Discover how DHL Group increased connectivity across the enterprise and automated multiple processes end-to-end
Low-code is often hailed as the solution to a number of business and IT challenges. In fact, according to Gartner, low-code or no-code technologies will be used for the development of 70% of new applications by 2025. But this approach can bring challenges of its own if business needs and resources aren’t carefully considered prior to jumping in.
Challenge: Low-code platforms offer a templated approach to development which, although speeds up the process, can limit the ability to build custom applications. Therefore, projects with specific needs can face issues with this lack of flexibility.
Solution: Choose a platform that allows developers to add custom code and third-party integrations to extend the capabilities of applications to meet more complex business requirements.
Challenge: Enabling non-IT users to build with low-code can lead to the deployment of applications that skip important approvals processes and do not fully meet requirements, creating more technical debt for IT.
Solution: Create a citizen developer framework that provides guidelines around low-code app development to ensure each new application meets organizational standards. This should include information such as:
- The types of apps that can be created by citizen developers and those that require more collaboration with IT
- The approvals process applications need to go through prior to go-live
- Who will be responsible for maintaining app performance
Challenge: Security is a key concern in enterprise application development. Enabling non-technical users to build on low-code platforms can result in IT having a lack of visibility into applications in use across the organization and make them more vulnerable to security risks.
Solution: Find a platform with built-in security features such as access control, encryption and vulnerability testing. Also, communicate security best practices with users outside of IT to ensure everyone involved in app development has security top of mind.
Challenge: Businesses need to be able to add capacity as workload and users increase and not all low-code platforms can support this.
Solution: Choose a platform that enables you to scale up to meet the changing needs of the business without affecting performance and user experience. Evaluate the following:
- Runtime scalability: the ability to cope with an increase in users and volume of data
- Platform scalability: the ability to handle the build of increasingly complex applications
Challenge: Although the drag-and-drop interface and reusable templates within a low-code platform simplify application development, there is still a learning curve for new users, especially business users not used to building applications.
Solution: Choose a vendor that offers comprehensive training resources and support to ensure that users can quickly gain confidence in using the platform and get to work on your first project. In addition, encourage collaboration between IT and business users to share knowledge.
Despite the possible challenges, low-code development remains a time and cost-efficient approach to enterprise application development. Bizagi’s low-code platform and expert team can help you address challenges and create apps that deliver value on time and on budget.
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