9 Trends for Enterprise Application Development in 2022

What do buyers look for in enterprise application development today? What are the newest trends in enterprise software that are shaping the market and are worth investing in? In this article we’ll guide enterprise software technology providers through the hottest opportunities in the enterprise app market in the following year.

According to Gartner’s report, the things that all enterprise applications have in common are that customers now want to improve their business agility with their enterprise apps; they want their software applications to generate a competitive advantage; and they want to quickly deploy new business strategies and overcome disruptions using such enterprise applications software.

Businesses always look for new ways to reduce time and money expenditures, and that is why the integration of enterprise app development, including mobile enterprise application development, has become a steady trend in today’s worldwide market. The new year will offer even more opportunities for enterprise application development companies.

But first, let’s have a closer look at enterprise business applications and their role in today’s business ecosystem.

Data by Statista shows that in 2020, the global enterprise applications software market reached $241 billion, and by 2022 the size of this market is estimated to be worth $259.51 billion, with $98.03 billion of that in the mobile enterprise apps market.

WHY HAVE BUSINESS ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS BECOME A TREND?
Enterprise mobile application development and integration streamlines the work of departments ensuring better operational and business processes management, and it automates and speeds up communications within the company bringing everybody onto the same page no matter how big the company is.

Enterprise applications can be internal and/or external depending on their purpose and key users.

Internal mobile apps are used by employees working remotely to access corporate systems like warehousing and logistics services..

Mobile apps for employees:

Reduce operating costs and downtime
Synchronize the work of individual teams/teamwork/field managers
Manage and optimize internal processes
External mobile applications are mostly developed by B2C companies to automate and facilitate their interaction with customers. These apps are intended to:

Enable fast and efficient customer support
Accelerate order processing through the supply chain
Increase brand awareness and client loyalty and boost partnerships
Let’s return to the major enterprise app development trends we named earlier and have a closer look at the shifts that will shape the industry in 2022. The digital transformation induced by the pandemic and post-pandemic shifts in consumer behavior will accelerate the changes in business routines and the approach to IT products enterprises used to achieve more flexibility, better data management and automation of the implementation procedures.

1. LOW-CODE APPLICATION PLATFORMS
Low Code Platforms gained popularity in tandem with AI-augmented software development. The reasons for such popularity are easy-to-understand visual interfaces with simple logic and drag-and-drop features that allow users with no formal knowledge of coding or software development to build or tweak applications for many purposes like mobile apps and business apps.

Skilled developers are expensive and in short supply, and when you partner with a reliable company developing enterprise applications, such low-code platforms help to fill the gaps caused by challenges in hiring software developers.

There is a major shift towards enterprise application development using Software as a Service (SaaS, Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Serverless systems, as low-code platforms allow non-programmers to develop as well as implement applications without coding and spending a lot of time on learning programming languages. According to the State of Software Development report, 35% of respondents did not intend to use a new programming language in the next 12 months.

Major low code platforms incorporating AI include Google’s AppSheet and Microsoft’s Power Platform. AppSheet uses natural language processing (NLP) which allows non-developers to speak commands for the app’s development. AI and ML are used by this platform to build predictive models into an application using the app’s own store of data. Microsoft’s Power Platform includes Power Automate and Power BI modules, which allow someone to design and automate analytics systems into the application with relative ease.

PaaS can increase the speed of business based on the advantage of serverless computing, and deliver scalability, flexibility and quicker time to develop and release new apps.

2. DEVOPS
Developing security as code, as it is stated in the DevSecOps manifesto, allows someone to “create awesome products and services, provide insights directly to developers, and generally favor iteration over trying to always come up with the best answer before a deployment.” This trend encourages security practitioners to adapt and change their old, existing security processes and procedures just like Agile helps business and development teams work together to improve the process of delivery.

With a cross-functional team embedding enterprise architects, developers, security specialists and operations, it is possible to deliver applications to production more rapidly and efficiently. Policy-based automation, which fuse security into the software delivery process, and CI/CD, which cope with the challenges of enterprise application development, make the enterprise application development process smooth and repeatable, and can provide a further boost in improving time to market, thus ensuring a competitive advantage for the business.

3. IOT PLATFORMS
Internet of Things (IoT) platforms are a growing enterprise application development trend as the number of devices and applications driven by the Internet of Things grows exponentially. Global computerization and prevalence of various devices powered by the Internet of Things has allowed enterprise applications to become more efficient and provide advanced features, which allow businesses to make decisions that are completely dependent on data.

The fundamental elements of IoT such as AI algorithms, cloud databases, Internet-connected hardware and tracking devices provide indicators that can be analyzed by enterprise software and then the required action can be taken by the IoT devices. Businesses can use real-time data collected and analyzed with the help of IoT platforms to digitize their processes, be aware of all core indicators, and be able to adjust or automate their processes.

4. DIGITAL TWINS
Data is the most powerful tool for any organization, and proper data tapping and utilization deliever an edge in business. One of the new trends in using Big Data and predictive analysis is digital twins.

A digital twin is a digital representation of a physical object, process or service. The digital twin technology can be used to replicate processes in order to collect data to predict how they will perform. In the context of enterprise applications development, a digital twin is a computer program which creates simulations based on real world data to predict how a product or process will perform. Such virtual models powered by big data, IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are used to drive innovation and improve performance.

There are 3 major types of digital twin applications:

Digital Twin Prototype (DTP) – is used before a physical product is created
Digital Twin Instance (DTI) – is done once a product is manufactured in order to run tests on different usage scenarios
Digital Twin Aggregate (DTA) – gathers DTI information to determine the capabilities of a product, run prognostics and test operating parameters.
5. HYPERAUTOMATION IN SOFTWARE
Automating processes across the entire organization was one of the key trends in 2021, as automation allows for cutting costs and increasing efficiency in a variety of areas from low-level business processes to automating software development functions with the new DevOps tools mentioned earlier.

Gartner predicts that through 2024 enhancements in analytics and automatic remediation capabilities will refocus 30% of IT operations from support to continuous engineering. By 2023, 40% of product and platform teams will use AIOps for automated change risk analysis in DevOps pipelines, reducing unplanned downtime by 20%.

Hyperautomation is an evolving trend. It fuses teams and processes integrating tools and technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence, machine learning, process mining, analytics, and other advanced tools to automate as many business and IT processes as possible.

It is a logical next step in the development of the digital enterprise paradigm. Automation and machine learning will help human analysts get valuable data from inputs and it will ensure higher productivity, more rapid processes and greater efficiency in business operations.

Accelerating Time to Market Through QA Automation
6. INTELLIGENT BUSINESS APPLICATIONS
Many enterprises have learned some hard lessons during the pandemic and will accelerate their shift to a cloud-centric digital infrastructure and application services. The new working environment has shifted to distributed cloud systems when it comes to intelligent business applications, and it will allow enterprises with complex structures and locations to be available in multiple physical locations and reduce the latency between client requests and response.

The further digitalization advances, the clearer it is that conventional on-premise apps have reached their threshold. Cloud computing technology can be a substitute model of deployment for various enterprise services including enterprise applications integrated with cloud computing which allow greater business agility with relatively low costs.

7. BLOCKCHAIN FOR BUSINESS APPS
Blockchain technology can be utilized in industries handling massive databases of sensitive and classified information such as insurance, finance and healthcare. Due to the specifics of the technology, blockchain in enterprise business applications can help protect an organization’s data and its access. Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks can provide transparency, decentralization, distributed ledger and robust security features, which include blockchain in the list of best practices for enterprise software development.

The information is not stored on a single server with this technology, but instead it is located on a network of computers allowing the organization to reduce operational costs and allowing users to perform actions faster as the system eliminates administrative work from the process. However, the use of blockchain technology is limited due to the obligatory presence of payment or trading options in the developed application. The possible solutions using this technology include:

Cryptocurrency exchange
E-wallets
Cryptocurrency market monitoring
Blockchain-based retail sector
Cryptocurrency trading automation
8. AI-AUGMENTED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
The use of AI and machine learning to extract business insight from the vast trove of data most companies collect routinely is not a new trend. This technology has proven its ability to boost revenue, cut waste and squeeze out more profits.

In 2021, the technology finally spread to most global market segments and became widely used by mobile device holders: AI-powered Machine Learning and Deep Learning approaches are widely used to study user behavior and improve products while saving money on inaccurate audience research in outdated forms, such as surveys and direct user feedback. Marketing, finance and customer service also actively use AI technology advantages.

AI is also actively used in the field of cybersecurity because this technology can quickly spot malicious activities and software to identify potential threats. It is a crucial element for hyperautomation.

When it comes to enterprise mobile app development, machine learning significantly improves enterprise software functionality as it analyzes large datasets quickly and independently. With the help of such analytical data, managers can make data-driven decisions, help employees save time and improve their productivity, and maximize the efficiency of the business.

Smart and context-aware enterprise applications powered by machine learning help businesses provide a much better and personalized experience for their customers. And integration of augmented and virtual reality solutions in enterprise application development accelerates and helps make routine tasks easier and ensures remote cooperation of employees.

9. REMOTE COLLABORATION
Remote collaboration is another trend evolving in the pandemic environment. It was a must when everyone had to stay home, but remote work has become the new norm. Commuting and co-locating for work could quickly become a thing of the past.

Thanks to various enterprise mobile applications, people can remain employed remotely and have a preferable lifestyle. This trend has already generated a work-from-anywhere movement. For employers, it means they need to streamline and digitize processes to ensure efficient finance and time management, informed decision making, employee engagement and customer satisfaction.

9 trends for enterprise application development

SUMMARY
Enterprise applications are useful for businesses, and they are scalable and information-rich, user-friendly, clear and easy to use. They have to meet all customer requirements though to move a business to the next level. Their main goal is the optimization of business processes, time and material cost reduction, and, as a consequence, the growth of the company’s profits. The final step to success is to implement these trends strategically. The best step in moving forward is to choose an experienced enterprise software development company to carry out this implementation process.