How Internal Developer Platforms Reduce Time-to-Market

Category Internal Developer Platform, Platform Engineering

With the continuous evolution of technology, business environments have seen many innovative changes that have helped improve this environment drastically. In the software industry, speed has become a make-or-break factor when it comes to software delivery. Various large enterprises are focusing their efforts on reducing time-to-market (TTM) with innovative solutions like Internal Developer Platforms.

The DevOps Benchmarking report that was published in 2021 states that only 25% of engineering teams have achieved the lead time of minutes, as opposed to days or weeks reported by other organizations. Faster lead time has allowed these companies the increase their market share as well as gain a competitive advantage. 

With the increase in cloud services costs, companies have now shifted their focus from stagnant performance to incorporating strategies that reduce the TTM.  According to a Forrester Opportunity Snapshot commissioned by Humanitec, 87% of DevOps leaders prioritize increasing developer productivity, while 85% focus on better meeting customer demand and shortening release cycles.

 

How an IDP will Help?

As the focus shifts to reducing the TTM, IDP has become the beacon of hope. It offers organizations a pathway that will improve key performance metrics like- DORA metrics. 

The focus of platform engineering will be on 2 main stakeholders, Application developers and the Operations team

  1. Developers: IDP helps improve the developer experience (DevEx) while minimizing cognitive load and allowing them to focus on innovation. An IDP provides the developers with true self-service, reducing their reliance on ops and eliminating bottlenecks, while providing a unified ecosystem, simplifying workflow, and reducing time-to-market. 
  2. Ops team: IDP removes the bottlenecks and standardizes the workflow, this helps the Ops teams reduce overhead and streamline the processes. The traditional DevOps method struggled with challenges like the complexity of distributed workforces, hindering productivity. An IDP solves this by automating processes and reducing manual intervention. They also facilitate collaboration between the Development and operations, improving productivity. 

Many top-performing organizations have adopted the IDP and have seen transformative results. An IDP is designed to provide ‘golden paths’ to developers where they can access infrastructure and resources easily. It eliminates operational bottlenecks and improves collaboration within the organization. This ensures a reduced time-to-market and enhances revenue growth, as organizations can attract and retain customers and developers. 

 

Benefits of an IDP:

An IDP integrates essential infrastructure, systems, and tools, promoting efficiency, productivity, and collaboration:

  • Efficiency and Productivity: IDPs offer developer self-service, promote automation, and reduce cognitive load, allowing developers to work more efficiently. This aligns with the findings from the Forrester study, which shows that 74% of organizations can drive developer productivity and 77% can shorten TTM by improving DevEx. IDPs streamline the software delivery process, reducing complexity and improving team collaboration.
  • Improved Collaboration: IDPs facilitate collaboration between Dev and Ops teams, encouraging innovation and standardization across global teams. By tailoring IDPs to an organization’s needs and existing infrastructure, businesses can unlock new levels of efficiency and innovation, ensuring they stay ahead in the race to market.

 

In summary, Internal Developer Platforms are indispensable in today’s competitive market, driving faster time-to-market and enhancing overall business performance. By embracing platform engineering and investing in IDPs, organizations can significantly boost efficiency and innovation, staying ahead in the competitive landscape.

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