With the enterprises marching towards digital transformation, software development has witnessed a tangible breakthrough in 2020. In industries like education, travel, fashion, healthcare and retail, consumer behaviour is shifting from physical market to online and on-demand services.
Every year, software development brings innovations, and nevertheless, of the pandemic, the year 2020 has been a year of rapid digital transformation. According to Gartner, 87% of the top-level executives consider digital transformation a priority, and only 40% of the organizations have reached the digital scale.
Today, the IT industry has seen many innovative technologies and programming languages for software development. You must integrate the latest industrial trends to stay in the competitive landscape. Let’s discuss the top software development trends that you should pay attention to in 2021 to retain your competitive advantage.
- Cloud Computing
Most of the industries suffered heavily during the Coronavirus lockdown. But the cloud is the forerunner industry which becomes more vital than ever during a pandemic. The global lockdown crisis shows we not only need cloud computing for upscale, but also the data can be easily accessed remotely.
Cloud computing services have been in the market for quite a while now. Modern enterprises face difficulties when it comes to data storage and stockpiling, which can be solved through cloud computing. It also offers a secure option when compared to traditional data storage on a hard disc. The enterprises are moving from utilizing physical information servers to the cloud, and your business should become a bit of it.
- Data Storage
The modern database landscape is full of versatility. You can have the classical SQL databases distributed as the big four databases namely, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL and MS-SQL. You may have recently seen an upsurge of the so-called Globally distributed ACID transaction databases or NewSQL databases. Google is the leader with its Spanner, the first horizontally ACID compliant database.
In 2021, the data storage eco-system will remain as it is now with many options. There will now be a Master database that can serve all purposes. Also, selecting the right database would be a daunting task for your enterprise to conduct with careful consideration.
- AI integration
It is one of the most popular trends in recent times. Artificial intelligence saw so many breakthroughs last year. Another exciting trend is that it recently started to enter all industrial sectors with the jargon “AI for all.”
Artificial intelligence is recognized throughout the industry as a powerful technology of innovation. With the rapid adoption of AI, AI-integrated software will increase the performance of software businesses. It will be especially useful for web portals or online shops to analyse customer behaviour.
It is not unbiased, and ethical AI is getting more traction. Another key trend in AI is the explainable AI, which will need clarification if decided. In 2021, there will be significant progress in these areas as rules have been drafted by the European Union to explain AI’s decision.
- Cybersecurity
The idea of cybersecurity is not new over the web. As 2/3 of the world’s population is moving on the web, the need to stay safe is becoming increasingly severe. By looking at things objectively, you rely on the web for different things, for example, bank exchange, cloud stock filling, correspondence, and what not!
Cybersecurity assures that your own and expert’s professional information is protected from digital attack. Following a consistent software pattern, by 2021, The number of users and the need to use cybersecurity for the good of software will ultimately increase. This should be driven by purchasing engineers who can plan custom applications and software for your business.
- Deep Learning
The two major players in deep learning are Facebook and Google. When it comes to natural language processing, Google is leading the way. On the other hand, Facebook’s key business is social networking, and it has to manage a ton of images, texts, videos and infographics.
Facebook is the leader in image processing with many innovations.
Google’s TensorFlow is a leading deep learning library, but everything had changed when Facebook released PyTorch, which used dynamic graphics, unlike static graphs, with Python’s help. Deep learning works perfectly with different devices like Notebook, Macbook, and Windows.
- Software architecture: Microservices and Monoliths
In recent times, Microservice architecture has become the preferred choice for large-scale enterprises. Designing a microservice application is more complicated than one size fits for all monolith applications. Microservice architecture needs a set of best practices, including innovative design patterns and database per microservices.
On the other hand, Monolithic architecture was criticized as old-fashioned, but it is also a great way for software development due to its simplicity. Another software architecture trend is the serverless architecture like Amazon Web Service, where the developers only write codes and the service provider manages them.
In 2021, all types of software architecture will co-exist, and all of them will have their uses, pros and cons. Thus, you need to select the right kind of software architecture for your enterprise.
- Programming languages: Python and Java
The programming language landscape has gone through significant changes in recent years. The traditional heavy-weight programming languages are losing their market share to the more comfortable and developer-friendly languages. Recently Python Web Development Services and JavaScript are ruling the technology world and are developers’ go-to choice due to their friendly coding nature.
- Internet of Things
The Internet of Things has become extremely popular among tons of individuals nowadays. Right from smart TVs to smart home assistance, IoT-based gadgets will be dominating the world. According to statistics, there will be 75.44 billion gadgets worldwide in 2025. And in other words, this may get intrigued by these devices to the foremost extension that supports the demand for Internet of Things software.
With the advent of IoT, software developers will become experts in creating intuitive Internet of Things applications with stress on abilities, cloud computing, robotization and data storage as the highlight.
- Progressive web apps
Everything in 2021 will be versatile, like the progressive web apps (PWA). It is a hybrid between the mobile app and website. It provides an app-like experience to the users without having a downloaded app.
The idea is when the user clicks on the URL, the browser will directly take him to the app. Once done from the user’s point of view, it will be just like accessing the native app. Progressive web apps have some notable distinctive factors that enhance the effectiveness and functionality to surpass a regular native app. The progressive web app will be utterly superior to the native app when it comes to speed, reliability, and intuitive content.
- Blockchain technology
Blockchain technology is no longer restricted to the fund business. It is moving to other industrial sectors, including healthcare, retail, eCommerce, and software development. Blockchain technology is one of the most popular software development trends that you will notice in 2021.
Blockchain technology can be used as a distributed database to store records and make them easily accessible and secure. This robust and secure technology protects your data against unauthorized access. It acts as a propeller in software quality assurance, ensuring security which is the most crucial finance industry element.
Final thoughts
Every year the software development trends are rapidly changing. The software industry is considered the most competing industry. You cannot establish your business without new software implementation.
