As the world is entering its third pandemic year, we're slowly gaining an understanding of the impact Covid has had on the global tech landscape.

IoT, automation of work processes, digitalization of (healthcare, education, agriculture, business, etc.) services, and data management - are just some aspects of our everyday lives that software has penetrated these last few years.

In 2022, integrating software to optimize and streamline data and operations will be indispensable to a business' growth and profitability. Yet, with so many software development strategies emerging day to day, which path is the one to choose?

For software companies and developers, keeping up with the trends means offering state-of-the-art software products and establishing themselves as innovation leaders.

Enterprises and businesses will, on the other hand, have to decide between purchasing an existing software solution or cashing in for a customized product tailored to their needs.

Understanding the upcoming trends that will shape the future of software development will help you reach the right decision on whichever end of the spectrum you are.

So, without further ado, let's dive into the overview of the top software development trends for 2022.

#1 DevOps to Bridge the Gap Between Teams

Whether as a development model or a job title, DevOps has established itself as one of the best practices to improve and streamline the entire software dev lifecycle.

A blend of development and operations, DevOps—as an individual engineer or an entire team of specialists—removes the barriers between development and operations processes. DevOps' task is to unify the whole software application lifecycle, from development and testing to deployment and operations.

One can visualize DevOps processes as an infinite loop, comprising duties of both development and operations teams: planning, coding, building, testing, releasing, deploying, operating, monitoring, and—through feedback—returning to planning once again.

DevOps requires a specific set of talents, a unique blend of tech expertise, and soft skills that can't really be learned at a university or in a course.

Rather, in your quest for a DevOps engineer or a team, look for experience in coding, testing, automation, good organizational skills, and a teamwork background.

#2 Cyber Security to Create a Safe Digital Environment

Tech innovations always arrive with an abundance of potential hazards, and those who abuse them for personal gains. The more companies rely on digital services, the more they become vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Therefore, it's unsurprising that, in 2021 alone, the average ransomware payment grew to between $50 million and $70 million. Moreover, the average cost of remediating a ransomware attack doubled compared to 2020, and in 2021 was estimated at $1.85 million.

To prevent confidential data leaks, enormous ransomware recovery costs, and compromising brand image, you should implement cyber security processes from the very onset of software development.

#3 Internet of Behavior to Personalize Software Experience

Internet of Behavior (IoB) isn't at all an innovative concept. In fact, companies such as Google and Facebook have integrated IoB-based data for some of their services, such as advertising targeting and personalization of feeds/Search Engine Page Results (SERPs).
IoB refers to data gathering that provides information on Internet users' behaviors, interests, and preferences.

And while the how of creating a personalized experience (i.e. gathering user data) does raise an eyebrow or two, stats show people quickly move past it.

Namely, this 2019 research on B2C personalization suggested that 72% of consumers only engage with those marketing messages customized to their interests. Moreover, 8 out of 10 frequent shoppers say they only shop with brands that personalize their experience.

Therefore, developing a software product with powerful personalization features and user data protection across the board makes a winning digital product.

#4 Continuous Delivery & Deployment to Ensure Smooth Sailing

According to DevOps.com, nearly a third of developers release a software update between 1 to 4 weeks after development.

By adopting continuous delivery practices, implementing feedback and identifying issues becomes more time and cost-efficient. In continuous delivery, developers deploy changes to customers automatically, but there's an even more optimized option.

Continuous deployment refers to an automated release of code to a production environment. Automating the entire software testing process can mean a faster, more issue-free, and optimized product release.

#5 Low-Code to Ease and Speed Up the Development Process

Drag-and-drop website builders have already reshaped the web design and development landscape, and software dev will be no different.

Low-code development enables companies to build apps with minimal coding. In addition, these low-code dev tools create a simplified, more efficient, and less costly process, allowing businesses some fine-tuning.

#6 Progressive Web Apps to Achieve Native App Experience

A Progressive Web Application (PWA) is a web application that offers the user the same experience as a native app yet is "installed" on your system and accessed via a browser.

PWAs are accessible offline, using data cached during your previous interactions with the app.

Taking the best of both worlds, Progressive Web Apps are the ideal hybrid of the seamless experience of the native mobile app and the ease of use of web applications.

In addition, PWAs generally see an average of 36% increase in conversion rate, thus proving as the most promising choice for eCommerce businesses who wish to leverage the popularity of mobile shopping.

#7 Programming Languages to Combine Features and Efficiency

According to Towards Data Science, Python took the lead as the number one programming language at the end of 2021. Its dynamics, power, conciseness, and simplicity make Python a viable choice when developing a feature-packed, fast, and reliable software product.

Additionally, Python is the best choice for data science and engineering, and it's nevertheless beneficial to research alternative options depending on your software needs.

Here's a drill-down of the top programming languages to consider for a software product development process in 2022:

• Web development: JavaScript, TypeScript
• Backend Development: Java, Golang, JavaScript, TypeScript
• Android Development: Kotlin
• iOS Development: Swift
• System Programming: C, C++, Rust, Golang