When I ask clients, colleagues, and fellow software leaders about the biggest challenges they’re facing, a few trends stand out:
- Organizations are looking to enhance collaboration among individual team members and between teams.
- Leaders are looking to streamline workflows to enhance efficiency.
- Teams are still figuring out how to make security a priority in their workflow.
- More recently, leaders are trying to understand the role of AI in their code development and testing.
In many of my conversations, I’ve also found that organizations are looking for a single platform of integrated tools to help achieve these critical goals. I usually respond with a question: “Are you using GitHub?”
Full disclosure: Coveros is a premier partner with GitHub, providing training and consulting support to organizations that are adopting or enhancing their use of the platform. But, don’t just take our word on why GitHub is worth consideration.
The recent rapid adoption of GitHub and its suite of tools shows the value leading organizations are seeing in the platform. In the summer of 2023, GitHub officially reached more than 100 million developers using the platform. And, ninety percent of Fortune 100 companies use GitHub, showing the value to their workflow that leading brands are finding with the platform.
So why is the software industry increasingly looking to GitHub? Below are some of the advantages of GitHub we’re hearing from software leaders, developers, and testers. Over the next weeks and months, we’ll take closer dives into individual tools and key features of the platform.
Leaders: Steering the Ship with Confidence
Leaders within organizations play a pivotal role in steering the ship toward success. For them, embracing GitHub is not just about adopting new tools; it’s a strategic move toward fostering innovation, collaboration, security, and most importantly, efficiency.
1. Using the power of AI to accelerate innovation and efficiency
Leaders are always looking for ways to foster innovation within their teams. More importantly, they’re also looking to do less with more through improved efficiency.
GitHub Copilot uses machine learning to assist developers in writing code faster. Recent research shows that developers who use GitHub are able to complete code 55% faster than those who aren’t using Copilot.
For leaders, this means accelerated development cycles, reduced time-to-market, and a competitive edge. By empowering developers with intelligent code suggestions, GitHub Copilot catalyzes innovation within development teams.
2. Streamlining collaboration and automation to help teams work better together
Effective collaboration is the backbone of successful software development projects.
For leaders, building better collaboration between and within teams means less conflict, more efficiency, and even better ideas.
GitHub Actions automates software workflows, enabling teams to collaborate seamlessly from build to testing to deployment. Leaders appreciate the efficiency gains that come with automating repetitive tasks, reducing manual errors, and ensuring consistent processes across development cycles. This not only accelerates project timelines but also allows teams to focus on high-value tasks.
3. Building security into everything you do
Leaders understand that in today’s digital landscape, security is non-negotiable. But ensuring security throughout development and deployment is easier said than done.
GitHub Advanced Security is a game-changer in this regard, providing leaders with the confidence that their organization’s codebase is secure from vulnerabilities.
As most leaders know, the earlier you identify a security vulnerability, the easier it is to remediate. GitHub’s advanced analysis capabilities help you shift left by identifying and remediating security flaws early in the development process, reducing the risk of security breaches.
In other words, GitHub Advanced Security allows leaders to ensure security is built into every aspect of the build and testing cycle.
Software Developers: Empowering Creativity and Efficiency
Software developers are at the heart of any software design process, and their satisfaction and productivity are crucial. The GitHub suite addresses developers’ needs by providing tools that enhance creativity, streamline workflows, and make coding more efficient.
1. Getting a helping hand from AI
For developers, writing code is both an art and a science. Of course, everyone could always use a little help.
GitHub Copilot revolutionizes this process by providing intelligent code suggestions in real-time. Developers can leverage this tool to boost their productivity, overcome coding challenges, and explore new coding patterns.
GitHub Copilot becomes a valuable coding companion, offering suggestions that align with the developer’s coding style and project requirements.
Recent data from GitHub suggests that Copilot helps to boost developer satisfaction and productivity. In a recent survey, 73% of developers who use Copilot said it helped them stay in the flow, while 87% said Copilot helped them preserve mental effort and capacity while doing repetitive tasks.
2. Unleashing the power of automation
Developers often find themselves bogged down by manual and repetitive tasks. GitHub Actions removes these barriers to efficiency by automating workflows.
Developers can set up continuous integration and delivery pipelines, ensuring that changes are tested, validated, and deployed automatically. This not only enhances collaboration but also allows developers to focus on writing code rather than managing complex deployment processes.
3. Assuring code security
While security is a concern for leaders, developers are on the front lines in assuring code is safer from the beginning.
GitHub Advanced Security empowers developers to identify and address security vulnerabilities early in the development process. With code scanning and vulnerability alerts, developers can proactively shift left, addressing security issues earlier and ensuring that the final product is robust and secure.
This proactive approach not only allows developers to deliver safer code, but also helps their organization save time, money, and resources by identifying and remediating vulnerabilities before they become full-scale security threats.
Software Testers: Ensuring Quality and Reliability
Software testers play a crucial role in ensuring software quality and reliability. The GitHub suite provides tools that enable testers to conduct thorough testing, identify potential issues, and contribute to a more reliable final product.
1. Building better relationships with developers
Testing should be a collaborative effort where testers work hand-in-hand with developers to ensure a quality, reliable product.
GitHub Actions facilitates seamless collaboration between developers and testers.
Automated testing workflows can be integrated directly into the development pipeline, allowing testers to receive immediate feedback on code changes. This accelerates the testing process, reduces the time between development and testing cycles, and ensures that potential issues are identified and resolved promptly.
2. Making security a test priority
While software quality and functionality is a key focus for testers, they also play a vital role in ensuring the security of software.
GitHub Advanced Security’s code scanning capabilities provide testers with insights into potential security vulnerabilities. Testers can then focus their efforts on conducting targeted security testing, ensuring that the software meets not only functional requirements but also stringent security standards.
3. Building AI-powered continuous improvement
AI and machine learning aren’t only a tool for developers. It also shows huge potential to help testers.
GitHub Copilot’s intelligent code design can help testers. Test automation scripts, often written in code, can be generated more efficiently with GitHub Copilot, reducing the time and effort required for test script development. This allows testers to focus on more complex testing scenarios and ensures that the testing process aligns with the pace of development.
The GitHub suite has emerged as a preferred choice for an increasing number of organizations, offering a comprehensive set of tools that cater to the diverse needs of leaders, software developers, and software testers.
Whether it’s enhancing security measures, streamlining collaboration, or accelerating innovation, each tool within the GitHub suite plays a crucial role in shaping the future of software development.
As the tech industry continues to evolve, embracing these tools becomes not just a choice, but a strategic imperative for those who aim to stay at the forefront of innovation and efficiency.
How Coveros Can Help
As a premier partner of GitHub, we provide exclusive training and consultation services to organizations that are working to move to the platform or maximize their use of its suite of tools. Want to see how we can help your organization? Click below to set up a free conversation with one of our GitHub experts.
