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Tag: emerging technologies

  • Developer Tooling for Emerging Technology

    Developer Tooling for Emerging Technology

    2020 has brought a seemingly endless amount of problems, but software developers have responded with solutions. Despite all of this year’s change, one thing remains true: Software is being used in a multitude of ways to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. And developer creativity is helping to progress exciting new areas of technology innovation; specifically, internet of things (IoT) and edge computing, 5G and autonomous vehicles.

    The barriers to entry for development in these new areas has lowered in recent years. It’s now just as cost-effective to get started on an IoT hardware project as it is to build a web or mobile application and learning how to get started with the hardware is as easy as searching for “how to raspberry pi” on YouTube. The issue is, once you get started and begin shipping units, you’ll come to realize that developer tooling for emerging areas of technology is lagging behind the curve. The market for tools that monitor and test web and mobile applications is healthy and diverse, but tooling for IoT/edge, 5G and autonomous vehicles has yet to see the same surge. And as projects become more complex, how do you keep up with both automated and manual testing? How do you ensure that firmware updates don’t “brick” devices out in the field? Fixing a bug in a website can be deployed in a few minutes, and in some cases, customers won’t even notice. Shipping new versions of software to devices is a little more tricky.

    One of the biggest areas of change in this sector is innovation in CPUs. For the longest time, engineers could write software that worked on either Intel- or AMD-based CPUs—and the majority of software that exists today can run on either of those platforms. However, IoT devices make heavy use of the newest player in the CPU space: Arm. Most people don’t realize it, but anyone with either an Android or iPhone smartphone in their pocket already has a device running an Arm processor. Arm processors work especially well in low-power environments, such as those you find in IoT. The biggest problem that engineers face with this new CPU is that the majority of developer tooling isn’t suited for them. It’s all been built with either Intel or AMD CPUs in mind.

    We are only beginning to realize the possibilities of these emerging technologies—and developers will be the ones paving the way, building the solutions that will power our future. As they continue to evolve and create new unstructured data sources, companies will need to invest in the tools that enable developer teams to not only keep pace but also innovate.

    The tools I’m referring to will be the ones that let developers seamlessly deliver software across any environment—from IoT devices to private or public cloud to embedded systems to 5G. CI/CD platforms are one way to accomplish this. But there’s a misconception when it comes to selecting CI/CD providers: that developers must choose between the security of on-premises environments and the scale of public cloud. A hybrid cloud approach to CI/CD is an effective way to test and deploy software at scale without compromising the security of a company’s most valuable resource: its source code.

    For so many teams and companies, this was the year of throwing out the playbook and rewriting the road map. The window of opportunity for true software innovation has never been more open. Whether it be in IoT, 5G or autonomous vehicles, developers are moving fast to change the world. They need developer tooling that will help them deliver on those ambitions.

  • How Software Outsourcing Can Empower Digital Transformation

    How Software Outsourcing Can Empower Digital Transformation

    Businesses are constantly readjusting themselves to become more agile and innovative while maximizing their opportunity in today’s digital economy. This is especially true for up-and-coming businesses with limited budgets that need to think ahead of the curve to find additional resources to fuel their digital transformation. Software outsourcing is no longer perceived as a choice or a strategic decision to be made, but rather an operational duty of the IT leaders trying to transform their organizations.

    Software outsourcing businesses often adapt better to the evolving digital landscape. Why? Because they aren’t afraid to look outside an organization to fulfill all the requirements needed to run a thriving business and cater to customer’s needs. Software outsourcing is seen by business leaders as an effective means of finding a balance between constant budgetary constraints and the need for a digital transformation. But what are some of the more prevalent outsourcing trends and how can they help empower your business’ digital transformation?

    Emerging Technologies

    The widespread adoption of emerging technologies adds another dimension to our everyday lives—artificial intelligence and machine learning, blockchain and IoT, automated SIEM software and the advancements in cloud computing capabilities. These technologies are skewing the already-blurred lines between our digital and physical worlds and are helping companies bring highly advanced solutions to the fields of business automation, customer management, risk and security orchestration, to name a few.

    Keeping an eye on such trends is one thing, but incorporating them into an existing business structure often requires outside expertise. Software outsourcing companies are, by definition, businesses that help other businesses with the development, design, maintenance and testing of their software application and solutions. As such, leading providers in software outsourcing are constantly looking out for the latest tech advancements the market has to offer and craft their much-needed expertise accordingly.

    Outsourcing providers represent the important link between the customer’s growing demand for technologically driven solutions and services and the companies trying to provide them. It seems that every business nowadays wants and AI or machine learning-powered answers to their problems. Instead of having to hire a full-time specialist to help them execute a specific task, companies can simply outsource the needed expertise and use their resources on core competencies.

    Data Privacy and Security

    Advanced software solutions such as AI and machine learning require massive amounts of user data to prove effective. Collecting user data is one thing, but guaranteeing data privacy and security is a whole different ballgame. As the number of cybersecurity breaches increases over time, so does the demand for data loss prevention, data security automation and advanced threat intelligence. The only way for software outsourcing companies to satisfy this demand is to fully comply with security regulations and industry standards.

    The General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, has standardized the data protection law in the EU, imposing strict rules in regards to the collection, control and processing of personally identifiable information. Outsourcing vendors are now obligated to conduct their security audits regularly and use that information to update their security strategies and meet the new security requirements.

    Doing this allows them to determine the most effective policies for data protection and guarantee availability, responsibility and quality of their service-level agreements.

    A successful outsourcing agreement cannot be made if your potential partner doesn’t follow the latest security standards or doesn’t have a clearly defined security policy. The best way to protect your business against potentially hazardous data breaches is as simple as looking for outsourcing providers that have security testing in their service offerings. Agency listings and repositories are an excellent place to start, as they tend to provide the much-needed reviews and rankings of potential providers.

    Increasing Talent Shortage

    Labor markets are having a hard time keeping up with the rapid pace of tech development. Talent shortage continues to be the No. 1 challenge even in the booming areas of the world such as the UK and the United States. A large number of tech-oriented startups enter the market each and every day and staying above the competition requires expert help with highly specialized skill sets.

    To combat the increasing difficulties of finding expert help locally, businesses are turning toward less dynamic regions for their software outsourcing needs. Eastern Europe, for example, is far less saturated with tech startups when compared to the United States, yet manages to provide a sizable talent pool, as well as a large number of outsourcing providers to choose from.

    Digital Transformation and the Benefits of Software Outsourcing

    Businesses outsource expert help when dealing with parts of the digital transformation process for which they have little to no expertise whatsoever. This allows them to close any gap they might have had regarding their digital capabilities and focus their efforts on core transformation objectives. Collaboration is a vital part of outsourcing and, as such, provides valuable information regarding the latest business insights and disruptive technologies.

    Outsourcing software leads to a successful DevOps journey. It allows businesses to find providers specialized in the digital transformation process. Some providers offer a multidisciplinary expertise that encompasses AI and machine learning, big data tools, digital mobility applications, scalable cloud solutions and more. Working with distributed engineering teams who already have the necessary domain-specific expertise can result in a faster time-to-market and increased customer satisfaction.

    Digital transformation comes with many challenges and software development outsourcing should not be viewed as the go-to solution for every problem. It is one of many crucial parts found in the larger digital transformation framework. Business automation, emerging technologies, the latest security practices and value-added services—these are the cogs in the software outsourcing-fueled machine that is digital transformation.

    — Natasha Lane

  • Gartner: Digital Business Driving Spending

    Gartner: Digital Business Driving Spending

    With half the year gone, Gartner just revised its 2017 worldwide IT spending projection up 1 percent to 2.4 percent. That may not sound like a lot, but last year’s IT spending growth was effectively flat at 0.3 percent. It isn’t just the uptick in the overall spending level that’s interesting, it’s how Gartner predicts the money is being spent. It sees the move to digital business and the related adoption of new technologies such as internet of things (IoT), blockchain and smart machines as a growth engine that’s creating new potential reasons for spending.

    “Digital business is having a profound effect on the way business is done,” said John-David Lovelock, vice president and analyst at Gartner. “The impact of digital business is giving rise to new categories; for example, the convergence of ‘software plus services plus intellectual property.’ These next-generation offerings are fueled by business and technology platforms that will be the driver for new categories of spending. Industry-specific disruptive technologies include the internet of things in manufacturing, blockchain in financial services (and other industries), and smart machines in retail. The focus is on how technology is disrupting and enabling business.”

    Worldwide, Gartner is forecasting that the enterprise software market will be the highest growth segment of IT spending—7.6 percent growth in 2017 from 5.3 percent in 2016. (Device spending is also up markedly in the report.) Enterprise software will be one of the keys to driving and controlling revenues derived from digital business advances.

    Takeaways for senior IT leaders: Digital disruption is the probable stick slowly driving the adoption of digital business. The carrot is innovation. This is putting it too simply, but it’s true: Disrupt or be disrupted. And just because many of the high-profile digital disruptions have been business-to-consumer, don’t think you’re safe in the business-to-business sector, either. As this plays out, probably over the next five to 10 years, a lot more companies are going to be burned and a lot more companies are going to be made. You can no longer laugh this off as a buzzword.

    It starts with analytics, preferably sifting through meaningful big data. Digital business is rewriting business process and the way data is collected, interpreted, moved and consumed in profound ways. That could make your analytics easier to implement and analyze. But if you don’t have a major business analytics upgrade just rolling out, you’re flying blind.

    Ride the wave, but as you adopt new cloud-based services and enterprises apps, there’s a potential for management complexity to trip you up.

    “With the increased adoption of SaaS-based enterprise applications, there also comes an increase in acceptance of IT operations management tools that are also delivered from the cloud,” said Lovelock. “These cloud-based tools allow infrastructure and operations organizations to more rapidly add functionality and adopt newer technologies to help them manage faster application release cycles. If the I&O (infrastructure and operations) team does not monitor and track the rapidly changing environment, it risks infrastructure and application service degradation, which ultimately impacts the end-user experience and can have financial as well as brand repercussions.”

    — Scot Finnie

  • Top 10 Emerging Technologies Enterprises Should Know

    Top 10 Emerging Technologies Enterprises Should Know

    The momentum behind the adoption of new technologies underway is no less than astounding.

    Those enterprises that not only adopt, but learn to master, emerging technologies will be the clear winners in the years ahead as they learn their customers’ needs better, rapidly develop new and successful products and services, optimize their use of business technology, improve supply chains, increase margins and stay a few steps ahead of the competition.

    Recently the World Economic Forum released its annual list of technologies it thinks are ready to “break through” this year, which generally means start witnessing wider adoption. Some of the breakthrough technologies this year include very powerful batteries, what is deemed “socially aware” artificial intelligence (AI) and improved solar panel technology.

    According to a statement released by the World Economic Forum, the Top 10 2016 Emerging Technologies list, compiled by the Forum’s Meta-Council on Emerging Technologies and published in collaboration with Scientific American, reveals the technological advances the group believes could improve lives, transform industries and safeguard the planet. The list also serves as an opportunity to discuss the any human, societal, economic and environmental risks the technologies may pose prior to widespread adoption.

    “Horizon scanning for emerging technologies is crucial to staying abreast of developments that can radically transform our world, enabling timely expert analysis in preparation for these disruptors. The global community needs to come together and agree on common principles if our society is to reap the benefits and hedge the risks of these technologies,” said Dr. Bernard Meyerson, chief innovation officer at IBM and chair of the Meta-Council on Emerging Technologies.

    Some important criteria in technology selection was the council members’ belief that 2016 would prove to be a deployment tipping point of each technology. That should be of interest to CIOs and technology leaders, too. And it means it’s time for tech leaders to start figuring whether and how implementation may or may not make sense.

    The top 10 technologies to make this year’s list are:

    1. Nanosensors and the Internet of Nanothings – With the Internet of Things expected to comprise 30 billion connected devices by 2020, one of the most exciting areas of focus today is now on nanosensors capable of circulating in the human body or being embedded in construction materials. Once connected, this Internet of Nanothings could have a huge impact on the future of medicine, architecture, agriculture and drug manufacture.
    1. Next Generation Batteries – One of the greatest obstacles holding renewable energy back is matching supply with demand, but recent advances in energy storage using sodium, aluminum and zinc-based batteries make mini-grids feasible that can provide clean, reliable, around-the-clock energy sources to entire villages.
    1. The Blockchain – Much already has been made of the distributed electronic ledger behind the online currency Bitcoin. With related venture investment exceeding $1 billion in 2015 alone, the economic and social impact of blockchain’s potential to fundamentally change the way markets and governments work is only now emerging.
    1. 2D Materials – Graphene may be the best-known, single-atom layer material, but it is by no means the only one. Plummeting production costs mean that such 2D materials are emerging in a wide range of applications, from air and water filters to new generations of wearables and batteries.
    1. Autonomous Vehicles – Self-driving cars may not yet be fully legal in most geographies, but their potential for saving lives, cutting pollution, boosting economies and improving quality of life for the elderly and other segments of society has led to rapid deployment of key technology forerunners along the way to full autonomy.
    1. Organs on chips – Miniature models of human organs—the size of a memory stick—could revolutionize medical research and drug discovery by allowing researchers to see biological mechanism behaviors in ways never before possible.
    1. Perovskite Solar Cells – This new photovoltaic material offers three improvements over the classic silicon solar cell: it is easier to make, can be used virtually anywhere and, to date, keeps on generating power more efficiently.
    1. Open AI Ecosystem – Shared advances in natural language processing and social awareness algorithms, coupled with an unprecedented availability of data, will soon allow smart digital assistants help with a vast range of tasks, from keeping track of one’s finances and health to advising on wardrobe choice.
    1. Optogenetics – The use of light and color to record the activity of neurons in the brain has been around for some time, but recent developments mean light can now be delivered deeper into brain tissue, something that could lead to better treatment for people with brain disorders.
    1. Systems Metabolic Engineering – Advances in synthetic biology, systems biology and evolutionary engineering mean that the list of building block chemicals that can be manufactured better and more cheaply by using plants rather than fossil fuels is growing every year.