Is it possible to run a business today without technology? It’s practically impossible. It doesn’t matter the size or type of business, there’s a ubiquitous need for simple, practical software that streamlines business processes and improves day-to-day operations while attracting users and serving clients/customers. Small businesses, specifically, have unique technology-related needs and challenges, as well as new opportunities.
The No-Code Approach
The writing is on the wall: more businesses are adopting no code as a practical alternative to standard software development. As the name suggests, no-code application development involves building applications without having to write code. The no-code platform mostly fulfills the needs of business people or those in IT who may not be familiar with programming languages.
Everyone has ideas, whether the idea is for a new product or an improvement to the existing product. Sometimes the ideas are excellent. When a non-technical person has an idea, they will generally run into a few obstacles, and one of those obstacles is development. No-code development uses a visual development environment to allow coders and non-technical users to build applications through drag-and-drop, visual development.
Said Ilan Sredni, CEO & President of Palindrome Consulting in South Florida, ”No-code programming has changed the barriers of entry in application development and data analytics. With very little knowledge of programming languages, savvy users are not able to access no-code tools that help them develop solutions for their business.”
”There is very low maintenance with no-code programming as well, so there is no back office team needed. There is very little training required and most of the no-code platforms allow you to test for free. The only issue I see is taking on projects that are too large. I would recommend starting with smaller projects and then possibly tying them together”, added Sredni.
Addressing Business Challenges with a No-Code Platform
In this digital landscape, it’s impossible for a business to achieve its business objectives without a full array of applications to support internal functions. Unfortunately, many businesses are struggling to provide their employees with the tools they need.
These great challenges that businesses are facing can be attributed to a few obstacles:
- Lack of capacity – Internal IT teams are overwhelmed and don’t have the bandwidth to maintain the same pace as the internal demand for custom applications.
- Static or reduced budget – IT teams and entire IT departments are often unable to afford necessary apps or bring in experts to create the tools they need.
- Outdated systems – While there is an obvious need to modernize out-of-date systems, extracting them from business processes and replacing them with fast-moving digital systems can cause disruption and be expensive.
- Talent shortage and/or Skills Gap – Non-technical users often lack the skills and experience that are needed to build apps that require code.
Acquiring the right tools enables your employees to obtain the most value from data, improve efficiency, improve productivity, reduce manual processes, and increase overall speed.
Advantages of a No-Code Platform
What are the benefits of a no-code platform in terms of business? Time savings, cost savings, and a comprehensive approach are only a few advantages of developing mission-critical applications using a no-code platform. No-code is great if you need a simple application to solve an individual business or department issue, and you don’t want to wait for an IT expert to build and deliver it five months from now.
No-code platforms can address the challenges listed above. No-code capabilities enable developers to work faster and more efficiently. For non-developers, no-code tools give them the ability to build, use, and make modifications to apps that fulfill their growing needs. No-code platforms give business users the ability to address a unique need without putting off IT from business-critical development projects.
No-code platforms do not require a substantial amount of training, so anyone in your organization can build an app. ”The learning curve is less than learning how to code in other languages. However, do not underestimate it. Once up to speed, no-code solutions are not necessarily quicker to code than an experienced full stack developer. Especially since a lot of HTML/code can be copied and reused”, said Mark Veldhoff, CEO & Owner of Envizion IT in West Michigan.
Disadvantages of a No-Code Platform
One of the disadvantages of no-code is that it can result in Shadow IT. Shadow IT consists of any application, program, or system without approval or oversight from the IT department. As expected, this can lead to security concerns, compliance issues, integration challenges, applications that use too many resources, and added expenses. Said Veldhoff, ”No-code development apps are not fully functional web applications. There are many limitations to how you can turn data and present data. Most no-code solutions only allow you to present 1 table at a time. So building a report with multiple datasets on it is a no-go, and it’s slow.”
“In its current state, it’s very limited and overall, and the development experience is not beneficial. There are many ways to outsource this work and get more for your investment”, added Veldhoff.
When Should You Use No-Code?
The demand for app development will eventually surpass IT’s capacity to deliver. A significant portion of a business’s IT budget is allocated to the ongoing maintenance of legacy systems, which leaves little wiggle room for innovation, process development, and new applications.
No-code platforms enable users with no IT skills to create new apps without the need to involve the IT department. This allows business users to arm themselves with new tools and skills while being engaged and empowered to place workflow automation in their hands.
More and more businesses are using no-code development to expedite tasks, improve business productivity, improve business efficiency, and reduce expenses. Said Veldhoff, ”When should you use no-code? Data entry and light data manipulation. Think of it as a smart form. You can build better logic into your forms using no-code solutions. You can pull data from SQL easily, but don’t try to build an app with it.”
No-code platforms enable businesses to tackle emerging needs with swiftness. No-code platforms help businesses solve business problems, enhance workplace collaboration and productivity, achieve mission-critical objectives, and gain a competitive edge.
