Karl Byrne. Image: Connor McKenna/Silicon Republic
BearingPoint’s Karl Byrne discusses the major trends and challenges affecting the software development industry.
When you think of jobs in the tech sector, a role that instantly comes to mind is that of software developer. This profession has been synonymous with tech careers for a long time and will continue to be one of the most sought-after areas in the industry.
With the ongoing emergence of new innovations in tech, the software development sector is expanding. There is an increasing demand for developers in areas such as AI and virtual reality (VR), and the opportunities available for software developers are more diverse than ever. However, those either already working in software development or seeking a career in this area need to know how the current tech evolution is affecting their industry.
We recently visited BearingPoint to speak with Karl Byrne, director of software engineering, who explained the top trends affecting the software development industry, which he describes as “a constant evolving and rapidly changing landscape”.
Trends and challenges
Byrne describes some of the current changes happening in software development at the moment, such as the widespread adoption of “low-code, no-code platforms” and a growing number of use cases for artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
He also highlights the strong emphasis on cybersecurity in the sector, which he says results in the creation of DevSecOps teams to ensure up-to-date security on CI/CD (continuous integration and continuous delivery) pipelines.
“Some of the challenges we face in the software technology sector are keeping pace with the amount of innovation that’s going on, dealing with legacy monolith applications and trying to transform them into a way that can be an agile software development process,” says Byrne. “And then also, we’re in a very competitive technology sector, so finding the right people with the right skills to work with this on our particular projects.”
Digital transformation strategies
Another trend that’s affecting the software development sector (as well as many others) is the subject of digital transformation, which Byrne says can be navigated by leaders with clear and precise planning and strategies.
“Some of the practical ways leaders can navigate digital transformation is making sure that there’s a clear mission, vision and strategy associated with the digital transformation, defining your ‘as is’ state versus what your future state is and how to get there in terms of the technology, in terms of the product, the processes and the standards that you want.”
One strategy that Byrne highlights is the use of “team health checks”, which is an assessment of a software team’s overall health.
“Also, putting a complete focus on developer productivity and developer experience to help reduce any of the friction points or the obstacles that the development team comes across on a daily basis.”
Find out how emerging tech trends are transforming tomorrow with our new podcast, Future Human: The Series. Listen now on Spotify, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
