Faced with lengthening development times, IT budgets under pressure and a shortage of qualified developers, is your company looking to accelerate its digital transformation?

Low-code platforms are emerging as a promising solution to these challenges. At a time when many IT departments are reporting delays in their digitalization projects, these technologies enable applications to be developed much more quickly than with traditional methods.

In this article, we explore how low-code platforms can transform your approach to application development. You’ll discover why more and more organizations are turning to these tools to quickly create high-performance business applications, without requiring in-depth programming expertise.

Whether you’re a Digital Director looking to optimize your IT resources or a business manager looking to digitize your processes, this analysis will help you determine whether low code represents a strategic opportunity for your organization.

What is low code?

The concept of a low-code platform is not new, but it is now enjoying a significant revival. At the time, it was referred to as fourth-generation language or model-driven visual development. The aim of low code and no code is simple: to dispense as far as possible with the use of a computer language to produce software.

This approach responds to a major change in the professional landscape: over the past 20 years, more and more people have been trained in IT and web use. This new generation of specialists does not necessarily have advanced software development skills, but they do have the know-how to design and model IT tools adapted to their business needs.

The advantages of this approach are multiple. In particular, it offers the opportunity to rapidly create business applications that can replace existing tools such as Excel. Although Excel already enables a form of low-code development via its macros and scripts, the applications thus created often lack the ergonomics and robustness required for large-scale professional use.

With the low-code approach, you can simply drag-and-drop to produce tools that are adapted and pleasant to use. This visual development method enables users to create mobile and web applications without writing a single line of code, making development accessible to a much wider audience.

How do low-code platforms meet business needs?

Today’s managers can no longer afford to wait several months for new software: they need operational solutions quickly to stay competitive. It is precisely this need for rapid development that low-code platforms address.

These tools have been designed to enable rapid prototyping and deployment of applications without the need for a dedicated IT team. In just a few weeks, someone with no programming expertise can create a functional application meeting specific business needs.

The main aim of this approach is to facilitate the modeling and automation of business processes. In this way, low-code platforms considerably accelerate application development, while reducing associated costs and dependence on limited technical resources.

Numerous vendors now offer high-performance low-code tools. Microsoft Power Apps, Oracle APEX, OutSystems and Mendix are among the most popular solutions. These low-code development platforms offer advanced features for creating mobile and web applications compatible with all operating systems, representing a credible alternative to traditional software development methods.

What are the benefits of low-code platforms for your organization?

The adoption of low-code platforms significantly accelerates the digitization of business processes. Whereas in the past, only critical processes benefited from dedicated applications due to development costs and delays, these platforms democratize access to digitization for all departments.

Within organizations, a great deal of data is still managed in Excel files of varying degrees of sophistication. While these files offer a certain degree of flexibility, they have significant limitations in terms of security, traceability and collaboration.

A low-code platform like Oracle APEX, coupled with a robust database, enables you to quickly build secure web applications to professionally collect, share and analyze this data. With Oracle APEX’s new features, you can even transform your existing applications by adding advanced capabilities.

Strategic advantages for your company

Low-code platforms offer several strategic advantages that deserve the attention of decision-makers:

1. Accelerating digital transformation: low-code platforms enable you to rapidly digitize processes that would otherwise remain manual or managed via generalist tools, accelerating your overall digital transformation.
2. Reduced shadow IT: By giving business teams the means to create their own applications within a controlled framework, you reduce the risk of proliferation of solutions not approved by the IT department.
3. Optimization of IT resources: your professional developers can concentrate on complex projects requiring their expertise, while simpler needs are handled by business users via low code.
4. Greater agility and responsiveness: The ability to rapidly develop and modify applications enables your organization to adapt more quickly to market developments and customer needs.
5. Lower development costs: Rapid application development via low-code platforms can significantly reduce costs compared with traditional methods.

Operational benefits for your teams

At the operational level, business teams also benefit from numerous advantages:

1. Increased autonomy: Business users can create and modify their own tools without having to depend on IT teams, enabling them to create solutions perfectly tailored to their needs.
2. Process fluidity: The applications created can automate repetitive tasks and optimize workflows, freeing up time for higher value-added activities.
3. Optimized user interface: modern low-code platforms offer intuitive, customizable user interfaces that enhance the user experience compared with generic tools.
4. Enhanced collaboration: the applications developed generally facilitate information sharing and collaboration between teams, improving overall productivity.
5. Rapid iteration: Changes and enhancements can be implemented quickly based on user feedback, enabling continuous improvement of the tools.

What are the limits of low code?

Despite their many advantages, low-code platforms have certain limitations that should be taken into account in your strategic thinking:

1. Limited customization: For very specific needs or complex functionalities, low-code platforms can reach their limits in terms of customization.
2. Platform dependency: The applications we create are generally tied to the platform used, which can create long-term dependency on the publisher.
3. Performance: For applications requiring high performance or handling very large volumes of data, low-code development may not be as optimized as traditional development.
4. Governance and security: The massive adoption of low code requires a solid governance framework to prevent the uncontrolled proliferation of applications and guarantee data security.
5. Skills training: Although more accessible than traditional programming, low-code tools still require training and support for users.

Complementarity between IT teams and business users

The emergence of low-code platforms does not mean the end of traditional development teams. On the contrary, it paves the way for a new form of collaboration between IT and business. Professional developers will continue to play a crucial role, but their focus will shift to higher value-added tasks:

1. Architecture and governance: Define the overall architecture and development standards to guarantee application consistency and security.
2. Complex component development: Create customized components that can be reused by business users in their low-code applications.
3. Advanced integrations: Manage complex integrations with existing systems that go beyond the platforms’ native capabilities.
4. Support and expertise: Helping business users use low-code platforms and intervening on complex technical issues.

This complementarity between low-code platforms and traditional development optimizes resource allocation while accelerating the company’s digital transformation.

Towards an effective low-code strategy: our recommendations

To take full advantage of low-code platforms in your organization, we recommend a structured approach:

1. Identify priority use cases: Start by identifying the business processes that would benefit most from rapid digitization using low-code tools.
2. Select the right platform: Evaluate the different low-code platforms available on the market according to your specific needs, your existing technical ecosystem and your budgetary constraints.
3. Set up a center of excellence: create a cross-functional team combining IT and business skills to support the deployment of your low-code strategy.
4. Define a governance framework: Establish clear rules for the development, security, maintenance and evolution of applications created via low-code platforms.
5. Train and support users: Invest in training and support for business users to maximize their autonomy and the quality of the applications developed.
6. Measure results: Define performance indicators to assess the impact of your low-code strategy on productivity, costs and user satisfaction.

Conclusion: Low code as a gas pedal of your digital transformation

Low-code platforms represent a major opportunity for organizations wishing to accelerate their digital transformation while optimizing their resources. By enabling business users to create their own applications, these platforms democratize application development and reduce the pressure on often overburdened IT teams.

This trend is supported by the constant evolution of platforms, which are becoming increasingly powerful and accessible. For example, Oracle APEX now offers features that simplify validation processes in your applications, making them even more intuitive to use.

At SQORUS, we help our customers adopt and implement low-code platforms to accelerate their digital transformation. Our approach combines technical expertise and business understanding to help you define and deploy a low-code strategy tailored to your specific needs. Contact us to discuss your project and find out how we can help you.

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