Accelerate digital transformation with low-code, no-code platforms. Core Technologies for Digital Transformation: From RPA to Cloud explores the benefits and implementation strategies of digital transformation (Industry 4.0, DT, DX, Digital Transformation) with a second low-code/no-code platform. It shows how non-developers can easily build apps and web systems.
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Understanding the basics of low-code, no-code platforms
Another way to get started with DX quickly is to utilize a low-code/no-code development (LCNC) platform. Think of it as a kind of website builder. A website builder allows you to create a basic website without having to be an expert in web development and design, just by plugging your content into the templates provided. Low-code platforms make it easy to create mobile apps instead of websites.
While RPA automates work processes or reduces repetitive tasks, low-code platforms help you create apps or web systems without specialized development knowledge. So, just as individual departments or individuals can create RPAs, if you have an app that doesn’t have a lot of users but you need it, you can easily create it using a low-code platform. These microservices can be used anywhere, on PC or mobile.
Development efficiency and benefits of low-code platforms
Low-code platforms allow developers to build systems by assembling them like Lego blocks instead of writing all the source code, which can dramatically reduce development time. When you think of system development, you might think of a long period of time, but with a low-code platform, you can ship an application in a matter of days or weeks and quickly get feedback to make changes and modifications.
Of course, there are limitations in terms of freedom because it is a way to combine standardized templates like blocks. However, the short development time reduces labor costs, and with a little training, people in the field can create their own apps. In general, if you are a citizen developer and can automate your own work know-how using Excel macros, you can develop using low-code. Low-code development also reduces development resources because fewer mistakes can be made by entering less program code.
Staffing and scope of low-code platforms for digital transformation
Another advantage of low-code platforms is that they are relatively easy to staff. Hiring a developer or two in the IT department of a traditional company that doesn’t specialize in IT can be very difficult. Combine that with the recent shortage of IT talent, and you’ve got a real problem. In this environment, low-code platforms offer a lot of flexibility in the supply and demand of developers. You don’t need to be a super-skilled developer to produce more than the basics.
Specific examples and representative platforms for leveraging low-code platforms
Let’s get a little more specific about where you might want to use a low-code platform. Whereas RPA is about automating processes, low-code platforms are useful for creating company systems, such as a bulletin board of sorts, where you enter data into a specific form and edit it. In development, this is often referred to as CRUD (write, read, modify, delete), and you can think of it as a tool that makes it easy to implement.
It’s also useful for creating microservices by connecting to different data sources. In some cases, like a bulletin board, you can create a result without any data, but in many cases, you need to integrate with various systems within your company. There are many solutions on the market that allow you to do this, so it’s getting easier and easier to develop microservices that pull employee information from your HR system or specific data from your ERP to perform specific functions.
What are some low-code platforms? One example is Microsoft’s Power Apps. In addition to integrating with Microsoft products, Power Apps’ data visualization tool, Power BI, and RPA program, Power Automate, can be flexibly integrated with data from over 350 partners, including SAP and Salesforce. Then there’s ServiceNow. It is a more flexible platform than Microsoft Power Apps and has the advantage that it can be adopted alongside digital transformation of existing systems such as ITSM (IT Service Management).
Other top global low-code platforms include OutSystems and Symantec’s Mendix. OutSystems is more low-code in nature and has significant advantages, such as productivity in web front page development. On the other hand, Siemens’ Mendix has a lot of flexibility, including the ability to include some Java code, which is a bit of a departure from the low-code nature of the platform. We’ll talk more about the pros and cons of each platform in another post.
Low-code platforms, like digital tools, have the advantage of making it simple to create systems for your business that you use every day and can easily be modified as needed. More importantly, however, is the ability to identify the different needs of each organization across the enterprise and figure out how to quickly transform them digitally. Along the way, it’s important to gradually spread a digital culture within the organization. This is a very important driving force for continuous DX.