The market revenue from global low-code development platforms is expected to reach $190 billion by 2030 as organizations across the globe invest in digital transformation. The shortage of developers is compelling organizations to find an effective solution, so it becomes vital to simplify the programming methodology by automating several stages of the process. Organizations can achieve that by leveraging an efficient low-code application development (LCAP) platform.
With so many dynamic business challenges, being adaptable and agile matters more than ever, and an LCAP platform brings much-needed agility. A low-code platform empowers business users to develop applications using visual tools, leaving the heavy coding behind.
Understanding Low-code Development
Before we shed light on low-code development, let’s be clear that low-code does not mean low quality. With robust low-code application development systems, developers can quickly and efficiently build applications with extensive functionality. The best part? It doesn’t require excessive coding.
Low-code development reduces the need for manual coding by allowing developers to build applications using visual modules with drag-and-drop tools, point-and-click configurability, and predefined connectors.
The above-mentioned development tools can lay down the basic framework of various business applications for maximum effectiveness.
Who uses Low-code Platforms?
Low-code application development platforms are highly effective for businesses with diverse requirements. Using such development techniques, organizations can build intuitive applications faster than traditional development methodologies.
Visual development eliminates the need to manually create codes for redundant and recurring tasks, allowing an organization to respond quickly to growing enterprise requirements.
A low-code application development system can transform your business into a hyper-modern, agile model that can instantaneously address business needs like automation of workflow, operations, customer journeys, and compliance.
How Does Low-code Development Platform Accelerate Digital Transformation?
Digital transformation is the need of the hour in the competitive IT landscape. With organizations switching to low-code application development solutions, the question arises: are they contributing to the major strides that industries are taking toward digital transformation?
Let’s find out “how low-code accelerates digital transformation:”
1. Promotes Continuous Integration and Development
The traditional waterfall method of developing applications is long obsolete. Now, the CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Development) methodologies are revolutionizing the app development industry.
An LCAP platform lets businesses quickly create new applications while giving them some control over options. This helps them be agile and constantly deliver, update, and modify their applications for more experimentation and innovation in each iteration of their cycle.
2. Maximizes Business Capabilities
Businesses can optimize their application portfolio with a low-code application development system. It allows developers to quickly launch applications perfect for handling the organization’s internal operations. It’s a unified solution to optimize workflow management, enterprise content management, portal development, customer management, robotic process automation, etc.
3. Eliminates Long-Term Architecture
The traditional development method promoted the need for deploying long-term application architecture for cost-effectiveness. Doing so also limited the company’s options in terms of innovation and launching new projects.
A low-code application development system can remove the existing architecture and put an agile workforce in place. New applications, codes, and programs can be introduced effectively and quickly to handle all business-critical operations whenever required.
The agile infrastructure allows organizations to keep up with the times, keeping them alive amid fierce competition.
4. Lowers the Pressure on Developers
According to a report by IDC, there will be a whopping shortage of around 4 million developers by the end of 2025. Companies will clash with each other in such a climate for a good IT team. However, with the effective deployment of low-code application development solutions, companies can deal with the issue cost-effectively.
5. Provides an Effective Middle Ground to Development Techniques
The end-to-end application development methodology offered a differentiating advantage but needed more speed. On the other hand, off-the-shelf business applications are readily available but do not offer customizability.
With low-code development, companies can get the best of both worlds – swift development of complex, distinguishable applications with diverse functionality.
5 Core Features to Consider When Evaluating the Right Low-code Application Development Platform
Simplified application composition
An LCAP platform should have tools, like point-and-click configurability, to design and develop applications rapidly. Users should be able to deliver interactive and rich applications by quickly creating user interfaces, data models, and workflows through low-code.
Intelligent automation
Low-code application development solutions should automate both simple, departmental functions as well as complex, enterprise-wide applications. In other words, it should be equipped with Intelligent automation, which refers to employing tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze trends and data and forecast the outcome of strategic changes.
Continuous integration
Every organization works with innumerable systems, applications, and data. The ideal low-code development platform should support deep and continuous integration with these internal and external data sources and systems, allowing users to access information on one platform.
Enhanced IT security and output
Low-code application development platforms must have IT security rooted in all layers of their application development to ensure data integrity and compliance. It should allow citizen developers and domain experts to make IT resources available for more value-added activities.
Effortless deployment
A low-code application development platform is not just about creating apps but also the capability to deploy them with ease. Enterprises need a low-code platform that can offer effortless and flexible deployment options like on-premises and hybrid. It should also have DevOps tools to manage application development efficiently and make real-time updates and fixes.
Benefits of Low-code Development
Low-code development has a plethora of advantages for businesses, including:
- Improved Agility: With low-code development, deployment of complex app capabilities like cross-platform functionality becomes more accessible. For instance, users can easily use collaborative tools and access data on desktops and smartphones.
- Decreased Development Costs and Time: A low-code application development solution significantly reduces the time required to build an application from scratch. At the same time, they also bring down the costs needed for development, as a large chunk of manual labour is replaced by automation.
- Higher Productivity: Application development and deployment was a process that spanned months before low-code development took over. Businesses now have ten times the productivity when compared to traditional development techniques. The sooner the development stage of any process ends, the quicker employees can start working on the project to bring in suitable returns on the company’s investments.
- Better Customer Experience and Satisfaction: The subsidiary benefit of using low-code techniques is that the better speed of business operations results in better customer experience. With several business-oriented applications and seamless IT infrastructures intact, the company can deliver to customers at a more rapid pace.
- Allows Quick Changes in Infrastructure: With low-code, an agile development and deployment model becomes easily accessible. Entire IT and organizational infrastructures can be scrapped and built from scratch in hours. This allows the organization to deal with and adapt to changes in the norms and trends within the industry and mould business strategies to remain competitive.
- Promotes Health Risk Management: Organizations are investing more in regulating such areas after facing a global crackdown on compliance issues and inconsistencies regarding governmental regulations. However, low-code development can make fast changes. Hence, meeting the changing compliance and regulations standards won’t be a challenge for organizations.
Winding Up
Digital transformation should be the priority of any competent organization. However, the need to constantly create, deploy, and modify diverse applications cannot be met using traditional methodologies in a software-based world. Low-code development offers a practical, affordable solution to the huge problem.
The demand for low-code is only going to rise. It is crucial to clearly understand the business requirements before selecting a low-code platform. Read this whitepaper to gain deeper insights into choosing the right low-code platform and what to expect from it.
