The software development industry has been changing rapidly due to the introduction of new technologies such as artificial learning and decentralized network. Digital infrastructure has become a significant part of our life and each one of us depends on the latest digital aspects of modern services such as economic structure, profession, business, communication, and entertainment. Waves of innovation build over time, powering the technology-driven-growth engine that appears to be on the cusp of another major leap forward. Emerging technologies are changing the way we work and interact with others, revolutionizing the way we do business, and making high-tech approaches an integral part of our lives. That is why we want to share some of the insights from our experienced engineering team regarding the current software engineering trends that dominate the industry today. Let’s see what they are, how they impact the world of business, and how you can adapt to get the utmost value from these innovations.
From managing global supply chains to optimizing delivery routes, artificial intelligence is helping companies of all sizes and in all industries improve productivity and the bottom line at every stage of the business lifecycle, from sourcing material to sales and accounting to customer service. Now digital systems have developed to a stage where they independently observe and learn about the world around them, very much similar to human exploration. AI with such ability with increased computing power will be able to accomplish more complex achievements at lightning speeds. With facial recognition, voice recognition, predictive analysis, and much more, intelligence machines are influencing nearly every facet of our lives to help improve efficiencies and augment our human capabilities.
- Less Room for Errors
As decisions taken by a machine are based on previous records of data and the set of algorithms, the chances of errors reduce. This is an achievement, as solving complex problems that require difficult calculation, can be done without any scope of error.
Have you heard of digital assistants? Advanced business organizations use digital assistants to interact with users, something that helps save them time. This helps businesses fulfil user demands without keeping them waiting. They are programmed to give the best possible assistance to a user.
- Right Decision Making
The complete absence of emotions from a machine makes it more efficient as they are able to take the right decisions in a short span of time. Usage of AI Technology in health care facility is the best example. The integration of AI tools in the healthcare sector has improved the efficiency of treatments by minimizing the risk of false diagnosis.
- Implementing AI in Risky Situations
Certain situations where human safety is vulnerable, machines that are fitted with predefined algorithms can be used. Recently various scientists are employing complex machines to learn about the ocean floor, where human survival is next to impossible.
- Can Work Continuously
Unlike humans, machine does not get tired, even if it has to work for consecutive hours. Machines don’t require rest time to time to sustain its efficiency and this is the major benefit over humans. However, in the case of machines, their efficiency is not affected by any external factor and it does not get in the way of continuous work.
- Expensive to Implement
When combining the cost of installation, maintenance, and repair, AI is an expensive proposition. Those who have huge funds can implement it. On the other hand, the small businesses and industries that lack proper funds can’t properly implement AI technology into their processes or strategies.
- Dependency on Machines
With the dependency of humans on machines increasing, we’re headed into a time where it becomes difficult for humans to work without the assistance of a machine. We’ve seen it in the past and there’s no doubt we’ll continue seeing it in the future, our dependency on machines will only increase. This will result in a reduction in our thinking abilities over time.
- Displace Low Skilled Jobs
This is the primary concern for technocrats so far. It is quite possible that AI Technology will remove the need for various low skilled jobs, as the machine can operate round the clock without taking any break and now many industries prefer investing their funds in machines over humans. As we are moving towards the automated world, where almost every task will be done by the machines, there is a possibility of large-scale unemployment. A real-time example of this is the concept of driverless cars. If the concept of driverless cars kicks in, millions of drivers will be left unemployed in the future.
- Restricted Work
AI machines are programmed to do certain tasks based on what they are trained and programmed to perform and their processing zone is limited to the algorithms in which they have programmed, hence depending on machines to adopt new atmosphere and out of the box thinking capacity is a huge mistake.
Progressive web apps reside somewhere between web applications and mobile apps. This gives its users the most up-to-date experience across various devices. Everyone from Google to Microsoft has begun developing PWAs that give browser features the same performance characteristics as mobile apps, as PWAs are much easier to develop and maintain than standard mobile apps. The main part of every PWA is a browser script that runs in the background, separate from the web page, called the Service Worker. The script enables smart caching, offline functionality to visited sites, background updating, push notifications, and several other important features that help load a site faster after the first visit
- Responsively
Being compatible with any device is extremely important to improve the online presence of your business and PWA’s are responsive to every device, such as desktops, tablets, mobiles and any other device that is yet to come.
- Progressive
They operate in almost every browser available on the web and one can get Progressive Web App with a simple Google search. This means they have the reach of a traditional website whilst having the capabilities of a native app.
- Offline Connectivity
Progressive Web Apps features more than your website and native applications and also has the ability to load the entire page/ application without requiring an internet connection! Nothing is worse than frustratingly watching your 4G trying to load something and giving up after waiting for an eternity and we are pretty sure that this won’t occur in Progressive Web App, which can be a total lifesaver when you need it most.
- Fast
They are known to make any web experience extremely faster and also improve the overall functionality without any support.
- Secure
All Progressive Web Apps are secured via HTTPS coding to ensure your content and your users are safe from viruses and online hackers/ spying.
- Platform Consistency
Progressive web apps are specially developed using similar coding platforms resulting in cheaper development and maintenance. In addition to that developing them can help your website to maintain its consistency and efficiency with content as well as marketing.
- Push Notifications
Probably the most salivating aspect of the progressive web app is the push notifications that can be sent to your website.
- No Download Store
This point may be considered a pro or a con depending on your perspective, but PWA’s are ultimately a website that does not require installation to your device from an app store. Many people find it more convenient to install apps from an apps store, instead of searching online.
- Limited Access To Your Other Applications
There is a range of features that can be accessed by a PWA, but there is also a substantial amount that can’t, such as your contacts, camera, and calendar.
- Cross-App Login
Logging into your PWA using another application such as Facebook or Instagram is not supported using this technology.
Another trend in the software industry is the increased use of artificial learning, a subfield of AI, which is essentially a computer’s ability to learn on its own by analyzing data and tracking repeating patterns. Artificial learning employs the technique of neural networks operations research, statistics, and physics, in order to determine the insights in data without blindly following explicit program codes.
In traditional artificial learning techniques, domain experts need to identify most of the applied features in order to reduce the complexity of the data and make patterns more visible to learning algorithms. The biggest advantage of deep learning algorithms is that they try to learn high-level features from data in an incremental manner. This totally removes the requirement of hardcore feature extraction and domain expertise.
Most companies dealing with an immense amount of data have realized the value of artificial learning technology and financial institution such as banks and other companies are now turning over to artificial learning technology. The two key purposes of artificial learning are: Reveal important insight into the data and prevent scam. In addition to that artificial learning is growing spontaneously in health care industries as well, because precise data analysis helps to pinpoint red flags that may lead to improved diagnoses and treatment. Based on your previous purchase, you might also like a website recommending artificial learning to organize your buying history.
- Trends and Patterns Are Identified With Ease
A key artificial learning benefit concerns this technology’s ability to review large volumes of data and identify patterns and trends that might not be apparent to a human. For instance, an Artificial learning program may successfully pinpoint a causal relationship between two events, which makes it extremely effective for data mining. However, particularly a continual and ongoing project would require certain algorithms. The ability to quickly and accurately identify trends or patterns is one of the key advantages of artificial learning.
- Artificial Learning Improves Over Time
One of the biggest advantages of Artificial learning algorithms is their ability to improve over time. Artificial learning technology typically improves its efficiency and accuracy thanks to the ever-increasing amounts of data that are processed, which ultimately results in improved algorithms and experience.
- Artificial Learning Lets You Adapt Without Human Intervention
This technology allows for instantaneous adaptation, without the need for human intervention. This is one of the primary benefits of Artificial learning in a practical sense.
An excellent example of this can be found in security and anti-virus software programs, which leverage artificial learning and AI technology to implement filters and other safeguards in response to new threats. These systems use Artificial learning in order to identify new threats and trends and then the AI technology is employed to implement appropriate security measures to neutralize the threat. Artificial learning has eliminated the gap between the time when a new threat is identified and the time when a response is issued. This immediate response can be crucial, as threats such as viruses, malware, worms; bots developed by hackers can affect millions of systems in a matter of minutes
- High Level of Error Susceptibility
An error can cause havoc within an artificial learning interface, as all events subsequent to the error may be flawed, skewed or just plain undesirable. Errors do occur and it’s a susceptibility that developers have thus far been unable to premeditate and negate consistently. These errors can take many forms, which vary according to the way in which you’re using Artificial learning technology. For instance, you might have a faulty sensor that generates a flawed data set. The inaccurate data may then be fed into the Artificial learning program, which uses it as the basis of an algorithm update. This would cause skewed results in the algorithm’s output. In real-time experience, the result could relate to a situation where product recommendations are not quite similar. In this, a system lacks the ability to relate certain thing which only human intelligence can perform. Errors are problematic with Artificial learning due to the autonomous, independent nature of this technology. You run an artificial learning program because you don’t want a human to babysit the project. On the other hand, this will also take a fair amount of time to identify the error. Then, when the problem is identified, it can take a fair amount of time and effort to root out the source of the issue. And finally, you must implement measures to correct the error and remedy any damages that arose from the situation. Artificial learning proponents argue that even with the sometimes time-consuming diagnosis and correction process, this technology is far better than the alternatives when it comes to productivity and efficiency, which can be easily done by reviewing previous data archives.
On a related note, artificial learning deals in theoretical and statistical truths, which can sometimes differ from literal, real-life truths. It is essential that one accounts for the fact when using artificial learning.
- Consumes Time and Resources
Overtime occurrence of artificial learning can result in the exposure of massive data archives. In addition to that, artificial learning takes time, especially if you have limited computing power. Operating an immense amount of data files and running system models can consume a high amount of computing power, which will ultimately end up in increasing the budget of the project. So, before turning to Artificial learning, it’s important to consider whether you can invest the amount of time and/or money required to develop the technology to a point where it will be useful. The precise amount of time involved will vary dramatically depending on the data source, the nature of the data and how it’s being utilized. Therefore, it’s wise to consult with an expert in data mining and Artificial learning concerning your project. You should also consider whether you’ll need to wait for new data to be generated. One might be destined to reach a point where they have all the computing power on the globe and then also it will ultimately reach to a point where that computing power will do absolutely nothing to improve the speed of development, as an immense amount of historical data will simply make your wait for a new data generation. This is something that can keep you waiting for days, weeks, months or even years. Fortunately, however, an artificial learning engine can’t walk into your office and put in its two-week notice.
Virtual cloud services are giving businesses a great opportunity to considerably reduce their technology management costs in the most effective way. There are several reasons businesses are moving their content to the virtual cloud instead of maintaining on-site servers. As virtual cloud users can avoid investing in digital hardware, technological infrastructure or purchasing software licenses. In addition to that, the core benefit of virtual cloud computing is it can be achieved by a minimum up-front budget, rapid deployment, customization, flexibility and solutions that encourage innovation. On top of that, it is also beneficial for the client’s scalability, efficiency, and reliability.
- No cost Foundation
Virtual Cloud computing is divided into three major categories as per the services: Foundation as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). In all these categories, one thing is common that you don’t need to invest in hardware or any foundation. In general, every organization has to spend a lot on their IT foundation to set up and hire a specialized team. Servers, network devices, ISP connections, storage, and software – these are the major things on which you need to invest if we talk about the General IT foundation. But if you move to Virtual cloud computing services, then you don’t need to invest in these. You simply go to a Virtual cloud services provider and buy the Virtual cloud service.
- Minimum management and cost
By selecting the Virtual cloud, you save costs in many ways. For starters zero investment on the foundation, as you don’t own the foundation, you spend nothing on its management or staff to manage it. In addition to that Virtual cloud works on a pay as you go model, so you spend only on resources that you need. When you opt for the Virtual cloud, the management of its foundation is the sole responsibility of the Virtual cloud provider and not of the user.
- Forget about administrative or management hassles
Whenever there is a purchase or up-gradation of hardware, a lot of time is wasted looking for best vendors, inviting quotations, negotiating rates, taking approvals, generating POs and waiting for delivery and then in setting up the foundation. The process that results in killing an immense amount of time, due to its various tasks related to management and administration. In addition to that with Virtual cloud services, you just need to compare the best Virtual cloud service providers and their plans and buy from the one that matches your requirements. And this whole process doesn’t take much time and saves you a lot of effort. Your system maintenance tasks are also eliminated in the Virtual cloud.
- Accessibility and pay per use
One of the great benefits of virtual cloud resources is that one can easily access the data-archives from any corner of the globe. This decides your billing also -you only pay for what you use and how much you use. It’s like your phone or electricity bill. But with other IT foundations, one spends the complete amount in one go and it is very rare that those resources are used optimally and thus, the investment goes waste.
- Requires optimum internet speed internet and bandwidth
To access your Virtual cloud services, you need to have a good internet connection always with good bandwidth to upload or download files to/from the Virtual cloud
- Downtime
Since the Virtual cloud requires high internet speed and good bandwidth, there is always a possibility of service outage, which can result in business downtime. In these recent times, no entrepreneur could bear the loss of business revenue, due to downtime or any interruption in between critical business processes.
- Limited control of foundation
Since you are not the owner of the foundation of the Virtual cloud, hence you don’t have any control or have limited access to the Virtual cloud infra.
- Restricted or limited flexibility
The Virtual cloud provides a huge list of services, but consuming them comes with a lot of restrictions and limited flexibility for your applications or developments. In addition to that sometimes one can find it extremely complex to move from one provider to another, due to vendor lock-in and platform dependency.
- Ongoing costs
Although you save your cost of spending on the whole foundation and its management, on the Virtual cloud, you need to keep paying for services as long as you use them. However, one has to invest only once, when it comes to traditional methods.
- Security
The security of data-archives is a big concern for everyone. Since public Virtual cloud utilizes the internet, your data-archives may become vulnerable. In the case of public Virtual cloud, it depends on the Virtual cloud provider to take care of your data archives. So, before opting for Virtual cloud services, it is required that you find a provider who follows maximum compliance policies for data-archives security.
For complete security of data-archives on the Virtual cloud, one needs to consider a somewhat costlier private Virtual cloud option or the hybrid Virtual cloud option, where generic data-archives can be on the public Virtual cloud and business-critical data-archives is kept on the private Virtual cloud.
- Vendor Lock-in
Although the Virtual cloud service providers assure you that they will allow you to switch or migrate to any other service provider whenever you want, it is a very difficult process. You will find it extremely complex to migrate each cloud services from one service provider to another. During migration, you might end up facing compatibility, interoperability and support issues. In order to avoid this inconvenience many customers, does not change the vendor very often.
- Technical issues
Even if you are a tech whiz, the technical issues can occur, and everything can’t be resolved in-house. To avoid interruptions, you will need to contact your service provider for support. It can’t be said about every vendor, as very few of them provide 24/7 support to their customers.
This is basically a software development technique that involves service-oriented architecture, which helps the software in developing a structure so that the loosely coupled services can be maintained independently. Each of these services is responsible for a discrete task and can communicate with other services through simple APIs to solve a larger, more complex business problem. Unlike the monolithic architecture, where a failure in the code affects more than one service or function, microservices minimize the impact of failure as the entire application is decentralized and separate into service that acts as opposite entities. Scalability is another key aspect of microservices. Because each service is a separate component, it is possible to scale up a single function or service without having to scale the entire application. That approach also brings flexibility to the table in terms of choosing just the right tool for the right task. Each service can use its own language, framework, or ancillary services while still being able to communicate easily with the other services in the application, enabling businesses to develop and launch new digital products much faster.
- Greater agility
- Faster time to market
- Better scalability
- Faster development cycles (easier deployment and debugging)
- Easier to create a CI/CD pipeline for single-responsibility services
- Isolated services have better fault tolerance
- Platform- and language agnostic services
- Cloud-readiness
- Lack of the ability to bear results without collaboration, as each development team has to cover the whole lifecycle micro-service
- Harder to test and monitor because of the complexity of the architecture
- Poorer performance, as micro-services, need to communicate (network latency, message processing, etc.)
- Harder to maintain the network (has less fault tolerance, needs more load balancing, etc.)
- Lacks the ability to operate without the proper corporate culture
A decentralized network is a growing, chronologically ordered list of cryptographically signed, irrevocable transactional records. Called blocks, these records are shared by all participants in a network. Appearing in 2008 to serve as the public transaction ledger of the cryptocurrency bitcoin, the decentralized network has been integrated into multiple areas such as finance, government, healthcare, manufacturing, supply chain, and others. The secured and simplified recording of transactions in a decentralized ledger with the help of decentralized network technology services is strategically important for businesses in all domains. The technology allows companies to trace a transaction and work with untrusted parties without the need for a centralized third party such as a bank. Decentralized networks greatly reduce business friction and could potentially lower costs, reduce transaction settlement times, and improve cash flow.
- Distributed
When it comes to the decentralized network then the data is often stored in an immense amount of devices on a distributed network of nodes, which are highly resistant to any kind of technical errors or failures and even to cyber-attacks. One of the best parts is that each network has the ability to store a copy of data archives, which eliminates every possibility of technical failures. The security and availability of the network won’t be affected, even if one or two nodes go offline. Recent convectional data archives are under constant threat of technical failure and cyber-attack, due to their reliance on a single or few servers.
- Stability
Confirmed blocks are very unlikely to be reversed, meaning that once data has been registered into the decentralized network, it is extremely difficult to remove or change it.
This makes the decentralized networks a highly effective technology to reserve financial records or such data files where an audit trail is required, only because every change made on the server is tracked and permanently recorded on public and distributed ledger. For instance, a business could use decentralized network technology to prevent fraudulent behavior from its employees. This would give a hard time for the employees to hide suspicious transactions because the decentralized network can provide a stable and secure record for each financial transaction that takes place within the company.
- Trustless system
In most traditional payment systems, transactions are not only dependent on the two parties involved, but also on an intermediary – such as a bank, credit card company, or payment provider. When using decentralized network technology, this is no longer necessary because the distributed network of nodes verify the transactions through a process known as mining. For this reason, a Decentralized network is often referred to as a ‘trustless’ system. Therefore, a decentralized network system negates the risk of trusting a single organization and also reduces the overall costs and transaction fees by cutting out intermediaries and third parties.
- 51% Attacks
The Proof of Work consensus algorithm that protects the Bitcoin decentralized network has proven to be very efficient over the years. However, there are a few potential attacks that can be performed against decentralized network networks and 51% attacks are among the most discussed. Possibility of such invasion arises, when one single entity gains control on more than half of the hash powering the network. This would provide one the ability to disrupt the network by manipulating the ordering of transaction. Despite being theoretically possible, there was never a successful 51% attack on the Bitcoindecentralized network. Once the size of the network grows then the risk to the security also increases. For instance, it is highly possible that various miners would be ready to invest immense amount of funds in order to invade Bitcoin only to achieve better rewards. However, a successfully implemented 51% invasion would only be able to manipulate the most recent transactions, as each blocks are synchronized with cryptographic proofs and replacing old blocks would require intangible levels of computing power. Also, the Bitcoindecentralized network is very resilient and would quickly adapt as a response to an attack.
- Data modification
Another downside of decentralized network systems is that once data has been added to the decentralized network it is very difficult to modify it. While stability is one of decentralized network’s advantages, it is not always good. Changing decentralized network data or code is usually very demanding and often requires a hard fork, where one chain is abandoned, and a new one is taken up.
- Private keys
Decentralized network uses public-key (or asymmetric) cryptography to give users ownership over their cryptocurrency units (or any other decentralized network data). Each decentralized network address has a corresponding private key. While the address can be shared, the private key should be kept secret. Each client will require a private key to access their funds, which is quite similar to the banking structure. In case if a client loses their private key then it would ultimately result in loss of their funds.
- Inefficient
Decentralized networks, especially those using Proof of Work, are highly inefficient. Recently, due to liquidity the mining is extremely competitive and in order to compete in current market each miner is constantly trying to upgrade their computing power. The resources employed by Bitcoin has gained more momentum in these past few years and currently it consumes more energy than various small countries.
- Storage
Decentralized network ledgers can grow very large over time. The Bitcoindecentralized network currently requires around 200 GB of storage. The current growth in decentralized network size appears to be outstripping the growth in hard drives and the network risks losing nodes if the ledger becomes too large for individuals to download and store.
The Internet of Things is the concept that all technological devices can be connected to the Internet and to each other, transferring data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. That includes an extraordinary number of objects of all shapes and sizes, from wearable fitness devices that measure your heart rate and the number of steps taken to self-driving cars, whose complex sensors detect objects in their paths. On a broader scale, the IoT can be applied to things like smart homes, construction, travel and transportation, health care, and “smart cities,” helping us improve how we work and live.
- Efficiency
- Automation
- Communication
- Cost Savings
- Instant Data Access
- Complexity
- Technologically Dependent Life
- Compatibility
- Privacy and Security
- Less Jobs
Recently each one of us is well aware of the importance of personal information and everyone is quite concerned. As we all know that what kind of catastrophic situations it can create in one’s life if it gets compromised. Protecting data loss and leakage becomes the biggest concern for cyber-security professionals, followed by threats to data privacy and breaches of confidentiality. Businesses of all sizes are facing cyber-security issues, and they all look to the software industry for support, which makes it a trending service requirement in the IT sector. Software development is changing at a lightning speed, with new technologies being introduced regularly to transform and improve the quality of software products. By keeping up with the latest advancements in emerging technologies, you can anticipate what is coming and begin to make adjustments and adapt to industry standards. It also allows you to take a close look at what you are doing and find ways to be at the forefront of software and technology trends so that you can meet the needs of your customers and be a software development industry leader.
- It saves your system from malware attacks
- Eliminates the possibility of data theft
- Saves your system or network from cyber-invasion
- Provides optimum performance
- Protects your privacy
- It is an extremely complex task to configure an effective firewall
- It reduces the efficiency of your own employee if the firewall is not properly configured
- Requires high computing power
- Quite expensive
- One has to keep updating their security measures
