Top 7 Reasons to Use a Low-Code Platform
Gone are the times when developing an app required hiring a team of professional app developers. Of course, that’s still a common practice among businesses, but they now have another option on the table.
They can utilize a low-code platform, which, as the name suggests, requires very little coding. You don’t need to be very tech-savvy to use such a platform to build your own customer-facing or internal business app.
With a visual user interface, app modules, templates, drag-and-drop features, and other innovative capabilities, you can quickly develop any kind of software.
Take a look at the most crucial reasons why you should use a low-code platform for app development.
Lower Development Costs
According to DZone, building a custom app can cost from $40,000 to $250,000, depending on its complexity.
That’s a lot of money, especially if you’re running a small business and work with limited resources. If you create a remarkable SaaS app, it would undoubtedly pay for itself. But if you don’t have enough resources to begin, building your custom app becomes an impossible mission.
That’s why a low-code platform is an ideal solution. It can significantly cut your costs because it eliminates the need to hire additional IT experts and app developers.
Your in-house IT team can use the platform without a hitch. They don’t even need any training, because these platforms are incredibly easy to use, even for those with no programming knowledge whatsoever.
Time-Efficiency
The DZone source above also reports that building an app can take between 4-9 months.
That’s a lot of time if you’re on a tight schedule. Also, the longer it takes to build an app, the higher the costs are.
Since low-code platforms require almost no coding, they considerably reduce the development time. They come with user-friendly interfaces, templates, and visual models for quickly creating and customizing an app.
By eliminating additional IT hires and minimizing development costs, they enable businesses to roll out custom apps much faster than they would with regular coding.
With a faster app delivery and accelerated time-to-market, you can quickly reap the rewards.
Bridging the IT Gap
Low-code platforms are built in a way that enables anyone to use them. Even citizen developers without extensive coding knowledge can quickly get the hang of it.
Therefore, using one of these platforms will help you bridge the gap between your IT team and other employees with little to no coding skills.
As we’ve mentioned a few times already, the UI of these platforms is very user-friendly. They’re very intuitive, and everything is straightforward. Most importantly, drag-and-drop features make the development process a real piece of cake.
So, not only will you save time and cut costs, but you will also boost collaboration across departments. Both your technical and non-technical teammates will make their contributions, thus increasing productivity, efficiency, and employee engagement and satisfaction.
Better Business Agility and Innovation
To make your business more agile, you need to be able to adapt to new markets and business environment changes. Trends always come and go, and consumer needs also rapidly change.
When you have a low-code platform in your corner, you can quickly adapt to new changes. You can make sure your apps are powered by the latest technologies, such as AI and machine learning. You can implement numerous innovative features in just a matter of minutes.
You can do all of this with regular coding, but it would take a lot more time. Time is always of the essence in business, especially when you want to increase your business agility.
Enhanced Customer Experience
Adapting to changing consumer needs clearly leads to better customer experiences. But there’s more.
Low-code platforms allow you to integrate your custom software with lots of third-party apps. That creates seamless omnichannel experiences that users nowadays expect.
Apart from third-party integrations, ready-made templates and AI capabilities further reduce the friction, enabling you to provide excellent experiences to every app user.
You can ensure consistency across multiple touchpoints, enabling customers to interact with your business seamlessly. They won’t need to switch between apps to get in touch with you. They will be able to engage with your organization in any way they want.
Higher Level of Security
The last thing you want when building an app is to compromise the security of its users. If you wish to create SaaS software or a BPM app, ensuring it is entirely secure is undoubtedly your top priority.
With a reliable low-code platform, you don’t have to lose sleep over potential security vulnerabilities. These platforms come with robust security features that provide you with full control over your app and user data.
Their automated governance includes access control, admin tools, and various real-time assessments of potential security threats.
That means that there is no room for unauthorized access and potential data breaches. No one outside your internal IT infrastructure can access or deploy an app built on a low-code platform without the approval of your IT team.
Bringing Shadow IT into the Light
Since you can create your own custom app using a low-code platform, you can successfully protect your business from shadow IT.
Shadow IT refers to instances when a third-party utilizes or manages your IT infrastructure and apps.
As such, shadow IT can open the door to potential data breaches. Luckily, a low-code platform can help you eliminate the risks.
You wouldn’t have to worry about third parties keeping your IT backlogs or any sensitive business and user data. Everything will be perfectly safe and secure inside your own IT infrastructure.
Armed with a low-code platform, anyone can be a developer. That’s the main reason why these platforms are designed. They exist to help businesses experience all these benefits above and streamline their workflow and growth.
So, don’t think twice about utilizing such a platform. It will help you easily develop any SaaS software, BPM software, custom tools for optimizing operational efficiency, or any other app for your business needs.
Dean Chester is a cybersecurity expert and the co-founder of research VPN provider CoolTechZone. While cryptography has been and remains his main passion, he is also interested in the political and social repercussions of internet safety issues.