Enterprises have undergone a paradigm shift, with technological advancements impacting every aspect of business operations. CIOs (Chief Information Officers) have become the brains for developing digital strategies beyond the conventional notion of handling IT teams. It also falls upon the CIOs to keep their companies up-to-date and prepared to leverage technology.
Besides, they are invariably eyeing strategic software development processes to make their development and upgrade processes faster and more accessible. However, they keep battling against several challenges like budget crunches, constantly changing regulations, security threats, and the lack of software development talent.
To help overcome these hurdles, many CIOs have turned their attention toward low-code development platforms — a domain that has witnessed a growth of 23% in 2021 alone.
But why low-code development? What is it about low-code that enterprise CIOs find so compelling that they are investing in it? Let’s find out.
What is Low-Code?
As the name suggests, the low-code software development process eliminates the need for extensive manual coding to develop software or an application.
Low-code app development enables more non-traditional developers to hop on the transformational wagon and contribute to software development. It also helps the developers execute their ideas faster and more stably.
The vision of letting front-line employees support the IT process as citizen developers is not novel. WordPress brought such development to the content management industry with its drag-and-drop system, doing away with HTML and CSS coding.
Low-code software development works on similar principles and distributes the app creation and management responsibilities across the organization. As such, it empowers employees to seamlessly address problems and take the initiative to develop practical applications.
Where Does Low-Code Fit in the Enterprise Framework?
When reputed companies like Microsoft start investing in the low code domain, it is pretty evident that other companies will follow suit. Microsoft plans to utilize the technology in the existing CI/CD workflows to shorten sales cycles. Gartner forecasts that most enterprise apps will have low-code software development, either in parts or as a whole, by 2025.
Alongside low-code options, no-code solutions are also coming up. They offer no-coding options and are specifically designed for non-technical users. But no-code does not propose as many customizations and automation options. Thus, low-code app development brings the best of both worlds, taking a hybrid approach.
How Can CIOs Tackle Enterprise Pain Points with Low-Code?
CIOs are now taking up strategic thinking roles by adopting a problem-solving and digitally transformative approach to low-code software development. Their winning strategy is to embrace technological advancements and create an ecosystem that grows digitally. In essence, they can address enterprise pain points very efficiently with low code and usher in healthy growth. More profoundly, they can:
Achieve Stability Through Agility
CIOs have always supported stability, but now they are also seeking agility. Low-code business model ensures that the IT team supports the business while delivering prompt solutions. The process becomes more agile with less manual coding and frequent testing. The low-code platforms are also low-maintenance and allow the developers to modify the app skillfully.
Decrease the Technical Debt
As technology changes every year, most companies are stuck in a loop of irreplaceable applications. Different apps for diverse purposes can get challenging to manage. So, an easy way to get rid of this technical debt is the complete replacement of such apps. Enterprises can build their apps per their needs and either replace the current apps or add new features to the existing systems.
Develop a Secure Work Environment
Previously, there was no question of taking office data outside the workplace. However, mobile phone penetration has transformed workflows. Although unlimited access to all data can be a massive security risk, low-code development enables the IT department to create web-based apps that keep the data secure. The web apps are accessible from all devices without storing anything on the physical hardware. This makes the work environment more secure yet, accessible.
Provide the Same Experience Across Platforms
With a cross-platform strategy, CIOs guide low-code developers in creating a responsive design. With a responsive design, web apps can automatically adapt to any device and screen size. Thus, they can meet the demands for mobile apps without facing any security concerns.
Overcome Skill Barriers
It’s time for CIOs to address the skill gap in IT with the ever-evolving tech-scape. The competition is moving faster, and companies must deal with the shortage of pro-IT developers. This is where low-code software development can come to the rescue. Without an operational need to train developers, employees from all aspects of the business can come together to create software and applications. Instead of focusing on shortages, companies can work on their problem-solving abilities to grow better.
Leverage Good Data
Modern systems are generating more data than ever, but most companies are not utilizing it right. Low-code development can help businesses build dashboards, create reports, and perform data analytics without coding. This way, more departments can help themselves without waiting for approvals and reports from the IT team. They can leverage the good data by filtering out information individually, while the IT department controls the end process and user access.
Focus on Innovations
Low-code development saves time and resources that can later be put into innovative growth of the business. While every department can handle its basic software needs, IT can focus more on complex enhancements and technology adoption. Indeed, CIOs can accelerate business development with all-round solutions.
Future-Proof the Ecosystem
CIOs need to pay attention to flexible application architecture for future-proofing their ecosystem. Low-code development can assist here by building cloud-ready, flexible applications or even in-house applications that do not depend on any platform.
Driving Towards Success with Low-Code and Digital Transformation
The top CIOs do not consider low-code software development as a cultural change. They think of it more as a way to proliferate the involvement of developers (including citizen developers) in creating sustainable applications.
Low-code effectively fills the IT skill gap in the short run, but its long-term benefits outweigh the current gains. With efficacious tactics, CIOs can
- Reduce all barriers in app development
- Bring down the deployment time, and
- Generate more ROI
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