DEVOPSdigest

Low-code, initially established in the early 00s, allows developers to create applications with minimal coding, reducing the need for manual effort and helping to streamline processes exponentially. Low-code is a familiar concept within IT teams and experts in the DevOps space but has yet to be fully understood by those closest to the top of an organization. As a result, many are still unfamiliar with the far-reaching benefits and strengths that it has to offer, and why it is quickly becoming a strategic tool to elevate a company's operational efficiency and excellence.

Digital transformation

In a rapidly digitizing age, C-Suite professionals are looking to see how they can incorporate emerging technology that will allow certain tasks to be streamlined while still maintaining the utmost proficiency. This is where low-code comes in.

In Mendix's report, The Low-Code Perspective: Insights from Enterprise IT Leaders, low-code is examined by global enterprise tech C-suite executives and senior IT decision-makers, and overall, is being seen as a strategic enterprise enabler amongst C-suite executives. Low-code has the potential to assist with facilitating digital transformation, otherwise known as the technological modernization of an organization's solutions and workflows, and enhancing overall operational efficiency.

Moreover, AI, when combined with low-code, amplifies these benefits. For example, 85% of organizations report that integrating AI with low-code helps their teams innovate faster by automating tasks and enhancing collaboration. Development platforms that can see the full vision of AI are integrating it into every phase of the software development life cycle. From refining project specifications to generating code to testing and optimizing deployment processes, AI enhances productivity and strengthens software quality.

By automating and improving legacy processes and building new applications at a much faster rate, low-code offers enterprises the ability to modernize their technology and solutions in a way that is both easy and quick. In fact, building applications faster (47%), automating and improving legacy processes, and enabling end users and developers to collaborate on software projects are the ways that low-code app development has been shown to benefit organizations. Additionally, 31% of IT teams use low-code to address legacy modernization, showcasing how the method is rapidly emerging as an asset for updating problematic workflows and enhancing their potential.

Enhancements in productivity and innovation

Low-code also delivers in other aspects of business: improving productivity and innovation amongst organizations. As low-code assists with driving forward efforts related to digital transformation, many teams are also identifying benefits in increased productivity, collaboration, and the potential to do more. This is especially positive news for C-Suite executives.

By automating repetitive and low-value tasks, developers can focus on more complex, strategic challenges — a capability further enhanced by AI tools. For instance, AI can generate code snippets, refactor legacy code, and optimize workflows, accelerating project timelines and improving software quality. AI can review code for potential errors, check for security flaws, and enforce best practices faster than a human, which makes applications more reliable and secure. It also assists with documentation and commenting, explaining, commenting on, and documenting source code to make it easier for other developers to maintain in the future.

Presently, approximately 80% of IT teams report that low-code improves their tech team's productivity, and 64% are already using low-code to increase developer productivity. As more teams cite low-code as an asset to getting work done, this should only pique the interest of C-Suite executives further, as enhanced productivity allows for improved revenue and output. Additionally, it will allow workers to complete their tasks more easily.

Not to mention, 75% of IT teams say low-code enables development teams to innovate at scale. This is attributed to the enhanced productivity that low-code grants amongst teams, giving them back time for other strategic initiatives and plans for their organization. This aligns with broader developments, where AI tools help strengthen security by enforcing coding best practices, generating comprehensive test cases, and monitoring application performance and security in real time.

Summary

C-Suite leaders must view low-code as an essential asset to improving their organization, and a necessary component for planning. By integrating low-code into the organizational framework, C-Suite leaders are enhancing productivity, innovation, and streamlining operations and solutions so they're easy to follow and complete. Combining low-code with AI further amplifies these benefits, positioning enterprises to stay competitive in an evolving technological landscape.