What to Expect from Enterprise Software in 2019

The concept of enterprise software can be tricky to define, but fundamentally it means software designed for use across a company or organization rather than for individuals. Traditionally, enterprise software development was designed to the bespoke requirements of the organization it was to be used for – whether that was to do with crunching data, procurement and shipping, cryptography and secure comms, or operating specialized hardware. Often, the functionality of the software was dictated by the limits of the hardware, both in terms of raw processing power and installation within that company’s organization.

Over time, with increased computing power and far better network capability, many of the previously specialized pieces of hardware have been made obsolete by more powerful, cheaper, and smaller generalized computing systems. This has made it possible to perform functions on handheld devices which once would have required a whole room of computers to achieve the same result. Enterprise software has had to develop to take advantage of these new possibilities, and now a vast number of off-the-shelf solutions are available to take the place of what previously would have been specialized software.

Here are some trends to look out for in 2019.

Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN)

Quite simply, it’s the internet with a bit extra. Global internet coverage (and bandwidth) is such now that companies can send huge amounts of data from site to site without needing to build their own specialised infrastructure. SD-WAN is one solution to that problem, creating a network on top of the network, which brings the benefits of security and specialised usage, without the overheads of developing an entire infrastructure.

Machine Learning:

One of the biggest issues facing large organizations is handling the vast amount of data they produce and use on a day-to-day basis. Machine learning, which is often also called Artificial Intelligence, is at its core a way to filter and sort large amounts of data accurately and quickly – far more accurately and quickly that a human being ever could. Machine learning is already making its way into many aspects of software development, and enterprise software is one of its biggest markets.

Blockchain:

While blockchain’s most famous use has been as the backbone of online cryptocurrencies, the technology underlying it has many applications – all to do with security. Cryptosecurity is one of the key areas of enterprise blockchain and software research and innovation, as consumers and businesses alike find that keeping their details secure is more important than ever. Blockchain solutions to data storage, transmission, and communications seem likely to provide the best results, and so whatever your feelings about bitcoin, exploring the possibilities that blockchain technologies bring to security questions is essential.

DevOps

Not a technology in itself, DevOps is a process whereby software solutions are developed to the highest possible standard as quickly as possible and is becoming industry standard across several software spheres. Simply put, DevOps is a means to monitor and give feedback on different strands of a project simultaneously, introducing a holistic approach to development and ensuring that disparate parts of a system work together from the outset. DevOps lends itself particularly well to enterprise software though, as large organizations operate as a distributed system in themselves. A DevOps approach to your enterprise software solutions is sure to give you the best possible result.