Tech trends in 2018: the role of DevOps in ensuring success

Eran Kinsbruner, lead technical evangelist at Perfecto, gives his roundup of what DevOps developments to expect in 2018

Catching up with the Unicorn

Unicorns were one of the hottest topics of 2016 and 2017. But where the billion-dollar technology startup was once the stuff of myth, we see them frequently today, backed in part by a good market and - in part - by a slew of disruptive technology.

This year will be see mainstream companies catch up, and embrace this disruptor mindset. As digital data and technology grows exponentially, it's clear that incremental innovation is not enough for brands to survive. Even the most established companies know that they must now think and act differently when it comes to innovating around new products and services for their customers - and the challenger companies that have disrupted their industries and threatened their existence have sent a clear ‘do or die' message.

So, 2018 will be a key tipping point where the mainstream plays catch up - and the clever implementation of technologies like advanced AR, VR and AI will be a big part of making this happen. We can already see examples of this mindset shift - as some consumer Goliaths (like Wayfair and Apple) embrace AR and VR to offer new, engaging and immersive consumer experiences.

Advanced digital engagement means more context based capabilities, audio and visual alignment, slick and seamless interactions - and of course puts enormous pressure on the tech teams that have to deliver them. And, so, different parties (device manufacturers, application developers, marketers and retailers) developing for AR and VR must work in tandem, towards common goals, for the technology to fulfil its full potential.

The year of the DevOps

What once seemed like a feat only for the Facebooks and Netflixs of the world, DevOps is going mainstream in 2018.

The surge forward in tech-driven customer interactions in all industries make the importance of developer teams even more pronounced - and we believe that 2018 will finally be the ‘year of the DevOps' - where the role is empowered. DevOps will be expected to control the whole lifecycle of product development - and ensure both quality and speed.

Market analyst Forrester Research believes this too. Its data confirms that 50 per cent of organisations are now implementing DevOps - and that the practice has now reached what they call "Escape Velocity". Forrester's questions and discussions with clients have shifted from "What is DevOps?" to "How do I implement at scale?". And, although many companies are still in the experimentation stage with single or multiple pilots - they all are transitioning toward DevOps across their entire enterprise.

And, in a complex, time pressured, environment testing will become even more important-and prioritised. What was once seen as a bottleneck will now become a ‘corkscrew' - allowing organisations to unleash the potential of new apps and services, while ensuring customer satisfaction. And, the freedom for DevOps to take control may also signal a diversifying of testing frameworks. DevOp teams, who may have been tied to one platform (usually Selenium or Appium), will now have the freedom to make choices; and look at alternative platforms like Espresso or XCUItest- or use multiple platforms in tandem, to further speed up the continuous testing activities.

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Tech trends in 2018: the role of DevOps in ensuring success

Eran Kinsbruner, lead technical evangelist at Perfecto, gives his roundup of what DevOps developments to expect in 2018

The death of m(Dot) - finally

The benefits of Responsive Web Design (RWD) are well reported. But until now, RWD has had to fight for its place alongside other mobile design options. m(Dot) design, the original mobile format, and adaptive design (AWD) also have unique pros and cons as far as UX and SEO go, and the debate for which to use has been fierce.

We believe that 2018 will see the consolidation of web design options, as RWD gets increasingly evolved and well used - and, as m(Dot) continues to decline, next year looks likely to signal its demise. It's likely that brands will use just two channels - native web and responsive; in order to improve user experience and accommodate everyone, whether they are on a desktop or a smartphone or tablet.

However, the move to advanced RWD will not be without its challenges. When you factor in the continuous testing of new features, and guaranteeing your website is working optimally on all browsers, devices, OSes and carrier networks, RWD can be daunting and time consuming. But, in today's world, where there's no longer a difference between website usability and the platform used to consume data and services, we believe that it's vital.

From integrating real user conditions into your testing, to testing navigation across platforms, to simply collecting and analysing user data, we have plenty of advice for prioritising continuous testing across multiple platforms, and ensuring quality in your responsive website.

And we credit some major transformations within the industry for this change: the rise in digital engagement across platforms, the growing need for faster turnarounds and velocity of innovation, and the ever-changing technical landscape where technologies like AR, VR and AI are making significant impact.

And while some innovations, like IoT, won't move as quickly as we might first have thought, 2018 will be an exciting one for everyone in tech. Albeit one where meeting multiple challenges will be at the forefront of every orgnisations' mind.