What are low-code and no-code applications ?
Low-code/no-code platforms allow users to entirely create applications via with a visual/graphic interface.
This differs radically from the traditional method of writing thousands of lines of code, which is a much more time-consuming, complex and resource-intensive process.
In companies that do not have the time nor the technical knowledge to build tailor-made softwares to match their needs, low-code and no-code platforms facilitate the creation of applications that are as close as possible to business needs.
What is low-code?
To put it simply, low-code platforms are low design applications that allow the user to build applications quickly and with minimum hand-coding. How ? By dragging and dropping visual blocks of existing code into a workflow to create applications.
You can see it as shortcuts to build an application faster than with the traditional approach of hand-coding.
In fact, skilled developers can work in a smarter and faster way with low-code, because they do not have to oblige with repetitive coding or duplicating work. Instead, they can focus on creating an application that really responds to the user needs.
What are the pros of low-code?
- High Return on Investment : With low-code, every feature is already built-in, and that means less money and time consumption.
- Speed/ Time-to-market : Low-code enables you to build apps in days or even hours. Compared to the hand-coding approach that can take weeks or even months, it gives your business a head start.
- Improved Agility: In the long run, apps built with low-code platforms help organizations become more agile. Indeed, making adjustments to your applications is easier than with traditional coding.
- Decreased Costs : By going with a low-code platform, you can cut your costs by a significant margin, whether it is in development or manpower. Indeed, not every company needs a full-time developer to conceive their applications.
- Higher Productivity : By employing low-code’s ready-made elements, it eliminates the need to write portions of the code so developers have the time to get more meaningful work done.
- Effective Risk Management and Governance : Low-code’s built-in automated governance enables you to monitor and manage all their projects via the low-code platform. It allows them to control their infrastructure, environments, and security.
And the cons of Low-code?
- Difficult to master quickly : If you or your team do not have a lot of development knowledge, it might take a bit of time before you can develop usable applications.
- Hard Scalability : Scalability, high quality, high performance, and other non-functional requirements are not always easy to meet with low-code platforms.
What is no-code?
No-code platforms are similar to low-code platforms, but the difference is that in no-code, you don’t need to know actual programming languages. Mechanics such as choosing from ready-to-use options, and drag & drop, are all built in the platform and allow you to build an application without writing a single line of code.
No-code platforms are for all companies that want to create custom applications or software. No-code basically has a lot of the low-code advantages, since their concepts are a lot similar.
In general, what are the pros of no-code?
- Even faster : No-code platforms are great if you need a simple app to solve a single business or department problem, and you don’t want to wait for IT to build and deliver it months from now.
- Even Easier : No-code gives people that do not know programming languages the freedom to address an immediate need without having to call a developer for help.
- Reduces shadow IT : Shadow IT is when people are developing apps without proper supervision or consideration to work around the shortcomings of the central IT department. It increases control, documentation, security or reliability risks.
What are the cons for no-code technology?
- It can be difficult to build very flexible and complex applications. When it comes to developing the various functionalities of an application, most no-code platforms can have limitations that force you to review the desired processes. Therefore, it is restrictive and sometimes prohibitive. But as of late, new no-code technologies that can build even very complex and flexible applications such as 2OS have emerged.
- You do not own your source code : When you eventually choose to leave your no-code development platform, you will probably run into the problem of vendor lock-in. Vendor lock-in is a situation where a supplier has created an intentionally non-standard feature in the machine, device, software, being sold, preventing its customer from using it with products from another supplier.
No-code vs Low-code : What is the best solution?
Now, we can settle the debate of no-code vs low-code. In fact, no solution is better than the other. Indeed, the two have been designed to allow users that do not have a lot of technical programming knowledge, or a lot of time to allow in developing a program, to create applications faster.
Low-code platforms are more flexible, in the sense that they allow you to create applications the way you want. In concrete terms, this means that with low-code, you have the possibility to customize your application as much as you want. Whereas with no-code, you have access to pre-built customizable templates, which gives you less freedom.
No-code is easier to implement, but the downside is that, for the most part of the no-code platforms, it is not possible to create complex applications. Indeed, they are used to building simple applications that are intended to act as a standardized front to their end users, with low functional capabilities and customizability.
Why 2OS can tackle all business cases
With that said, how can I build very complex and tailored-made applications without any programming skills ? With AI, 2OS allows you to build every application you want and overcome the limitations of no-code. The 2OS no-code AI platform is a concentrate of technology combining Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and analysis tools, Automation of robotic processes, Integration and Interoperability in the Cloud.
It is a very complex double challenge that 2OS has succeeded in solving the creation of complex software in a very short time and always in no-code.
With AI, you can, as of today, optimize your organizational processes, accelerate time to market, automate entire tasks without any human intervention, test the launch of a product or an offer. In short, AI is not only an asset, it becomes an absolute necessity and a guarantee of your company’s durability. The 2OS platform offers you a panel of proprietary algorithms developed in our research laboratory that have been the subject of several patents and scientific publications.
To sum up, 2OS is a no-code solution that can solve your business problem, no matter how complex. This platform is business-oriented and allows you to build yourself the application that will match your needs.
