The Ultimate Guide on How to find a Low code/no code Platform for your Business

The Ultimate Guide on How to Find a Low code/No code Platform for your Business

With low-code and no-code development platforms, developers and non-technical users can create applications more quickly and cheaper than with traditional programming methods. See how to select the right low code or no code tool for the job.

With today’s low-code and no-code development platforms, teams of developers – and even non-programmers – can deliver, support, and develop a wide range of applications. They are used to build mobile apps, deliver customer experiences, streamline workflows, modernize legacy apps, automate data integrations, and support data visualizations, to name the most common uses.

The main selling points of low code development tools and no code are that they can be used successfully by less qualified developers and “users”; and that they can produce apps faster than using native SDKs ; and that they can produce apps for less money.

No-Code offers game-changing benefits

There are many benefits to a No-Code solution, the main one being that it allows a user to develop a complete application independent of other parts. It is important to understand all the benefits associated with a No-Code approach and examine how this solution can provide business users with security and increase productivity.

 

  • No waiting for developer resources

 

With no-code development, business users can handle many common applications on their own or with little IT support. Now, they no longer have to wait for the availability of developer resources.

 

  • Faster development at lower cost

 

No-Code allows you to reduce development time even more, to a couple of days in most cases. By not requiring the involvement of developers or a project manager, enterprise developers can iterate and build their own applications very quickly. Studies show that development time can be reduced by up to 80% with codeless development.

 

  • Update applications at the speed of business

 

As business requirements change, applications can quickly become obsolete as business needs evolve. Making even small functional changes to an existing application is complex and time-consuming in traditional development. A No-Code platform makes these changes quick and easy, allowing applications to evolve as fast as your business.

 

  • Replace shadow IT with enterprise IT

 

No-Code offers IT the ability to bring structure and sensible standards to the development of business users. When a company does not adopt a No-Code standard, business users will be tempted to introduce multiple SaaS solutions to help them manage their business processes. 

This can lead to an explosion of tools within the enterprise, problems with application security, and general difficulties in tracking data from multiple applications. Providing a platform that can be used to build the most common business applications helps eliminate the appearance of a shadow IT environment.

 

  • One product, multiple applications

 

Achieve significant cost savings by investing in a single product that will allow your organization to deploy multiple applications. You’ll also gain efficiency with single sign-on, sharing data between applications, and providing a consistent user interface while allowing divisions and departments to have their own branding.

 

Top low code and no-code development platforms

There were more than 400 no-code and low-code development vendors than the last time it was checked. Many of the vendors and some of the products cover several of the category definitions.

We’ve selected the following seven low-code and no-code development vendors as examples and listed them alphabetically. Please note that inclusion in this list is not a recommendation and exclusion is not a condemnation.

  • Alpha Software: Alpha Anywhere is an end-to-end, low code , rapid application development tool for desktop, web and hybrid mobile application development that is database oriented and can be used by developers with a variety of skills. Alpha TransForm is a low code tool ready for mobile forms development with offline features that include automatic synchronization when the connection is restarted.
  • Appian: Appian provides a codeless visual designer and low code tools for mobile and web application development with codeless enterprise data integration. Appian separately offers an automation platform for business process management (BPM) and robotic process automation (RPA)
  • Claris: Claris FileMaker is a low code development system for desktop, web and mobile application development that includes its own database. It features built-in templates, drag-and-drop design and an intuitive graphical user interface. Claris Connect is an automation platform built on the same core as FileMaker.
  • Mendix: Mendix Studio is a WYSIWYG browser- based development environment for user developers. Mendix Studio Pro is a desktop-based development environment that includes all the features needed for software development, including the ability to add custom code when needed. Mendix also offers an automation platform and a data hub.
  • Microsoft: Microsoft PowerApps is a low code app creator for Windows 10 that uses templates, drag-and-drop design, and PowerFx , an Excel-like programming language. Power Apps includes a language template that can generate PowerFx code from natural language descriptions. Professional developers can extend Power Apps with Azure roles and custom connectors. 
  • OutSystems: OutSystems lets you drag and drop visuals to create UIs , business processes, business logic and data models for your mobile and web apps and customize them with code as needed. It offers about 70 pre-built templates and patterns. OutSystems Forge contains thousands of pre-built code modules that you can place into your application and extend in the IDE (Integrated Development Environment) if you wish.
  • Salesforce: Salesforce Lightning is a low code drag and drop application development platform for the Salesforce platform. It can also connect to other applications and data. The Lightning App Builder allows business users to create applications and the Lightning web components help developers create reusable elements.

Final thoughts

We believe that large organizations should use both a Low-Code and a No-Code platform in their environment, as each addresses a different need and user group. Small and medium-sized businesses should, at a minimum, adopt a No-Code platform.

While there are many Low-Code/No-Code solutions available to businesses, No-Code solutions that enable business application development are hard to come by. Tigersheet was born out of that need. Our product offers a No-Code solution that enables users to develop enterprise grade applications in a simple and friendly way.

 

November 23, 2021 LCNC No comments yet
8 Essential Factors of Low-code/No code Software

8 Essential Factors of Low-code/No code Software

Everyone is talking about low-code development. There are many different platforms, allowing software more quickly and effectively than with traditional development methods to create.  

Forrester’s John Rymer wrote that low code has the potential to “make software development up to ten times faster than traditional methods.” When creating software, time to market can become one of the most important benefits for you.  

Regardless of the platform, you choose to use, there are a few rules that will help your company get the most out of low-code development. 

10 key elements to consider while opting for low code software : 

1. Get to know the platform and its possibilities. 

After you’ve decided on a low-code platform, make sure you and your team spend time learning about the platform. It is best to allow all team members, including business analysts and product owners, to invest time in exploring the platform. The time spent on this is not lost – it is well invested as it later increases the value of the solution. 

An example of this is when we gave our customers the opportunity to create a mobile app from a web application. Since the web application was built using responsive web design (RWD), it generated a hybrid mobile app that was usable with just a single click on Android and iOS. The customer was satisfied because the solution is used by more potential customers and the costs were very low. 

2. Avoid unnecessary personalization. 

One of the main advantages of low-code platforms is the predefined components. 

They are designed to be universal, but of course, not all of them will meet your business needs. In this case, you will need to customize or create your own components. This is probably time for development costs. If you are familiar with the predefined components, you can use these and shorten development time. In addition, the components can give you more value than you yourself at the beginning could imagine.   

3. Focus on the project’s business needs. 

Do you understand the general requirements to start a project? Discuss these with the team and try to identify similarities across the system, e.g. 30% of the application is a list view with a search function and a filter, etc. This way you can start the app development with a carefully chosen component that can be reused. 

4. Don’t overdo it with UX / Visual Design.  

Low-code platforms offer prepared UI libraries that can be used quickly and easily in projects. Their great advantage is that all of their components are consistent. 

From our experience, UX specialists and visual designers have a high priority at the beginning of the project, when the processes are defined in the software and when we discuss the first elements of the user interface. Over time, the support for these roles decreases significantly. After the first phase of the project, the low-code development team should already be familiar with the UX and visual design guidelines for the rest of the area and meet these requirements. 

There may be a situation later in the project where UX and visual design support is required. In this case, these experts can be asked to make a contribution.  

5. Product owners should be constantly engaged. 

Discuss this with your product Owner at the beginning of the project to emphasize how important their availability will be. 

Remember that communication between the development team and stakeholders must run smoothly in order to ensure success.

6. Get the solution tested as soon as possible. 

With the development speed of low-code, you can create functions very quickly. Normally, you have to present a demo of the completed work to your stakeholders. 

Occasionally, after testing, you have a list of changes that need to be implemented – and remember that the faster you can implement them, the more time-efficient your project will be. Nobody likes having to take into account changes during the user acceptance test phase at the end of the project, as this also entails other changes (domino effect). 

7. Ask for help from the low-code community

If you get stuck with your development, you can always ask for help on community pages. People who are active on such sites are enthusiastic about low-code platforms which means they may already have solved your problem and are ready to share the results. The low-code community also creates components that can be used to meet certain business needs. 

8. Remain positive.

If you have never tried the software with a low-code platform to develop, it can be a big change for you, your team, your customers and for the entire organization. Hence, you need to invest some time to get used to it first.

 Summary 

Market demand for software development will grow at least five times faster than IT in 2021. Low-code platforms were created to help companies increase the efficiency of development. However, to achieve its full potential, you need to be well prepared. Our toolkit is designed to help companies plan their software development strategies in advance and leverage best practices with little code, thereby reducing time to market. 

November 1, 2021 LCNC No comments yet
7 Reasons Why Low code is the Ideal Solution for Business

7 Reasons Why Low code is the Ideal Solution for Business

No-code/low-code technologies enable anyone, from non-technical users to IT experts, to develop or modify applications quickly and easily using functions, drag-and-drop, or other visual tools.

Businesses that use low-code have the advantage of implementing new processes or applications very quickly. This advantage allows them to stay ahead of the competition by anticipating market demands.

So here are seven reasons why any organization should care about low-code:

1. Shortage of developers

According to a Gartner study, by 2021, the market demand for application development will be five times the capacity of IT departments. 

In order to face this lack of IT skills, adopting low-code application development platforms is proving to be a good solution. They are faster and cheaper to customize in-house, and they don’t require a multitude of programmers. 

As mentioned above, they allow all the employees of the company, whatever their functions and whatever their level of technical knowledge, to become a “developer-citizen”. How? ‘Or’ What? Quite simply by providing a set of visual development tools.

Thus, each function can design and optimize specific applications necessary for the development of their activity. This way of working finally allows real collaboration between the business lines and IT.

2. Boost your productivity with low-code development

Low-code platforms help empower non-development teams within large companies to meet their own need for business applications without relying on or waiting for IT to deal with it. 

With these capabilities, employees without development skills or information science experience can build functional business applications with modern user interfaces that can be integrated into their core business systems. At the same time, these platforms allow IT developers to complete complex tasks faster and more efficiently, thus increasing productivity.

3. Low-code promotes continuous innovation

The adoption of a low-code platform and the agile method makes it possible to involve each employee in the entire development cycle.

Low-code even establishes a new digital development environment that encourages collaboration. This new collaborative mode is not only at the heart of the continuous development of applications but is above all a driving force for innovation.

4. Co-design of applications

A question arises: How to get IT departments  and “developer-citizens” to work together without coding? Quite simply by relying on visual models. Low-code platforms have easy-to-understand language and visuals that don’t require any technical knowledge. Thus the end user can directly enter their needs, make updates and integrate feedback in real time.

5. Reuse and scalability

Low-code applications evolve according to your business needs and with your digital transformation. They are always up to date, ready for deployment, and easily editable. By involving your business teams in the development process, the low-code approach eliminates

shadow IT risks and helps IT development teams ensure compliant application innovation and optimization. 

This operational scalability is all the more flexible as agile cloud-based platforms offer:

  • the choice of the cloud platform,
  • the possibility of switching from one cloud to another,
  • the use of a hybrid cloud.

6. Rapid deployment across all channels and devices

If you are developing an enterprise app, you will likely need to deploy it through different channels, such as the web, a mobile app, a chatbot, or an online self-service portal.

In such a context, the possibility of “reuse” of applications has undeniable and relevant advantages. This contributes to the productivity and consistency of the applications developed, ultimately facilitating meeting the expectations of the users. 

By combining a single, open and flexible low-code platform with an agile and iterative approach, companies can design fluid, coherent applications capable of operating across channels and devices quickly and consistently.

7. Your competitors have probably already adopted low-code

A recent survey by Frost & Sullivan found that 81% of companies surveyed already use a visual or low-code approach.

However, there is low-code and low-code! Some platforms still offer disparate environments that perpetuate a slide development approach, where business and IT departments continue to operate separately.

Others, on the other hand, offer new generation development environments that focus on providing tools adapted to the roles of each within the company. They combine visual and intuitive design experiences of the low-code type intended for “developer-citizens”.

Conclusion

Slow, expensive, and inefficient development methods are a thing of the past. Encourage your teams to collaborate and quickly build apps with low-code development platforms like Tigersheet and help your business excel at a faster rate.

 

 

September 21, 2021 LCNC No comments yet
8 Tough Questions to Ask Vendors Before Choosing a LCNC Platform

8 Tough Questions to Ask Vendors Before Choosing an LCNC Platform

A recent podcast published by Forrester revealed that companies are now under immense pressure to produce new products and services but at a lower cost.  They often rely on new generation software and services to get there. 

Low code and no-code platforms are a popular option over enterprise-grade applications for companies looking forward to scaling quickly. Since the infrastructure and building blocks are already pre-built in low code/no-code platforms, they tremendously speed the application development process. However, choosing a low code/no-code platform that meets the long-term needs of organizations can be challenging.

Given the myriad options available and an oversupply of information, the decision process can become challenging. That is why we decided to bring the most basic yet important questions you should consider asking vendors when choosing an LCNC platform for your business.

If you need to learn more about the features of the low-code market and the benefits you can get, take a pause and study one of the articles in our LCNC series “Low Code/No-Code Movement: Top Disruptive Trends to Look Forward in 2020 and Beyond.”

Now, let’s get down to the topic at hand.

1)What type of applications does the platform create? How customizable is the platform?

You need to know whether the applications created on the platform are stand-alone or if they need a subscription to run. Ideally, you want to create applications that can run independently without dependencies on the tool, to ensure they will work even if you move away from the platform.

It is equally important to question the levels of customizability that the apps developed on the platform will offer.

  • Will you be able to change, edit, add or remove steps in the workflow?
  • Will you be able to add or remove fields easily?
  • How fast can you do these customizations and deploy them for use?

Also, check on the possibility of white labeling if it’s important for you.

2) What skills are needed by employees of my company to use the platform

The business case for low-code/no-code software usually boils down to time and money savings. They let you deliver applications in less time, using fewer resources. They reduce the need for coding knowledge in the development process.

However, these benefits only apply if the platform has a low learning curve and doesn’t require additional technical skills.

Therefore, the question: What skills are needed to use the platform? How long will it take to get up and running? What technical knowledge will our developers (or citizen developers) need? These are all important questions to consider when calculating the ROI of the software.

3) Does the platform provide enough ready-made templates?

Be sure to check this out if your goal is to automate business processes. The fact is that ready-made templates and components significantly increase productivity, provide flexibility, and a comfortable development process.

4) How secure is the platform?

This is another important one from the questions CIOs must ask low-code no-code vendors. There has been a lot of debate about application security in low code and no code app development. But, the best ones do not take this for granted and incorporate security controls at every step. So, make sure you ask the vendor to go into the details. Ask about user authentication, secure data transmission, content privacy, user access control, encryption of data, and anti-theft measures. 

5) Does the platform make it easier to create, share, and consume APIs? What are its integration capabilities?

Chances are, you don’t want to create apps that operate independently of your existing systems. Integration is a critical part of any low-code/no-code tool.

This question will give you an insight into whether you can use open APIs to integrate seamlessly and if you can integrate the apps you develop on the platform with other apps on the platform or 3rd party systems. At the end of the day, you don’t want another piece of software working in a silo.

6) Can I use other products in tandem with the platform? Are there any limitations to the types of applications I can create?

The main criterion when selecting an LCNC platform is its flexibility and openness, hence it is equally vital to understand what limitations does the platform offer. You shouldn’t get locked-in or dependent on the platform. A “lock-in” further includes different aspects, from the creation of standalone applications, data access, and control, to open-source or proprietary code generated. When examining the platform, you need to approach the answer to this question from several angles.

7) Are there any hidden costs in the licensing structure? What is the pricing?

One of the main aspects when selecting an LCNC platform is pricing. There is no standard, one-size-fits-all licensing structure, and hidden costs could increase your budgeted cost. To be certain you know what you pay for, you need to know the type of charge by vendors such as the fee for end-user seats, developer seats, run-time, distribution, and maintenance fee. Some platforms also provide standard email support included in the cost.

8) What does the customer support service entail? Is training provided?

It is very important that the low-code platform provides proper technical support. Read reviews about the platform. Here they often mention the quality of the platform’s support. Your employees will learn how to develop applications on this platform. That’s why it’s vital that the platform provides training programs.

Conclusion

When choosing a low-code/no-code vendor, it’s important to:

  • Pay attention to how it has proven itself and whether it has a developed network of partners and integrators.
  • Follow trends in the industry and see what’s suggested about the years to come. Reports from Gartner and Forrester can also be an irreplaceable help. 
  • Explore cutting-edge reports, reviewing authoritative feedback, and taking advantage of the trial period to work with the platform can help. When choosing a suitable low-code development platform, consider the needs of your business. A functionality that is ideal for one company may be useless in another.

These are just a few questions to ask about low-code platforms, but the list could be much longer.

Tigersheet is a no-code platform that helps managers automate business tasks by creating applications at drastically reduced costs and lightning speed.  Start your free trial now and experience the difference yourself.




December 20, 2020 General, LCNC No comments yet
Low-Code-No-Code-Terms

Low Code-No Code Jargon: 10 Key Industry Terms Explained for Everyone! (Not Just for Developers)

If you have ever run a few searches in the domain of organizational digitization, there are high chances that you would have come across low code and no-code platforms. While the technology is booming and seems quite interesting, it can be a bit overwhelming place to start without context and a brief understanding of some of the key low-code no-code terms surrounding this technology.

For those who are curious readers, tech-buffs, or technology enthusiasts without any prior technical background, comprehending the no-code/low-code industry shouldn’t be like cracking a cipher.  On this note, we bring here 10 common terms you should know to help you navigate the no-code/low-code space at ease:

NO-CODE

“No code” or “no-code platforms” are application development platforms that can be built and customized with zero programming experience. No-code platforms often feature intuitive, drag-n-drop interfaces that allow non-coders to quickly build and run business applications. No code and “low code” are often featured together in articles, but refer to platforms with different technical competency requirements.

Read more: Demystifying the Difference: Low Code vs. No Code and How to Decide Which One Is Right for You?

LOW-CODE

“Low code” or “low-code platforms” are application development platforms that require or offer the ability to build new code into the platform as part of creating business applications. These platforms are especially suitable for people who want to go beyond out-of-the-box solutions to create more complex, sophisticated business processes. Both technical-minded business users and developers can utilize a low-code platform (although programming language requirements may vary by platform). Many no-code platforms have built-in low-code capabilities, making them accessible to both non-technical and technical users.

Read More: Dispelling 5 Misconceptions Around Low Code: It’s Time to Let Them Go!

AGILE/AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Agile development is a set of processes for creating software that includes being creative and flexible in software development. This means that the code is kept simple, is tested often, and, instead of waiting for everything to be finished, incremental but functional parts of the software are released as soon as they are ready. These modules are functional and will be able to help users do some work

Why Agile Development is Important in IT?

Businesses today have different needs, and because of the ever-changing demands coming from new technologies and customers, you need to be very flexible in addressing these needs and demands. Agile development allows you to bring a quality and functional product more quickly. And because agile development puts more focus on individuals and their ideas rather than tools and processes, it creates a better understanding between IT and business leaders.

CITIZEN DEVELOPERS

“Citizen developer” is relatively a novice term coined by Gartner, a global research firm that specializes in technology-related research. According to Gartner, “A citizen developer is a user who creates new business applications for consumption by others using development and runtime environments sanctioned by corporate IT.” Specifically for the no-code/low-code sphere, citizen developers are the business users creating business apps for themselves or their company.

More to Know:

“In a general sense, this developer is not a professional developer who is paid to code applications, but an “amateur.”

Citizen developers usually have no formal training or even an educational background in computer science.  Surprisingly, these developers often work in a management or supervisory role — not in the professional developer job role that we would think. Many have limited experience and knowledge outside self-taught application and coding used for specific platforms, but they are savvy computer users.

Over time the meaning has changed and is used in a much broader context. For example, some may use the phrase citizen developer to mean any person (with or without formal developer education and job training) who creates the apps outside traditional workplace IT channels.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

While Gartner did not coin the term digital transformation, their heavy influence in the space of no-code and low-code software has greatly influenced its meaning.

‘Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new — or modify existing — business processes, culture, and customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements. This reimagining of business in the digital age is digital transformation.’

Digital transformation runs anywhere from the corner shop using mobile payment methods to a new website for an organization that tracks the usage of the customers. It doesn’t need to be of a certain standard, but it is the process in which the focus is turned towards making the customer’s journey easier and how value can be delivered more efficiently. There is space for digital transformation in each business unit of an enterprise and each step of a supply chain, all to make collaboration and efficiency of an organization better. No-code and low-code platforms help encourage making these changes as they make the shift easier, faster, and more affordable.

More to Know: A key element of digital transformation is understanding the potential of your technology. Again, that doesn’t mean asking “How much faster can we do things the same way?” It means asking “What is our technology really capable of, and how can we adapt our business and processes to make the most of our technology investments?”

A Real-Life Example: Before Netflix, people chose movies to rent by going to stores and combing through shelves of tapes and discs in search of something that looked good. Now, libraries of digital content are served upon personal devices, complete with recommendations and reviews based on user preferences.

Streaming subscription-based content directly to people’s TVs, computers, and mobile devices was an obvious disruption to the brick-and-mortar video rental business. Embracing streaming also led to Netflix looking at what else it could do with the available technology. That led to innovations like a content recommendation system driven by artificial intelligence.

BUSINESS PROCESS AUTOMATION (BPA)

It is a technology that streamlines business processes thus eliminating the need to perform repetitive manual tasks. This helps the workforce to restructure time to more important issues when routine work is completed in much lesser time through automation.

Read more: 5 Tedious Business Tasks & Processes You Must Automate in 2020

ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION(RPA)

RPA is an application that automates business processes through structured inputs and logic. It takes care of the routine and repetitive tasks that are usually time-consuming and monotonous e.g. generating insurance premium receipts every time an insurance premium is paid against an insurance policy. With RPA in place, you will be able to focus on other important tasks in the business process.

However, RPA is not a deep-rooted answer. It is a basic fix for repetitive tasks and low-level events that require the use of a mouse or keyboard functions. It only works to get things done faster and save human effort.

CLOUD DEPLOYMENT

Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage (cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. The data is stored on cloud (public, private, or hybrid) and the vendor takes care of the security and uptime. Businesses do not need to spend on additional infrastructure, resources, or data privacy within their own premises. It is a service that takes care of it all in one shot. You also do not need physical space because everything is on the cloud.

One of the highlights here is that you can get cloud computing solutions specific to your business needs. You won’t be paying extra for space or services that you do not use.

Also Read: The Power of SaaS: How Subscription Software can help you reduce costs and drive value

Why is No-Code/Low-code Development Important?

The digital curve is inevitable in any business. Every organization is feeling the need to up their efficiency and shift to the digital way of life. No-code and low-code platforms allow business users in these functions to unlock the hidden potential, automate processes, and build applications without overburdening the IT department.

Low code/No-Code platform is the future of application development for one simple reason- It is a faster, easier, and more efficient use of time.

It doesn’t matter whether developers are on-board with this change or not- it is inevitable because it’s the path of least resistance, and as the demand for low code platforms continues to grow, businesses & developers will find themselves rising to meet it.

Want to Learn More?

Be sure to check out some of the other blogs on Tigersheet if you want to learn more about what you can accomplish using no-code and low-code platforms. If you are ready to take the next step forward in No Code, feel free to take a free trial of Tigersheet here. We have a multitude of features and an ample support system that will help you through the process.

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July 19, 2020 LCNC No comments yet