Understanding No-code/Low-code Engineering
“The future of coding is no coding at all” – Chris Wanstrath, the former CEO of code-sharing repository Github
The Covid-19 pandemic taught the business world a key lesson – adopt digital transformation or perish as the old ways no longer apply in the new normal. Enterprises are looking to be more intelligent in the software development process, where automation is paramount yet effortless. They are shifting towards no code/ low code practices to move forward without wasting extra time and money, yet offer a close fit to business requirements.
Robotic process automation (RPA), is one such example of no-code/low code systems. It uses pre-written codes or rules to make simple decisions and automate workflows, especially back-office administrative processes. However, no code/ low code does require some level of technical expertise if they are mission-critical or enterprise-wide systems.
Let’s dig in deeper to understand how no-code/ low code helps companies to scale, maintain, integrate, and govern the universe of application development.
What is no-code/low-code engineering?
Low-code/no-code engineering can be defined as the technology that allows enterprise developers and non-programmers to create application software by dragging and dropping application components and connecting them. This helps users to streamline delivery of a variety of solution that meets their business needs.
People with little or no coding knowledge can create applications by abstracting and automating every step of the application lifecycle. Even professional developers are relieved of the need to write code line by line.
With the no-code/low code approach companies can significantly reduce the turnaround time for the development projects and quickly solve business problems. Gartner predicts, by 2024, low code application development will be responsible for more than 65% of application development activity.
How no-code/low-code engineering is disrupting the industry?
The rise of no-code/low code engineering is bringing new opportunities for businesses. As per research by TechRepublic, nearly 60% of all custom apps are now built outside the IT department. Of those 30% are built by employees with either limited or no technical development skills.
Leaders no more want to depend until their employees can be fluent in programming languages. Instead, they are turning towards no code/ low code engineering to solve their business challenges and meet customer needs. According to statistics, the average company avoided hiring two IT developers using low code tools. This reaped about $4.4 million in increased business value over three years from the applications designed.
No-code/low code engineering allows companies to create customer-specific applications with ease. They can innovate, modernize and deliver more rapidly to the customers. No-code/low code solutions have the potential to reduce the development time by 90%. With the release of Amazon’s Honeycode and Goggle’s acquisition of Appsheet, all major cloud providers are shifting towards No-code/low code engineering.
Though only 12% of organizations use low code tools to manage their business process, this number is expected to rise to almost 6 times in the next three years. By 2024, 75% of large enterprises are expected to use at least four low-code tools for both IT application development and citizen development initiatives as per research by Gartner.
Difference between no-code/low-code engineering
The Gartner Magic Quadrant Low-Code Application Platforms 2020 report grouped the low-code and no-code as one. Although both have a distinct style of application development. Low code engineering removes most of the coding process whereas no code uses simple, intuitive interfaces with drag and drop functionality instead of coding anything in the application.
For developing standalone mobile and web applications and portals, low code is a good choice. As these applications are more likely to integrate with other systems and several data sources. In contrast, no code is only used for front-end use cases. Though both platforms are built with the speed in mind, no-code platforms offer application developers the ability to quickly respond to business needs.
In deciding which direction to take, there’s more to it than just the technology. Much depend on the customer needs, business operations, and application development.
Benefits of no-code/low-code engineering
With COVID-19 accelerating digitalization in the industries, the benefits of low code/ no code not only empowers citizen developers with zero development skills but also experienced developers. Here are the other benefits of using low code/ no code engineering solutions.
- Allow developers to accelerate deployment time and reduce IT backlogs.
- Develop a variety of solutions while delivering continuous improvements.
- Nontechnical employees can create the applications they want without totally depending on the IT department.
- Since the whole stack may be built by a single developer the nuances of front-end and back-end can be eliminated.
- Allow developers to spend more time with customers and provide a better app experience since you don’t have to create UX/UI from scratch.
- Stay agile to respond quickly to the changing business and customer needs
Why no-code/low-code should be your strategy for 2021?
No code/ low code can be remarked as the future of application development as it plays a crucial role in accelerating the delivery of applications. Gartner predicts that by 2023, over 50% of medium to large enterprises will have adopted a low-code or no-code as one of their strategic application platforms. Moreover, the covid-19 pandemic has created pressure to deliver digital solutions.
With no code/low code approach businesses can better support their digital goals. It helps organizations of all sizes to do more with their existing resources even if they don’t have access to the best tech talent or advanced tools. The visual development of low code can be combined with high AI capabilities and help them speed up app development.
Though low code no code will never fully replace the traditional development process, it could be a viable way forward for organizations wanting quick solutions. It can significantly contribute to mitigating backlogs and technical debts, developing applications, not just quick and right but for the future.
Power your no-code/low-code journey with iLink Digital
We understand that constantly delivering impactful solutions is hard. The reason why our engineers help you unlock the potential of no-code/low code to transform your business, reduce the technical burden and maximize the outputs. We help organizations drive new revenue, enhance customer satisfaction and create value for the business.
To learn more, get in touch with our experts.
Endnotes
7. https://www.outsystems.com/1/low-code-application-platforms-gartner/
8. https://www.outsystems.com/1/low-code-application-platforms-gartner/
