Why Low-code and No-code Just Doesn’t Cut it in Software Development
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Gartner recently estimated that by 2025, “70% of new applications developed by enterprises will use no-code or low-code technologies (up from less than 25% in 2020)”. ?
This is a mindboggling statistic considering that just a decade or so ago, there were only a handful of these platforms in existence. But why is the software industry turning to these automated solutions anyway?
Well, it’s simple, low-code and no-code platforms promise to eliminate the dependency on professional developers and therefore open up the software application market to just about anyone with an idea… AND… that all-important thing in any business… to reduce costs too.?
Indeed, many of these companies make their software-building platforms so easy to use that you could be forgiven if you believed that a 10-year old child could build the next great software application.?
Unfortunately, the dream they are selling is not the reality. In this article, we are going to examine why these software solutions simply don’t cut the mustard when it comes to creating apps for today’s users and why they actually will end up costing you far more in the long run.?
Let’s jump straight in and examine the reasons why.
1. Low-code and no-code development platforms don’t allow you to create applications that “stand out from the crowd”
Traditional software development has significant advantages over low-code and no-code solutions since you can create just about any product using the latest technologies and incorporating the latest trends.
What you need: Software applications that “stand out of the crowd”
Do you want to build a new application to help your organization get out in front of the competition? Your aims could be anything from creating a new application to help you automate existing processes or to help you to expand your customer base.??
No matter what your aims, you need to offer a great deal of “value” vs. your competitors.
In the case of software applications, “value” can mean anything from a cutting-edge user interface to advanced features that no one else offers. I.e. For enterprise apps like business process management software, efficiency and integration might constitute value.
Each of the above examples requires you to take a tailored development approach. The cookie-cutter approach that is offered by low-code and no-code solutions simply doesn’t work. Why? Well, because they are limited in the templates, functionalities that they offer. More importantly, still is the fact that anything they do offer is open to anyone, so everyone can develop what you are developing. I will cover this important point more in just a second.
If you doubt this point then do the research and try to find a single enterprise company that has used such a solution and not used professional software developers when it comes to innovation.
No code or low code applications don’t offer diversity
When you build an application using the drag-and-drop tools of a no-code platform, you are building apps to limited standardized parameters. Such a platform that allows for the creation of a ‘drag-and-drop’ UI can only support a limited number of features and can't look that different from anything else build on that platform.
Low code apps can’t offer much in the way of customization capabilities either. No code and low code development platforms use rigid templates that are available to all. You can’t offer any advanced features or differentiated capabilities, which makes it hard to stand out from the crowd.
No wonder the top developers don’t use low code platforms to innovate, despite the hype associated with them.?
Solution: Write custom code to develop apps using full-time developers
When you create custom applications with professional developers, you don’t have to deal with the above-mentioned constraints. The reasons are as follows:
Let’s put it in plain and simple terms. You cannot build a cutting-edge software product with a no-code and low-code solution, you need professional software developers.?
2. Low-code and no-code development platforms make software development asset management significantly harder
Low-code and no-code development platforms can adversely impact asset management. You would not believe the number of companies who have come to us in the past for help rescuing their failing projects that were the result of poor asset management, including infrastructure decisions.?
What you need: A robust software development asset management process
You need to implement a bullet-proof asset management process in your company. It should allow for a thorough accounting of all assets including hardware, commercial software, and business apps.
This is doubly important if you are working in an industry that requires applications to meet stringent regulatory requirements, i.e. healthcare, financial, etc. Companies in these industries need to ensure their assets comply with these requirements.?
Indeed, since most applications these days incorporate some form of payment processing gateway, all that do are required to ensure the security of these functions or be at risk of criminal prosecution.?
An effective and efficient asset management process helps you to ensure that you don’t make mistakes and can ensure the security of your application. It helps companies to quickly and effectively apply security patches too.?
3. Applications created using low-code and no-code platforms will likely have security vulnerabilities
Following on from the above point, you can mitigate data security and privacy risks far better with professional developers than low code/no-code platforms.
What you need: A comprehensive software development approach that enables you to meet security and compliance requirements
Data breaches are far more common than you might think. Just do a quick search on “Facebook Data Breach” and you will find out just how common.?
This inevitably means that regulatory scrutiny will only increase as time goes on. You need to be in control of data security and all the privacy aspects of your applications. This requires the following:
Low-code and no-code platforms might leave security vulnerabilities
This is a very important point. You never know whether a low-code or no-code platform uses outdated software components. If it does, then the software component doesn’t have the necessary security patches, etc.
Does the low-code or no-code platform that you have chosen manage security patches even for up-to-date software components? You might never know this and that your application is compromised.?
You also don’t know whether the low code/no code vendor has tested its platform for security vulnerabilities.?
In the worst-case scenario, what if your vendor platform changes its pricing model and forces you onto a less well covered and cheaper plan or shuts down operations altogether? The result is that you will have software that hasn’t received the security patches and is therefore vulnerable.
Why take this risk?
领英推荐
Design and implement your own data security and privacy solutions
Hire a competent architect with experience in designing application security solutions. Factor in tools and technologies like hybrid cloud, encryption, digital signature, AI/ML-powered cybersecurity solutions, secure API gateways, user access management tools, and authentication, etc.
Hire competent developers with the experience of preventing application security vulnerabilities. Use DevSecOps methods, tools, and practices to ensure compliance and security testing. Take charge of data security instead of leaving it in the hands of low code/no code platforms.
4. Professional developers help you to navigate complexities and roadblocks that low-code and no-code platforms can’t
You need a software development practice with a holistic view of complexities. Having a competent team can give you that view, therefore, you can navigate any complexities better, whether foreseen or unforeseen Low-code or no-code platforms simply can’t provide that view.
Take the example of developing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) based application. Coding thousands of lines might not be the pressing need here.
You can use a Python library like Scikit-learn. These include tired and tested implementations of popular ML algorithms. This means that you wouldn’t need to develop an ML algorithm from scratch.
The complexity of a project like this actually lies in creating and refining the ML model. You might have made assumptions, and you need to validate them using the model. Analysis of the ML model might indicate that your assumptions were wrong. Alternatively, they might indicate that you need to prepare your data better, etc.
Low code platforms like Microsoft Power Apps focus on generating code for specific functionalities. Rapid Application Development platforms like Power Apps can’t assess the complexity of an ML project that likely includes many unknowns. That’s true with other low-code platforms too.
Again, do the research and you will soon find that every single cutting-edge AI application has been made with developers and not low-code and no-code platforms.??
You need experienced architects to judge the complexity of a project involving cutting-edge technologies. This is why you need experienced developers to navigate any such complexities.
5. No-code and low-code development platforms can’t keep pace with the demands of cutting-edge technologies
I believe that low-code and no-code platforms will one day have enormous promise, especially 10 years+ in the future. However, one rule of thumb is never going to change - they can’t handle the complexities of cutting-edge technologies.
Take the example of blockchain. Smart contract development is a key aspect of blockchain development projects. Smart contracts can automate contract administration with their transparency, autonomy, immutability, and irreversibility.
However, you need to deploy bug-free smart contracts. Recovering from smart contract bugs can be enormously disruptive and challenging. Avoiding smart contract bugs requires preventing errors like reentrancy, access control issues, arithmetic issues, and unchecked return values for low-level calls.
Low code platforms can’t help you with this. And while they might be able to in 5 to 10 years from now, by that time blockchain won't be cutting-edge technology, and the service they offer will be available to everyone.?
Once again, you need experienced developers if you want to utilize cutting-edge technologies.?
6. Low-code no-code platforms can expose you to the risk of vendor lock-in
Numerous no-code and low-code application platforms try to create a “vendor lock-in” situation. Their aim is to ensure that you stay with them while they bump up the prices and make more and more money from you.?
What you need: Complete control over code so that you can maintain and enhance it easily
You will likely need to frequently maintain and enhance your code. Therefore, you must have complete control over the code. You, therefore, need access to the code repository. Furthermore, you need intellectual property rights over your code.
Some no code and low code solutions involve the risk of vendor lock-in
There are many no-code and low-code platforms, and their business models vary. One low code development platform might give you complete access to the code without any conditions. Another low code platform might allow you to modify code only via its platform. You can’t access the raw code.
Some low code tools might allow you to access the code repository, however, they might impose other constraints. E.g., these low code development platforms might generate highly convoluted code. You can’t maintain or enhance it easily even if you have access to the code repository. These constraints create a situation of vendor lock-in.
7. Hard to Find a Great Developer
Can you believe that in 2022, where the global software industry accounts for a large and growing number of the biggest companies in the world, the vast majority of companies cannot find a decent software developer??
Well, quite unbelievably, a recent study found that 82% of organizations can’t attract and retain the quality and quantity of software engineers. The study found that this is one of the primary reasons why so companies are turning to low-code no-code solutions in the first place.?
Given the disadvantages I have outlined above, it seems tragic that so many companies are being forced to risk their potentially world-changing ideas because there they are not able to find the right developers.?
This is precisely why so many are now taking the most logical approach and turning to hybrid software companies to outsource their full-time developers to help them to fill the gaps in expertise that they need.?
Indeed, an increasing percentage of our new clients are now engaging our software developers for this precise reason.?
The older model where software development companies take on the whole project development themselves is becoming increasingly redundant. Today, client companies are increasingly realizing that if they are able to get hold of the right personnel, with minimal hiring lead-in times, they are able to do much of the project management in-house.?
Seeing this shift is why I developed our unique agile software development process in order to tailor it to allow our clients to quickly and effectively incorporate any number of our developers into their existing teams.?
Since all of our developers are full-time with our company, not only can clients be assured of the quality that they are getting but we can also match the right developers to the project in a matter of a day or so. They are then free to offload them whenever they see fit, meaning maximum flexibility and most effective cost per hour vs. hiring the worker on a full-time basis with their company.??
As all of our 1200+ developers are fully trained on our agile development process, they are able to confidently get up to full steam in no time, without any risk of conflicting approaches, etc.
By offering a much more advantageous alternative to the flawed low-code and no-code solution I believe that companies that are serious about their software will increasingly turn away from the temptations of trying to save money through the use of these automation tools and will increasingly turn back to software developers to help them build their next great applications.?
While the use of low-code and no-code will increase as more and more companies try to use them to build basic applications, companies wishing to build the best will continue to rely on software developers.?
What do you think of what I have said? Do you agree or disagree? If so, what do you think??
The field of no-code and low-code applications is a very contentious one since companies want to save money and speed up development as much as possible. This means there is a great deal of want or support for these solutions to succeed, hence they have many supporters. If you think that low-code and no-code solutions are the future then tell us why. Look forward to reading your comments.?