Unknown: A business prospers through tight work
cycles, and a focus on driving value, but
developers are typically committed to long term
project roadmaps. That's where low code software
development comes in. Think of low code as filling
a gap between business and traditional
development. Low code is a visual and largely
automated approach to software development. Tasks
are defined at a high level, then tools generate
most of the underlying code base. Low code can
deal with many everyday programming chores,
freeing developer teams to focus on bigger, more
complex projects. Low code allows for more rapid
software development, because it reuses both code
and modules. Not only does it cut costs in terms
of money and time, but also requires less
specialized programming expertise. Here, we'll dig
into what low code is, how it can be used in the
enterprise, and the pros and cons associated.
First, let's talk about how conventional coding
works. Typically, software developers write
individual lines of code to represent instructions
and data, and they organize the code into
functional routines and modules. This requires a
lot of detailed knowledge about coding languages,
development environments, testing and deployment
tools. Plus, the developer needs to be on top of
current policies and practices used to code test
and deploy. But low code technology abstracts and
encapsulates a lot of the programming knowledge
needed to create software. So instead of writing
individual lines of code, users select from a menu
of reusable functional components using a drag and
drop visual interface. Users can then add or
delete components or move them around to create
the intended software flow. The low code tool
accounts for underlying code and support tasks
like testing and deployment.
Some see no code systems as a subset of low code
platforms, but they're not the same. Low code
doesn't eliminate coding. Many low code projects
require some programming either to modify existing
functional components or create new ones. But no
code does aim to eliminate any need for coding. No
code systems provide all features and functions
with no need to add or alter components. With no
code. Users don't need to know anything about
programming or app design. So even though low code
is nothing like traditional software that might
require thousands, maybe tens of thousands of
lines of code. A low code project still involves
some coding. There's plenty of opportunity for low
code projects, particularly for an enterprise's
developer team. Low code apps can be used to
create web portals, set up line of business
systems to conduct everyday tasks, digitize paper
or spreadsheet based business processes. build
mobile apps for customers to access information or
conduct business interactions, develop micro
services based applications, or integrate IOT
endpoints and collect valuable data. Low code can
also be useful in a variety of sectors that touch
our lives every day. One example is educational
institutions with their fluctuating enrollments,
evolving educational strategies and demands for
hybrid and remote learning. Low code can help with
enrollment management platforms, learning
management systems, or building or rebuilding
applications needed to measure learning outcomes,
even as variables change. And during the recent
COVID 19 pandemic, some schools used template
based websites to disseminate changing COVID 19
information to faculty, parents and students. Then
there's healthcare facilities, which need to
communicate with patients while meeting some
stringent security requirements. With low code,
developers can build customer facing apps for
patients to access their records and other
information. It can also help simplify compliance
requirements by generating code designed to
conform to HIPAA regulations right out of the box,
as in the healthcare field. The financial services
sector also needs to follow stringent security
requirements, while also helping customers access
essential information And so in financial
institutions, developers can use low code to build
UIs that tie into complex or legacy back end
systems. Low code development also helps financial
institutions update customer apps more easily.
Let's get into the pros and cons.
In addition to delivering products and features
faster and for less cost, low code boasts many
benefits. Low code is an advantage when your
developer team is understaffed. Most companies
have dealt with a shortage of developer talent.
With low code, staff will need to write less code.
Plus, the visual drag and drop interface of low
code lets anyone, developers and non developers
alike delineate high level ideas. The
customizability of low code software makes the
approach appealing to individuals or departments
can create essentially, their own applications to
meet highly specific and unique needs or
timelines, often with little or no direct work
from the core software team. And a low code
platform which can impose standards and track Code
provides a common and auditable environment. A low
code platform can also boost application analytics
and lifecycle support. Users can gather data for
the business and development team, which teams
compare one app's performance against other in
house apps. There are security advantages to low
code as well. Low code platforms can reduce risks
caused by unsanctioned or rogue programming, like
shadow IT not to say that a business should stop
using conventional development. There are complex
or specialized software projects that still
require the traditional approach.
Despite the benefits of low code software, it's
important to be wary of a few things. First, you
shouldn't assume that low code eliminates the need
for skilled staff. If individuals without
programming knowledge take on an enterprise level
programming tasks, their companies could end up
spending a lot to fix bad code. And while low code
platforms can solve some business programming
problems quite well, it can't solve all of them.
With complex tasks, it may be smarter to go the
conventional software development route, which
again highlights the need for coding skills on
developer teams, it's always important for someone
in the organization to have a comprehensive
knowledge of what's going on under the hood of a
low code platform. If low codes resulting code
functions work as expected, great, but if it
doesn't, someone must be able to diagnose the
cause of underperformance or errors. Likewise, a
comprehensive understanding of what's inside any
low code app is essential for companies to make
sure standards for security and compliance are
enforced. The marketplace for low code tools and
platforms is still evolving. There are vendors who
combine both low code and no code functions in
their product. There are also various cloud native
options as well as third party low code products
and platforms. We're talking anything from simple
website and mobile apps to enterprise class
application development. Anyone interested in low
code should focus on evaluating a given low code
platforms specific capabilities. Pay particular
attention to how the low code platform handles
components. For example, make sure the tools
packaged modules and components closely map to the
high level building blocks and functional
methodologies that your organization already uses.
If it does, you'll need fewer changes or new
custom components. If you think your organization
will still need to develop new components,
evaluate the ease and efficiency of the
customization engine and creating new visual
blocks or custom code.
It's clear the future for low code development and
platforms is one that we'll continue to build on
the trends and behaviors set in place in 2020. The
COVID-19 global pandemic put a big strain on
development budgets, staff availability, and on
teams in general. As employees switched almost
overnight to remote work, organizations were
forced to develop apps, portals, web forms, and
automated workflows fast you'll definitely see an
expansion on all those fronts. In 2020, low code
and no code made up under 25% of app development.
Gartner is now projecting that that will climb to
75% by 2025. One thing you need to know about low
code is this. Your developer team needs to embrace
low code now, learn now how low code platforms
work to extend and customize low code components.
This requires good communication and collaboration
skills. Developer teams need to work well with
both business personnel and non IT employees in
order to plan for and create the enterprise
applications of the future with low code