How IT Execs Can Use Low-code to Their Advantage

Know more about the advantages that low-code has to offer IT executives

December 5, 2022

Low-code is making great strides on the IT front, and while it might not completely replace traditional coding, it is having a significant impact on IT departments, discusses Ed Macosky, chief innovation officer at Boomi.

According to GartnerOpens a new window , by 2025, 70% of new applications developed by enterprises will use low-code or no-code technologies; that’s an almost 25% increase from 2020.

By leveraging low-code technologies, IT teams can focus more on solving complex challenges,  and less on coding. Low code can help them automate business processes, increase productivity, and free up time, leading to cost savings on important digital transformation initiatives. Imagine connecting all of the IT systems of two newly merged companies, with a few clicks, or imagine the power to access all of the sales data of every franchisee—not after months of coding, but just by using intuitive selections of what clouds you want selected, so that your best programmers can go work on high value projects? 

See More: Low-Code Strategies for the Long Haul

Low-code Explained.

Low code is a visual means of coding. It provides users clear options for features to implement – eliminating the need for developers to build out functionality and design by hand, which can be very time consuming, requiring debugging, additional testing, and more. 

Popular low-code use cases in enterprise organizations today include: 

  • Data integration: With enterprises using hundreds of applications such as customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, data integration is a critical process needed to remove data silos and streamline workflows. When dealing with sensitive data, such as financial or health data, organizations must also make sure they are compliant with data governance regulations. Establishing data connections with low code helps ensure that happens.  
  • Workflows and user interfaces (UIs): With low-code technologies, the UI experience can be easily changed to meet user preferences. This enables people without technical backgrounds to take on simpler integration and development tasks themselves without needing to burden the IT team.
  • API creation: Low code makes API development faster and easier by leveraging templates. Organizations experience higher developer productivity and faster time to market for their APIs, which helps increase business value. 

Low-code development simplifies coding processes, but there may still be some code involved. Hence, you’ve probably heard the term “no code” which is exactly as it seems and is typically reserved for more basic use cases. Low code has minimal amounts of programming code and requires someone with some programming knowledge to make it happen. Low code has benefits over no code in that organizations can customize the code as needed, and it provides a faster, cheaper, more streamlined process than traditional coding. 

How It Works

A low-code solution involves the visual development of applications through modeling and a graphical interface. Using a configuration-based approach, users can move and connect things like data, applications, cloud services, and systems without needing to know every detail of the code behind the design.

This visual app design is a quicker process than traditional coding, bringing with it an intuitive flow to app building. Low-code solutions allow “citizen developers” to focus on the big picture—the function of the app they’re designing, connecting, or deploying. 

The key driver in low-code development is automation, as tools link functions without the need for manual programming. As digital infrastructure grows and interconnectivity becomes more robust, low-code solutions are helping organizations connect all of their applications with their data systems and automate business processes. 

Low-code Development Benefits 

Today’s businesses are being asked to do more with less—less people, less budget, less time, less everything. High productivity low-code toolsets are the only way to meet this challenge. With low code, businesses can get apps up and running in days or weeks, rather than months. We, at Boomi, saw this when we transitioned from Dell Technologies in a $4 billion investment deal. In a very short timeframe, we needed to build an entire new IT infrastructure as a stand-alone company. To do so, we relied on our own integration platform-as-a-service (iPaas) and its intelligent connectivity, automation, and low-code capabilities. We were able to stand up an entire new infrastructure—including IT, HR, Legal, and other important business functions—at record speed. Low code definitely sped up the process by enabling business units to self-service, deploying and connecting the systems and applications they needed to perform their roles. 

In another example, the FinTech startup HealthBridge used a low-code iPaaS to speed data and application integrations as it scaled rapidly to meet a goal of increasing membership 20x in one year. Low code removed the heavy lifting of building portals that needed to be HIPAA compliant, and did so a full year ahead of schedule. Developing the code from scratch would not have been a value-add for HealthBridge or its investors. Using low-code technologies allowed HealthBridge’s developers to focus on further advancing their own proprietary platform, saving time and money in the process while delivering real value to their stakeholders and the business in general. 

Category-leading, high-growth companies—or those that aim to become one—can benefit greatly from low-code technologies. I’ve seen it dramatically improve productivity and, in the case of HealthBridge and our own internal use, deliver integration at the speed of business.

See More: 4 Reasons CFOs Should Pay Attention to the Low-code Movement

Don’t Equate Simplicity with Security Risks

Leading low-code development platforms feature significant security and privacy controls to help ensure proper protection and governance. They allow users to create applications that work in the cloud, on-premises, and environments and allow for third-party access to APIs and other modules to ensure apps can be used across multiple platforms. It’s a win-win for all involved.

Rest assured, the growing popularity of low code will not put developers out of work. It’s actually the opposite. Traditional coding will remain the foundation for many development projects. The beauty of low-code solutions is that they take smaller, menial tasks off the plates of seasoned developers, allowing them to focus on more valuable tasks and strategic initiatives. Low code can help companies get projects out the door faster so they can focus their efforts on initiatives that drive their business forward.

What benefits of low-code have you taken advantage of? Tell us on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .

MORE ON LOW CODE

Ed Macosky
Ed Macosky

Chief Innovation Officer, Boomi

Ed Macosky is the Head of Product at Boomi, a Dell Technologies business. He has more than 15 years of experience building high performing agile teams, designing and launching new software and service products, solution delivery and customer retention. Macosky works to establish and execute Boomi’s product vision and roadmap – delivering an intelligent, flexible and scalable integration platform that accelerates business outcomes by making information, interactions and innovations flow faster.
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