Few enterprises require their developers to attend training, certification programs or other continuing education courses, according to a study of over 100 enterprise developers conducted by nonprofit organization Application Developers Alliance (ADA).
The ADA's "Enterprise Developer Report," released this month, showed only 29 percent of respondents said they were required to receive additional training "despite the ever-advancing nature of technology and the diversity of processes and languages."
In addition, 50 percent of respondents noted that the core competencies and skill sets necessary for them to succeed are documented and discussed by their employers, and 26 percent integrate these criteria into the developers' evaluation process.
"The general public and even others in the developer community frequently have a clouded view of enterprise developers," the ADA wrote in its report. "For many, the image of a hired gun (or a team of them) working inside the 'belly of the beast' persists. Not all beasts are same, though. In-house developers are an essential workforce in the global economy and are taking on new roles, often making business decisions that only they can make which may determine whether a company succeeds or fails. As the responsibilities for enterprise developers continues to evolve, how we think about them must be updated."
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Source: Application Developers' Alliance |
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70 percent of enterprise developers that work at a firm with a Center of Excellence (CoE) said security was a high priority.
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64 percent of enterprise developers said they were adequately trained to build software securely for their company.
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More than two thirds of companies that have a CoE or work at a place that requires ongoing education also have established core competencies.
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25 percent of enterprise developers at firms with no CoE said that core competencies were not discussed at all.
Enterprise app development remains a profitable sector, which may lead many developers to consider entering the enterprise space in the future.
For example, a Q3 2014 study of more than 10,000 developers conducted by market analyst VisionMobile indicated developers targeting the enterprise are twice as likely to earn $5,000 or more per app per month and three times as likely to earn more than $25,000.
However, the VisionMobile report showed many developers have failed to capitalize on the enterprise market as well.
The study revealed 16 percent of mobile developers were creating apps targeting enterprises, with the remaining 84 percent targeting consumers or professionals directly. This indicates many developers could be missing out on valuable opportunities to boost their profits and extend their reach by entering the enterprise market.
Comparatively, a lack of training, certification and continuing education requirements may limit developers' opportunities to launch enterprise offerings.
With educational resources at their disposal, developers may be able to build their skill sets and provide new offerings that meet the needs of enterprise users worldwide. And ultimately, these developers could benefit from a larger target audience and expanded app portfolios.