The Top 3 Trends in Software Development 2023
The identified trends have the potential to significantly change the way we develop software in the coming years. From new AI tools to advanced security methods, they will help to create better and more secure applications.
AI assisted Development
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in software development to automate and accelerate processes. In doing so, AI tries to support certain tasks in software development or even take over completely. An example of AI assisted software development is the use of machine learning to write or optimize code. By training with a large set of code examples, AI systems can be able to independently write code that fits specific requirements. This can speed up software development and reduce the need for manual work. GitHub Copilot is good example of such a tool, which is already widely used in the market. The biggest benefits from an enterprise perspective are:
- Faster development: developers can potentially work faster and more efficiently, resulting in shorter development times.
- Improved quality: AI can help analyze code and identify bugs, benefiting the quality of the software.
- Cost reduction: manual and repetitive tasks can be automated, resulting in cost savings.
Overall, the use of AI has the potential to speed up and improve software development processes. However, developers should also consider the possible risks and challenges, such as the risk of errors, which AI also makes.
Built-in Security
Cybersecurity is increasingly becoming a strategic issue, not only in IT departments, but in entire companies. The focus is often more on the protection of the IT infrastructure than on the executed software. Especially with self-developed software solutions, security is not always delivered out of the box. In order to deliver secure software, the security of the application must be a central concern of everyone involved. Particular attention must be paid to the following aspects:
- The software must be regularly checked for vulnerabilities. Appropriate practices such as penetration tests and code reviews must be integrated into everyday work processes.
- Developing secure software requires expertise, such as an understanding of attack types. This expertise must be built and regularly updated.
- Software is only as secure as the systems on which it is created. The development systems must be as protected as the code repositories and build and deployment pipelines.
It is necessary to ensure that the software and systems are secure and protected against potential threats. This requires ongoing attention and continuous effort. Additionally, in some cases, companies can be fined or penalized by regulators for violating their responsibility to keep customer data secure. This effort is justified by the benefits that secure applications provide:
- Protecting your reputation: reducing the risk of reputational damage due to data loss or misuse.
- Protection against financial damage: Data loss or misuse can cause direct and indirect financial losses, for example through lost customer trust or lower share prices.
Cloud Computing
The use of cloud computing has significantly changed software development in recent years and our crew expects this trend to continue. Cloud computing is valued by software teams because it allows them to access scalable, flexible and highly available resources without having to worry about infrastructure. This enables a markedly faster launch of software products. Without the initial investment of infrastructure deployment, developers can deploy their applications in the cloud with less time as well as lower costs. Another advantage of cloud computing, is the ability to experiment and generate innovation faster. With quick access to resources in the cloud, developers can prototype and test new ideas faster.
In summary, the following arguments speak for the use of cloud computing in software development from the company's point of view:
- Cost savings: Expensive hardware and software licenses can be saved and replaced instead by services from a cloud provider.
- Flexibility and scalability: companies can easily respond to changes in their resource needs by dynamically scaling their cloud resources.
- Location independence: Cloud computing makes it possible to access data and applications from any location as long as an Internet connection is available.
- Reliability: Agreed service level agreements (SLAs) ensure that cloud providers must guarantee high availability and security of their services.
