As Bechtle AVS, a German IT services and consulting giant, adapts to the growing demands of its global customer base, it has embraced platform engineering to streamline its development processes. With thousands of clients across various industries, each with unique compliance and operational requirements, Bechtle AVS realized that its previous approach — building custom applications in separate, dedicated environments for each client — was becoming a logistical challenge. This approach created technical and operational headaches for the company’s 100 developers, who were struggling with a lack of standardized development tools and a high cognitive load.
The Need for Change
For Bechtle AVS’s developers, managing different environments with varying security and compliance standards became overwhelming, leading to morale issues and even staff departures. André Alfter, co-founder and principal of Bechtle’s Software Solutions 360° Competence Center, saw the solution in platform engineering. Alfter and his team recognized that by creating a standardized internal developer platform, they could significantly reduce complexity, enhance productivity, and improve both developer and customer satisfaction.
Platform Engineering as the Answer
About 18 months ago, Bechtle AVS took a leap toward platform engineering. The aim was to implement a solution that provided developers with consistent, high-quality tools while enhancing security, compliance, and operational efficiency. Platform engineering allowed Bechtle AVS to establish a self-service portal, enabling developers to focus on coding rather than searching for the right tools. This shift represented a move from isolated development silos to a unified, efficient platform accessible to all developers. Known as internal developer platforms (IDPs), these systems provide standardization and automation, offering developers an intuitive, easy-to-use environment.
Alfter highlighted the importance of flexibility and open communication with executive leadership to gain approval for this significant shift. “I didn’t pitch it as platform engineering,” Alfter explained, “but as a necessary update to our processes that would improve team performance and reduce stress on our engineers.”
Winning Over Customers with a New Approach
Once Bechtle’s platform engineering ecosystem was in place, Alfter shared the improvements with clients, positioning the enhanced development process as an asset that would streamline application delivery and boost customer satisfaction. This approach helped build trust with clients, demonstrating Bechtle’s commitment to innovation and reliability. Alfter notes that while not all clients immediately adopted platform engineering for themselves, they recognized the value in Bechtle’s improved internal processes, strengthening the brand’s reputation for forward-thinking solutions.
Choosing the Right Tools for Platform Engineering
For a rapid, effective platform engineering implementation, Bechtle partnered with Humanitec, a provider of platform engineering solutions. By leveraging Humanitec’s platform orchestrator and open-source components like Score, Bechtle quickly established a standardized developer environment. Rather than building from scratch, the company selected an off-the-shelf solution, allowing them to avoid the pitfalls that come with developing new tools internally. Alfter’s 24 years of IT experience underscored the value of a reliable, ready-made solution, as he witnessed the inefficiency and setbacks of custom-built solutions at other companies.
“Choosing established tools from a vendor meant we could avoid unnecessary delays and ensure we had reliable, manageable components,” said Alfter.
Platform Engineering in Practice
Now, platform engineering is integral to Bechtle AVS’s daily operations. Implementing the system took seven to eight months, with steps including securing management approval, researching IT impacts, drafting organizational changes, and building a minimum viable platform (MVP). Each Bechtle AVS developer now uses the same set of tools, which standardizes the development process and simplifies platform management.
Alfter describes the project as “ongoing and evolving.” He sees Bechtle’s platform as a “living product” that may change over time as the company adjusts features to suit business needs.
Future Plans for Bechtle’s Platform Engineering
Looking ahead, Bechtle AVS plans to continue evolving its internal developer platform, adding new features and retiring obsolete ones as needed. The goal is to keep the platform dynamic and responsive to both internal requirements and external client needs. By building a flexible and scalable internal development ecosystem, Bechtle AVS has set the stage for a more resilient and efficient approach to software development that will better serve its clients worldwide.
Bechtle’s journey toward platform engineering underscores the potential of this approach to transform software development, improve developer satisfaction, and deliver enhanced value to clients. As more enterprises adopt platform engineering, Bechtle AVS stands as a model of how to successfully implement and leverage this strategy for long-term success.
Experts in development, customization, release and production support of mobile and desktop applications and games. Offering a well-balanced blend of technology skills, domain knowledge, hands-on experience, effective methodology, and passion for IT.