Businesses around the globe are under immense pressure to design and develop software applications in the shortest time possible to meet the dynamic expectations of end-users. Things get tougher for them as they need skilled and talented resources to cover up the backlog as fast as they could. It is where low-code and no-code platforms have come to their rescue. Low code and no code platforms have enabled businesses to easily create applications and workflows without requiring any in-depth technical knowledge.  

It has caused a great stir in the IT industry as non-technical people can easily work on these platforms and achieve digital transformation for their businesses without having to depend on skilled developers.

What is Low Code and No Code Development?

Low-code and no-code development lets citizen developers create applications or complex business solutions without having to follow traditional programming languages or write many lines of code. It lets developers do this by providing low-code no-code platforms.   

Citizen developers are categorized as people who have minimum knowledge of coding and software development. They go for such platforms to develop solutions by using visual elements. 

Low-code and no-code platforms offer developers drag-and-drop options which let them build business solutions quickly without writing any codes. These options also have some limitations when it comes to developing and implementing advanced features. Moreover, implementing customizations into the project is not always possible. However, experienced developers can modify the codes to an extent, but things get tougher when working on complex projects.

Low code Vs. No code

If we look at the difference between low-code and no-code, the main difference lies in its target user groups. The amount of coding knowledge the users will require to use the platform is what differentiates them. The rest of the differences are as below:

Factor	Low-code	No-code
Usage	Used to build complex solutions.	Used to build simple solutions.
Coding knowledge	Require some coding knowledge	No coding knowledge required
Maintenance	Requires more maintenance	Requires less maintenance
Customization	Allows some level of customization	Allows very limited customization
Security	Provides better security	Provides minimum security
Flexibility	It is more flexible	It is very rigid

Benefits of Low Code No Code Platforms 

• Easy-to-use

Developers are not required to learn to code, just like traditional software development platforms. Moreover, low-code and no-code platforms let you work smarter rather than harder to achieve your development goals.

• Speedy development 

The main idea behind using low-code and no-code platforms is to reduce the time to market for product release by writing codes faster. Low-code and no-code platforms reduce the overall development time for the project by making use of UI tools and RAD designers. Businesses can save more by getting software developed quickly with fewer resources.

• Cost savings 

With low-code no-code platforms, the requirement to have a bigger development team gets nullified. Smaller, more efficient teams mean businesses will be able to save a lot on development costs. 

• Security 

The increase in the number of software solutions has also increased the instances of cyberattacks. Every day several websites around the world are hacked. Low/no code platforms follow industry standards when developing applications and this ensures data security and integrity along with code security.

• Code quality 

Businesses can confirm the quality of the developed software as these platforms offer automated testing. Moreover, it comes with quality assurance features that help developers test the solution for issues.  

• Enhanced productivity 

It improves the productivity of developers and lets them focus on other important tasks by bringing down the effort and time required for development. 

• Flexible and scalable 

Low code and no code development offer developers the ease of building modules. Such modules can be easily shared and used on projects to enhance their functionality.

• Third-party API integrations 

Most of the low-code and no-code platforms let developers easily integrate and configure third-party API in the project through the user interface without having to write any codes.  

Role of Low Code and No Code platforms in filling the digital skills gap 

There has been a tremendous increase in the use of smartphones around the world. It is said that by 2026 there will be more than 7 billion smartphone users. Additionally, now more people who are not even tech-savvy are also inclined towards using their PCs to carry out a number of activities. This has led to an increasing demand for developing software solutions among businesses. However, development companies around the world are not yet ready to meet such growing demand and so it is going to add more gaps to digital skills. 

Highly skilled developers are required to carry out traditional software development. They need to have good coding skills and should have knowledge of different programming languages. With the demand for software development increasing among businesses, the lookout for developers with high skills will be at an all-time high.

Low-code no-code platforms let people with no or limited knowledge build applications for different business needs. Such platforms are easy-to-follow and understand, and developers with no knowledge of coding can also start using them for building simple to complex app solutions.

How do the platforms for low-code and no-code work?

Generally, a user needs to register on a platform and log in to start using a low-code no-code development platform. Businesses can get the application designed through designers and by using tools. Business logic and required functionalities can be added then. Once the application has been developed, QA can be done. Once everything works fine, the application can be deployed in a few clicks.  

Microsoft Power Platform: Pioneering Low-Code/No-Code Development

Microsoft Power Platform is a suite of tools for low-code and no-code that let users create customized business applications, carry out data analysis and automate workflows without requiring any deep programming knowledge. It is made up of four parts. They are Power BI, Power Apps, Power Virtual Agents, and Power Automate. 

What makes Microsoft Power Platform an exceptional solution is the ease it offers users with no coding background to build custom solutions for businesses by meeting their unique requirements. Microsoft Power Platform has made it easily accessible to a wider user base by providing a simple visual approach to develop applications and implement automation. This user base includes non-technical users, citizen developers, and business analysts.

• Build model-driven applications with Power Apps 

Power Apps make it easy to build model-driven applications which have a standard look and feel. Users can easily switch from one model-driven application to another without having any deep technical knowledge. Based on business needs, these applications can be customized. Here user interface elements and automations already defined in Dataverse entities can be reused making it easy to build model driven applications.

• Build Canvas applications with Power Apps

Canvas applications run on tablets and mobile devices. It can source data from different sources, and this has been made possible with the custom built-in connectors that Microsoft power platform comes with. These data sources include databases, Excel sheets and social media. Based on the sourced data, the platform creates default applications. Later it can be used as a ground for carrying out customizations.  

• Power Automate to automate tasks 

Power Automate is an automation engine that comes with an intuitive GUI. It helps create and trigger workflows for: 

-> Pressing a physical button or the one on the web browser.

-> When onboarding a partner or an employee. 

-> For tasks that need to be triggered every day or on a day of the week at a specific time.

Some of the situations where we can use Power Automate are: 

-> Generating reports.

-> Sending a welcome email during the onboarding process. 

-> Sending email reminders.

-> Creating leave approval workflows

• Power Virtual Agents 

Power Virtual Agents are used to design and build intelligent chatbots that can be used on websites to interact with users and answer their basic queries. It follows a no code approach and makes use of graphical interface. It can be implemented on the company website or on Facebook, Slack, Skype, Teams, and mobile apps. Some of its uses are: 

-> Take care of direct sales.

-> Take care of complaints.

-> Provide information on products and services.

-> Forward queries to right representative.

• Power BI

Power BI is an excellent tool to build dashboards, charts and reports. It can source data from more than 200 data sources. It makes use of query editor to manipulate the data sourced from different places.

• Power Apps

Power Pages is the new name for Power Apps. The role of Power Apps is to develop websites which will provide data to end users that includes customers or employees or partners. It helps with:

-> Registering for events.

-> Getting FAQ information.

-> Getting and viewing information

-> Creating support tickets

Shaligram Infotech – A Partnership For Brighter Future

We have been able to turn ourselves into a reliable provider of low-code and no-code development services through the years of experience and expertise gained from working on the Microsoft Power Platform. We help businesses stay competitive in the market by fulfilling the needs of their IT systems.  

Interested in exploring the business opportunities that it brings to you? Talk to our expert today.