Software Development Trends for 2021

As we approach the end of February, 2021 already seems to be as challenging as ever. There is much to gain from learning about the most promising industry trends to look for this year. In this post, I will discuss the software technologies, programming languages and other areas that I believe are going to gain more traction in our industry this year.

Cloud, Cloud, and more Cloud

The impact of Covid-19 continues to be felt all across the board in every sector and across all industries. Cloud computing has become stronger than ever as a front runner in the tech industry during the pandemic. Any doubt or uncertainty in cloud adoption before this time last year has been wiped away with COVID-19. Forrester even predicted that the Global Public Cloud IT infrastructure market would grow to a market size of 120 Billion USD with 40% growth in 2021.

No matter the industry (E-Commerce, Healthcare, Financial, Retail), you should start planning your Cloud migration as the entire world seems to only be moving in the Cloud now.

(If you are looking to migrate to the cloud or get more information, drop us a note and we will be happy to help!)

Quantum Computing

Quantum is the next big thing in computing. This computing technology is revolutionary and could have the biggest potential impact since the digital computer. In order to understand the power of quantum computing, let's consider today's most advanced supercomputer as an average chess player with quantum computing as the Magnus Carlsen, the reigning World Chess Champion. He can play against 50 average Chess players at a time.

The power of quantum computing has been offered to the public in some form by all the major tech companies. Microsoft even launched their own Azure Quantum that introduces the power of quantum computing to the cloud. If you want to explore quantum computing, you can use the Open Source SDK qiskit, which is also offering a free course.

Containerization

In recent years containerization became the core technology of the Cloud Native IT, whether it's public or private cloud. For several years now, Kubernetes has been solidifying itself as the leading Container Orchestration and Management Technology.

At this time, all the major public cloud providers are now offering Managed Kubernetes Service (e.g. Amazon EKS, Azure AKS, Google GKE) along with their managed containerization services. In 2021, we will see even more Kubernetes as it is the core component in the Hybrid-Cloud or Multi-Cloud strategy.

Blockchain

This is one of the major disruptive technologies developed in recent times that still manages to rock the technology boat. Both cryptocurrency and NFT play a major role in popularizing the technology and if you've been paying attention to the stock market, blockchain isn't going anywhere. Blockchain will be used more as a Smart contract mechanism in 2021.

Rapid Application Development

In recent years, the Low Code/No Code initiative has been gaining momentum. Tools like Microsoft PowerApps or Bubble allow users to create basic apps and websites without hiring an expert. These types of tools can easily boost business or people with great ideas and will be one of the hotly contested fields with a growth of innovations, mergers, and acquisitions.

.Net Core

Server-side frameworks are end-to-end frameworks that offer end-to-end web development, including view layers via server-side rendering. The current trend is to use it mostly for back-end and then client-side technologies like JavaScript for the front-end.

The introduction of .Net Core by Microsoft, introduced a framework that works seamlessly with popular JavaScript frameworks (React, Vue.js, Angular). In 2021, ASP.NET Core will be a major player in web development for enterprises. See our, ASP .net development services.

Artificial Intelligence

There were many breakthroughs for AI in 2020; tools like GPT-3 made it possible to create human-like text using deep learning. This year, there will be a breakthrough in Natural Language Processing (NLP) which helps computers understand, interpret and manipulate human language. It means AI will be able to write articles, intuit conversation, and even write small software programs based on simple instructions.

Another aspect of AI is ethical AI, which is getting more and more attention. In general, AI tools like deep learning, machine learning, and speech processing are going to be used in more common formats to make them easier to integrate in industries like e-commerce, healthcare, education, and even entertainment apps.

No matter where you think you're headed this year, it looks like you'll be connected too! It is the only way we're learning to maneuver and adapt to a fragile state that could overturn on us at any minute. What does remain is our need to keep pushing forward despite the odds and with that, these our my predictions for this year.

Here at CSW Solutions, we remain resilient in our efforts to remain your trusted Azure cloud service provider as a Microsoft Gold-certified partner. If you want to get a hold of us to talk it out or put together your cloud strategy today, give us a call or contact us here!