Report:
The Forrester Wave™: Integrated Software Delivery Platforms, Q2 2023
How does Forrester define the Integrated Software Delivery Platforms market in 2023?
Integrated Software Delivery Platforms (ISDPs) provide a strong platform foundation for DevOps practices, offering end-to-end toolchains for software delivery. However, enterprises currently use only 53% of ISDP capabilities on average, supplementing with best-of-breed tools where ISDP features fall short. ISDP vendors are responding with innovations to balance comprehensive platform capabilities with openness and extensibility, while helping organizations shift from DevOps to DevSecOps practices.
Key Facts for The Forrester Wave™: Integrated Software Delivery Platforms, Q2 2023 in 2023
- Publication Date: 30-May-2023
- Document ID: RES178494
- Summary: In our 26-criterion evaluation of integrated software delivery platform (ISDP) providers, we identified the most significant ones and researched, analyzed, and scored them. This report shows how each provider measures up and helps modern application development leaders and DevOps platform team leaders select the right one for their needs.
- Authors: Christopher Condo, Chris Gardner, Sara Sjoblom, Kara Hartig
How did the Integrated Software Delivery Platforms market evolve in 2023?
- ISDPs provide a strong platform foundation but still need best-of-breed tools to meet enterprise needs
- Enterprises are using only 53% of ISDP capabilities they pay for on average
- ISDP vendors compete with each other and with best-of-breed specialized tools
- Many enterprises have shifted to platform teams to support DevOps efforts
- Platform leaders are evaluating ISDPs but few use all vendor capabilities
- Individual ISDP capabilities often fall short of enterprise needs
- ISDP vendors are responding with innovative solutions to compete with DIY toolchains
- The bar has risen high for this evaluation due to competition from best-of-breed tools
What product features are required to be included in this year's evaluation?
- Integrated CI/CD (e.g., deployment and release automation) capabilities. The vendor provides integrated CI/CD capabilities OOTB that enable teams to rapidly establish build and deploy processes with minimal configuration.
- Extensibility via APIs or plug-ins. The vendor provides APIs to support third-party tool integration to extend the platform to incorporate performance, test automation, and security.
- A system for centralized administration. A single dashboard helps platform administrators operate and maintain an ISDP at enterprise scale.
- Strong client interest. Analyst inquiry logs indicate the vendor is top of mind among Forrester's end-user clientele with regard to ISDPs.
- General-purpose programming languages and platforms. The vendor supports build and deployment automation for open source programming languages like C# and Java as well as deployment to general-purpose runtime platforms such as Linux or Windows. It is also not exclusively tied to any particular business platform such as Salesforce or SAP.
- High market performance. The vendor's market performance demonstrates that it is a significant player in the ISDP market.
What are the common features of top products in the Integrated Software Delivery Platforms space?
No common features specified.
Scope Exclusions
- Vendors exclusively tied to specific business platforms (e.g., Salesforce or SAP only)
- Vendors without integrated CI/CD capabilities out of the box
- Vendors lacking extensibility via APIs or plug-ins
- Vendors without centralized administration systems
- Vendors with low market performance or client interest
- Vendors not supporting general-purpose programming languages and platforms
Inclusion Criteria
Vendors must, among other requirements:
- Integrated CI/CD capabilities (deployment and release automation)
- Extensibility via APIs or plug-ins
- Centralized administration system
- Strong client interest
- Support for general-purpose programming languages and platforms
- High market performance
Offering Strengths — Relative Weighting
- Platform capabilities — 20%
- CI/CD capabilities — 25%
- Development, security, and operations — 10%
- Extensibility — 10%
- Governance and compliance — 10%
- Infrastructure management — 10%
- Product support — 10%
- Support for test automation — 5%
Strategy Strength — Relative Weighting
- Vision — 20%
- Roadmap — 20%
- Partner ecosystem — 10%
- Innovation — 25%
- Community — 15%
- Pricing flexibility and transparency — 10%
FAQs
Q: What does this research cover?
A: This research covers a 26-criterion evaluation of 13 integrated software delivery platform (ISDP) providers, analyzing their current offerings, strategy, and market presence. The evaluation focuses on platform capabilities including CI/CD, deployment automation, security, governance, extensibility, and developer experience. It examines how vendors balance end-to-end platform capabilities with support for best-of-breed third-party tools.
Q: Who should use this research?
A: This research should be used by modern application development leaders and DevOps platform team leaders who are evaluating and selecting ISDP vendors for their organizations. It helps these leaders understand vendor strengths and weaknesses, compare offerings across multiple criteria, and select the right platform based on their specific needs such as security requirements, deployment strategies, platform support, and developer experience priorities.
Q: What are the mandatory features of vendors included in this market?
A: To be included in this evaluation, vendors must provide: (1) integrated CI/CD capabilities out of the box enabling rapid build and deploy processes with minimal configuration, (2) extensibility via APIs or plug-ins to support third-party tool integration, (3) a centralized administration dashboard for enterprise-scale platform management, (4) strong client interest demonstrated through analyst inquiries, (5) support for general-purpose programming languages (C#, Java) and runtime platforms (Linux, Windows) rather than exclusive ties to business platforms, and (6) high market performance demonstrating significant presence in the ISDP market.
Q: What are some reasons for not being included in this report?
A:
- Vendor is exclusively tied to a specific business platform (Salesforce, SAP) rather than supporting general-purpose development
- Lack of integrated CI/CD capabilities requiring extensive configuration
- No extensibility options via APIs or plug-ins for third-party integrations
- Missing centralized administration system for enterprise-scale management
- Insufficient market presence or client interest in the ISDP category
- Limited support for mainstream programming languages and deployment platforms
Q: What should buyers consider when evaluating products in this market?
A:
- Strong core CI/CD capabilities with build optimization and advanced deployment automation strategies
- Connected platforms that allow best-of-breed tools to augment default capabilities
- Balance between end-to-end platform integration and third-party connectivity
- DevSecOps capabilities including pipeline security, secrets management, and signed artifacts
- Platform cohesion with simplified setup and operation
- Developer experience enhancements to reduce context switching
- Governance and compliance features appropriate for regulated industries
- Analytics and reporting capabilities including DORA metrics
- Administration and management scalability for enterprise use
- Vendor roadmap alignment with enterprise security and compliance needs
Q: How has the Integrated Software Delivery Platforms market evolved in 2023?
A:
- Enterprises have shifted to platform teams to support DevOps efforts
- Platform leaders are evaluating and using ISDPs, but few use all capabilities
- Enterprises use only 53% of ISDP capabilities they pay for on average
- ISDPs compete with both each other and best-of-breed tools
- Organizations are transforming DevOps practices into DevSecOps practices
- ISDP vendors are investing in build optimization algorithms to reduce build and test times
- Vendors are focusing on advanced deployment automation (blue/green, canary, feature management)
- Security is becoming a first-class concern with integrated secrets management, signed pipelines, and signed artifacts
Q: What differentiates Strength of Offering vs. Strength of Strategy?
A: Current Offering (vertical axis) measures the strength of a vendor's existing ISDP capabilities including platform management, CI/CD functions, extensibility, and security features. Strategy (horizontal axis) evaluates future-focused elements including vision, roadmap, innovation investments, partner ecosystem, community engagement, and pricing models to determine which vendors are making the best long-term bets.
Reference
- Forrester, The Forrester Wave™: Integrated Software Delivery Platforms, Q2 2023, 30-May-2023, ID RES178494
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