3 Outsourcing Software Trends for 2016-2017

2016 has been a volatile year for software development. New languages, libraries, devices, frameworks and tools seem to pop up every day, resulting in an unstable surface which can provoke molto agita. I can barely keep lunch down from day to day, I tell ya.

As 2017 approaches and technology plays an increasingly creepy co-dependent role in business and our personal lives, what hope do we really have of anticipating trends and shifts in the future of outsourced software development? Even if we could, would they be interesting, or depressing?

Focusing on the positive, and confident that few will look back at this at all if it’s completely wrong, I have selected three things currently grabbing me in my business – things I feel like talking about.

Data Analytics

In 2015, the amount of data spit up and by digital devices, including smartphones and computers, and then just as relentlessly sucked back up by others, reached 3 billion GB. There used to be a name for numbers that large, but they are becoming obsolete before anyone can memorize them. Most of this data continues to be unanalyzed, mercifully. But you can bet some enterprise somewhere is going to declare it “highly useful in understanding how to manage workflows, increase productivity and reduce expenditures”, especially since the cost of doing so continues to drop faster than a North Korean satellite.

In 2016-2017, Data Analytics will continue to be just finding its feet in what will be the dominant concern of huge parts of the industry in just a few years. Innovation in this area is happening all over the world, and connecting the technical talent needed to manipulate with the vision to interpret is what will make this field deliver on its promises.

IoT Development- Internet of Things

IoT has been termed the next “mega-trend”, “third-wave of the internet” and even “the next industrial revolution”. Fortunately, I don’t hang out with folks who use those phrases a whole lot. But basically, the idea is pretty compelling – who knows you better than your possessions? And what could they do to make them more cherished in your life than to have them ready at any moment to report on the latest news flash – about you!  IoT can mean anything from cars with built-in sensors, industrial equipment, smart bracelets, smart thermostats or to homes with remote monitoring. Cisco estimates there are currently 10 billion connection devices in the world and we can expect that number to exceed 50 billion by 2020. More vertigo for an old finger-counter like me – but at least it’s just a factor of five.

Speaking of stupid numbers, the IoT and M2M (machine to machine) market are expected to reach $1.5 billion by the end of 2016 with nearly $6 trillion spent on IoT solutions over the next five years. Jay Wallingford’s previous post talked about the need to outsource much of this development due to the lack of skilled tech workers at home. Another key driver will be the need to leverage specialized tools and methodologies to provide the same kind of reliability we expect in the RoT (Reality of Things) in the software realm.

Security

So in 6 months or so, when you have 50 billion IoT devices spewing personal data about you in the trillions of petabytes per picosecond or whatever it is, an important challenge will be the counter-intuitive need to prevent people from seeing or using all that data.

Risks are expected to increase dramatically as the kind of stuff we have been discussing creeps inexorably into consumer products. Gartner estimates that over 25% of security attacks in 2020 will involve connections to IoT – can’t wait! Not like the good old days, when you could practice safe computing by not clicking on suspicious emails and using upper and lower case in your password! Now, your wristwatch is your enemy, your thermostat is a spy, and your car is “phoning home” every 5 minutes to complain about your braking.

While you as an individual may not be able to stop the Masters of the IoT from knowing all about you, you as an IT professional can expect lots of opportunity in 2017 and beyond helping those Masters keep everything safe and compliant. In the coming years, companies must begin hiring security experts able to handle vulnerabilities in IoT data and provide multi-layer protection. Those organizations capable of improving network segmentation capabilities and digital walls will see future competitive advantages.

Now, pardon me while I voice-command my Echo to shuffle Benny Goodman from Amazon Prime. 😉

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Although the future is impossible to predict, we believe these three trends will play a major role in development to come. Whether you are looking for an onshore or nearshore development team, Gorilla Logic can provide you with talented developers skilled in all of the latest technologies, trends and devices to help your company be successful. Please feel free to contact us with any questions and find out how we can help you with your outsourcing needs.

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