Low-code automation is a visual way to automate business processes that requires little coding. Rather than relying on complex code, users can implement visual tools, such as model-driven application design with drag-and-drop features and reusable components to speed up the delivery of applications.
This makes it easier for non-technical business users to get hands-on with automation projects and decreases reliance on developers and software engineers.
Forrester Research describes low-code automation platforms as “Application development platforms that enable rapid application delivery with minimal hand-coding, and quick setup and deployment.”
“Low-code platforms can help development teams work faster and increase enterprise-wide software production by empowering “citizen” developers.”
What are the benefits of low-code automation?
Ease of use – As users do not require an in-depth knowledge of software development, it’s easy to get to grips with low-code and can be used throughout the business, without relying on skilled developers.
Empower citizen developers – The software can be used enterprise-wide without the need for IT intervention, which means users can create their own automated processes to aid their work.
Save money – Costs can be saved on initial training, and money doesn’t need to be spent on hiring skilled developers who demand a high salary. Additional cost saving can be also be seen from the faster time to market and a solid ROI.
Improve productivity – Intuitive features like drag and drop interfaces means it takes less time to build processes and allows users to see results fast.
Ensure best practice and compliance – Templates play a large role in low-code automation, so providing best practice for users to follow when building enterprise applications means they will be created in a compliant manner.
Improve agility – The simple approach to building and amending processes means you can make agile changes to process without having to worry about changing complex code. This helps to keep up with regulatory changes, adapt to market changes or respond to customer needs.
Eliminate silos - Low-code automation allows you to seamlessly integrate applications across your enterprise for a centralized way of working.
Find out more about the benefits of low-code automation in our blog, Low-Code Automation: The Benefits
- Employee onboarding - Approvals - Compliance - Order management - Vendor management - Customer service
Citizen development allows business users to use low-code or no-code software to create their own business processes and applications. Thanks to the ease of use of low-code platforms, business users with no prior coding experience are able to create their own processes without relying on support from IT.
“500 million new apps are going to get created in the next five years. Think about that, that’s more apps than in the last 40 years… When you think about this challenge of 500 million applications, we’re just not going to have professional developers to build these applications, so we need citizen developers.” – Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO
Cloud-based platforms have helped support a recent surge in the use of low-code platforms, as the secure, yet flexible solution allows users to collaborate across the organization. It’s easy for citizen developers to gain access to the software, and it can be scaled up or down as required with regular updates to ensure users are always using the latest version.
A key benefit of using the cloud is the ability to spin up and test new services. And if the solution doesn’t work, it can be turned off without worrying about wasting money on physical infrastructure to support the services that may or may not work. This means you can experiment with new solutions in low-code, supported by low-cost and low-risk deployment on the cloud.
The low-code market is set for rapid growth. Gartner predicts that low-code application building will make up more than 65% of all app development functions by the year 2024 and with about 66% of big companies using a minimum of four low-code platforms.
Do I need a low-code automation platform?
Low-code automation platforms allow you to create and run process applications across your organization on any device, without coding.
If you want to use a low-code environment, you can use Bizagi to build and fully automate your process.
Once you finish this journey you can run the process in your Cloud environment so that everyone in your organization can access and use it.
Find out how you can modernize your operations with Bizagi's low-code process automation platform.
You can find out more about the benefits of using a low-code automation platform and how to measure its effectiveness across the enterprise in our Ultimate Guide to Low-Code Automation.
