According to Sonatafy Technology, software development services provide organizations with system software solutions and applications for an array of purposes. Several years back, many investment firms were hyping a term known as, The Internet of Things (IoT), and predicting the influence and effect this phenomenon would have on the day-to-day lives of people. It was estimated that IoT would be the next trillion-dollar industry and would revolutionize the way humans interacted with devices. Fast-forward to the current day, and we are seeing this prediction come to life in front of our very eyes. Millennials are obsessed with instant communication, instant gratification, connectivity, and are generally much more tech-savvy than previous generations. This highlights a clear and distinct shift in the paradigm. More and more electronics manufacturers are embedding IoT technology into their devices. The world is becoming more connected and many of the jobs that exist today will not be around in the near future. Software development and cybersecurity are the jobs of the future. Schools are amending their curriculums to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow, and yet, many tech companies are experiencing a skills shortage in these departments, in their major city or country. An ever-increasing amount of organizations are looking to get in on the hype and be part of the age of technology. IT firms are seeing an increased demand for specific skills in this industry and projects range from app development to security engineering. With this, software teams are ever-evolving, and the need for remote work has been highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, putting a further strain on team cohesion and often creating communication problems. 

IT firms are looking abroad to harness the skills required to fulfill the job requirements, as many of the desired skills are in short supply locally or located in different countries and some even in rural areas. Multi-national software development teams often work with team members who contribute remotely. When these team members come together, they are able to offer diverse and highly specialized services to organizations looking to enter the world of technology. The goal of the software development services team is to develop an application or software that meets the need of a particular business, whether that be a process, goal, or personal objective of the client company. The process of software development consists of various stages: planning, analysis, product design, development, implementation, testing, and maintenance. These are the software development services offered by development teams and firms:

1.  Custom Software Development Services

 Differentiation can be made between custom software development services and commercial-off-the-shelf software development services (COTS), where the former refers to the process of designing, creating, executing, and maintaining a very specific set of users, functions, or organizations, and the latter is software that is adapted aftermarket to the purchasing organization.

2. Web Application Development

 A web application is accessed by a user through a browser that has an active network connection. It is application software that runs on a web server, unlike software programs that are computer-based and run on a device’s operating system.

3. Mobile Application Development

 These applications are designed for use on mobile devices such as phones and tablets. It is the process of designing and installing software for use on these mobile devices, most notably Android and iOS devices.  The software is accessible through mobile app stores or can be accessed via a mobile web browser and can be preinstalled on the device.

4. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing refers to computer-system resources such as computing power and data storage, that is on-demand but does not require direct active management by the user. 

5. DevOps Automation

This relates to the development/addition of technology that facilitates feedback between operations and development teams. It requires very little human assistance to the process and ensures that updates are applied to applications that are in the production phase. It facilitates automation and streamlining of software development through continuous feedback. 

6. Software Prototyping

Software development services of this nature entail creating prototypes of software applications. It is the process of creating incomplete versions of an application that results in progressive improvements of the application. Manufacturing and mechanical engineering employee similar prototype process. 

7. Quality Assurance

QA is an investigative process that provides feedback to customers regarding the quality of an application and the risks involved in implementing such software.  The investigative process evaluates which tasks an application can perform and which tasks it cannot, which may be a user requirement. 

8. Systems Integration

Software development services in this category involve bringing components of a system together and this is achieved through manual programming, networking, and business process management. 

When opting to outsource these software development services, companies should take into account, its own overall goals. Onshoring and nearshoring offer the parent company the opportunity to work with teams or individuals who share a similar culture and understanding of the technical language used in the field of software development services. Communication and integration of team members both internal and external is heightened as members are in proximity of each other. While the required skill set for such software development services may not exist in the urban city where the hiring company resides, both onshoring and nearshoring provide the parent company with access to skilled individuals and teams that are able to assist and provide support services during the development phase. The process of selecting software development services may be as seamless as finding the appropriate staff augmentation firm that can ensure that the parent company’s end goals are achieved by supplementing the team or by outsourcing the function in its entirety. The firm can ensure that the right services are tailored to the specific needs of the company and are provided on a scalable method.