Low code development platforms make building applications quick and easy enough that even people without any coding knowledge can do it.
By Ben Cilliers, applications development manager at IndigoCube
They also make deploying to multiple platforms, such as tablets, smartphones, laptops, and desktops with a variety of Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Windows Phone and others, possible by clicking just one button. There’s no need to recreate the entire application every time you want to deploy to a new platform.
And low code applications, made in good quality platforms, are secure, they scale, and offer the functionality required for demanding enterprise environments.
Low code development platforms slash the costs of coding. They can reduce the dependence on costly programmers and cut the time it takes people to create applications to either deliver projects far quicker, or deliver many more projects per person in the same time.
Application developers, their managers, and businesspeople who need customer-facing applications quickly or who have few developer resources available can immediately benefit from low code development platforms. So too people who need to develop many applications on an ongoing basis. And businesses that want flexibility and speed in their development capability so they can rapidly adapt to evolving market conditions and customer requirements.
Also, organisations that have to protect themselves against code maintenance and update risks that come with having no, or poor, documentation. And organisations that want the safety and consistency of global standards built (and verified) into their coding environments. Plus organisations that want their developers to contribute to many software projects every year that they can roll out quickly.
Many of the time benefits associated with low code development don’t actually stem from the lack of having to write any code. Low code platforms also save a ton of time in the requirements analysis and documentation phase because they can effectively eliminate it. Low code platforms also have app stores of their own, called forges, that enable people to reuse parts of applications that other people have made.
For example, if you need your application to display a location in Google Maps, you can often just download the capability and drop it in place without having to create it yourself. Those elements are even often free of charge from open communities.
Low code platforms are an effective way for many businesses to overcome the challenge of finding many skilled developers, using their time effectively, rolling out applications rapidly, complying with industry best practice, across multiple platforms simultaneously, and reducing costs. And they still meet their other requirements for robust and adaptable applications securely deployed to meet the dynamic requirements of modern markets – on time, in budget, and to specification.