Welcome to The Long View—where we peruse the news of the week and strip it to the essentials. Let’s work out what really matters.
This week: Silicon Valley Bank and what it means for DevOps. After the débâcle of Wednesday’s fire sale, Thursday’s bank run and Friday’s FDIC seizure, came Saturday’s impotent panic, Sunday’s “not a bailout” federal guarantee and Monday’s tentative restart of “bridge” bank operation. (more…)
Six out of every 10 businesses had moved their workloads to the cloud as of last year. More steady traffic in the cloud and more direct cloud instances mean more to juggle–and the need for greater customization and integration. That’s where APIs come in. APIs are doing for the cloud what they did for on-premises resources: Segregating, simplifying, specializing and integrating services across a network–only this time, it’s future-proofing the architecture by building it in the cloud. As one cybersecurity researcher quipped, “Everyone wants to use APIs to build innovative solutions, but no one wants to invest in building them.” Cloud APIs will soon spell the difference between companies that can keep up with digitization and those that can’t.
Ultimately, it will come down to which organizations take the time to understand them and use them to their best benefit.
Simply put, “a cloud API is a software interface that allows developers to link cloud computing services together.” APIs allow services to share functionality and information for other programs to use, and nowhere is this more important than in the interconnected ecosystem of the cloud.
Because APIs act as a waiter in a restaurant, the better the waiter, the simpler ordering will be for you and for your customers. The best cloud API connects backend cloud components, services and platforms and does all the busy work so all your users see on the front end is a seamless customer experience. Since most of the work of tomorrow will be in the cloud (and is moving there in ever-increasing numbers), to not build up this functionality now is to take a deliberate risk.
There are several types of cloud APIs based on the four major areas where cloud computing will require integration–either with another platform or another cloud provider.
● PaaS APIs (Service level): These platform-as-a-service APIs are designed to integrate with databases, portals, storage components and messaging systems, providing access and functionality in the cloud.
● SaaS APIs (Service level): Referred to as software-as-a-service APIs, these connect application layer resources with the cloud and underlying IT infrastructure. A CRM is a good example of where these types of APIs can be used to create a “cloud application extension” for your ecosystem.
● IaaS APIs (Service level): Infrastructure-as-a-service APIs control the distribution and deployment of specific cloud resources, performing such tasks as rapid provisioning and de-provisioning, network configurations and workload (VM) management in the cloud.
● Cross-platform APIs: Because many environments use multiple cloud providers and platforms, cross-platform compatibility is required. Cross-platform APIs streamline data management by allowing tenants to access their cloud-based resources and workloads from any of their cloud providers, not just their primary one. They provide a higher level of abstraction by translating a specific provider’s API calls into a more generic form, making accessibility, manageability and interoperability in the cloud easier.
In many respects, the security threats faced by cloud APIs are the same that any cloud-based resource would encounter and present the same challenges. That being said, malicious API traffic surged over 117% last year, from an average of 12 million to over 26 million calls, according to one industry report. The same study revealed that over a third of respondents experienced authentication and data exposure-related incidents with their APIs, and 54% delayed rolling out a new application because of API security concerns.
Unguarded, a cloud API could present the keys to the kingdom and allow an attacker to access the hub of not just one but several cloud providers and their workloads, resources and assets. Protecting cloud-based APIs with standard authentication and authorization practices such as OAuth2.0 and OpenID Connect can reduce the chance of a lateral attack.
Cloud usage is not set to slow down and will soon become ubiquitous. Companies that aren’t on it are migrating their workloads in greater numbers and entrepreneurial ventures are spinning up as cloud-native. Cloud APIs are simply the logical response to the complexities that come with the terrain. Without cloud APIs, the user experience will be negatively impacted and will only become more apparent when compared with companies that do use cloud APIs.
For companies looking to innovate in 2023 and release new applications, APIs are the way to cut-and-paste the process safely. Similarly, as more cloud-based services become API-reliant, application reusability is another factor requiring cloud APIs. And lastly, the complexity of cloud products, platforms and ecosystems (even within one organization) makes cloud APIs a necessity for smooth interoperability. And they help with scalability–multiple components of a cloud-based service can be parsed out, updated and patched individually and refined separately so that one area can develop without being dragged down by the whole. Cloud APIs allow for that granular level of customization that can help an organization refine its edge.
Simply put, organizations will need these APIs to not only compete but stay relevant as businesses continue to take their fight to the cloud.
Cisco has reduced the number of licensing options for its Intersight operations platform to two as part of an effort to make the software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform for managing on-premises and cloud computing environments more accessible.
In addition, Cisco has added a Cisco UCS X-series Modular System to its portfolio based on a two-socket server configured with 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors and an instance of Intersight that has been extended to make it possible to apply policies that limit energy consumption.
Mahesh Natarajan, senior director of product management of cloud and compute for Cisco, said Intersight is a complement to the management platform the company already bundles with its Unified Compute Systems (UCS) platforms for on-premises IT environments.
Essentials enables management of server profiles/policies, managing firmware updates and proactive health monitoring and security advisories along with many other capabilities. The Advantage option adds low-code/no-code orchestration, more advanced server operations, multi-domain visibility and third-party integration with, for example, third-party IT service management (ITSM) platforms.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a shift toward cloud-based platforms that make it simpler for IT teams to centrally manage multiple IT environments from anywhere. Cisco Intersight, in addition to supporting Cisco servers, has been integrated with cloud services from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google and Microsoft to achieve that goal.
In fact, as the management of IT continues to converge across multiple platforms, the concept of a data center has become something of a misnomer, said Natarajan. Integrated application workloads are now routinely distributed across on-premises and cloud computing platforms that are simpler to manage using a consistent set of policies, he added.
A SaaS platform also provides the added benefit of reducing the total cost of IT because the need to deploy management platforms for each environment is sharply reduced, noted Natarajan.
Very few organizations are running all their application workloads in one environment, so the need to reduce costs by finding more efficient ways to manage IT operations is becoming a more pressing issue. Most IT teams are trying to limit the number of full-time employees they might otherwise hire by trying to improve the overall productivity of the teams they do have.
Of course, centralizing the management of IT is as much a cultural challenge as it is technical. Each IT team that deploys a workload on a platform has a natural bias toward using the management framework made available by the platform provider. Each of those platform providers is now extending its reach as part of an effort to become the one control plane that rules them all. Cloud service providers, for example, are extending the reach of their management frameworks into both local data centers and edge computing environments.
Regardless of preferences, the cost of licensing multiple management platforms can quickly become prohibitive, especially if they provide redundant capabilities. Organizations looking to reduce the total cost of IT would much rather reduce licensing costs than lay off the IT staff that drive a wide range of digital processes. The challenge, as always, is getting everyone in the IT organization to agree on what that one management platform should be.
Developers and security experts are now tasked with bolstering, extending and adjusting cloud and Kubernetes security to protect against cyberattacks that are ever more complex, volatile, and frequent. To foil attacks and create a secure foundation for applications and infrastructure from the beginning, DevSecOps (development, security and operations) has become the trending development and operations practice. In the DevSecOps model, security becomes a shared responsibility. Thus, DevSecOps requires a mindset shift to enable collaboration between development, security and operations teams. This shift, commonly referred to as shift left, involves culture, processes and tools. With DevSecOps, whether it’s testing for security vulnerabilities or building security services that can be used directly for business purposes, the goal for all participants is to build security into applications from the start and throughout the continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) workflow of DevOps.
In the past, security considerations and practices were often introduced at the end of the development cycle by a separate security team and tested by a separate (QA) team. This was manageable when software updates were released every few months or even years. But in today’s landscape, consumer habits and expectations are shaped by smartphones and digital commerce, which has fueled the demand for software services that are real-time and available 24/7. This requires modern enterprises to find ways to improve the efficiency of application developments, releases, and updates.
Because of these factors, enterprises realize that security can no longer be a small part of an afterthought in the production environment. The purpose of DevSecOps is to ensure that through collaboration, security can be carried through to every point in the development cycle. This enables teams and enterprises to deliver secure, high-quality applications in a more efficient manner without extensive security checks and fixes occurring during post-production.
To meet these more extreme demands, cloud computing, containers, and microservices have made it possible to accelerate the development and delivery of software releases. Developers adopting agile and DevOps practices can reduce software development cycles to days and weeks, thus meeting the diverse needs of enterprises and users.
This fast-paced development and upgrade frequency has created new security concerns and the need for companies to be more agile in responding to security issues. DevSecOps has been introduced into the DevOps framework to meet these needs by make security a shared responsibility. Today, continuous testing and integration, including security scanning of pipelines, is becoming the norm.
In principle, DevSecOps shares the DevOps ideal of multiple teams working together to improve team efficiency and achieve secure, continuous software delivery.
In addition to the security benefits DevSecOps provides, there are significant business advantages to be gained, including:
● Efficiency–Under the DevSecOps practice, security is integrated into all periods of development to help all teams be more agile in responding to security risks, eliminating the need for teams to spend a lot of time tweaking and fixing during the production cycle.
● Cost reduction–By discovering security vulnerabilities before they enter production, organizations and teams can significantly reduce the time and labor costs of fixing them.
● Ensure compliance–DevSecOps can ensure compliance with industry-standard regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). DevSecOps gives teams a holistic overview of these measures that makes compliance easier.
● Establishes collaborative culture–Integrating security practices into DevOps enhances the value of DevOps and improves the overall security posture as a culture of shared responsibility. When everyone is involved in the process, it increases their awareness of security fundamentals and best practices and provides a sense of ownership in the results.
Kubernetes offers many advantages but also poses unique security challenges that can be difficult to address for organizations lacking in Kubernetes talent and experience. This is why organizations will increasingly see the need to reevaluate their security practices and prioritize a more advanced security-focused culture.
Because DevSecOps requires security to be addressed throughout all development stages, it requires developers to have security expertise while coding and operating. We are currently seeing a growing skills gap in the DevOps industry, and developers are feeling burned out. Security training is a way for teams adopting DevSecOps to acquire additional knowledge.
Deploying Kubernetes platforms with security built in by default also will be recognized as a means to reduce the burden of security on IT teams. This will reduce the pressure and burnout on all sides.
With the rapid development of Kubernetes and cloud-native applications, organizations are realizing the inadequacies of their IT teams to leverage DevOps practices. Just as platform engineering eases the burden of DevOps by providing an Internal Development Platform (IDP) that serves as a “golden path” for developers, an IDP can simplify the practice of DevSecOps.
We’ve seen that a DevOps workload is difficult to practice in small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as in large enterprises that lack sufficient talent. The gradually accumulated cognitive load ultimately leads to a less agile and efficient collaboration between teams. Given these issues, more organizations will adopt platform engineering as a better alternative.
A survey of 600 C-suite and IT decision-makers published today found the majority of organizations are trying to make increased IT budgets stretch even further as costs rise and the number of workloads deployed continues to increase steadily.
Conducted by SoftwareOne Holding AG, a provider of software and IT services, the survey found 93% of respondents expected IT budgets to increase, with 83% planning to invest more in application modernization. However, 83% also noted they are under pressure to stretch budgets even further as part of an effort to increase agility (46%), improve customer experience (45%) and improve security to support remote workforces (45%). A full 92% said they would be increasing investments in security.
The core issue that IT leaders are wrestling with appears to stem from increased cloud costs. The survey found the primary causes of those increased costs are inflation-related price hikes passed along by cloud service providers (41%), workloads exceeding planned capacity (40%), transformation initiatives that are cloud-dependent (40%), fewer cloud discounts (37%), lack of visibility into and management of cloud costs (34%), overprovisioning (34%), repercussions from previous lift and shift efforts (34%) and shadow IT (30%).
Craig Thomson, senior vice president of cloud and application services at SoftwareOne, said that technical debt is having a significant downstream impact across organizations. For example, the survey found 72% of respondents reported that digital transformation initiatives are falling behind, with 38% noting the accumulation of this debt stems from rushed cloud migrations throughout the pandemic. Just under a third (31%) failed to optimize workloads before commencing the migration. More than a third (38%) admitted their organization miscalculated the cloud budget.
Progress is being made, however, with 45% of respondents reporting they have improved transparency and control of cloud costs. A full 80% planned to increase their investment in financial operations (FinOps) to achieve this, and 39% said they would use cloud-native tools to reduce licensing costs.
Those efforts suggested IT leaders are being very deliberate in their approaches to reining in costs while at the same time embracing best practices, said Thomson. IT leaders have finally started to realize the cloud is not so much a destination for workloads as much as it is an operating model, he added.
The challenge is that cloud computing environments are becoming more complex to manage as organizations deploy cloud-native applications on Kubernetes clusters and serverless computing frameworks deployed alongside legacy monolithic applications that were lifted and shifted to the cloud. Organizations will need to invest more in automation to make up for an IT talent gap that prevents organizations from accelerating the rate at which they can build and deploy cloud applications, noted Thomson.
On the plus side, it appears organizations are willing to allocate budgets to achieve their IT goals. The issue is that, as more organizations become more dependent on software, they are asking IT teams to do even more with the resources at hand. The degree to which that can be achieved, of course, is almost wholly dependent on how much of the technical debt that already exists in the cloud can be retired.
Welcome to The Long View—where we peruse the news of the week and strip it to the essentials. Let’s work out what really matters.
This week: Intel optimizes Linux multithreaded networking, data centers in space (again), and more DevOps toolmaker layoffs. (more…)
The marriage of cloud and software development is arguably the heart and soul of digital transformation. Providing pathways to greater efficiencies, lower costs and greater enterprise performance, the duo is poised to fundamentally transform industries as we know them. The compounding complexities of hybrid cloud operations and software supply chains, however, have led to a greater risk of vulnerabilities, errors and attacks.
Increasingly wrapped around microservices, containers and orchestration platforms, the complexities of cloud expansion and software development couldn’t be more intertwined or expose more complicated risks than they do today.
The state of software development is one of consistent change. Whether we call it agile or adaptive matters far less than the need to infuse operations with a new mindset and culture about the need for continuous development. Increasingly that includes the infusion of security disciplines and technologies directly into the main artery of that development.
Enter DevSecOps, an approach to software that integrates security initiatives at every stage of the software development lifecycle to deliver high-performing secure applications.
The cause is not lost on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and its cybersecurity center of excellence (NCCoE) which has announced a DevSecOps project dedicated to “developing and documenting an applied risk-based approach and recommendations for secure DevOps and software supply chain practices consistent with the secure software development framework (SSDF), cybersecurity supply chain risk management (C-SCRM), and other NIST, government, and industry guidance.”
This is a far cry from software development of old. According to CTO Emeritus, Hu Yoshida, “Software, once the product of developers confined to writing long lines of code for specific applications, is now an exercise of integration – an amalgamation of third-party components provided by a variety of vendors, cloud providers, and open source software (OSS) groups. In fact, today, as much as 90% of code comes from such outlets, creating a software supply chain.”
Although these new processes provide great advantages in terms of access to innovation and faster development cycles, the addition of external touchpoints and third-party software increases the risk of flaws, mistakes, and vulnerabilities. These risks only rise further when considering their deployment, usage, and management across complex hybrid cloud environments.
Cloud-based data is accounting for 39% of successful cyberattacks. Containerized applications, which have been a boon to both migration and management can also lead to vulnerabilities – which is fitting for security to be cited as a top concern for more than half of the organizations surveyed.
From business continuity to business performance, organizations must begin assuming a security posture that considers the rising confluence of cloud management and software development.
The idea is simple: You must find a way, a process, a method, and the right partners to help secure all workloads across any cloud environment, regardless of the platform or the amount of data and application real estate needed.
By establishing this model, organizations are able to create a fundamental layer of protection against the ever-evolving threat of cybercriminals. Take one of our large banking customers, for example, who runs critical applications on AWS with stringent security and compliance requirements. We implemented a secured framework to protect their applications running on modern, cloud-native services like containers and Lambda functions using DevSecOps principles and cloud-native SIEM solutions. This enables them to scale their business in the cloud without worrying about compliance violations.
One of our large pharmaceutical customers with a very large presence in both AWS and Azure experienced challenges keeping their cloud security posture in pace with the growing business demands on the cloud, increasing risk to the environment. By establishing a security process using cloud security posture management, we were able to significantly reduce cloud misconfigurations and auto-remediate several cloud vulnerabilities proactively to improve the security posture of the environment.
The bottom line is that building security into the workloads will provide a fundamental layer of protection. The collision of cloud and DevSecOps is real. Organizations would be wise to realize it and take advantage of it to dramatically improve business performance and resiliency.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has expanded the number of virtual machines based on the latest generation of its Graviton processors to include instances that support DDR-5 memory.
The latest Amazon EC2 instance types, dubbed M7g and R7g, that are now generally available are based on the AWS Graviton3 processors developed using an architecture created by Arm. Previously, these instances were only available as part of a technology preview program.
Rahul Kulkarni, director of product management at AWS, said these latest offerings take advantage of DDR-5 memory to provide 25% better performance than the previous sixth generation of Graviton instances. DDR5 memory increases the amount of bandwidth available by 50%, he noted.
Graviton processors now provide the lowest-priced instance of virtual machines in addition to the best performance and overall price/performance across the AWS portfolio, Kulkarni added.
AWS is making a case for employing its AWS Graviton processors for general-purpose workloads as more IT teams are being tasked with reducing costs as the overall number of applications being deployed in the cloud continues to increase. In fact, all of the top Fortune 50 companies have already deployed workloads on Graviton processors, noted Kulkarni.
While it’s not clear how many applications are being developed to run natively on Arm processors, the process of refactoring existing applications to run on Arm processors is not as intensive for most applications as it was when previously moving applications from one class of processors to another.
In addition, Kulkarni noted AWS has committed to providing a full range of DevOps services, including a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) platform, to help facilitate any transition to Graviton processors.
There are, of course, multiple strategies for containing cloud costs that range from committing to consuming a specified amount of compute resources annually at discounted rates to relying more on spot instances that are available for limited amounts of time. Regardless of approach, the days when developers were allowed to invoke cloud resources at will appear to have come to an end as enterprise IT organizations become more aware of the total cost of IT. As a result, many of them are adopting financial operations (FinOps) best practices to maximize the utilization of cloud infrastructure resources.
AWS, like most cloud service providers, gives organizations a wide range of processor options. However, it’s apparent that AWS views Arm processors in the form of Graviton to be the most efficient from both a price and performance perspective. It’s not clear how quickly organizations are embracing Graviton in the cloud given the dominance of x86-based platforms, but it’s apparent there is now a clear alternative for general-purpose workloads. If fact, the more data-intensive those workloads become, the greater the interest in more efficient processor architectures.
Of course, x86 platforms are not going away anytime soon. But as more Arm-based processors find their way into the enterprise, DevOps workflows will only become more challenging to manage.
Today’s world is becoming increasingly data-driven, which means businesses need to refine their practices and decision-making processes with the use of trustworthy data. However, this has proven challenging as organizations often don’t know what to do with the abundance of data available to them. According to a recent survey from Snow Software, 89% of IT leaders receive actionable data, yet 60% feel overwhelmed by the volume at their fingertips. These companies are both thriving in data collection and are bogged down by the sheer quantity available. While traditional data strategies have not yet adapted to meet modern business needs as the amount of data continues to grow, there’s a strong opportunity for companies to transform their data warehouses and data lakes and optimize the flow of data to consumers through an emergent approach called data mesh. Data mesh forges a path for companies to improve their business strategy and make better, faster decisions by leveraging the insights buried within their data.
At its core, data mesh is an approach to data management that enables organizations to evolve from the pitfalls of legacy, centralized data architecture toward a decentralized, domain-driven design at scale. Breaking that down, data mesh is designed to help companies manage complex data networks by focusing on decentralized data ownership, treating data as a product, and providing a uniform infrastructure capable of sharing data across the company landscape. It improves upon legacy data management, which is often time-consuming, error-prone, unsustainable and unscalable. Unlike these traditional methods, data mesh gives domain-driven ownership to experts who strategize how it can best serve the company, as opposed to just dumping all data in one place and waiting for a centralized function to process it and make it available to the business.
A data mesh approach also enables organizations to democratize their data by allowing users to acquire trusted data when they need it, all while automating the complexity and being shielded by security and governance guardrails. It removes bottlenecks and helps businesses glean the data-driven insights they need at the scale and speed of their organization. This way, organizations can maximize the value of their data by ensuring it is clean, vetted and readily available to support business initiatives.
So how can organizations embrace this approach? The framework of data mesh is centered on four guiding principles to help organizations get the most out of their data. Leveraging these principles will help your organization unlock the benefits of a data mesh.
● Domain-driven ownership: As opposed to separating data from your organization’s subject matter experts, the first pillar of data mesh implementation involves putting domain experts in charge of their data ecosystem. This way, data will be cleaned and enriched at the source before it’s made available throughout the organization. Domain owners will maintain the quality of the data and keep all necessary facts and documentation available for audits, effectively combining data with business talent.
● Data as a product: The job of the data team is to provide the data that the company needs for whatever purpose, be it making decisions, building personalized products, or detecting fraud. By treating data as a product, the company is giving its data a vision, strategy and product roadmap, ensuring its value is executable.
● Self-service data infrastructure: A business is made up of logically autonomous domains; each domain not only supports a business function, product or process but also produces data products and therefore requires a data infrastructure. Self-service infrastructure ensures business domains don’t have to deal with the underlying complexity of networking, security, compute and storage requirements.
● Federated computational governance: Standards for data governance are defined centrally, but local domain teams are empowered and equipped to apply to these standards however is most suitable for their specific environment within predefined guardrails. The key to achieving this for policy, security, quality and definition at scale is automation and integration throughout the landscape of the data infrastructure.
By enacting these principles within your organization, your data mesh architecture is sure to provide the most value for your data.
Data mesh is an optimal solution for any business currently struggling to find value in its data. Traditional methods are time-consuming, unsustainable, unscalable and error-prone. Data mesh is an approach designed to transcend these barriers, decentralizing much of the IT team’s heavy lifting and putting the responsibility of managing data on individual business domains. With clear ownership, domain experts can develop deep data knowledge and expertise and ensure that it’s trustworthy and valuable to your organization before making it available for consumption. This way, enterprises can prioritize self-service and empower data consumers with access to accurate, high-quality data when needed.
The demand for tech professionals is increasing exponentially as digital skills become a requirement for businesses. However, the world is facing a serious shortage of tech professionals. According to a forecast by the World Economic Forum, 50% of the world’s labor force will need to upskill in order to keep pace with technological advancements and automation. Similarly, digital transformation will change over one billion jobs. Yet the majority of workers around the world lack the digital skills to meet the demands of their jobs. According to a recent study, three in four employers in the world (data from 40 countries) claim a work shortage. On the other hand, millions of young people find themselves unemployed as they lack the basic digital skills for in-demand jobs. Low-code/no-code software solutions can offer a solution to this labor shortage and close the gap for workers who quickly need to acquire digital skills. Proficiency in low-code/no-code applications will provide candidates with a competitive edge in the job market.
Low-code/no-code software allows citizen developers and business experts to build business applications without requiring high technical expertise. With citizen development becoming an important part of all organizations’ business strategy, the demand for workers with proficiency in low-code/no-code app development is increasing. Expertise in low-code/no-code app development has become an expected skill set for potential employees.
Citizen Development
As discussed above, digital skills are becoming a part of almost all technical jobs. Employees should be proficient in using technology to streamline data collection, automate daily processes and leverage mobile technology. To achieve digital transformation, employees should be acquainted with advancements in digital technologies. This is where the skills gap seeps in. Learning code is not an easy task. It requires a lot of time, patience and effort. Add mobile development skills to the list, and there’s an even larger skills gap. Low-code/no-code app development can play a major role in addressing the skills gap. With pre-built apps and components, low-code/no-code development platforms offer an intuitive environment for designing software without the need to be proficient in coding. Such platforms can be easily used by people without programming skills to build flexible interfaces their companies need. However, low code can also be used by IT departments to deliver faster digital solutions while freeing up time to focus on more complex coding tasks.
Additionally, low-code naturally aligns with the millennial proclivity to be digitally savvy. This generation is more comfortable than ever with using digital technologies in all aspects of their lives. Thus, they are more inclined and open to using low-code/no-code platforms and gaining some expertise in the domain.
Empowering Users
Low-code/no-code platforms empower citizen developers or business users to “skill up” in an increasingly digital society. By empowering business users to develop applications without the need for coding, low-code generates jobs directly or indirectly. The rate of technological advancement tells us that it is no longer favorable for companies to take months to develop a single app. Since the software has a life of three to five years, taking several months to develop apps is not conducive to the competitive market. As such, low-code/no-code app development can empower business users to develop applications quickly. However, citizen developers should work with IT management to ensure that the app adheres to all the company’s compliance requirements and governance guidelines. This is because citizen developers may not be proficient in scaling apps.
Business Experts Understand Business Application Need
Business needs are continuously evolving, especially since after the pandemic, when so many people are remote or using mobile apps to run businesses. At this rapid pace, it is not always easy for IT departments to continuously craft new apps and immediately update apps to match evolving circumstances and needs.
Business users who are close to daily tasks, data collection requirements and ongoing processes, are in an excellent position to understand urgent needs for specific business applications. As a result, business users are in a much better position to collect department requirements and propose an application that caters to those specific needs. In such situations, low-code or no-code development solutions equip business users to develop applications directly based on their needs.
As discussed above, low-code has tremendous potential and benefits in the current digitally charged environment. Here are some benefits for candidates learning low-code skills:
1. Bridge Business and IT
Low-code/no-code is an easy entry point for someone in their early career phases interested in working in the IT department. By learning low-code solutions for streamlining business processes and automating workflows, employees can take a step towards interfacing with IT departments or understanding the basics of coding. With necessary low-code skills, employees can also become leaders in cross-functional groups or digital transformation teams responsible for introducing low-code/no-code solutions and rapidly introducing new business applications. There is a huge gap in this space, as only 29% of IT leaders feel confident that they have the right training mechanisms for non-developers to build applications.
2. Increase Your Salary
As employees grow their low-code skills, their salaries will correspondingly increase to reflect digital proficiency. Since low-code/no-code skills will increase in demand, proficient users will make significant gains in terms of the salary offered by major companies. Glassdoor suggests that the average base salary of a workflow automation specialist in the U.S. is $81,335 per year, while that of a data analyst is just $69,517 per year.
3. Higher Job Satisfaction
A full 71% of employees expect their work organizations to provide them with the same level of service using technology that customers’ products provide. Organizations can introduce low-code/no-code applications within the organization to increase the level of employee satisfaction.
Low-code/no-code skills are becoming highly coveted in the current competitive job market. Offering benefits to both employees and organizations, low-code app development is the key to digital transformation.