These are today’s 8 most important software development trends

In a time of digitalization and rapid technological innovations, it is important for organizations to constantly stay on top of developments in the market. Users expect applications and platforms that load quickly, are user-friendly and offer excellent performance. In addition, customers demand a high level of quality from all the digital channels they use (omnichannel).

To meet the high demands of today’s critical and tech-savvy customers as an organization, it is up to software developers to develop increasingly complex and user-friendly applications. The field of software development will only become more challenging in the coming years. Today’s developer must be able to work with tech stacks that are constantly changing. In addition, new cloud services are constantly appearing on the digital stage, which also brings specific challenges with it.

The consequence of these developments and challenges? Companies sometimes run up against the limits of their possibilities, for example, because they do not have enough specialist and technical knowledge in house or because they do not have enough software developers. Fortunately, there are various trends that can help you improve and modernize your application landscape. In this white paper we highlight the most important software development trends of the moment and we show you how you can take advantage of them.

1. Enhanced cybersecurity thanks to DevSecOps

By now, most IT professionals are familiar with the benefits of DevOps. The method provides better communication and more connection between development and operations, making the process of software development fast and streamlined. There is less room for errors and misunderstandings, while you significantly reduce the time-to-market of the final product.

An important current trend is that the subject of security is becoming increasingly important within DevOps. A logical development if we look at the professionalization of modern cybercrime and the sharp increase in the number of ransomware attacks. Such incidents can threaten the privacy of personal data and the security of business-critical information.

With the growing need for greater security during the development process, DevSecOps is in increasing demand. DevSecOps is a natural extension and evolution of DevOps thinking. The goal? To close the security gap between development and operations. DevSecOps forces all those involved in the DevOps process to treat security as an integral core topic that recurs at every stage of the journey. You validate security and compliance requirements at every step of the development lifecycle.

Applying DevSecOps has several benefits:

• You identify vulnerabilities in the code or design of an application early on.
• Security becomes an integral and natural part of the process.
• Ownership and responsibility for security now lie with everyone involved in DevOps.
• You reduce risks and operational costs because you do not have to change all kinds of security measures afterwards.

2. The rising popularity of PWAs

A second important trend is the increasing popularity of progressive web apps (PWAs). PWAs combine the features and user experience of native apps with the accessibility and flexibility of the web. They work for any user, load quickly and basically work on any device with a supported browser. Like native apps, PWAs can also work offline, send push notifications and access hardware.

PWAs have been and remain popular because of their “connectivity-proof” design and the resistance of many users to continue downloading native apps on their devices. From a user perspective, PWAs are easy to use on mobile devices without the need for an app store.

From a software developer’s perspective, working with progressive web apps also has advantages. They are lightweight, much faster to customize than native apps and easier to maintain. PWAs also use one codebase for all devices. Developers therefore do not have to build multiple versions of the same application. PWAs are also searchable by Google and consorts, contributing to better discoverability.

3. The increasing use of cloud-native apps and Node.js

More and more organizations are using or needing applications born in the cloud (cloud-native). Cloud-native applications are not only scalable and easy to customize, but also easier to connect to a diverse spectrum of cloud services without the need for additional coding. They can run on virtually any device type. As a result, the use of cloud-native solutions is expected to continue to grow in 2022.

Like cloud-native apps, Node. js is also becoming increasingly popular. Node.js is a runtime environment for JavaScript that allows developers to create servers, data layers, applications and web applications using a single platform. A versatile tool, in other words. Unfortunately, there is a serious shortage of Node.js specialists on the market today.

4. IoT continues to advance

The rise of Internet of Things (IoT) is now unstoppable. IoT technology is expected to create a staggering $6 trillion in economic value on a global scale by the end of 2022. Especially as IoT increasingly goes hand in hand with cloud computing and “connected data,” the technology is also transforming software development. For example, we are seeing mobile devices (and the applications that run on them) increasingly optimized for vertical markets. Combined with smart sensors and analytics, they are increasingly focused on using and processing real-time data.

5. Artificial intelligence for better user experiences

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that continues to evolve at lightning speed. In particular, the rise of deep learning and artificial neural networks offers limitless possibilities. It is, for example, possible to crawl into the psyche of customers and users in order to optimally adjust applications and platforms to customer needs and preferences. As more and more applications contain complex AI functionalities, software developers need to be increasingly well versed in this technology.

6. The rise of microservices

In the field of IT architecture, there is a movement towards microservices. This requires a different way of development. Instead of building an application or package that can do ‘everything’, the emphasis with microservices lies on modular development. A microservice architecture consists of individually adaptable services and functionalities that work together as one application. A microservice architecture is flexible, easily adaptable and suitable for customization. It is therefore expected that by 2022 more and more organizations will be adopting microservices in their development process.

7. Low-code and no-code

In the field of IT architecture, there is a movement towards microservices. This requires a different way of development. Instead of building an application or package that can do ‘everything’, the emphasis with microservices lies on modular development. A microservice architecture consists of individually adaptable services and functionalities that work together as one application. A microservice architecture is flexible, easily adaptable and suitable for customization. It is therefore expected that by 2022 more and more organizations will be adopting microservices in their development process.

8. Growth of nearshoring

To develop the more complex applications demanded by modern users, organizations need larger and more diverse software development teams. But assembling and growing such a team is a serious challenge in a tight IT market. After all, competition is fierce. This means that talented developers have many choices and are expensive. This can make it a challenge for an organization to keep up with the growth.

More and more organizations are choosing to expand the development team with a dedicated nearshore team. In doing so, you outsource business activities to an organization in a relatively nearby country with lower wages and a larger supply of IT professionals. Compared to recruiting in the Netherlands and offshoring, nearshoring has several advantages:

• Reduced cultural differences compared to offshoring, because you are working with IT professionals from a relatively nearby country.
• You are not completely dependent on the expensive and tight Dutch market. This leads to lower wage costs, while you have a larger pool of talent to fish in.
• Compared to offshoring, there is a low threshold to meet physically. Moreover, because of hybrid working, nearshoring is quite easy to implement.

In addition, the transition to digital collaboration has removed the last barriers for many organizations. It is therefore expected that nearshoring will also experience strong growth in 2022.

How does Provide help?

Provide takes the concerns about nearshoring completely out of your hands. We do this by focusing on the culture and personality of both parties during the matching processes and by providing all our projects with a dedicated Dutch project manager. With over 10 years of experience and our tailored approach, we can ensure the success of all our clients. We help with the right strategy by answering the following questions:

• How do you structure your nearshore development team?
• How can you effectively organize nearshore development?
• How can you identify the bottlenecks in your organization?
• How do you prevent friction within your team?

An outsourcing partner who immerses himself in your organization is, in our opinion, an important condition for success. And that is what we are committed to. Are you curious about the possibilities for your organization? Please contact us at +31 (0)30 6669600, send an email to nearshoring@provide.nl or use the contact options below.