: “Considering all of the data sources that your organisation requires for applications, what proportion are currently in the cloud?” Asked to all respondents (700), showing average percentages split by PaaS users vs. non-PaaS users

Figure 21: “Currently, how integrated are your cloud-based data sources with on-premise data sources?” Asked to respondents with data sources in the cloud (538), split by PaaS users vs. non-PaaS users

Benefits of API management platforms


Over half of those currently using PaaS have already deployed one, compared with just 16% without. This suggests that these organisations have a better built-in ability to implement the platforms as a result of using PaaS

Why use an API management platform? Existing users and those that plan to have one claim an average of three different benefits including better performance/scalability (63%) and consistent security measures (56%)

Over half of those currently using PaaS have already deployed one, compared with just 16% without. This suggests that these organisations have a better built-in ability to implement the platforms as a result of using PaaS

Why use an API management platform? Existing users and those that plan to have one claim an average of three different benefits including better performance/scalability (63%) and consistent security measures (56%)

Figure 22: Analysis showing percentages of respondents that currently use an API management platform. Asked to all respondents (700), split by PaaS users vs. non-PaaS users

Figure 23: “What do you view as the benefits of API management strategy?” Asked of respondents who use, or are planning to use API management strategy (500 respondents)

4: 'Mobile first' applications:The future of development?


‘Mobile first’ development on the rise


Figure 24: Analysis showing average percentage of new applications built as ‘mobile first’ now and in three years’ time. Asked to all respondents (700), split by those who do or do not use PaaS

Figure 25: “What do you believe are the driving factors behind 'mobile first' application development?” Asked of all respondents (700)

The percentage of new applications being built as ‘mobile first’ (where the mobile

device user is the primary user) is predicted to increase

Over the next three years, both PaaS users and non-users will see significant increases

in the proportions of applications created this way – although those using PaaS are

further ahead

The percentage of new applications being built as ‘mobile first’ (where the mobile

device user is the primary user) is predicted to increase

Over the next three years, both PaaS users and non-users will see significant increases

in the proportions of applications created this way – although those using PaaS are

further ahead

91% of respondents identify factors that they believe are driving this increase, including demand for increased worker mobility (51%) and increased productivity (46%)

91% of respondents identify factors that they believe are driving this increase, including demand for increased worker mobility (51%) and increased productivity (46%)

Mobile functionality enables improved user experience


What makes ‘mobile first’ applications different to traditional desktop-based ones? The majority of respondents consider there to be at least one mobile feature that provides the user of that

device with a better experience, primarily having fast, reliable internet access (63%)

On average, respondents believe three different types of application would benefit from being ‘mobile first’, and 91% believe at least one business application would benefit

What makes ‘mobile first’ applications different to traditional desktop-based ones? The majority of respondents consider there to be at least one mobile feature that provides the user of that

device with a better experience, primarily having fast, reliable internet access (63%)

On average, respondents believe three different types of application would benefit from being ‘mobile first’, and 91% believe at least one business application would benefit

Figure 26: “Which of the following mobile features would be beneficial to your organisation with regards to creating better applications and enhancing the user experience?” Asked to all respondents (700)

Figure 27: “What types of business applications do you believe would most benefit from becoming 'mobile first'?” Asked to all respondents (700)

Barriers impeding many from becoming ‘mobile first’ organisations


Currently, only a small minority (9%) think that their organisations are ‘mobile first’. However many expect to be soon, with over half (56%) saying they will be within the

next two years

88% that believe that there is at least one barrier to developing applications in this way. A third of respondents believe that a lack of specialist skills is impeding them, along with

other common challenges such as cost and security

Currently, only a small minority (9%) think that their organisations are ‘mobile first’. However many expect to be soon, with over half (56%) saying they will be within the

next two years

88% that believe that there is at least one barrier to developing applications in this way. A third of respondents believe that a lack of specialist skills is impeding them, along with

other common challenges such as cost and security

Figure 29: “What barriers does your organisation face when developing 'mobile first' applications?” Asked to all respondents (700)

Figure 28: “When do you expect to be a 'mobile first' organisation?” Asked to all respondents (700)

5: Programming languages


Application development is primary use-case for programming languages


JavaScript (59%) and Java (57%) are the only two programming languages used by the majority of respondents’ organisations, but as evidenced by 8% entering an ‘Other’

option, there a large number of niche or industry-specific languages that are also being used

Developing applications for the web (60%) and for servers (56%) are the two most common use-cases for these languages, but mobile (40%) is also a significant

JavaScript (59%) and Java (57%) are the only two programming languages used by the majority of respondents’ organisations, but as evidenced by 8% entering an ‘Other’

option, there a large number of niche or industry-specific languages that are also being used

Developing applications for the web (60%) and for servers (56%) are the two most common use-cases for these languages, but mobile (40%) is also a significant

Figure 30: “Which programming languages do you use in your organisation today?” Asked to all respondents (700)

Figure 31: “What are the main use-cases for your programming languages?” Asked to all respondents (700)

New languages to be deployed in the future


Around half (52%) of respondents say that their organisation will be beginning to use new languages over the next three years. This rises to three quarters among PaaS users,

suggesting they are more keen to diversify and take advantage of new opportunities

Thinking about future language use, only a quarter are considering their legacy infrastructure. This compares with over a third thinking about wearable technology and

over half considering mobile

Around half (52%) of respondents say that their organisation will be beginning to use new languages over the next three years. This rises to three quarters among PaaS users,

suggesting they are more keen to diversify and take advantage of new opportunities

Thinking about future language use, only a quarter are considering their legacy infrastructure. This compares with over a third thinking about wearable technology and

over half considering mobile

Figure 32: “Which do you plan to deploy in the next 3 years?” Asked to all respondents (700)

Figure 33: “When selecting future programming languages, which of the following are primary considerations?” Asked to all respondents (700)

In summary…


• Currently, less than half of all respondents (48%) are using PaaS to develop and deploy new applications, but the majority (77%) are planning to invest in it in 2014 (an average of over $250,000)

The vast majority of respondents with PaaS have seen improvement in both development and deployment, including a reduction in cost (51%) and an increased capacity for innovation (47%)

• Most respondents claim they are under pressure to reduce the time taken to develop and deploy new applications, but only a small minority (18%) say that their processes are always agile enough to meet this demand

• Four in five (80%) have departments outside IT contributing to their new applications; this rises to 94% among those with PaaS

The most common internal contributor is sales/marketing (47%)

• Using a single data source for application development is rare; 81% claim that the average new application requires two or more sources to be integrated

Three in five (61%) do not have access to all the sources they require

PaaS users can introduce and integrate new data sources in half the time of non-users and are more likely use non-relational and big data in their applications

• Desire for increased employee mobility and productivity is driving an increase in ‘mobile first’ application development

There are numerous challenges to developing applications this way and currently only 9% consider themselves to be part of a ‘mobile first’ organisation

PaaS for improved application development and deployment

Progress PaaSResearch results

May 2014


Software

PaaS for App Dev and Deployment