The IT industry is growing each year. Despite the rates are decreasing, the market is going up and up constantly. According to Gartner, we will see +3.2% growth of the global IT spending in 2019 compared to 2018 as numbers will increase from $3.69 million to $3.82 million. More interesting is that enterprise spending is predicted to have the highest boost of +8.3%. Means, large businesses plan to invest in digital tools more and more money.

To reveal how exactly the industry will develop during 2019 and further, we propose to look at recent trends. Mainly, the provided info is about enterprise applications so it should be interesting for all business owners.

Enterprise Software Requirements

In the beginning, let’s define the idea of enterprise software. With a clear vision, it’ll be easier to unveil and understand market trends. Put simply, this concept refers to all digital apps developed for the needs of corporations instead of individual users. These programs focus on business requirements and processes.

There are five distinctive features of enterprise applications:

1. Efficiency. The software should be profitable, user-friendly, and smooth. It’s desired to reach the best results without redundant costs and tangled managerial processes.

2. Flexibility. Good apps are ones that can be easily updated or redesigned. Companies want to get an option of adding new modules/functions or removing them.

3. Reliability. All parts of the platforms must work without issues. Both employees and customers are happy to use seamless and quick interfaces.

4. Safety. Enterprises often store sensitive data and don’t want to suffer from leaks. That’s why all tools require perfect protection in both software and hardware aspects.

5. Scalability. Finally, businesses often grow and face new market/client demands. It’ll be simpler to re-engineer the existing app if you predicted the scalability needs earlier.

Reaching all of the mentioned features may increase the final software development costs. That’s why entrepreneurs should clearly understand the end goals of each app. Moreover, it’s better to be aware of the industry shifts and new tendencies to upgrade existing platforms or deploy new ones.

Top Development Trends for 2019

Now, let’s find out how the worldwide IT industry will move during this year and later. Five main trends shape this space. For different market sectors, they may differ. Still, the basics remain the same all the time.

1. Automation

When time becomes the most valuable resource, businesses can hardly spend it on routine and low-level tasks. A lot of companies outsource secondary processes such as data storing, computing or protecting. Simultaneously, teams can integrate modern software apps to automate other minor tasks and relieve employees from mundane work.

When it comes to development, engineers actively use test automation. It helps QA teams to save time by replacing manual iterations with machine-based tests. Unit testing, integration, modules, APIs – programs can perform all the tasks with higher speed and efficiency. As a result, dev costs decrease while time-to-market improves.

Possible outcomes: full automation of all development stages.

2. DevOps

Despite this term isn’t new, it shapes a significant part of all development approaches now. DevOps is a complex concept without one and only definition. It’s an acronym from development and operations so the whole strategy is focused on tight cooperation between developers and other departments. Combined with Agile methods, DevOps can boost all stages of software lifecycle making the final product more elaborate and profitable.

Possible outcomes: DevOps as a new and main dev strategy.

3. Hybrid Solutions

Traditionally, developers can create a cloud-based or on-premises system. The first option provides for convenient access without spending resources on software maintenance. However, server-based programs grant full control and high performance. Both models have their weaknesses. Hybrid solutions can save the game by combining cloud and server architecture to provide both scalability, low costs, and efficiency.

Possible outcomes: switch to hybrid architecture for all projects.

4. Multiple Clouds

Focusing more on cloud services, we can see that there are some forms of monopoly now. When a company selects a provider, it’s doomed to work with this given cloud because migration will be too expensive. Thus, cloud systems can raise fees or provide worse conditions. Modern dev approaches insist on so-called cloud agnosticism according to which users can get proper tools like Terraform and build apps independent of any specific clouds. It’s worth mentioning that not all developers think that such as model is useful.

Possible outcomes: flexible cloud services that can migrate between platforms.

5. Microservices

This trend isn’t extremely innovative but it can change the development processes completely. Microservices are tiny code packages focused on separate tasks and connected via light protocols such as HTTP. They’re easier to maintain and test, independent in deployment, and focused on exact and current needs of the dedicated development team, according to the official project.

Microservices work fine with serverless architecture that allows devs to deploy their small packs via clouds directly. Thus, you will have to manage only tiny blocks instead of large servers or infrastructure. Large players like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have already implemented this feature so it has a bright future.

Possible outcomes: the ecosystem based on independent code blocks.

General IT Trends

Apart from business needs, there are other sectors in software development. Personal applications, games, tools for non-profit organizations, infrastructure services, and so on – the industry is pretty wide so the trends are diverse, as well. Let’s quickly check other directions in which the world will move:

• AI and machine learning.

• Blockchain and decentralized economy.

• Cybersecurity features first.

• IoT devices in all industries.

• Personalized software versions.

• Progressive web applications.

Summary

Enterprise software will be in demand for ages, undoubtedly. Businesses want to please customers so they will look for more modern and innovative tools with higher efficiency. As long as people focus on their comfort, companies will integrate new apps to boost this comfort. The most important thing here is to define emerging trends. Leaders are the ones who discover new opportunities, aren’t they? Pay attention to new development ideas and you will lead the game.