2020 marked a challenging year for all of us. The global pandemic has shaken the world, which led to the significant transformation in various industries—and software development was no exception.
Social distancing, lockdowns, and related restrictions caused - tremendous impact caused by Covid-19 - forced millions of companies to abandon their offices, which only fueled the demand for management and enterprise systems. Other software solutions were on the rise since we witnessed a significant increase in software spending across all areas, including web conferencing applications, collaboration, and remote tools, e-learning platforms, etc. These were software development trends 2020.
Since social distancing and other precautionary measures seem likely to stay with us a while longer, investing in and leveraging the latest technology in software development might be a good solution to keep your business afloat.
To ensure you succeed in this challenging endeavor, we compiled a list of the top eight software development trends that will dominate the global market in 2021.
The Most Prominent Software Development Trends of 2021
Big Data Solutions
“The world is one big data problem.”― Andrew MacAfee
Data is power, and those who possess it will dominate the industry. Big data solutions are frequently listed among the current software development trends. Businesses and large corporations have been utilizing big data to extract meaningful insights and apply them to better market their products and services.
While 54% of companies are taking the first steps in adopting big data analytics, unstructured data remains a top problem for 95% of companies worldwide. The demand for big data solutions remains high, which means it’s going to be a leading software industry trend in the upcoming year.
The Rise of AI
Artificial intelligence has already received multiple applications across industries. It’s widely applied to automate business operations, carry out in-depth market research, gather analytics, enhance data flows, and more. It all makes AI on of the biggest trends in software engineering.
According to IDC, AI revenues are expected to hit $156 billion in 2021, which is a 12% increase from 2019. If you’ve been wondering which new technology to apply to software development, artificial intelligence might be a good option. With the capabilities it provides, you’ll have every opportunity to build a revolutionary solution to disrupt the market.
5G Technology
5G has been making the headlines of all IT blogs for almost two years. It’s one of the current software development trends that are going to stay with us in 2021. This technology innovation caused a real buzz on the market, but, unfortunately, hasn’t seen a wide deployment in recent years.
In 2021, 5G is expected to meet the needs of its advocates and introduct a new wave of innovative software development. With the release of 5G New Radio, a radio access technology designed for 5G native mobile networks, the network capacity will increase, which will enable businesses to use it for everything from machine learning systems to large-scale IoT devices.
If you’ve been waiting for this innovation, 5G technology might be the best choice of software development trends for you.
Microservices Architecture
We’re now seeing a dramatic shift from monolithic structures to microservices architecture, and that trend is only predicted to accelerate in 2021.
Monolithic architecture has been successfully applied across industries. But with changing consumer demands, and the emergence of new tech that required reduced downtime and more agile development, companies faced the need for a new architecture.
Microservices allow applications to be built as a set of small independent units that can be developed and launched separately. This software industry trend will provide businesses with greater flexibility, reduced costs, increased agility and innovative software development.
DevSecOps
If you’ve been operating in the IT market long enough, you’ve probably heard about DevOps. It was a leading software development trend in 2018, and it undoubtedly continues to perform an important function in all IT organizations.
However, the latest tendencies clearly show that we’re likely to see the integration of security practices in DevOps processes, which will result in the rise of a new field called DevSecOps.
The ascent of new software development technologies will enable DevOps to conduct security testing without the need to involve a security expert. DevSecOps provide companies with more opportunities to build reliable systems, capable of processing high-load operations.
Cloud Computing
As more and more companies are moving online, the cloud becomes a helpful tool in digital transformation and software modernization. The capability to store corporate data securely on someone else’s device, without the need to keep it on your own computer, allows for better synchronization.
Cloud services have been listed among the top software development trends for several years, and continue to occupy a position as one of the most demanded technologies in software development which is on the market in 2021.
Multi-cloud Infrastructures
If you haven’t heard about multi-cloud infrastructure yet, you probably will in 2021 as it becomes one of the destinctive software trends. The release of Amazon ACS Anywhere next year will mark a prominent event in the software development industry.
In addition to AWS-managed infrastructure, users will be able to store whole data centers in the cloud without fear of missing important information. Even when connectivity is lost, the infrastructure will continue running on the customer premises.
Tech behemoths have already caught up with this software engineering trend. A number of big corporations, such as Google and Facebook, are investing in technologies capable of building reliable serverless and microservices applications.
Quarkus and Micronaut were designed to support a majority of cloud features, including Kubernetes and Eureka. They eliminate dependence on third-party services and provide support for AWS Lambda, which makes it possible to build innovative and scalable serverless apps in no time.
Implementing new technologies in software development will enable companies to improve their data flow, launch solutions that better fit market demand, and accelerate the development of more flexible and agile software systems.
Cross-platform Development
When listing the latest software development trends, we can’t neglect to mention cross-platform development. The euphoria about native applications has come to an end. Modern multi-platform technologies, such as React Native or Flutter, simplify the creation of innovative applications with an appealing design that run seamlessly on any platform and provide an exceptional user experience.
Such software also enables businesses to reach a wider audience, which opens up more opportunities for marketing and promotion. Opting for cross-platform development may become the key software engineering trend in 2021 and keep its position among software trends 2023 and 2024.
Progressive Web Applications
Progressive web apps or PWA are not new to the market. PWAs have been on the rise for several years due to their potential to provide a near-native experience.
In 2019, more than half of online shopping orders came from mobile traffic, which means optimizing your website for mobile users will be a must in 2021. Progressive web apps allow your customers to visit the website from any device without downloading a special application, which removes extra barriers to purchasing products in your store.
When every business moves online, having cost-effective software that can be built within tight deadlines is paramount. Thus, PWA will definitely be among the top software industry trends in 2021.
Conclusion
Now when you’re aware of the upcoming software development trends that will dominate the industry in 2021, it’s the right time to act! Faster Than Light has a professional team of software engineers who will analyze your request and introduce the latest technology solutions and top trends in software to your business.