What is Low-Code?
Low-code development accelerates time-to-market while saving money.
This is what it is and what it means to companies.
What if you could create the software you company needs to grow, tailored to your specific needs, rather than relying on third party, one-size-fits-all programs? And what if it could be ready in a matter of weeks without breaking the bank? Low-code has been making waves and reshaping the way applications are built for years now. It speeds what used to be long, complex, and expensive development processes, and makes creating applications much more exciting and democratic since many more people can partake. But what does this mean for companies?
What is low-code development?
Low-code development represents a paradigm shift in software engineering. It provides a framework where developers and citizen developers (everyone without a computer science degree or coding background) can create apps through visual interfaces and drag-and-drop functionality, rather than manual coding. At its core, it democratizes sophisticated software development, making it accessible to those without a technical background.
Source: mordor
With low-code, intuitive tools and pre-built components come together to break down barriers of traditional and extensive coding expertise, empowering business users and IT professionals alike to contribute to create custom solutions tailored to their specific needs.
How low-code platforms work
Low-code platforms typically feature a visual development environment where users can build user interfaces, define logic, and integrate with external systems using a graphical interface rather than writing lines of code manually. These platforms leverage a combination of visual modelling, declarative programming, and code generation techniques to streamline the development process.
One of the key components of these platforms is the visual drag-and-drop interface, which allows users to assemble application components like building blocks. Users can select from a library of pre-built templates, widgets, and connectors to rapidly prototype and iterate on their applications. Additionally, low-code platforms often incorporate features such as workflow automation, data integration and application lifecycle management to further enhance productivity and collaboration.
For instance, in the financial services sector, low-code platforms enable banks and fintech companies to develop and deploy innovative mobile apps, loan systems, and regulatory compliance solutions quickly.
Similarly, in the healthcare industry, it facilitates the creation of electronic health record (EHR) systems, patient engagement portals, and telemedicine applications, empowering healthcare providers to deliver better patient care and streamline administrative workflows.
Advantages
The adoption of low-code development brings numerous benefits to organizations of all sizes, including:
Accelerated time-to-market
A significant 72% of IT leaders report that their strategic projects are hindered by a backlog of tickets, with a considerable amount of their resources devoted to the upkeep of legacy systems.
By reducing the time and effort required for application development, low-code platforms enable organizations to bring new products and services to market faster, gaining a competitive edge in today’s fast-paced business environment.
Cost-efficiency
By minimizing the need for custom coding and simplifying maintenance tasks, low-code platforms help organizations reduce development costs and total cost of ownership (TCO) over the application lifecycle.
Empowered citizen developers
Low-code platforms enable non-technical users to participate in application creation. This democratization fosters innovation and collaboration across departments, driving digital transformation initiatives forward.
Challenges and limitations
While it offers a multitude of benefits, it is not without its challenges and limitations. These are some potential drawbacks.
Scalability concerns
While low-code platforms excel at rapid application development, they may struggle to accommodate growing user bases, complex business processes, or increased data volumes – especially if best practices of building low-code apps are not being considered from the start. Organizations must carefully evaluate the scalability capabilities of their chosen low-code platform and ensure it can support their long-term growth objectives.
Vendor lock-in
Adopting a specific low-code platform can potentially lead to vendor lock-in, where organizations become reliant on a single vendor’s tools, technologies, and services. This dependence can limit flexibility and autonomy, making it challenging to transition to alternative solutions or migrate applications to different platforms in the future. To mitigate the risk of vendor lock-in, organizations should assess the interoperability and portability features of low-code platforms and consider strategies for vendor diversification.
Complexity of customization
While low-code platforms offer a range of pre-built components and templates to accelerate development, customizing applications to meet specific business requirements can sometimes be complex. Balancing the speed of development with the need for customization requires careful planning and expertise.
Security and compliance risks
Security and compliance are paramount concerns in software development, and low-code applications are no exception. While low-code platforms typically incorporate security features such as role-based access control and data encryption, organizations must ensure that their applications adhere to industry standards and regulatory requirements. Additionally, the use of third-party integrations and external data sources introduces potential security vulnerabilities that need to be addressed through robust testing and security protocols.
Use cases and applications
Low-code development has gained traction across various industries and use cases, empowering organizations to innovate faster, streamline processes, and deliver value to customers more efficiently.
Enterprise applications
Low-code is widely used to develop mission-critical enterprise applications, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, and supply chain management (SCM) applications. These applications help organizations automate business processes, improve operational efficiency, and enhance collaboration across departments.
Business process automation
About one in every four executives consider low-code platforms as the most critical investment in automation. Why? Because low-code facilitates the automation of repetitive tasks and workflows, streamlines business processes and reduces manual effort. From approval workflows and document management to invoice processing and employee onboarding, low-code platforms empower businesses to automate a wide range of processes to drive efficiency and productivity.
Digital transformation initiatives
Low-code plays a pivotal role in digital transformation initiatives, enabling organizations to modernize legacy systems, connect distributed teams, digitize paper-based processes, and innovate at scale. By leveraging these platforms, businesses can accelerate their digital transformation journey, embrace emerging technologies, and stay competitive in today’s digital economy.
Mobile app development
Low-code offers robust capabilities for mobile app development, allowing organizations to create cross-platform mobile applications for iOS, Android, and other mobile platforms. Whether building customer-facing mobile apps, employee productivity tools, or field service applications, low-code development streamlines mobile app development.
Internet of Things (IoT) solutions
Companies are glowingly using low-code to develop IoT solutions that connect devices, sensors, and systems to collect, analyse, and act on data in real-time. This can include monitoring equipment performance, optimizing energy usage, or managing smart home devices. Low-code simplifies IoT application development and accelerates time-to-value in this rapidly evolving landscape.
Educational technology (EdTech)
In the education sector, low-code facilitates the development of e-learning platforms, student information systems, and administrative tools to support teaching, learning, and administrative functions. By leveraging low-code development, educational institutions can enhance student engagement, personalize learning experiences, and improve administrative efficiency.
Healthcare solutions
Healthcare industry is being transformed by the creation of electronic health record (EHR) systems, telemedicine platforms, and patient engagement applications. These solutions improve access to healthcare services, streamline clinical workflows, and enhance patient outcomes by leveraging technology to deliver more efficient and personalized care.
Financial services
Low-code platforms are revolutionizing digital banking solutions, insurance applications, and fintech innovations. From mobile banking apps and robot-advisors to regulatory reporting systems and fraud detection tools, low-code development accelerates innovation in the financial services industry while ensuring compliance and security.
Take a look at 2 success stories from our customers showcase.
Near Partner, your trusted partner
Most users will find low-code platforms like OutSystems (a Gartner leader and one of the most powerful low-code platforms around) quite intuitive and useful for prototyping simple apps. Building enterprise grade projects or complex systems, on the other hand, is another story. In most cases, it requires an experienced team to drive the development process, ensure the ultimate business goals are achieved, and that security and scalability concerns are correctly addressed.
Ready to unlock the full potential of low-code for your organization? You are in the right place. Get in touch and let’s build something utterly amazing!
