The software development industry is one of the most dynamic areas that easily adjust to the ever-changing world. Just think about how many technologies and methods were introduced in the last couple of years.
A lot of things we’ve perceived as impossible have become a reality. For instance, all of us have a mobile phone with countless apps we use to make our everyday life much simpler and easier.
The pandemics were not the only reason why more and more businesses require IT technologies to remain successful, but they affected the latest software development trends. Without any doubt, the development of all the technologies out there would be done even if there was no pandemic. The only thing that it has done is made some of these projects done much faster.
When you think about it, people had a lot of free time, but they didn’t have anything to spend it on besides being at their homes. Since a majority of them have worked outside their offices throughout the pandemic, it makes sense that some of the projects out there were done much faster. Besides, the market’s potentials are rapidly growing and demand new solutions.
To satisfy these needs, the companies need to introduce new methods frequently. Without these improvements, it wouldn’t be possible for us to get all of these possibilities at this pace. Overall, the most common trends will most likely be related to remote and subcontracting software development, AI, cybersecurity, and cloud services. Let’s check them out.
Remote workflows
Most experts from the Chudovo team claim: working from home is here to stay, and it’s especially true for jobs related to development. The infamous pandemics resulted in the noteworthy progress of remote tech specialists’ positions; meanwhile, office working was reduced by 74% in the IT sector. However, it doesn’t mean that most businesses will refuse the offices at all: the latest trend is the hybrid work format when part of the employees work remotely, and the others go to the office.
Another hybrid work option is when employees work from home and visit the office a couple of times a week. When you take a look at some other industries, you can see that this trend has impacted them significantly. The only thing that separates them from IT, is that this situation will not last long after the pandemic. Those who work in this industry can expect to have a much more flexible work time in the future, that’s without a doubt.
Fast innovation
Fast innovation seems something a software development business will not survive without. With high competition and new technologies constantly appearing on the market, the employees and business holders must always have a keen sense of the pulse of innovations and stay relevant. You will surely agree that coming up with ideas on how to create something completely new, or to improve the current apps or software is not something that we can see every day, right?
According to some experts, developing the innovation culture within tech teams will stay popular no matter the circumstances. For instance, the firms will reward creative employees and build tools and opportunities for new inventions.
Some predict that companies don’t follow this trend will most likely leave the industry or struggle to stay competitive. Therefore, creativity and fast production will certainly be the most important factors for every player on the market out there, no matter how small or big it is.
Cross-platform development
Cross-platform development is already a trend, and it will become even more widespread in the next several years from now. Native software creates a particular challenge for developers, so cross-platform solutions adjust to modern reality requiring quick and straightforward technologies. Just think about it, a high percentage of users out there are interested in using a certain app on a couple of devices. In most cases, these two are laptops and mobile devices.
Not to mention that software can be used by two users at the same time. We can draw an analogy between this situation and multiplayer in the video game industry. The point of multiplatform development is that a single app is based on a single code compatible with various operating systems: iOS, Android, and Windows. Obviously, it requires less time which makes it a very cost-efficient solution. There’s absolutely no doubt that multiplatform will play a crucial factor in the future of the industry.
Cloud Programming and AI
The AI tech have already proven their significant impact on businesses: they help to automate workflows, create better user experiences and engage more customers, enable better decision-making and outcomes, and more.
When you take a look at what AI can offer to this industry, and practically all the users out there, it is easy to understand why we consider it essential to its future.
The AI isn’t a standalone technology, so the latest 2024 trends will also include cloud programming and Kubernetes, which will serve enterprise-scale companies and creators, allowing them to boost products scalability in a brand-new way.
For instance, such systems help the integration of chatbots and other services. Some of these are already in use. Still, it is important to say that they will become much more efficient in the future. We will just have to wait and see what level these will reach.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity has become a priority for most digital businesses as cybersecurity threats have become a noteworthy issue for the digital era. Intrusive software and other cybercrime techs severely impact the economics and the companies’ welfare, costing companies up to a couple of trillions of US dollar annually.
Thus, corporations can’t but look for new solutions to ensure cybersecurity. That way, they will be able to protect themselves from any foreign influences and attacks that can inflict massive financial damage to them. Even though cybersecurity is on an impressive level, we believe that it will become even more efficient in the years to come.
Automation
Manual labor tends to be reduced, especially when it comes to repetitive tasks. In 2024, the trend is to automate everything that can be automated, so the companies will inevitably search for new automation methods to save time and money.
Among such technologies are the robotic process automation solutions like https://www.helpsystems.com/solutions/automation/robotic-process-automation, that allow replacing humans with robots for redundant, repetitive work. When you think about it, the automation process will do the same thing as practically any industrial revolution. Many job positions will cease to exist, but some other ones will appear as a result of this improvement.
Final thoughts
Although some trends are already here, the software development future will most likely change a lot and create heavy competition between tech companies. The ones with enough funds and expertise to follow the trends and keep pace with the new techs and inventions will be ahead of the game, while the others might be forced to leave the industry.
Kim Marks 
Nicola Holder