Many companies face an arduous balancing act at the start of 2023 between an uncertain economic climate and the critical advantage they must maintain for competitive innovation. New technologies from Web3, blockchain, machine learning, and artificial intelligence continue to evolve work ethics that make that task more challenging.
Cory Hymel, vice president of product at Gigster, an enterprise software development services firm, has a close eye on technology trends that help advance how distributed work models are evolving in the tech workplace. Gigster’s fully managed software offers businesses a path to unleash human cloud-driven innovation at a global scale.
An advocate for leveling outdated hierarchical structures within organizations, Hymel predicts that 2023 will see a rapid transition in the tech industry. He views the further adoption of democratizing power levels from the ground up as the way to better survive the ongoing pandemic malaise.
In line with this thinking, Gigster recently expanded its service offerings to help clients better face complex business challenges. It will release in phases this year eight new offerings to augment risk reduction pricing models and team assembly approach on demand.
“The new services can make a major difference in helping companies advance at higher levels of quality and speed,” Hymel told TechNewsWorld.
The Democratization of Technology
Technology democratization, in a broad sense, is the process of making access to tech more accessible to more people. New technologies and improved user experiences empower those outside the tech industry to use products and services better.
A narrower segment, data democratization, happens when an organization makes data accessible to all employees and stakeholders. This approach includes educating users on how to work with data, regardless of their technical background.
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The concept became mainstream among software developers several years ago. It expanded as traditional software development has been unable to keep up with growing demands for automation and new applications across all lines of business.
“Democratizing software development enables business and domain professionals to become actively involved throughout the software development process. The procedure automates sections of code via a low-code tool or platform, meaning only a limited amount of technical capability is necessary,” Hymel told TechNewsWorld.
Drained Developer Pool
Democratized software developers engage with business domain experts to actively participate in the development process. This collaboration is aided by using an approach that automates large sections of code. The bottom line is simple: less technical expertise is required.
One of the main drivers of this democratization demand is the existing shortage of expert developer talent, Hymel noted. The lack of skilled code writers made organizations adopt software democratization procedures.
Businesses doing this can simplify processes that augment usability and widen the scope of practical applications. These low-code procedures enable firms to address software development technical issues efficiently.
It also helps them roll out more IT-based applications to drive revenue growth or deliver a competitive edge. By extension, they become more agile in responding to market demands and changes.
Connecting the Human Cloud
Democratizing software connects to the notion of plugging into a developing human cloud. The concept envisions interconnectivity with all the online platforms that form a productivity maze for disparate workers.
“As most developers move their software engineers to the cloud, we will likely see an end to the era of monolithic applications,” Hymel predicted.
He added that creating a dispersed application environment via the human cloud democratizing software development replaces the need for serial processing with multiple threads and parallel processes. The result allows greater scalability and increases transaction speeds.
“Human cloud platforms have transitioned from being mainly used for data storage to an essential part of the software developer’s toolbox. Embracing them enables the development and deployment of companies’ democratized software development to become continuously integrated,” explained Hymel.
Cloud platforms facilitate remote working and enable developers and companies to intertwine development and operations instead of waiting to create a perfect program at the first trial.
Making Unified Collaboration Work
Distributed work models go beyond the concept of remote teams. They involve teams of workers spread throughout different geographical locations, often operating without physical offices.
The idea, according to Hymel, involves workers performing their tasks from different physical locations and time zones. Team members are driven by the core philosophy of chasing common goals via unified collaboration.
“Since there are no physical constraints, the distributed work model, if properly managed, facilitates greater flexibility and adaptability and opens companies up to a much larger talent pool,” he said.
The model thrives through clear communication that establishes expectations for every team member. Thus, everyone feels engaged and works towards the same common goal.
The Factor for Accelerating Innovation
Organizations constantly seek ways to accelerate product development to achieve, maintain, or improve quality. Their investment in time and resources does not always lead to meaningful performance improvement, observed Hymel.
“Next-gen enterprise application development cycles are extremely short in an ever-evolving tech world. Companies whose leaders solely depend on internally leveraged innovative tools to achieve digital innovation could take longer and use more resources,” he noted.
When asked what separates his company’s approach from other platforms, Hymel responded that Gigster’s managed software development platform uses technology and a distributed, global team to fast-track product development and provide greater velocity. The firm’s experts also work with companies to determine innovations that will have the most significant impact and are achievable with the organization’s resources in mind.
Balancing Pros and Cons
Two of the most noticeable benefits a distributed work model brings are cost-effectiveness and worker efficiency, which can help companies recognize direct and indirect savings.
The distributed work model enables firms to reduce the head office’s footprint or open satellite offices in areas where operational costs are lower, whereupon having workers in different time zones facilitates a 24-hour workflow.
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“Organizations can also get skilled talent away from traditionally competitive and expensive locations or include on-demand experts by moving apps to the cloud, besides reducing IT-related costs,” he explained.
According to Hymel, some of the model’s foremost challenges include workplace threats like cyberattacks and access control.
Businesses must focus intensely on external threats and abide by varying security, compliance, and tax laws depending on their employees’ location.
“In addition, managing distributed teams is a unique challenge that not all organizations and managers are equipped for,” he warned.
Managing Tech Recession
Tech companies that traditionally had bullet-proof reputations are now utilizing ongoing hiring freezes and layoffs. This state of affairs points toward the bitter reality of the pinch of an ongoing global economic shutdown.
Consequently, according to Hymel, tech companies that enjoyed profitability for the longest time are battling geopolitical pressures and increasing costs. As markets flip from growth to profits, tech company valuations crash, financial institutions become more cautious, and the recession seems inevitable.
“Hence, tech companies are reducing their workforces, believing it is the only way out of the crisis,” he opined.
Transition to Tech-Smart Systems
To avoid further recessionary pitfalls, Hymel recommends tech companies, in particular, prepare now to gravitate around disruption to avoid being caught off-guard. Organizations must become flexible enough to experiment with emerging innovations as they prepare to thrive through ensuing upturns.
“Strategic investment in the right technology and service offerings could help firms remain afloat until the market bounces back,” he predicted.
Replacing traditional modus operandi with investment in digital systems, tools, and capabilities could help maintain workflows. Moreover, enhancing distributed or remote capabilities and introducing intelligent software systems for automation in fintech and logistics could help firms avoid disruption resulting from market changes.
