The world of software is vibrant and happening. There’s something or the other that keeps happening in the world of software. Therefore, the engineers have to stay abreast of the latest trends, techniques, and tools. Today, we will talk about some of the top techniques, trends, and predictions for 2020. The predictions are done based on existing industry trends. Though, some of the most promising technologies that will influence the world of software are Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and so on. However, there are a few other technologies and trends that can shape the world of software in 2020 and if you want to be a software champ, then you should definitely focus on mastering the new technologies, skills or techniques. Let’s talk about the top technologies, trends, and predictions:

Internet of Things (IoT) will be massive

The number of IoT devices may touch the 21 billion mark in the next years. Therefore, it is quite evident that IoT is and will be quite popular. Additionally, as it is regarded as one of the fastest-growing technologies, therefore it will influence the world of software development in plenty of ways. As we are using tons of smart devices these days, be it the smart set of phones, home appliances, and even cars, therefore, the scope of software development is higher. IoT is all about the connection of devices (via Wi-Fi of course). Therefore, even a single voice command can be quite useful: you can switch on or off the TV or increase the volume of your smart music system, etc. Therefore, the need for high-end and extremely secure software of the Internet of Things environment is higher. Therefore, if you want to enter the field of IoT, then make sure that you gather as much knowledge as you can relate to automation, data analytics, cloud computing, and a host of other new techniques that will impact the IoT set up. And, learning interesting technologies is a great way to enter the world of IoT software development.

Authentication without the use of passwords?

We have been using the passwords to authenticate for a long time. However, now, passwordless authentication is quite prevalent and useful. The passwords aren’t considered very secure now, therefore, newer ways of authentication have been introduced. The newer ways include things like facial recognition and a large variety of biometrics validation etc. Be it the fingerprint authentication or facial recognition, both happen on the device of the user. Therefore, the engineers who would be interested in grasping the knowledge of the newer ways to authenticate will be preferred over others. Thus, you may want to learn more about the validation aspects of biometrics. When you will be equipped with enough knowledge, then you can implement or integrate the latest or the securer authentication methods and techniques.

Get a hang of mixed reality

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality will become more and more popular, as they aren’t all about only gaming or entertainment. AR and VR have a lot of scope and potential and such latest technologies could be used in a vast majority of fields other than entertainment and gaming. In fact, even the defense forces of some countries are trying to make the most of AR and VR for using this technology for training purposes. Therefore, more and more companies would be interested in investing in AR and VR as they can derive businesses from the AR and VR based solutions and systems. Especially, mixed reality, which is a blend of both AR and VR has a lot of scopes. Therefore, if you want to do something magical in the software engineering world, then gain more knowledge about mixed reality.

Master the art of robotics process automation

Robotic Process Automation is all about automating the manual tasks to speed up the operations. It is all about the eradication of manual work. As humans are saved from doing a lot of manual and repetitive work, therefore, they get more time to spend on the creative and intelligent aspects of the business or the project. They can use their skills to make better decisions and move the business or the project in the right direction. With the help of RPA, businesses can achieve higher rates of efficiency and productivity. As RPA is all about management of the operations through the tools and solutions, therefore, the programmed software is expected to work better. The world of software engineering is extremely competitive. Therefore, anyone who wants to enter the field or wants to make an impact needs to plan the journey. First of all, you should always stay abreast of the latest happenings in the world of software. Second of all, you should be always prepared to learn new technologies or techniques to step up the ladder of success. For example, in the coming years, modern technologies like voice searches will be high in demand. Therefore, you should focus on learning the techniques of adding voice searches to new tools or solutions. Also, static web applications will be higher in demand. Thus, if you want to grow as a software engineer, make sure you keep exploring and learning the new trends and techniques. This article was originally published on Towards Data Science by James Warner, a business intelligence analyst with knowledge on Hadoop/Big data analysis at NexSoftSys.com.