What is low-code?

Low-code is a modern agile way to build and continually improve business applications that better matches the pace of change in today’s digital business environment.

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Generate value with low-code

This application development method eliminates much of the tediousness associated with developing, deploying, maintaining and updating applications built with traditional software development frameworks and techniques. You are able to deliver business value quickly and achieve operational agility by continually improving on those applications as your business evolves.

Build applications more efficiently

Low-code technology hides the underlying complexities of development and deployment that are not directly tied to addressing business needs, so application developers can be faster and more productive when creating, improving, and maintaining business applications.

A screenshot of Quickbase's visual app builder

Align teams on a common platform

The best low-code platforms are places where IT and the lines of business partner on new approaches for building applications that solve complex business problems. This can help IT stay ahead of business requests, and frees up time for scarce, highly skilled IT resources to work on the most complex and specialized digital transformation efforts.

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Match market speed

The market-driven demand for faster process innovation is far outpacing the methods and resources available to support it, putting businesses at risk of falling behind expectations and competition.

To keep up with tech disruption, every business must run at market speed. Mounting pressure from customers, employees, and investors for more value means it's now a strategic priority to perfect the hundreds of processes that make your business competitively unique in the market.

A screenshot of Quickbase on a desktop computer

The case for low-code

Legacy systems are outdated

These systems can no longer support the needs of businesses to quickly innovate and transform to stay competitive

Traditional platforms and point solutions have limits

These solutions are limiting businesses to the processes they support and don't reach the processes that make them unique

Shortage of software developers

There will never be enough developers to support the pace of innovation required to stay ahead

Maintain a competitive advantage

Stay ahead of increased competition by driving rapid innovation on what makes you competitively unique

Customer satisfaction

Keep pace with customer demands by continually perfecting the processes that deliver exceptional customer experiences

Innovation at the edge

Enable new ways to grow by enabling completely new operating models that serve customers in new and better ways

Win the talent war

Attract employees with a culture of continuous improvement and opportunities to learn and apply new technical skills

The evolving tech landscape

The term “low-code” was first coined in 2014 by Forrester and used to define development platforms focused on simplicity and ease of use. Since then, the low-code market has exploded with products designed to make IT developers more productive and turn those without a software development background into business application developers.

The digital world is rapidly evolving and traditional coding is creating a barrier between organizations and their big ideas. The only ways to get over that barrier are to learn to code, or to use a low-code development platform.

Low-code development basics

What is a low-code platform?

Low-code development platforms focus on ease-of-use and a visual app building approach so business professionals can utilize them for creating their own solutions. This means that those closest to business problems can be empowered to quickly turn ideas into action, with point-and-click simplicity.

What are the benefits of using low-code application development?

In today’s fast pace world where every business is a digital business, application development is becoming a core competency of every company. Businesses need to stay ahead of increased competition, keep pace with customer demands and find new ways to grow. Low-code is an approach to addressing these challenges.

Maximize the effectiveness of every employee by delivering real-time, actionable insights across systems in in a highly personalized manner

Improve speed and agility by making it easy for everyone to continuously innovate in an application ecosystem on a single platform

Reduce IT complexity & costs by eliminating traditional IT development burdens, bolstering security and standardizing governance on one platform rather than across many applications

What is the difference between low-code and no-code?

Low-code is a well-defined category of application development platforms designed to make application developers faster and more productive. No-code is more like a feature of low-code where visual techniques are used to develop parts, or the whole, of an application.

Gartner views “no-code” application platforms as part of the Low Code Application Platform (LCAP) market. Gartner calls “no-code” a marketing and positioning statement, implying that the platform requires text entry only for formulas or simple expressions, with all other aspects of development being enabled by visual modeling or configuration. Gartner’s LCAP market definition includes such no-code platforms.

Whether you call it low-code or no-code, the most important factor is what skill set is needed to build applications with the platform. Forrester divides the market of low-code platforms into two parts: those designed for “business developers” and those designed for “professional IT developers.”

Why do businesses need to use low-code to stay ahead?

Improved agility: Because they’re visual in nature, creating apps with low-code allows for a more agile, effective process.

Decreased costs: Building apps and programs in less time saves companies a lot of money. It reduces the need for more developers—saving money on labor and employment. And, because of its ability to make nearly every task more efficient, entire organizations become more productive—increased productivity = more money.

Better customer experience: Low-code innovation is fast and effective, allowing companies to keep pace with the changing landscape of customer wants and need. Happier customers means loyal customers, and loyal customers create profit for life.

Tech talent gap: As the tech talent gap widens, low-code allows businesses to begin closing the gap without spending crazy amounts of money.

Decreased development time: On average, users can minimize the development period of apps by 10 times (compared to traditional methods), bringing products to market faster.

Automation: Like everything else in business and life, automation keeps things simple and ensures most hiccups are avoided. Low-code has operational features that can accelerate the development of the products and empower business experts who know the silos of data and process start to build-up.