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IBM has launched developerWorks Premium, a subscription model of its developerWorks community, to provide developers with exclusive, member-only tools and resources for IBM Cloud.
With the new developerWorks Premium offering, developers gain an all-access pass to cloud-based IBM offerings and services that will help them rapidly prototype, develop and deploy cloud projects.
According to a recent survey by Evans Data, a market research firm focused on developers, there are 5 million developers worldwide using the cloud as a development platform. The results of the survey—the Global Development and Demographic Study—indicate that the cloud represents a sea change in the way that developers work; it increases productivity and decreases cost, while providing a new level of flexibility that encourages innovation.
“We asked our developer community what tools they wanted and needed, and we created a compelling premium version of developerWorks based on their feedback,” Sandy Carter, general manager of cloud ecosystem and developers at IBM, said in a statement. “We have created a roadmap of premium resources for developers of all levels to grow their skills, build next-gen apps and connect with the IBM ecosystem. We want to encourage developers and innovation at IBM.”
The new cloud-based developerWorks Premium annual subscription provides developers with access to IBM Cloud services like Bluemix, SoftLayer and MobileFirst, which enables developers to go from prototype to production within minutes on an interconnected, secure cloud architecture.
Moreover, an IBM-commissioned study, Mapping the Cloud Maturity Curve, called it critical that developers have the knowledge and skills to build products in the cloud. By offering easy access to learning tools and resources, developerWorks Premium helps developers hone their cloud-based skills while fostering a collaborative environment where they can connect with other developers, including IBM Cloud experts.
“When I heard about IBM’s developerWorks Premium, I knew I had to be an early adopter,” said Ed Janeczek, CTO of Flagship Solutions Group. “IBM has put together a great package of benefits for me to increase my skills and easily explore IBM’s cloud solutions. With my Bluemix subscription and cloud credits, I have been able to develop my apps using services such as Watson and IoT—making my time to production super-fast. Add to that all the learning opportunities like the Safari library and certification options, and we have a winner.”
With developerWorks Premium, subscribers can easily tap into IBM Cloud development and infrastructure tools. With IBM’s Bluemix platform-as-a-service solution, developers can build and run apps while incorporating services like Watson, IoT and mobile along with third-party APIs like GitHub, Box, MongoDB, Twilio and SendGrid. And by tapping into IBM’s global footprint of data centers running SoftLayer infrastructure, developers can select cloud servers located in the data center of their choice.
One of the many resources included within developerWorks Premium is GitHub, a community where more than 11 million people build software together. Now a part of the developerWorks Premium offering, the developerWorks community will be able to discover, fork and contribute to the more than 29 million existing projects on GitHub, as well as create new projects.
“Speed and productivity are non-negotiable for developers building software in today’s market,” Joe Wadcan, head of business development at GitHub, said in a statement. “The combination of GitHub, Bluemix, training and support included in developerWorks Premium will help developers ship quality software fast. We see the smartest companies investing in the best tools to empower their developers, and developerWorks Premium allows those teams to use GitHub to build, collaborate and ship great software.”
Included in the developerWorks Premium offering is:
–a 12-month Bluemix subscription to develop apps with services including Watson, IoT, mobile and more;
–12 months of access to the SoftLayer infrastructure to create a custom development foundation;
–IBM MobileFirst developer edition with three easy-to-install development tools;
–access to more than 500 Safari titles, including online books, videos and conference replays;
–deep discounts to IBM and partner developer events, including BOX Dev;
–complimentary certification test for IBM Certified Application Developer;
–GitHub Micro personal plan with five private repositories for one month;
–expert help from the developerWorks premium forum; and
–exclusive content from IBM technical experts (webinars, podcasts and demos).
Earlier this year, at the O’Reilly Open Source Convention (OSCON) 2015 conference in Portland, Ore., IBM introduced developerWorks Open, a cloud-based environment for developers to access emerging IBM technologies, technical expertise and collaborate with a global network to accelerate projects.
“IBM firmly believes that open source is the foundation of innovative application development in the cloud,” Dr. Angel Diaz, IBM vice president of Cloud Architecture and Technology, said in announcing the initiative. “With developerWorks Open, we are open-sourcing additional IBM innovations that we feel have the potential to grow community and ecosystem and eventually become established technologies.”
On developerWorks Open, developers can download code and access blogs, videos, tools and techniques to accelerate their efforts.