Survey of 2,000 IT Professionals Reveals the Importance of Innovation, and Its Challenges

MongoDB
May 9, 2022 | Updated: May 10, 2022
#innovation

We all know that innovation is hard. Yet innovation is high on the strategic agendas of most organizations, partly because there is no choice. Highly innovative organizations are more successful across a number of measures, including profitability.

Increasingly, that innovation must be delivered through software. Early in the digital age, just using software was enough to set a company apart. But today, off-the-shelf software (or off-the-shelf cloud services) doesn’t provide a lasting competitive advantage, because your competitors have access to the exact same software and services. It’s up to internal teams to build the innovations that set organizations apart.

The 2022 MongoDB Report on Data and Innovation surveyed 2,000 developers and IT decision-makers in the Asia Pacific region, covering Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The report details our findings on the importance of innovation, the technical challenges to building new things, and the consequences when you fail to do so. Some of the important discoveries we uncovered are:

  • Fully 73% of respondents agreed that working with data is the hardest part of building and evolving applications.

  • 55% say their data architectures are complex. In fact, 38% of organizations surveyed use 10+ databases.

  • 28% of developers’ time is spent building new features or applications, versus 27% maintaining existing data, applications, and systems.

  • Top blockers of innovation include developer workloads, data architecture, legacy technologies and technical debt

To unlock all our findings and understand more about the need for an increased attention on innovation, download the full report.

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Semeris Demystifies Legal Documents Using MongoDB

Sorting through endless legal documents can be a time-consuming and burdensome process, but one startup says it doesn’t have to be that way. Semeris strives to demystify legal documentation by using the latest artificial intelligence and natural language processing techniques. Semeris’s goal is to put the information its customers need at their fingertips when and where they need it. Semeris aims to bring structure to capital market legal documents, while providing a first-class service to customers and blending together the disciplines of finance, law, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence. In this edition of Built with MongoDB, we talk with Semeris about how they use MongoDB Atlas Search to help customers analyze documents and extract data as quickly as possible. Built with MongoDB spoke with Semeris CEO, Peter Jasko , about his vision for the company, working with MongoDB, the company’s relationship with venture capital firm QVentures , and the value of data. In this video, Peter Jasko explains how MongoDB Atlas's fully managed service and support has been a key factor in helping Semeris scale. Built with MongoDB: Can you tell us about Semeris? Peter Jasko: We help our investor banking and lawyer clients analyze legal documentation. We help them extract information from the documentation that they look at. A typical transaction might have 500 to 1,000 pages of documentation, and we help them to analyze that really quickly and pull out the key information that they need to be able to review that documentation within a couple hours, rather than the 7 or 8 hours it would normally take. Built with MongoDB: What is the value of data in your space? Peter: Data is essential in what we do because we build models around the publicly available documentation that we see. We store that data, we analyze it, we build machine learning models around it, and then we use that to analyze less seen documentation or more private documentation that our clients have internally. Built with MongoDB: How has your partnership with QVentures helped Semeris? Peter: Our partnership with QVentures is not just a financial one where they’ve invested some money into our firm; they’ve also helped us uncover contacts within the market. They introduced us to the MongoDB partnership that has helped us get some credits and build out our technology onto the MongoDB platform. Built with MongoDB: What has it been like using MongoDB’s technology? Peter: We chose MongoDB because it’s a scalable solution, and it has a strong developer following. It’s easier for us to hire tech developers who understand the technology because MongoDB has such a strong following in the community. If we have small issues with the technology, we’re very quickly able to search and find the answer to learn how we need to resolve that. Additionally, scalability is really important to us. And, what we found is that the MongoDB platform scales both in compute and also in storage seamlessly. We get a notification that more storage is required, and we can upgrade that online and with no customer impact and no downtime. It's really, really seamless. Another reason we chose MongoDB is that it’s cloud agnostic. We're on AWS now, but we're almost certainly at some point going to be asked from customers to look at Azure or Google. So it's really beneficial to us that MongoDB works on all the different platforms that we look at. Built with MongoDB: What are some of the features you use within MongoDB? Peter: We use MongoDB Atlas Search because of its ability to retrieve thousands of data points from multiple documents. We use the indexing capability there, and the key thing that we find is that our customers want to retrieve thousands of data points from multiple different documents. A lot of our customers are analysts or investment portfolio managers, and they want that information in their hands as quickly as possible. Built with MongoDB: What is some advice you’d give to aspiring founders and CEOs? Peter: Try lots of things and try them quickly. Try lots of little spikes, and take the ones that work well, and eventually put those into production. Really focus on what your customers want. Ultimately, we tried a lot of different ideas, some of which we thought were great. But you have to put it in front of your customers to be able to decide which ones are really worth spending time on and putting into production quality and which ones you should just let fall by the wayside as research done but not ultimately used. Find out more about Semeris Docs . Interested in learning more about MongoDB for Startups? Check out our Startups page .

May 4, 2022
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Five Languages, One Goal: A Developer's Path to Certification Mastery

MongoDB Community Creator Markandey Pathak has become a certified developer in five different programming languages: C#, Java, Node.JS, PHP, and Python. Pursuing multiple certifications equips developers with a diverse skill set, making them invaluable team members. Fluency across different programming languages enables them to foster platform-agnostic solutions and promote adaptability, collaboration, and informed decision-making, which are crucial for success in the global tech landscape. To understand what led Markandey to take on so many certifications while managing a busy and successful career, we spoke with him to gain insights into the challenges and triumphs he faced. What motivated you to pursue certification in multiple programming languages, and how has achieving such a diverse set of skills impacted your career? C was the first programming language I learned, followed by C# and the .NET ecosystem a few years later. Transitioning to a new language like C# after knowing one was straightforward. I then delved into ASP.NET, JAVA, and subsequently PHP. Despite the differing syntax of these languages, I found that fundamental programming concepts remained consistent. This enlightening realization led me to explore JavaScript and, later, Python. Such a diverse skill set made me a go-to resource for many senior leaders seeking insights. This versatility allowed me to transcend categorization based on programming ecosystems in the workplace, evolving my mindset to develop platform-agnostic solutions. I believe in the adage of being a jack of all trades while still mastering one or more. I took on the challenge of discovering MongoDB drivers available for various platforms. I created sample applications to practice basic MongoDB concepts using specific drivers, and soon, everything fell into place effortlessly. What tips or advice would you share with someone who looks up to your achievement and aspires to become a certified developer in multiple languages like C#, Java, Node.JS, PHP, and Python? How can they effectively approach learning and mastering these languages? Before attempting proficiency in MongoDB across multiple languages, it's crucial to prioritize understanding fundamental concepts such as data modeling practices, CRUD operations, and indexes. Mastering MongoDB's shell, MongoSh, is essential to grasp the workings of MongoDB's read and write operations. Following this, individuals should select a programming environment they're most adept in and practice executing MongoDB operations within that ecosystem. Constructing a personal project can aid in practically observing various MongoDB concepts in action. Utilizing resources such as MongoDB Certification Learning Paths , practice tests, and MongoDB Documentation is vital for excelling in certification exams. Additionally, it's advisable to undertake the initial certification in the programming language one feels most comfortable with. Reflection is key; saving or emailing exam scores enables individuals to identify areas needing improvement for future attempts. With proficiency in C#, Java, Node.JS, PHP, and Python, how do you perceive the role of versatility in today's tech industry, especially regarding job opportunities and project flexibility? Programming languages, very much like spoken languages, are merely a medium. The most important thing is knowing what to say. The tech industry depends on problems, and developers seek solutions to them. Once they have a solution, programming languages help make those solutions a reality. It’s not hard to learn different programming languages or even to master them. Knowing the basics of different programming ecosystems can give developers an edge regarding job opportunities. It makes them flexible and enables them to make crucial and informed decisions in choosing the correct tech stack or defining good architecture for solutions. In your experience, how does fluency in multiple languages enhance collaboration and innovation within development teams, particularly in today's globalized tech landscape? Fluency or even practical awareness about programming languages or ecosystems promotes versatility in problem-solving, facilitates cross-functional collaboration, supports agile development, enables integration with legacy systems, fosters global collaboration, reduces dependency, and empowers informed decision-making, all of which are crucial for staying competitive in today's globalized tech landscape. As a MongoDB Community Creator, how do you leverage your expertise in these five languages to contribute to and engage with the broader tech community? What advice would you offer aspiring developers seeking to expand their skill set? I aim to open-source my MongoDB-focused projects across various ecosystems, accompanied by detailed articles outlining their construction. Since these projects were designed with exams in mind, they serve as skill-testing tools for developers and comprehensive guides to the various components comprising certification exams. I advocate for developers to choose a favorite language and compare others to it, as this approach facilitates a quicker and more efficient understanding of concepts. Relating new information to familiar concepts makes learning easier and more effective. The MongoDB Community Advocacy Program is a vibrant global community designed for MongoDB enthusiasts who are passionate about advocating for the platform. Our Community Creators Program welcomes members of all skill levels eager to deepen their involvement in advancing MongoDB's community and technology. We empower our members to expand their expertise, visibility, and leadership by actively engaging with and advocating for MongoDB technologies among users worldwide. Join us and amplify your impact within the MongoDB community! Elevate your career with MongoDB University 's 1,000+ learning assets. Access free courses and hands-on labs, and earn certifications to boost your skills and stand out in tech.

April 24, 2024