Low-Code Platforms Are Vital to Digital Strategies

By Samuel Greengard | Posted 2017-08-25

1 of

Low-Code Platforms Are Vital to Digital Strategies

A company's ability to execute a digital strategy revolves heavily around low-code adoption, which can solve speed challenges more cost-effectively than traditional development methods.
Eye on Digital Transformation

76% of the executives surveyed said that digital transformation is a critical or high priority for their organization.
Focus on Automation and Engagement

79% said digital automation is essential, and 72% cited digital customer engagement as crucial.
Costly Challenges

39% of the executives surveyed indicated that high costs associated with a traditional development methodology undermine coding for custom applications.
Budget Counts

33% said it is difficult to meet business requirements within a budget when using a traditional coding approach.
Performance Anxiety

25% said it's difficult to maintain good performance at scale, and an equal percent of respondents reported that traditional methods constrain process innovation and improvements.
Low-Code Trims Costs

75% of the executives using a low-code approach reported that it produced notable or significant improvements in development costs.
Getting Down to Business

80% said low-code helps the organization meet business requirements within budget.
Performance Matters

89% said that low-code allows the organization to scale more effectively, and the same percent of respondents reported that it fuels innovation and improvements.
The Customer Counts

89% of the executives surveyed said that low-code platforms produce notable or significant improvements in customer service.
Cracking the Code

Top low-code business requirements for digital transformation include supporting security and compliance requirements (78%), addressing budget and cost expectations (74%), and delivering easy upgrade paths (74%).
Getting Technical

Top low-code technical requirements for digital transformation include addressing all aspects of the process (78%), advanced security and privacy controls (74%), and advanced business processes management (74%).
Top Recommendations

Align business expectations with achievable business goals for your digital initiative. Gain executive sponsorship. Set specific business goals within the target and create metrics to chart your progress toward those goals. Align business expectations and goals with technology requirements.
View All Slideshows >

The road to digital transformation is paved with more than a few obstacles. But one thing that's often overlooked—particularly with today's focus on highly agile and flexible IT infrastructures—is the need for efficient and streamlined software development. A recent report from business-management software vendor Appian and IT consulting firm Forrester Research, "Power Your Enterprise's Digital Initiatives with Low-Code Platforms," examines the software development space. It points out that organizations can achieve faster delivery of large, complex, reliable customer solutions by adopting a low-code approach. The report, which polled executives at 209 organizations across the United States and Canada, predicts that the market for low-code platforms will expand to more than $10 billion in revenue by 2019. Among the key findings: A low-code approach can solve delivery-speed challenges more cost-effectively than traditional development methods, while improving customer satisfaction and boosting strategic competitive differentiation. Here's a look at some of the key findings.

Samuel Greengard writes about business and technology for Baseline, CIO Insight and other publications. His most recent book is The Internet of Things (MIT Press, 2015).