Software development has become one of the most rewarding aspects of the business. All kinds of businesses from startups to large enterprises are leveraging it to gain a competitive advantage in the market. There isn’t any field left that has not taken the advantage of this practice.
Additionally, development companies around the world offer a wide range of software development services to all types of companies. From startups to enterprise level, everyone can choose an approach that best suits their business. Before we move on to that part, let us quickly discuss various types of software development.
Top 10 software development services
#1. Web Development
There are millions of websites on the internet. Now, we are even addicted to surfing through a few web pages every day with a morning coffee. Ever wondered how they are built? Or where do they come from?
There is a team of coders, developers, QA experts, product managers, and many more skilled professionals behind the development of web solutions. With the help of a programming language, a web developer can design and develop everything from a simple invite page on a website or a complex network of interconnected web pages.
Advancements of modern web technologies and application programming APIs allow websites to plugin with other more beneficial features. The web development sector is booming so much that web browsers nowadays have become much more than a URL bar. The web application can now deliver experiences similar to native apps. It also comes with an ad-blocker.
For web development, you can use one or more development frameworks like HTML, Javascript, Django, PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails, ASP.NET, C/C++ and more depending upon your needs.
#2. Mobile Development
Nowadays, there are many ways that a mobile app can help you grow your small business but it was not even a thing a couple of decades ago and most people didn’t know about it until a decade ago. But in the last decade, it has grown very rapidly. It is also called app development.
In this type of software development, applications are created that could run on mobile device platforms like android, ios, and Windows 10 systems. To build these operating systems, most of the time their programming languages are used but some prefer traditional languages as well.
The versatility of mobile app development is that it enables you to develop any kind of native app including one used to find a restaurant or the one to catch up with the latest news or a one just to connect and socialize with people.
There is a wide range of diversity in the app development sector like fitness, finance, health, entertainment, social media, education, and many more. To develop a native app, an app developer needs to have their basics clear in the languages like Android, Swift (for iOS), Objective C, HTML5, Java, C#.
#3. Data Science
Data is the new form of power. Large sets of data are useless if you don’t know what to do with them. Modern business owners know how important data is and how they can leverage it for the growth of their business. But the question remains the same – what to do with the data?
Well, to answer that, we need to call in the data experts or data scientists. They are trained and have an eye to find valuable insights amidst the variety of data that can be as valuable as gold. But to pull out that gold is not an easy task, data scientists need to mine through loads of data.
They even have to use an analytical approach to manipulate the data. Scanning large sets of data, using some classic computer analysis approach, and coming up with an app that is completely based on the findings of your data.
These kinds of apps are way cooler than you think. It is all about what and how machines work. A smart machine would need data to learn from and based on them make its own decisions in any given situation.
It is the responsibility of data science to interpret and present the data in its true form so that it can be validated for use in AI-enabled applications. It is necessary to have basic knowledge of C/C++, Matlab, and Python before starting venturing into the field of data science.
#4. Application Development
You might get confused that we have already talked about application development in the mobile development section. But remember that this is such a type of software development that can be named as original or traditional programming. In this, standard software applications are built for desktops and computers. These applications perform on desktop operating systems like Linux, Windows, and Mac.
Application development is more often considered as a program that could be executed on the user’s demand. It can open its interface in the confines of the operating system on which it is running. It also contains some powerful and advanced features that can be helpful to the users.
A simple process of developing a computer program or a set of programs that could help the user with their day-to-day functionalities is known as application development. Knowledge of Java, VB.NET, C/C++, C#, and Python are deemed necessary to undertake the process of application development.
#5. Back-end Development
Back-end development is behind the scenes kind of a job. It is a business software development to make sure that front-end churning does not bring computers as well as yours to a standstill. The back-end development is also known as server-side development for a website. The back end is divided into three parts – a server, an application, and a database. It is the place where all the data related to the customer and business is stored.
It is the job of back-end developers to understand databases, server programming, and business software architecture. If your software application constantly keeps crashing or it works at a tortoise speed or keeps showing some errors then know that it is likely to be an issue of backend development.
Involvement in database management means handling a system that contains very large sets of data. Hence, database management is one of the prime aspects or backbone of software back-end development. Just think how much data would Google and Facebook have stored as they have billions of daily users.
Keeping all the details in an organized manner for such a vast number of people is a herculean task and back-end developers are the one that makes it work. You need to know Python, Java, C, and C++, (my)SQL, dBase, and Oracle for database management.
#6. Software Tools Development
Wait now what kind of humbug is this? No, it isn’t an imaginary type of software development. Most consumers have never come to hear of this because this type of software development is used to create software tools for software developers so that they can test their code with its assistance. Software developers also use these types of business management software to test their code to make it following the industry standards and parameters.
Developing software tools to test other software is a complex job but the tech giants like Google and Microsoft are employing more and more people that can design software apps to test their primary projects on the go. For this type of development, soft devs would need to know Java, Python, and C++.
#7. API Development
API development is the type of software development process to create something extensible. The computer programs built by the software developers act as pieces of a puzzle working across various operating systems like desktop, mobile, and web. This will permit third parties to interact with the tools and functions that API is related to.
API development lays the ground for standard procedures, tools, GUI interactions, database access rules, types, and many more that software developers can use to build their applications. It is important to know that every API is written specifically for its platform or function. Also, it will have a specific programming language for the platform, device, website, or services it is designed for.
#8. Embedded Management System Development
Nowadays almost everything is connected to the internet. This process of connecting real-world things to virtual world programming is called embedded systems development. To successfully undertake this type of software development, a developer must be skilled in the code languages like Raspberry Pi’s, Arduinos, Beaglebones, and many more.
The embedded management system software is developed especially for the machine or device on which it runs. Apart from the code languages, we talked about above, software developers also need to be skilled in Embedded C, Assembler, Python, Arduino (an embedded C derivative), and Java.
#9. Security Software Development
Yes, when we are developing various types of business software then it is also necessary to think about the security of these software and the businesses it is related to. That’s when security software development comes in. You might know that lately cyber attacks and threats are on the constant rise.
Hence it is the most important field to work on these days. QA experts, cyber experts, and penetration testers work together to protect the business software, customer data, and company assets from thefts, viruses, and malicious attacks.
As the software developers build software tools to create software, similarly, they also develop software that can test and verify the security of other software. The penetration tester tests the software by trying to hack into the system.
It is the way to find or spot the weaknesses and other vulnerabilities in the code of the business software. After the development stage, if you test your software using such approaches, the chances of being victim to any kind of malicious attack reduces. But on indeed to know the programming language relevant to the system that they are going to test.
#10. Cloud Computing
Let us imagine a scenario – you are developing business software for your business, you already have tons of data spilled all over your system, and with the launch of your let’s say marketing software or accounting software, you are planning to gather more important customer and business data. But where will you store them and how will you manage all of them?
The world is changing very rapidly. Instead of traditional local storage for files, businesses nowadays are adopting the modern concept of cloud computing. These services are hosted online through the network of remote servers where you can store and manage your business data. Now you don’t need to keep clearing space every time you need to save something new on your local server or a personal computer.
To excel in cloud computing software development, one needs to be trained in the software that powers the cloud storage applications like Amazon Web Services (AWS), OneDrive storage, and GitHub. Additionally, they should also know about the programming languages like Java, XML, R, Erlang, Google’s Go!, Clojure, and so on.
How to Pick the type of Software development that is suitable for your business?
icon-angle-right Focus on Your Business
While selecting the type of software development, it is necessary that you focus on your core business functionalities and not fool around mundane tasks. The aim of developing management software is to accelerate the growth of the business by increasing overall work efficiency.
So, before you decide to develop software, keep in mind that it is for nothing but your core business. So, you have to select a type of software development that could help you or your company for the betterment of its business.
icon-angle-right Analyze Your Needs
Before you opt for any type of business software development, another you need to take care of is your needs. You should get your priorities straight. – that’s what they say right? Well.it fits pretty well here. Just prepare the list of your business requirements and what would you like to have in your app.
Prioritize all the business needs based on their nature, i.e. primary, secondary, tertiary. These requirements also help you in deciding which type of software development you should select for your next project.
For example, you need to upgrade an existing version of your software because it has many glitches and it works slow then you should pick back-end development but if you are looking to provide some service related to finance or fitness then mobile app development is a great way to reach as many customers as possible.
icon-angle-right Do Research
This is a must. No one can go unprepared in the battle or business and expect to win it. You need to get trained for it and you need to know about what you are dealing with. In this case, you have to go look for the kind of technologies and infrastructure you might need if you select some software development process.
You also need to look into the market trends and current expectations of the consumers in the relevant industry. Researching is a must for everything from hiring expert software developers to building a product for a particular segment of the market.
Final Words
There are many more things that you can do that will help you decide which type of business software development process is suitable for your company but for now, the information given in this article is enough to get you started with your new project. But do keep one thing in mind: never go out to get everything you want instead pick up a single most important thing, get it done, and build upon it everything you wanted before.
What I mean to say is that it is tempting to use all those trending technology frameworks and these software development processes but it is not good for your business even if you have an already established large enterprise. A company can only afford what its business needs at that particular time.
If you need to build a native app just for that. If you want to address your security concerns, just focus on security software development. Once that is achieved there will be plenty of time for you to get started with the next project.
So, I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. If you have any suggestions or queries then feel free to share them with me in the comments section below. I will get back to you as soon as possible.
About the Author!
Kibo is a tech-savvy IT enthusiast. She likes to explore the digital world and wants herself to be constantly updated on the latest market trends. Kibo is passionate as well as curious about how developers build beautiful websites, efficient software, and user-friendly mobile apps. She constantly researches her way through to understand various types of approaches and practices for software development. She also likes to share her knowledge and opinions with others by writing technical blogs and articles.