# How to make low-code platforms more effective for the enterprise Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2021-07-30 Category: TECHNOLOGY Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/technology Meta Title: Unlocking Low-Code Platforms for Enterprise Success Meta Description: Explore the challenges of low-code platforms for skilled developers and citizen developers in meeting rigorous enterprise requirements and discover alternative URL: https://financedigest.com/how-to-make-low-code-platforms-more-effective-for-the-enterprisehtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/program-code-on-a-monitorfkdyjddu-sbi-300199032-1736838099217-compressed.jpg) _By **Asanka Abeysinghe,** Chief Technology Evangelist, WSO2_ Low-code platforms have become increasingly popular as a way to help businesses meet the ambitious deadlines for digitisation that have arisen as a result of the disruption of the past year. For skilled developers they save time by eliminating basic coding and allowing them to focus on more complex challenges, while delivering apps rapidly. For citizen developers, the simplicity of low-code accelerates their ability to [build the apps their business unit requires](https://www.financedigest.com/whats-required-of-accounting-to-build-a-better-tomorrow.html "What’s required of Accounting to build a better tomorrow"). Nevertheless, while low-code platforms may promise to do the heavy lifting for skilled coders and allow citizen developers to leapfrog a large part of the learning phase, their focus on simplicity often comes at a [price when they don’t meet](https://www.financedigest.com/eu-meets-to-try-to-break-gas-price-cap-impasse.html "EU meets to try to break gas price cap impasse") the rigorous requirements of enterprise application development. To understand where the limitations arise, we can examine how low-code use typically plays out in an organisation, and look at an [alternative approach that allows citizen developers](https://www.financedigest.com/whats-better-than-openai-developers-shop-for-alternatives.html "What’s better than OpenAI? Developers shop for alternatives") to continue playing a key role in enterprise application development while also enhancing their technical awareness by making a closer connection between the visual interface and underlying code. **The business case for low-code platforms** Low-code [platforms allow managers and business](https://www.financedigest.com/national-world-launches-new-ad-manager-platform-powered-by-danads-empowering-businesses-to-take-control-of-their-advertising.html "National World launches new ad manager platform, powered by DanAds, empowering businesses to take control of their advertising") users to apply their detailed knowledge of their department and business processes to create their own apps, even though they may have limited knowledge of coding. Low-code tools eliminate coding in most projects with a drag-and-drop interface. Because many tools come with pre-defined and pre-tested templates, creating applications with requirements that fit into the scope of these templates is straightforward. And you have a working application (or at least a prototype) in just a few minutes. Instead of coding applications from scratch, these visual development platforms allow developers, with varying skills, to focus on [business goals rather than the technology](https://www.financedigest.com/how-an-advanced-manufacturing-technology-can-make-your-business-more-3-dimensional.html "How an advanced manufacturing technology can make your business more 3-dimensional").  This means reduced complexity, less effort, and [increased developer](https://www.financedigest.com/payment-community-engagement-in-the-development-of-the-emv-specifications-increases.html "Payment Community Engagement in the Development of the EMV Specifications Increases") productivity, which, in turn, means faster projects, increased satisfaction, and lower budgets for the C-suite. The compelling [business benefits](https://www.financedigest.com/does-the-cloud-benefit-modern-business.html "Does the Cloud Benefit Modern Business?") have helped low-code tools move towards mainstream adoption. However, even though most low-code [platforms allow users to add code for custom](https://www.financedigest.com/5-ways-a-ccm-platform-can-help-improve-customer-engagement-in-insurance.html "5 Ways a CCM platform can help improve customer engagement in insurance") needs, this can become prohibitively complex in more sophisticated enterprise use cases. Getting a new app up and running in days is great – unless it doesn’t actually do what it is meant to. It is here where low-code platforms suffer compared to the advanced environments and tools at the disposal of highly skilled developers. **The five** [key limitations of low-code platforms](https://www.financedigest.com/aon-benfield-launches-managed-care-services-platform-with-the-appointment-of-three-key-executives.html "Aon Benfield launches Managed Care Services platform with the appointment of three key executives") **_Version control and teamworking:_** With visual-only development, it’s very difficult to have entire [teams of software developers work on the same project](https://www.financedigest.com/italys-de-nora-teams-up-with-ges-on-hydrogen-battery-project.html "Italy’s De Nora teams up with GES on hydrogen battery project"), simultaneously, without encountering significant version control issues due to a lack of mechanisms to allow safe collaboration. **_Testing, debugging and security:_** options are limited on most low-code platforms and visual workarounds often hide the inner workings. If something goes wrong with the app, even an [experienced programmer can struggle to work](https://www.financedigest.com/voice-quality-matters-quarter-of-employees-working-from-home-still-experiencing-regular-connectivity-issues.html "Voice Quality Matters: Quarter of Employees Working From Home Still Experiencing Regular Connectivity Issues") out what is going on beneath the surface. The same can be true of security testing – without visibility into the underlying code, security scanning becomes more complex. **_Tailoring:_** low-code platforms often only deliver limited customisation, which may fit the original application scope, but can [fall short](https://www.financedigest.com/businesses-are-investing-in-technology-to-improve-customer-experience-but-many-are-still-falling-short-of-giving-customers-what-they-want.html "Businesses Are Investing in Technology to Improve Customer Experience, but Many Are Still Falling Short of Giving Customers What They Want") as requests for more sophisticated evolutions arise. **_Integrating with enterprise applications:_** enterprise [apps](https://www.financedigest.com/synechron-launches-ebook-for-ux-design-for-enterprise-apps.html "Synechron Launches eBook for UX Design for Enterprise Apps") often need to also connect with distributed systems, archaic legacy applications, overly complex third-party APIs, commercial off-the-shelf systems, and much more. These integrations are not simple, involving [complex data](https://www.financedigest.com/tackling-the-complexity-of-data-within-financial-organisations.html "Tackling the complexity of data within financial organisations") mappings, transformations, filtering, protocol conversions, etc. In such cases, coding is easier than [graphical configuration because you can only visually model so much before it’s more efficient to drop](https://www.financedigest.com/graphic-chip-price-drop-raises-questions-on-whether-end-of-shortage-is-in-sight.html "Graphic chip price drop raises questions on whether end of shortage is in sight") into text. **_Vendor lock-in:_** Many [platforms are proprietary systems that either prohibit the underlying code](https://www.financedigest.com/unlocking-the-code-how-to-benefit-from-low-code-platforms.html "Unlocking the code – How to benefit from low code platforms") from being moved out, or generate convoluted code that is neither readable nor reusable. This makes it difficult to move the resulting [app to a different platform](https://www.financedigest.com/make-way-for-the-rise-of-the-finance-super-apps-consolidation-of-financial-digitisation-tools-platforms.html "Make way for the rise of the Finance Super Apps – Consolidation of Financial Digitisation Tools & Platforms"), thereby creating a risk of vendor lock-in. **How to leverage low-code effectively for enterprise applications** These limitations could make a strong case for avoiding low-code [platforms and letting software engineers use a trusted programming language to build](https://www.financedigest.com/lending-stream-builds-leading-edge-credit-platform-with-fico-analytic-software.html "Lending Stream Builds Leading-Edge Credit Platform with FICO Analytic Software") enterprise applications. But there is an approach to low-code that harnesses its potential to streamline enterprise application development. The key is straightforward: supply “clean” code.  In other words, the low-code platform lets developers switch between options. They can [create apps](https://www.financedigest.com/virttrade-to-create-valiant-heroes-collectible-card-game-app.html "VirtTrade to create Valiant Heroes collectible card game app") using the visual flow representation, which generates app code, or drop down into the code to write the application, which simultaneously creates the visual flow. By providing a simple code representation for each app built via the low-code platform, users can have the best of both worlds. To be effective, the code representation should: - Be based on [open standards](https://www.financedigest.com/its-time-for-a-serious-open-banking-standard.html "It’s time for a serious open banking standard") - Represent the low-code flow without any gaps - Be able to [run on any hardware/OS platform](https://www.financedigest.com/aon-empowers-cat-modellers-to-run-any-model-on-its-enhanced-elements-10-platform.html "AON EMPOWERS CAT MODELLERS TO RUN ANY MODEL ON ITS ENHANCED ELEMENTS 10 PLATFORM"). There are six [main benefits](https://www.financedigest.com/99-financial-firms-expect-benefit-open-banking-improved-customer-onboarding-main-driver-adoption.html "99% of financial firms expect to benefit from Open Banking, with improved customer onboarding the main driver of adoption") of such a code representation: - No limitations to customising and extending the [application to fit the business](https://www.financedigest.com/from-sec-edgar-to-business-applications-exploring-an-alternative-to-manual-data-extraction.html "From SEC EDGAR to Business Applications: Exploring an Alternative to Manual Data Extraction"). - Developers can [harness the power](https://www.financedigest.com/trusting-your-gut-how-to-harness-the-power-of-your-business-instincts.html "Trusting your gut: how to harness the power of your business instincts") of sophisticated IDEs, libraries, and frameworks if to make enhancements that can’t be made via the UI. - Teams can apply the tried-and-tested [software development](https://www.financedigest.com/reckon-software-goes-from-strength-to-strength-with-appointment-of-new-partner-development-manager.html "Reckon Software goes from strength to strength with appointment of new Partner Development Manager") lifecycle (e.g., use a code repository, apply CI/CD), because one shouldn’t give up the discipline of software engineering for the sake of productivity or speed. - [Teams have the support they need for collaboration](https://www.financedigest.com/ensuring-remote-teams-efficiency-with-digital-collaboration.html "Ensuring remote teams’ efficiency with digital collaboration") (e.g., code reviews via diffs). - No proprietary lock-ins and no black box. - The textual representation helps developers understand the underlying mapping between UI components and the code, helping to streamline development for [custom needs](https://www.financedigest.com/why-empathy-needs-to-sit-at-the-heart-of-bbls-and-cbils-customer-service.html "Why empathy needs to sit at the heart of BBLS and CBILS customer service"). Low-code is a powerful concept that can tremendously improve an [organisation’s facility for sustainable and disruptive innovation](https://www.financedigest.com/innovation-is-the-path-to-revenue-how-financial-organisations-can-open-up-alternative-revenue-streams.html "Innovation is the path to revenue: How financial organisations can open up alternative revenue streams"). However, [low code](https://www.financedigest.com/low-code-development-tools-are-essential-to-unlock-fs-agility.html "Low code development tools are essential to unlock FS agility") is still early-stage and it may not prove viable in the long run because enhancements to applications are inevitable, and such customisations can get complicated due to platform limitations. So, platform vendors must continue to evolve low-code tools if they are to become truly viable for enterprise applications. One solution is to make a textual representation of the graphical flow available to users as clean, readable code. The long-term benefits of being able to export that code and use it to follow the standard but proven software engineering process far outweigh anything low-code platforms have to offer. From there, low-code can live up to its promise to make complicated enterprise [application development into something truly accessible and powerful](https://www.financedigest.com/construction-applications-to-account-for-over-three-out-of-ten-power-tools-sold-through-2030-new-study-2.html "Construction Applications to Account for Over Three out of Ten Power Tools Sold through 2030: New Study"). --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---