Benefits and Use Cases for 2021 Software Development Trends
Published: 2021-06-30 11:42:46

<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Software development trends are significant drivers of business growth. Some of the 2019-2020 development buzzwords, such as microservices and cloud migration, have already become ingrained in the software industry and demonstrated their value to various businesses. They are already a requirement for many projects in </span><strong><a href="https://reliasoftware.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">our software development services</span></strong></a></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Other trends in software development continue to mature and spread across industries. In this article, we examine four emerging technologies that will significantly impact the software industry in 2021 and beyond, highlighting their benefits through use cases.</span></p>
<h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong>Artificial intelligence-first software</strong></span></h2>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Gartner predicts that organizations with at least four AI projects will increase that number to 35 by 2022. The latest trend is away from integrating AI into existing software and developing AI-first software, in which AI becomes the starting point for software development. It can benefit businesses in a variety of ways when powered by technologies such as deep learning, speech recognition, or machine vision:</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Assistance with making critical decisions. Artificial intelligence analyzes medical records, genetic data, and laboratory results to predict diseases and identify more promising treatments in medicine.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Superior level of service. From virtual assistants that schedule doctor appointments in healthcare to software that recognizes faces and emotions to improve sales and marketing efforts, AI enables genuine client-centered services.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Quality control and aversion to risk. IoT devices transmit data to artificial intelligence-based programs that improve production efficiency and predict machinery failures in manufacturing. Additionally, AI is used in agriculture to analyze plants and detect weeds.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Case study:</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">&nbsp;ReliaSoftware created an artificial intelligence-based application for analyzing brain MRI scans. The application, which utilizes convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithms, assists physicians in localizing brain tumors, planning surgeries, and monitoring treatment progress.</span></p>
<h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong>Beyond the financial sector, blockchain technology</strong></span></h2>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">The blockchain enables the transfer of money and information without using an intermediary and the maintenance of unalterable and transparent records. The mechanism is as follows: data is encrypted, chronologically linked to other data entries, and distributed across all computer systems on the network rather than being stored in a centralized server.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Due to the innovative nature of blockchain technology, it is being adopted by a wide variety of industries beyond finance, where it first appeared: distribution, manufacturing, healthcare, and government. By the end of 2024, the blockchain market is expected to reach $20 billion.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Consider the following benefits of investing in this technology:</span></p>
<ul>
    <li style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong>Data security.</strong> Decentralized data storage helps businesses that handle sensitive information (credit histories, medical records, and records from industrial IoT) prevent fraud and security attacks by encrypting and copying it to each computer in the system, eliminating the possibility of altering it without the approval of all system members.</span></li>
    <li style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong>Contracts intelligent.</strong> The blockchain enables the creation of contracts that are automatically executed once all terms have been met. For instance, after the payment is verified via blockchain, the goods are shipped. As such, contract execution cannot be tampered with.</span></li>
    <li style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong>Transparency.</strong> Businesses can use the blockchain&apos;s distributed ledger to replace paper-based processes, ensuring complete transparency of transactions and increasing the accountability of all parties involved.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Walmart evaluated blockchain technology&apos;s ability to track food provenance by requiring several suppliers to upload their data to the distributed ledger and use new unique labels on products. This enables the company to trace mangoes back to their origin farm in 2.2 seconds via the blockchain-based system instead of seven days when suppliers were contacted via phone and email.</span></p>
<h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong>Development with minimal coding</strong></span></h2>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Low-code development refers to the process of creating applications without the use of code. Developers drag and drop prebuilt components, while regulation is generated automatically and is editable if necessary.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">At first, low-code development was used on platform-as-a-service providers specializing in a particular type of software (e.g., CRM). However, low-code platforms now enable the creation of almost any low-code kind of application. They gain popularity due to significant functional improvements &ndash; microservices support, extensive integration capabilities, and AI/ML implementation.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Gartner predicts that by 2024, low-code platforms will be used in more than 65% of software development projects. This is due to the opportunities that low-code development provides for startups, small businesses, and enterprises:</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">They increased deployment speed. Low-code applications are significantly faster to develop than hand-coded applications, enabling businesses to meet the tight deadlines imposed by the competitive market environment.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Identifying and validating business concepts with fewer risks. In comparison to custom software development, low-code platforms help reduce costs. This is especially advantageous when developing a low-cost MVP to determine whether a business idea is worth further investment.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">They are compensating for a dearth of UX resources. Low-code platforms provide integrated UI frameworks with prebuilt blocks and widgets that anyone with a basic understanding of user experience can create a user-friendly application.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Schneider Electric, a multinational provider of energy solutions, required immediate support for business processes involving multiple applications. The company created over 60 new apps in 20 months using low-code development and saved over 650 working days.</span></p>
<h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong>Web Apps That Are Progressive (PWAs)</strong></span></h2>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">PWAs are web applications that perform the same functions as native mobile applications without downloading them. By the end of 2020, 93 percent of Gartner survey respondents desired to have PWAs deployed or in development, and this trend will continue in 2021. The growing popularity of PWAs is due to two significant benefits:</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">A pleasant user experience. PWAs load content 2-3 times faster than responsive and mobile web pages, they display content even when the server is under heavy load, and they are resistant to crashes during periods of high server load.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Cost and time savings associated with development. PWAs are a viable alternative to native apps because they scale to all screen sizes and mobile platforms. Additionally, it is pretty cost-effective, as you can have a website and an app for the price of a website.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Businesses that benefit significantly from PWAs include e-commerce, hospitality, news sources, and social networks &ndash; all of which require a high level of user convenience.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Case study:</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">&nbsp;Forbes&apos; PWA opens in 2.5 seconds on mobile, compared to 6.5 seconds for their standard website. Additionally, Forbes stated that their PWA increased the average user session length by twofold.</span></p>
<h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong>Utilize the development trends of 2021 to your advantage</strong></span></h2>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">You can reap early benefits from emerging software development trends in 2021.</span></p>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Relia Software is a software engineering firm specializing in developing innovative software for both enterprises and software product companies.</span></p>
<h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong>Software Development Outsourcing by Relia Software</strong></h2>
<p style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Are you looking for a partner to outsource your software development project or your entire pipeline of projects? Relia Software is prepared to assist you in growing your business and implementing digital transformation initiatives.</span></p>