Software Development Trends in 2019
There has been a paradigm shift in the way tech organizations function these days, as the whole process of software development has turned increasingly agile inputs from cross functional teams for faster deployment. Handheld devices have replaced the good old desktops and cloud has emerged as the most preferred medium of deployment, desktop applications have given a way to mobile app development.
Here’s how Information Technology Enterprises, both large and small, are proactively realigning their systems, processes and talent pools to make the most by adopting disruptive technologies that are poised to drive the market in 2019.
Rising demand for AI driven applications
2019 is all set to witness a change in the relationship we share with technology, with the way we interact with our very own virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa.
As Artificial Intelligence gears up to take up more roles than were conventionally held by humans we are all set to see Artificial Intelligence find a way into our workplaces in various areas spanning healthcare, automobiles, management consulting, advertising co-existing and empowering individuals to make better decisions.
While it is a bit premature to expect a robot assistant make calls on your behalf, it is certain that soon companies that direct their effort on data foundations, adopt creative approaches to nurturing AI talent and business processes can expect to create a niche for themselves in the AI driven software application development market.
The technology to watch out for in 2019: Blockchain
Touted as one of the most promising technologies with a potential to revolutionize the way in which companies manage their data and online transactions Blockchain is expected to lead the trend of emerging technologies in 2019 and the years to come. Blockchain is a distributed ledger supported by algorithmic based trust model to validate business transactions that are undergoing in the ledger.
It gained recognition as the technology behind the popularity of the Bitcoin and has found its own applications other than the cryptocurrency. This is a robust, highly scalable and secure information /data storage technology that enables real time business transactions eliminating the need for various intermediaries. The Offshore IT services sector is believed to benefited greatly by the adoption of this technology.
Emergence of Customer Centric – On Demand Applications
The year ahead is expected to record a demand for applications that fulfil a consumer need governed by three key features viz convenience, scalability and customization. We can expect application development in almost any area of business ranging from food delivery to health to cab services to name a just few. In the year 2019, companies need to focus their resources on custom web development with an emphasis on-demand apps development. Alternatively, as the smartphones continue to be an integral part of our day to day lives the mobile on-demand apps that cater to a specific consumer need are estimated to drive the market.
Digital Applications that offer immersive experiences
The forthcoming year is likely to experience a surge in demand from the education or learning and development sector for applications that offer immersive experiences for the learner facilitating the learning process. An immersive experience is an illusory environment that surrounds you such that you feel that you are inside it and part of it. The term is related with technology environments that involves the senses such as virtual reality and mixed/augmented reality.
Smart Spaces/ Devices /Internet of Things
With technology at the CenterStage of our day to day lives, be it as employees, customers, or consumers our fascination with all things “Smart” will continue to drive the demand for applications that support smart cities, digital workplaces, smart homes and connected manufacturing facilities. We can expect the market is entering a period of rising demand for robust smart spaces.
Quantum Computing
The principles of Quantum computing have the potential to disrupt almost every industry. They will revolutionize the way we conduct our businesses and the security mechanism we have in place to protect our data, how we combat disease and find solutions for problems that concern our health and climate. Quantum computing is likely to aid artificial intelligence transcend to more industries like drug development, climate change and help technology become intuitive faster.
Privacy, Ethics and Cybersecurity
Any business that has digital presence and operates on cloud is prone to cyber-attack. Threats to data privacy and breach of confidentiality have thus created opportunities for robust software development towards building solutions that protect or manage the risk to an organization’s digital assets.
Cybersecurity and privacy are the two sides of the same coin. Data loss and information leakage are the biggest concerns daunting business enterprises in the light of rising incidents of data theft and pilferage in current times.
Progressive Web Apps
Progressive Web Apps offer user experiences the reach of the web with the convenience of a mobile app and are reliable, faster and more engaging. They can be as immersive as the native app and can earn a place on the user’s home screen. With features like push notifications, smart caching, offline functionality to visited sites and background updating makings the site faster to load even with poor network quality.
A lot of efforts are being directed at creation of deeply engaging experiences that are a lot more personalized using these PWAs as they are referred to in the tech parlance. The Forbes magazine and Financial Times are some of the more prominent examples that have successfully launched their magazines as PWAs leading to higher customer engagement. One can expect a lot more career opportunities in the area of Progressive Web App development.
Conclusions
According to the projections by experts like Gartner the IT outsourcing landscape is estimated to show a continual growth in the years to come. More and more businesses are likely to outsource their services to offshore specialist providers creating an upsurge in demand for outsourcing partnerships in 2019. As discussed above technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are expected to shape the future of IT outsourcing.
The offshore development industry is poised to get more and more collaborative with customer centric processes driving their infrastructure and skill set of their people in order to remain competitive.
The global IT services market needs businesses to adapt to changing market dynamics faster and innovate almost every day creating the need for reliable client -vendor partnerships. The offshore development service providers will have strategic roles to play to boost the capabilities of their client partners.
Soon, businesses will look for offshore development partners with a strong expertise in specific technology skills and the IT outsourcing industry will prefer partners who act as their systems integrators and partners to their customers with a focus on sharing the risk and adding value to their services.
