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Tag: Low-Code/No-Code

  • The Future of Low-Code Development

    The Future of Low-Code Development

    The days when IT teams relied on clunky software development processes and labor-intensive hand-coding to build tangible, reliable and modern applications are coming to an end. With the rise of new automation technology, rapidly rising expectations and demands from innovation-craving customers and end users and a shortage of developers, the software sector has been forced to seek alternative approaches to not only deliver their services and products but to also remain digitally-current. Now, overcoming this challenge is possible with low-code development platforms.

    What is Low-Code Development and Why all the Fuss? 

    Low-code development is a software development practice that empowers digital product teams and citizen developers to build apps without time-consuming hand-coding. In general, a typical low-code platform includes a visual integrated development environment (IDE), connectors to various backends or services, an application life cycle manager and an integrated design-to-code system.

    With these features and attributes, low-code platforms:

    • Abstract away the code behind complex commands and actions
    • Streamline how projects are being innovated and distributed in the span of weeks, not months
    • Enable citizen developers to build apps

    These tools are so effective because they break the mold and automate the app development cycle by providing reusable building blocks. These building blocks can easily be assembled into an entire app, allowing both experienced and beginner technical minds to handle a bigger volume of projects faster than ever. This flexibility is handy, especially when the digital world expects over 500 million apps and digital services to be built and deployed by the end of 2023, according to IDC FutureScape. That is more than all of the software solutions created in the last four decades. 

    A report by Gartner forecasts that by 2024, low-code adoption will be so widespread that 75% of the software solutions built around the world will be made with the help of such tools. While these tools won’t entirely replace traditional software development, they deliver a contemporary, simpler and faster approach to building apps.

    Benefits of Low-Code Development

    Whether it is automating individual manual tasks, eliminating old development models like waterfall methodology or making it easier for a tech newbie to build a prototype or a flexible app, low-code development has many benefits.

    The benefits of low-code software include:     

    Innovative projects can be assembled by a non-technical audience 

    Low-code app builders are game-changers. The need for experienced coders is reduced as this type of tool provides the necessary components and building blocks for non-technical audiences to be involved in full-cycle app development. Another recent Gartner report said that 80% of technology products and services will be created by people outside of tech-driven fields by 2024. And in times when the demand for commercial software, new progressive solutions and skilled developers exceeds the supply, low-code tools are a perfect fit for citizen developers, designers, professional developers, non-technical stakeholders and others.

    Velocity and optimized development cost

    Today, speed is everything. IT businesses and clients require their software to be built within short timeframes and within a strict budget. Legacy systems need rapid modernization without a big investment. One of the greatest advantages of low-code tools is that they let people build at scale without incurring heavy costs or consuming too much time. Automation apps, mission-critical systems and mobile applications can all be created with low-code software.

    Reinventing traditional processes and reshaping how software is built

    Using these automation tools, you don’t have to worry about HTML/CSS, scalability, coding rules, page layout, branding or screen sizes. As mentioned above, some low-code development platforms come with a system that covers everything from design to code and generates production-ready code in the end. Designers and developers come together to use a single platform that simultaneously:

    • Allows them to create solutions that are easy to maintain and that scale on cloud-native architecture
    • Modernizes and facilitates their work 
    • Improves productivity and collaboration
    • Fits their workflow and skills

    Low-code/no-code tools are quickly becoming the next prototyping tools in the enterprise—without needing the technical skills in traditional UX/visual designer-focused tooling. With low-code or no-code tools, screen design is typically done using drag-and-drop, WYSIWYG design-time experience; it’s usually as simple as making a PowerPoint deck. The main difference between this and a UX/visual design tool is that the low-code/no-code tool is building a running app in the background, with real code, connected data, real screen interactions and more. This means that any team member with an idea can express the design, not just a person who has access to a designer.

    No special skills are needed to build something tangible and real—while at the same time going beyond what a mockup or prototype can deliver.

    The future of tools in this space will include connectors and adapters to popular design tools, such as Sketch, Figma and Adobe XD. These connectors and adapters will enable digital product teams—designers and developers—to use a design process and then import designs, interactions, branding and themes into low-code tools, while still obtaining the considerable benefits of time and cost savings of not having to re-build screens that have already been designed pixel-perfect.

  • ACCELQ Further Automates Testing of Low-Code, No-Code Apps

    ACCELQ Further Automates Testing of Low-Code, No-Code Apps

    ACCELQ today unveiled the cloud-based ACCELQ Live test automation platform that is continuously integrated with a wide range of low-code and no-code application development and deployment platforms.

    ACCELQ CEO Mahendra Alladi said the goal is to make it simpler to run complex tests across a multi-cloud computing environment.

    Usage of low-code and no-code tools has greatly expanded since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many organizations are now relying on these tools to accelerate a wide range of digital business transformation initiatives. The challenge they encounter is that many of these processes depend on multiple applications that have lots of interdependencies across which it is difficult to conduct tests, noted Alladi.

    The ACCELQ Live platform reduces testing complexity by automatically updating itself as, for example, Salesforce or ServiceNow platforms are updated. It also provides access to pre-built codeless automation assets modeled on business processes via a live link. The company is also moving toward creating a marketplace where software vendors and service providers can build and deploy pre-built testing assets, as well.

    Gartner predicts the adoption of low-code and no-code technologies will nearly triple by 2025. Testing those applications creates a major challenge as the pace of application development increases. The only way organizations will be able to keep pace is by embracing test automation platforms infused with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, said Alladi. In effect, ACCELQ’s ACCELQ Live represents an effort to democratize the testing of cloud and enterprise apps, he added.

    As organizations increasingly appreciate their dependence on software, the way tests are being conducted is rapidly evolving. In addition to dedicated testing teams, developers and application owners are becoming more involved as responsibility for testing applications continues to shift further left. The challenge organizations face is the volume of applications that are simultaneously being constructed has significantly increased. Platforms that automate many lower-level testing functions are gaining traction as a means to enable humans to focus more of their time and energy on testing more complex functionality. The goal now should be to first rely on test automation platforms as much as possible and then employ humans to fill in the gaps as necessary, said Alladi.

    It may be a while before most organizations achieve that level of test automation. However, with each passing day, it’s apparent that AI will play a larger role in application testing. The issue that many DevOps teams are now working through is how to incorporate test automation platforms within the context of a larger workflow.

    In the meantime, the rate at which application testers become burned out should decline as more routine errors are uncovered by machines. It’s not likely AI will eliminate the need for dedicated testing teams any time soon, but as more rote tasks become automated there is going to be more time to focus on enhancing overall quality at a time when application environments have not only become much more distributed but also a lot more complex.

  • How to Get Started With Low-Code/No-Code

    How to Get Started With Low-Code/No-Code

    Software development is complex. It can take years of practice to become an experienced developer. But the good news is that you can build many applications without ever learning to code.

    Low-code/no-code development is the practice of using a visual interface and drag-and-drop elements to build applications for business processes without coding.

    These types of tools can be used by non-technical users to build many types of applications; these can then be integrated with other software systems. By learning low-code/no-code development, you will be able to create software for yourself or your business much faster than if you were to learn how to code the traditional way.

    In this post, we’ll cover why you should learn no-code development, along with some great learning resources and communities you can join to get started with low-code and no-code development.

    Low-Code/No-Code is Gaining Popularity

    The internet is a very different place today than it was even a short 10 years ago. In the past, websites simply aggregated information to an audience on the web. Today, websites are designed to engage and encourage visitors to take action, from filling out sales forms to education and training to shopping and scheduling appointments.

    Fortunately, the tools available on the market today have made it possible for individuals without coding experience to build beautiful websites, useful business applications and productivity and automation enhancements to workflows using no-code tools. In fact, 26% of executives say that no-code, low-code development platforms are their most vital automation investment.

    Forrester Research believed that by 2022, the market for no-code and low-code development platforms will increase to $21.2 billion. Another report from Gartner estimated that by 2024, 65% of application development activity will be credited to no-code development.   

    No-Code is For Everyone

    While there is still a place for code and professional developers, no-code development gives individuals a way to build applications and boost their productivity and their effectiveness faster, cheaper and better than ever before. In addition, it relieves the burden on IT, software development and DevOps teams who can offload the work of creating applications to the actual users of those applications.

    No-code also allows for collaboration of citizen developers with other cross-functional teams in the business, while developing apps that can solve for their unique challenges.  

    Better Agility

    No-code can also accelerate digital transformation. The most important advantage of no-code development is speed. On average, it takes a few minutes to build a simple app or a website using no-code tools. When you’re developing more complex projects such as an entire business management system, this speed can be a major competitive advantage. It lets you quickly test your ideas and iterate until you get the results you want.

    Since most development is done with a drag-and-drop interface that is built visually using pre-built modules, you can create apps faster. Usually, even testing is automated, which further speeds up development time. In fact, no-code platforms can reduce development time by 90%.

    Reduced Cost

    Forrester reported that when one company passed up hiring two IT developers and implemented low-code tools instead, they saw an increase of about $4.4 million in business value from the resulting apps over three years. Naturally, since low-code/no-code technology removes the need for and additional cost of developers, it helps you cut those costs as well. 

    Increased Productivity

    People who make the switch from traditional coding to no-code development often say that it feels like a new world. It’s fast, easy and efficient—and you can create beautiful results with relatively little effort. 

    It is estimated that 71% of organizations that leverage citizen development could speed up app development by at least 50%. And 29% of companies noticed delivery speed doubled. These numbers suggest that citizen development and no-code development can increase productivity tremendously.

    No-Code Apps Are Customizable and Scalable  

     If a company wants to add a new feature or change existing ones, many no-code apps are flexible enough to adapt. The majority of no-code app development platforms allow you to add new features and customize your app. Low-code apps, on the other hand, are slightly less flexible and often have predefined components that make it difficult to customize the app.

    Plus, because of the drag-and-drop elements, no-code app development platforms allow you to build an app quickly. You don’t need coding skills to create an app. Instead, you will rely on prebuilt modules and templates.

    Getting Started With Low-Code/No-Code 

    There are lots of great resources out there to help you learn how to build your apps and workflows without code. Here are some of our favorite places to start!

    1. No Code HQ

    No Code HQ is a great resource for learning how to build your website or app without the need to code.

    It is a community of no-code builders, where they showcase their newest projects, share news and experiences and engage with and learn from each other. You will get tutorials about no-code development, templates and tools to start your no-code project.

    2. Nucode 

    This community has more than 5,000 no-code builders and experts. They learn and share experiences and showcase the progress of creating no-code products.

    3. No-Code Makers

    This forum is for no-code experts to learn, interact, share and collaborate with other no-code community members and creators. They regularly update the community with news about no-code tools and experiences. 

    4. Nocoders Academy

    This is another space for no-coders that arms you with valuable information. You will find many tutorials, learning materials and over 200 free resources on various tools. Soon, the site said there will be a formal traning academy with mentors and tutors. 

    5. NoCode.Tech 

    This is a directory of over 200 tools and strategies implemented by developers and no-code makers. Even a novice can learn how to build no-code software and receive community support. 

    The idea of learning to code can be overwhelming, even for experienced designers. This is why no-code is so appealing to so many people—it is essentially instantaneous, which allows you to create projects without worrying about the coding process. Have fun!

  • 7 Steps to Unleashing Your Citizen Developers

    7 Steps to Unleashing Your Citizen Developers

    As digital transformation accelerates, organizations are searching for ways to enable all their employees—not just IT, development or DevOps teams—to design, build, iterate and launch new processes and applications as per their requirements. This democratizing approach is called citizen development—where business users are empowered to create their own processes and apps with only minimal supervision from IT, ultimately relieving them from IT backlogs. 

    How to Get Started with Citizen Development

    Running a citizen development program doesn’t mean relegating IT to the sidelines. Citizen developers can often be prone to mistakes due to their lack of programming background. Limited skills may also result in creating a faulty app or unknowingly developing one that resembles existing software that serves the same purpose.

    Thus, citizen development calls for a new relational approach that’s founded on transparency, trust and dialogue between IT specialists and non-IT employees. 

    As a business leader, you’re in the best position to initiate such a program. Here are the steps you can take to get you started: 

    1. Identify citizen development potential

    You can issue surveys across departments or meet with division heads to understand who is using forms of shadow IT or already using citizen development tools, what they’re using these for and the number of users of these apps. Your findings can help you assess which departments have the most citizen developer candidates.

    Also, determine your company’s backlog of IT requests and current IT pain points. Knowing the pent-up demand will give you an idea of what issues citizen developers can seek to resolve.

    2. Set clear goals

    Communicate what citizen development aims to accomplish for your organization. Identify the apps you intend to create, the mode of deployment, the role of citizen developers and which departments will benefit.

    3. Get support from IT and fellow business leaders

    Find partners in the IT team and among other managers who can help champion your vision for citizen development. 

    First, approach the potential managers who will be collaborating with you in this cause. Getting their support early can aid you in establishing a more well-rounded vision and avoiding any conflicts down the road. By helping them understand how it will actually boost their department’s workflows instead of delaying internal tasks, you’d be able to muster credibility for your proposal.

    Meanwhile, assure your IT team that there’ll be a clear delineation of responsibilities between citizen developers and IT personnel. Employees will undergo self-directed and group training before being allowed to access a development environment. The software development life cycle will also be documented to make citizen developers aware of the process and necessary requirements for submitting their ideas. Moreover, IT developers will still be in charge of providing documentation, evaluating ideas and offering technical guidance with regular check-ins.

    4. Shortlist low-code/no-code platforms according to your business needs

    It would be best to look for low-code platform providers, schedule demos and invite IT and business unit leaders during dedicated sessions. They can compare feature sets and appraise learning curves with you. 

    5. Lay down a governance plan

    A governance plan ensures that data security best practices are in place and that IT assistance is well-defined in your citizen development program. Such a plan should cover:

    • The evaluation process for admitting projects into the citizen developer backlog or IT backlog
    • Standard compliance and security requirements for any project accepted for citizen development
    • Standard workflow protocols including testing, validation, audit and integration
    • What instances will require IT involvement

    6. Get senior management buy-in

    You’ll need to communicate your intentions with your senior executives and prepare to formally present your citizen development plan. 

    • Establish the rationale behind the plan. Compare internal metrics with industry stats showing the current need for citizen developers. Cite success stories or case studies.
    • Share internal figures pointing to the current IT backlog as well as results of surveys and discussions with employees and fellow managers.
    • Calculate and show your company’s projected one- to five-year ROI for using low-code/no-code platforms for citizen development.
    • Introduce your proposed governance plan and pilot program.

    7. Start training

    The citizen developers should be given time to learn the selected low-code/no-code platform. You can later pick a use case to pilot the tool. Identify your expectations and criteria to measure the success of the project.

  • Low-Code SaaS Solutions Need Security at Their Core

    Low-Code SaaS Solutions Need Security at Their Core

    Faster integrations. Accelerated software delivery. Elevated user experiences. These are only three of the benefits organizations gain by incorporating low-code platforms, apps and solutions into software development and business process management.

    Low-code platforms aren’t new, but demand for the technology soared in the last two years as companies were challenged to meet stakeholder demand for more digital transformation. With low-code tools, companies find they can expand digital transformation efforts through faster business application delivery. In addition, the time it takes to innovate is dramatically reduced with low-code tools.

    Low-code solutions are no passing trend. In their recent report on global cloud revenue, Gartner predicted that by 2025, the use of low-code and no-code will “nearly triple,” adding that “70% of new applications developed by organizations will use low-code or no-code technologies, up from less than 25% in 2020.”

    Low-code solutions give organizations the ability to produce working solutions and integrations with more speed and agility than more traditional on-premises development. Integration used to be a labor-intensive IT process requiring custom development on both sides of the integration. As more organizations adopt a “buy versus build” approach to software development, they are turning to self-service and other solutions with “out of the box” functionality to increase speed and efficiency. In addition, the vendor-developed components of low-code tools also offer a better user experience.

    Rising Demand for Low-Code, Platform-based Solutions

    As organizations expand their product and service offerings, the demand for low-code, platform-based solutions will increase. SaaS and PaaS solutions with a low-code focus can be effective for organizations looking for accelerated functionality. Often these tools include pre-built models and templates that businesses can quickly implement and easily duplicate for flexibility and versatility.

    The ability to create seamless integrations with other applications is a must. Best-of-breed low-code platforms enable intelligent integration between multiple applications using graphical user interfaces (GUI) as well as industry-standard interfaces such as JSON and APIs within vendor-supplied environments. Intuitive visual user interfaces and drag-and-drop features allow businesses to customize the solution to meet their needs and preferences.

    But along with ease of use and rapid functionality, organizations must look for low-code tools with security built-in.

    Security: A Priority for Low-Code Tools

    Security must be a top priority for organizations using low-code tools in any capacity, from using a low-code platform for application development or using a no-code SaaS solution for business process automation.

    Anytime an organization introduces outside applications or any third-party API integration to an environment, the organization is entirely dependent on the vendor’s security implementation. This is especially true when combining various solutions to create a unified product or service. If the vendor doesn’t take security seriously, other parts of a solution could be exposed to risk because of a weakness in another area.

    Problems can get in either intentionally or unintentionally, as demonstrated with the recent Apache Log4j vulnerability. The bug in this commonly used routine was found to have massive potential for cybersecurity attacks. As CNET cautioned, “The vulnerability in the widely used software could be used by cyberattackers to take over computer servers, potentially putting everything from consumer electronics to government and corporate systems at risk of a cyberattack.”

    Ways to Remedy Security Risks of Low-code Tools

    Organizations can’t make assumptions about the security of every tool, solution or platform they bring into their environment. They must complete their own due diligence for security in the software development pipeline or any time a 3rd party app or tool is introduced.

    One critical step to addressing security is incorporating DevSecOps and shifting security left in the software development pipeline. The Log4j vulnerability put the need for DevSecOps in the spotlight. Taking a shift left approach and implementing security earlier and more often in the DevOps process can help to catch more potential vulnerabilities. It’s critical to introduce DevSecOps early in the development cycle, or organizations risk missing a bug or vulnerability. In the development cycle, security isn’t an antivirus scenario; all code must be scanned for vulnerabilities.

    Organizations also need to employ due diligence when exploring options and solutions to bring into their environments. Look for solutions with security at their core. Before integrating any low-code solution, examine the vendor’s approach to security.

    Some security measures to look for when considering vendors or solutions include:

    • All communications should utilize at least TLS 1.2 (transport layer security) and comply with industry standards for certificates and encryption keys.
    • All hashing should be using current accepted standards with HMAC, they should be enforcing security rules on passwords such as only storing password hashes and requiring 2FA if they interact directly with customer accounts.

    Low-code platforms and tools have the ability to accelerate digital transformation efforts without having to rely on hand-coded, on-premises solutions. The potential for time savings and cost savings is significant, but it’s important for organizations to ensure they’re not compromising security when choosing solutions.

  • How Low-Code Enables the Composable Enterprise

    How Low-Code Enables the Composable Enterprise

    Enterprises know that their customers and partners expect a superior personalized experience. After all, customer experience has been a top priority for organizations over the last decade. However, despite all the technological advancements and transformation initiatives, the ability to deliver innovation with speed continues to elude. 

    Without this ability, enterprises constantly play catch-up with rapidly shifting business dynamics and customer expectations.

    Why is Strategic Agility so Elusive?

    Enterprises are unfortunately locked in a situation that Gartner Research identifies as “static application experience”. It is a paradigm of rigid and bloated application architecture, creating inertia that organizations find difficult to navigate around. This technological impedance is one of the primary reasons (besides organizational culture and structural challenges) at the root of organizational sluggishness.

    To adapt to the challenges of the modern world, enterprises need to move from a static application experience to a more dynamic one. This can be achieved through the approach — wrapped around a goal — of a composable enterprise.

    Composable Enterprise is the Future of Applications

    A composable enterprise aims to create an application architecture wherein enterprises can deliver various functions through composition (as against development), by leveraging packaged business capabilities (PBCs). Gartner estimates that by 2023, 30% of new applications will be delivered, priced, and consumed as libraries of packaged business capabilities, up from fewer than 5% in 2020.

    To be fair, this run-up to a composable enterprise is not a fresh-of-the-press revelation. Enterprises have been attempting to move from hardcore coding-based development to a more service-and-composition-oriented architecture over the last couple of decades, albeit only in pockets and not as fast as they would have wished.

    Composable enterprise has become the need of the hour. And this is being driven by the sense of urgency created by multi-faceted disruption across industries, coupled with technological advancements that make it possible for organizations to accomplish it at an enterprise scale. 

    One such advancement comes in the form of low code digital transformation platforms.

    How do Low-code Platforms drive Composable Enterprise?

    According to Forrester Research, low-code development platforms are emerging as a key strategy to accelerate app delivery to support digital business transformation. They have the potential to make software development as much as ten times faster than traditional methods. Low-code platforms use visual composition and a modeling-based approach to speed up application development. 

    A good low-code platform drives the creation of a composable enterprise in two ways, both of which are critical for long term sustainability:

    • By enabling rapid development of modern PBCs that deliver cutting-edge functionality without having to rebuild the organizational core, thereby protecting decades of investments in legacy and core applications 
    • By providing the core capability to create applications through composition and abstraction with a modeling-driven application environment, wherein the organization can create customer-centric business applications that deliver a dynamic omnichannel experience and drive the end-to-end customer journey

    Is There a Catch?

    Low code platforms come in various shapes and sizes, from those supporting the creation of relatively simpler stand-alone applications to those that enable the rapid development of mission-critical enterprise-scale applications with various functional components. Mostly, the latter category forms the core of a composable enterprise.

    To drive a composable enterprise, a low code platform needs to be equipped with a variety of capabilities. It should: 

    • Speed up pro-grade development through modular, modeling-driven, and abstraction-oriented development
    • Support a variety of business and technological needs, such as workflows, content management, straight-through transactions, mobile apps, collaboration, customer self-service, omnichannel customer engagement and automated business rules
    • Offer service-oriented integration that can extend beyond the organizational boundaries
    • Enable rationalization of application portfolio by helping avoid the introduction of multiple point-solutions in the mix with its own ability to develop a variety of applications quickly
    • Prevent shadow IT through central governance, visibility, and guardrails, without hindering innovation
    • Enable agile, continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) and adherence to quality standards and architectural requirements
    • Enable, even catalyze, change with traceability, thereby ensuring long term sustainability of business applications

    What Next?

    The ability of organizations to accomplish a composable enterprise of the future will depend on a multitude of factors. It is essentially a transformational journey.

    It is important to take the right steps and build in phases, starting from establishing a core low code platform and building peripheral capabilities with time. Picking the right set of applications and establishing early wins go a long way in building momentum towards the long-term goals.

    Identification of the right low code platform that can drive your transformation journey to a composable enterprise is critical for achieving a composable enterprise.

  • Low-Code: Bridging the Gap Between DevOps and Business

    Low-Code: Bridging the Gap Between DevOps and Business

    The need to innovate faster, manage multiple environments, optimize an application’s life cycle and achieve continuous delivery are aspirational goals that a successful DevOps team strives for. But there are loads of challenges, as meeting these goals increases the pressure on DevOps teams to adopt improved application architecture, new tools and developer workflows.

    The overarching principle of DevOps is continuous effort, including continuous business planning, collaborative development, continuous testing, continuous release and deployment, continuous monitoring and collaborative customer feedback. This is where low-code development platforms are emerging as an integral way to empower DevOps teams.
    If you look closely, ​​low-code and DevOps share common benefits: The ability to offer faster, scalable and complex applications consistently to meet business needs.

    However, many DevOps teams still rely on conventional manual coding and automation. Low-code can also supplement the talent shortage by enabling folks without extensive programming experience to develop and deploy applications faster.

    How Low-Code Platforms Impact DevOps

    Automated Application Deployment: Low-code platforms increase the speed of DevOps while also reducing the overall complexity by providing a unified platform to enable the cultural shift. From managing version control to validating builds, low-code platforms do all the heavy lifting for your developers. With low-code, you can deploy almost anything in a single click—user interface, workflows, database and/or integration components.

    Clutter-Free DevOps: Low-code platforms allow you to integrate with different programming tools using APIs, SOAP and REST web services.

    Hassle-Free Migration: Organizations can keep their legacy systems alive longer by making their functionality available to many other systems. Consider developing an Android and iOS mobile application on top of your existing CRM system. While your core system maintains, a low-code platform allows you to develop add-ons or new apps on top of it. Furthermore, because low-code platforms provide easy-to-use tools, citizen developers may participate in the migration process.

    Maintenance at Scale: With low-code, you don’t have to worry about updating apps over time because the platform designer always updates and refines the stored interfaces—and, as a result, your application—without even bothering you.

    Enterprise-Grade Security: Security is a top consideration when building scalable apps. Low-code platforms enable your IT and DevOps teams to manage data and user access. Each user can be provided with access to only the information and functionality that they require based on their roles and responsibilities.

    Compliance and Security: Legitimate low-code platforms adhere to the Global Compliance Assurance Standards, as well as ISAE and ISO certifications. Security should be a top priority for your platform, which will serve clients from a variety of businesses, including government entities. Besides integrating robust security and governance features, make sure that your platform has also implemented an ISO/IEC 27001-compliant information security management system (ISMS).

    Democratizing IT: Bringing Business and DevOps Together

    A major challenge for DevOps is to constantly meet the changing needs of the business. The invariably dynamic nature of processes demands continuous optimization, which turns out to be a bottleneck for business, especially if IT can’t deliver applications on time. To make this whole approach scalable, low-code platforms provide multiple environments for your business and DevOps team to test, build, deploy and modify applications collaboratively.

    A comprehensive low-code platform offers the means of both visual programming and coding capability. For usability reasons, these tools are clearly separated and presented to the development team in a way that allows citizen developers and business users—who are most commonly the domain experts—to use the visual components while developers can work on adding custom code to extend the capabilities of the application.

    While a complex app can only be developed by an experienced professional developer, modifying the look and feel of an app or building/modifying basic functionality can be carried out by business users/citizen developers.

    Moving IT Up the Value Chain From Executor to Enabler

    IT teams are now viewed as critical to enabling their businesses to achieve greater productivity and profitability. By providing a self-serve model using a low-code platform, you can enable citizen developers to build custom apps, employees to use portals at their convenience and create dashboards to improve everyone’s visibility, among other value-adds.

    The key is to provide your teams with the right set of tools with the right level of access while still enabling IT to manage and monitor these low-code applications’ reach. For DevOps and IT ­leaders, it provides an opportunity to empower businesses with strategic insights and recommend solutions that best suit business goals, mitigating risks and offering budgeting strategies, rather than just being a facilitator of technology.

  • 5 Ways Low-Code Accelerates Digital Transformation

    5 Ways Low-Code Accelerates Digital Transformation

    Organizations traditionally have struggled with build-versus-buy decisions when digitizing their internal operations and processes. While the build option offered the benefit of using internal teams or outsourcing to external vendors who could satisfy requirements, the downsides are a long wait, higher costs and the constant change and maintenance applications require. On the other hand, buying solutions off-the-shelf meant that the costs were lower but the businesses would have to change or adapt to already-crafted solutions; not all businesses could adhere to a one-size-fits-all solution. 

    This challenge often resulted in only the highest-priority and big-budget applications or tools seeing the light of day while others were put on the back burner—even if those back-burnered tools could have improved productivity and user experience.

    Enter low-code platforms. The adjacent skill phenomenon enables users with similar fundamental experience but in different niches—think web developers and designers—that, when provided with a drag-and-drop tool can supplement their experience to move up the value chain and become full-stack developers.

    In a similar way, low-code platforms enable backend engineers to use drag-and-drop tools to build UI and business logic quickly. This translates into full-stack skills and makes frontend engineers redundant for internal tooling. With low-code and no-code tools, backend engineers can create dashboards, CRUD apps, transactional systems, processes and workflows built on top of existing data sources like databases, connected via APIs, housed in third-party tools etc. These solutions can easily be created and deployed in a matter of hours instead of weeks or months or, worse, back-burnered and doomed to never see the light of day. 

    How Does Low-Code Accelerate Digital Transformation?

    Given that most businesses are struggling to find the right tech talent, they need to explore new approaches to meet the demands associated with digital transformation. Low-code helps by making coding less burdensome and reducing the time and resources spent in building digital solutions. Anyone can develop apps regardless of their technical expertise and, therefore, contribute to the acceleration of digital transformation. 

    Here’s a look at how low-code solutions are accelerating digital transformation.

    Accelerating Visual Development  

    Low-code platforms can reduce turnaround time for building new apps by 90%—from well over six months to under four weeks.

    Developers and non-developers alike can use drag-and-drop functionality to build frontend applications on the fly. A major capability low-code platforms provide is the ability to build functional prototypes of possible solutions and test them quickly. Low-code platforms help unlock innovation by giving low-code platforms to business users who know and understand operational challenges best. Business users can create functional prototypes and iterate toward fully functional applications.

    How? Visual drag-and-drop interfaces, ready connections to data sources and APIs, point-and-click workflow designers and baked-in security. By taking away much of the boilerplate, most low-code app development projects are delivered with little to no coding required in a short time. 

    Along with a catalog of pre-built components and pre-configured modules, component reusability is another advantage of using low-code tools. Using standard UI components such as menu bars, buttons, form sections, etc. allows a user to take advantage of pre-built UI components and merge them into a full-fledged application.

    Democratizing App Development

    Gartner found that the demand for business-related apps is five times higher than the available IT capacity.

    That means the talent gap is one of the biggest hurdles to digital transformation. By turning a large number of semi-technical employees into citizen developers, companies can empower teams to create high-quality digital solutions for everyday operations while still meeting IT security regulations and addressing cybersecurity concerns. Low-code offers an intuitive user interface to design applications, websites, workflows and automation recipes. Some of the more refined low-code platforms also support backend integrations; meaning users can connect their digital solution to multiple data sources and produce unified web portals. 

    So, in addition to increasing the development resources, citizen developers can also help to accelerate business value. While they create business apps, the more complicated digital issues can be managed by the IT department. 

    Easy Data Integration

    Customization is the best way to extract the maximum value from existing systems. 

    Tools built using low-code technology are highly customizable and scalable. Low-code platforms enable the rapid creation of purpose-specific applications, which, via API connectors or building middle layers, can be “stitched” together with legacy applications to create end-to-end products. With easy-to-use API and database integrations, this allows teams to integrate with any pre-existing enterprise software such as ERP, CRM, custom applications and databases and extract the richness from their core legacy investments. 

    Reduced Costs and Scalability

    Many enterprises have project backlogs that cost them billions of dollars in opportunities. Because they can’t find the right talent or software to address business opportunities fast enough or give them priority over other tasks. Low-code can help reduce backlogs by helping your development team get more done in less time.

    Low-code development turns application elements like pre-built UI components, integrations and custom logic into visual building blocks that are easy to copy and repeat. Ready connections to multiple data sources allow users to easily connect to data from different business functions and scale the application. 

    A low-code approach simplifies the work required to scale and maintain apps across the entire enterprise or for millions of customers. The developer can build something once and implement it everywhere in minutes. Easy cloud deployment makes it easy to extend the application from one geographic location to another.

    Eases Application Life Cycle Management 

    The main aim is to produce flexible, cost-effective and rapid applications that are adaptive to enhancements and less complex in terms of maintenance. Low-code development accelerates application delivery by enabling users to deploy applications in just a few clicks, without relying on DevOps or engineering teams. 

    Depending on the platform, all the stages of the application life cycle—development, deployment, monitoring, maintenance, updates—can be performed from a single point in real-time, ensuring security, compliance and version control.

    The maintenance phase of software is vital to be able to quickly change what already has been developed to guarantee that the app continues to serve the purpose the business requires. The essence of low-code is that, as the name suggests, there is less code; therefore, there is little code to maintain.  

    The Future of Low-Code and Digital Transformation 

    All kinds of organizations across all industries are seeking new ways to meet challenges and increase business performance as a result of digital transformation. Introducing low-code/no-code enables businesses to be bolder and more experimental when executing on their ideas. This is digital innovation in action.

    Businesses are already leveraging low-code to get ahead of their competitors by increasing business agility and improving efficiency. This technology is giving IT teams the potential to also get rid of old silos between business departments. 

    Low-code has been helping enterprises overcome the lack of access to relevant resources to meet their business needs. By speeding time-to-market for digital products, low-code helps businesses respond to market dynamics faster while being more efficient. 

    Every organization should take advantage of these opportunities and adopt a low-code platform for accelerating productivity and achieving faster results, apps and tools. In the words of Chris Wanstrath, CEO of GitHub, “The future of coding is no coding at all.”

  • Rethinking Programmer Education for Today’s Coders

    Rethinking Programmer Education for Today’s Coders

    The proliferation of low-code and no-code applications are changing the landscape for software. In the past decade, growth in these areas has empowered employees to generate solutions at the speed of a digital world, regardless of their technical background.

    This raises several questions: What kind of programmers do businesses really need? Should they still rely on programmers formally trained at four-year universities—what you might call “white-collar” programmers? Or, instead, are blue-collar programmers with self-taught skills or those who learned from a bootcamp more valuable? What will get organizations the right mix of programming skills?

    The short answer is that all programmers can be of great value. In general, blue-collar programmers, after all, connect things within the computing environment, while white-collar programmers create the things that are connected. The essence of low-code is that it allows more people to connect things and use their creativity to become more productive. But it doesn’t eliminate the need for professional programming and tools at its foundation.

    At their core, low-code and no-code are about democratization. They allow people without technical skills to work creatively in ways that essentially make everyone a programmer. A parallel from an earlier computing generation is the Excel spreadsheet, which lets people with no programming background perform computational tasks and eventually work their way up from simple formatting to full-fledged programming. But at some point, polished programming skills are still necessary, no matter how easy no-code or low-code can make some of those elements.

    In the breakneck pace of cloud-based computing environments with new services constantly being developed and deployed to the edge, it’s worth considering the distinctions between the white- and blue-collar programmers and what kinds of education are appropriate for each.

    Four-Year Colleges Vs. Boot Camps

    A career as a programmer can seem intimidating for onlookers. This is particularly true when these jobs involve complex languages such as C++ and Java, which are often used in large projects that can take years to develop and involve millions of lines of code. Some of that is still true, but the evolution of programming over the years toward languages that require less code, such as Python, and to domain-specific languages (DSLs), has also started to lower the barriers to entry for programming.

    It’s true that you’ve never needed a four-year computer science degree to be a programmer. In fact, many that have dropped out of college—or never attended at all—have made significant contributions to the industry. However, universities do provide a foundation in theory and algorithms that have always served programmers well and enable them to branch out into new areas, such as artificial intelligence or other disciplines, such as bioinformatics. Coding bootcamps, for their part, can provide intensive training on DSLs or frameworks like Rails or React.js that can benefit companies’ plans, giving blue-collar programmers the practical skills that white-collar programmers may not have. They also attract career-changing attendees with four-year degrees in other subjects, including the humanities and the sciences, which brings badly needed new ways of thinking into the profession.

    While each method is valid, both four-year institutions and bootcamps also have their shortcomings. Universities delve deep into software development theory but often don’t emphasize critical aspects of doing the job, such as teamwork, testing and agile processes. Nor do they focus much on core areas of businesses today, like cloud computing. Boot camps, by targeting specific areas and emerging technologies and languages, can help people get internships or entry-level jobs, but don’t provide a broader theoretical knowledge of programming. And they can be hit-or-miss, with some of them using sketchy practices for payments and job placement.

    The inherent weaknesses in both white- and blue-collar training can be addressed through apprenticeships and internships, but only to a point. The question remains: Who will train low-code programmers on modern development and coding practices? A lot of companies throw around terms like Agile and CI/CD, but they’re often just new labels on old, inefficient practices. Companies will need white-collar programmers to bring blue-collar programmers up to speed.

    Programming for the Masses

    No-code software is a great enabler, allowing people with no formal education or experience to become proficient in a programming environment. On the other hand, for people who do have formal training—whether a formal education or boot camp experience—low-code simplifies their work, leaving time to focus on more complex projects. But programmer or not, users of no-code and low-code solutions need to understand more than just deployment and testing if they want their software to be reliable and useful.

    Professional developers can make a difference by creating and maintaining the pipelines used to build, test, archive and deploy low-code software; they will need to build new tools to accommodate low-code frameworks. And while familiarizing themselves with current development techniques, they could become the teachers of essential computing practices that don’t involve coding.

    A cooperative, productive relationship between white-collar and blue-collar programmers is essential to moving forward with software development, as it will allow both to continue acquiring new skills and experience outside of low-code, which is only a product of programming, no matter how ubiquitous it may be.

    Making the Connection

    Today, we’re entering a business world where practically everyone will need to code, making low-code and no-code frameworks necessary, especially for users without formal training. However, the importance of professional programmers will remain, too.

    We’re likely to see a proliferation of DSLs created to solve specific problems, which will eventually evolve toward general-purpose programming languages. Programmers will need to build web frameworks, cloud capabilities and more, including everything from web widgets to the high-level tools that let users work. That may be the only way we can begin to meet the demand for more people who can program as more devices come online, more connections are made and the world becomes increasingly reliant on automation.

  • Low-Code and the Rise of the Citizen Developer

    Low-Code and the Rise of the Citizen Developer

    Low-code technologies have become increasingly popular for helping businesses adapt to ever-changing environments quickly by allowing them to build, customize and deploy apps with little to no coding. At Low-Code/No-Code Virtual Summit, taking place on Nov. 18 at 9 a.m. ET, luminaries of leading organizations in the low-code community will share valuable insights on their digital transformation journeys and the role of low-code/no-code in their digital strategies.

    Attendees will get an intimate look at how organizations are embracing low-code technologies to advance their business while improving user experience. The virtual event explores the vast and growing ecosystem of technologies that are changing the face of application development, featuring sessions on:

    • The rise of the citizen developer
    • Security and compliance in low-code applications
    • How low-code is transforming software development
    • Low-code versus no-code
    • Low-code trends

    Low-Code/No-Code Virtual Summit features an exceptional lineup of low-code and industry experts, including:

    • Derya Sousa, co-founder and COO at Kianda Technologies
    • Venkat Thiruvengadam, CEO at DuploCloud, Inc.
    • Andrew Manby, head of product management at HCL Software
    • Asna Javed, hybrid cloud build team and developer advocacy leader at IBM
    • Eren Akbaba, cloud architect at IBM
    • Charles Kolodgy, cybersecurity strategist, advisor and educator at Techstrong Research
    • Daniel Topham, CEM for digital, strategic solution architect at Everbridge
    • Bala Madhusoodhanan, principal architect at TJX
    • Paul Porter, VP of sales engineering at Everbridge
    • Gunndarr Dotter, regional sales director at HCL Software
    • Amy Hart-Koullapis, communications systems specialist, global marketing and communications at World Vision International

    The virtual environment features an auditorium where attendees can watch the sessions by the experts and an exhibit hall lined with booths showcasing the latest solutions from leading low-code companies. In the exhibit hall, attendees can download resources and interact with partner sponsors.

    To start off the event on a high note, we have scheduled a yoga class at 9 a.m. with a certified instructor.

    Registered attendees will receive a link to access the virtual environment on-demand for up to 30 days after the live event.

    To check out the full agenda and to register for free, visit the Low-Code/No-Code Virtual Summit website.