The Future of Enterprise Software

Published: 14 April 2022

Our Systems Security Architect Iakovos Triantafyllou considers the adoption of contemporary enterprise solutions following the impact of the pandemic with agile businesses exploring innovative technologies that meet the needs of their teams.

Traditionally, the enterprise model has remained ultra-conservative with a set number of widely adopted software vendors and products. The wider sector, therefore, has been slow in its take-up of new technologies — and this has been the reality for decades. 

However, over recent years the industry has seen a series of shifts brought about by changes in technology trends, a series of significant mergers and acquisitions, and transformation on an unparalleled scale as a result of the recent pandemic. 

Changes in ownership amongst the market has seen the enterprise software space transformed, prompting a consolidation of the available ‘traditional options’ and a push to ‘buy in’ the newer products and technologies which can be integrated more easily into existing offerings.

Add in the recent pandemic and this culminates in a perfect technological storm, as many businesses were forced to adopt a remote working model in which workers left behind the office environment — instead working from kitchen tables and home offices.

As a result of this combination of factors, both software providers and their users have been forced to adapt and adopt modern technologies and methodologies at a much faster pace in order both to survive, but also to remain competitive.

And this has seen the emergence of an increased appetite for technological innovation in the enterprise software space.

But what’s next?

The rapid adoption of contemporary enterprise solutions looks set to continue, as agile businesses strive to produce highly flexible, efficient, and robust products which meet the needs of their teams. Utilising the latest technology stacks will see the removal of legacy software — which can prove both inefficient and costly for companies to support and maintain. 

When these competitive advantages are combined with SaaS business models and attractive pricing, usually in the form of “pay as you use” type models and flexible feature licensing they eclipse the traditional enterprise offerings with their “reassuringly expensive” monolithic and cumbersome product structure and pricing.

With the emergence of cloud services combined with advancements in out-of-the-box integration options and platform independent, on-demand, and variable provisioning enabled by Cloud — the enterprise space is looking much different. Facilitating the swift implementation of complex solutions, they also allow companies to develop and manage applications rapidly using microservices or by swapping components as needed. In fact, it has never been easier for an organisation to choose to create its own solution, rather than to buy a ready-made solution, that is not fit-for-purpose.

A particularly interesting example of such innovation we recently saw in the integration of the GPT-3 natural language AI model developed by OpenAI with the Microsoft PowerApps product. Microsoft managed to secure exclusive licensing to the product. This integration allows for features such as an (non-developer) employee of a business being able to build an application by describing the programming goal using conversational language.

With the move to remote working, the IDS team addressed the specific challenges faced by in-house dev teams with the onset of reduced collaboration. By streamlining methods and creating engaging, interactive meetings Timbo Retro, a SaaS web-based platform, structures and simplifies agile process, introduces AI-based advisors, and includes seamless integration with existing systems. Whilst innovative technologies underpin the platforms creation, the platform has a clear focus on mental health and wellbeing, through inclusion and collaborative activities to engage and inspire each team member.

The future for enterprise software is sure to bring even more innovation and it will be a very exciting space to watch.

If you would like to understand more about your software options and aren’t sure which platform, network or remote-working solution to select, IDS Group can help. Our experts support SMEs and large enterprises with software development and systems integration requirements. Tell us what you need by calling: 0113 859 1669 or emailing: enquiries@ids-group.co.uk

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