Read Blog Post

Read Blog Post

Contributed on January 28, 2021

1

345

Low-code in 2021: 5 key Trends to watch out for

Blog: Indium Software - Big Data

The software industry has evolved rapidly in the last decade. Not only has software development become less expensive, but the pace at which software is developed and introduced to the market has accelerated. Days of waiting months or even years for new versions of software is a distant memory as we now move forward with new features being added in days or weeks thanks to the modern agile systems for developing software.

Low-code is the new, widespread evolution happening in software development.

Its definition, according to low-code platform Mendix, is this: “Low-code is a visual approach to software development. Low-code abstracts and automates every step of the application lifecycle to enable rapid delivery of a variety of software solutions. It breaks the traditional silos of business and IT to promote continuous collaboration.”

Amid the prolonged economic uncertainty caused by the global health crisis, tech leaders will depend on agile low-code software development platforms in 2021 to launch solutions critical to their business and expand the digital channels.

According to an estimate from analysts at Forrester, 75 percent of enterprise software is set to be developed using low-code development platforms in 2021.

Here are five key trends driven by low-code that you should watch out for.

Evolution of low-code beyond app development

Low-code and enterprise SaaS are significantly reducing the bottleneck of IT development projects and minimizing the need for specialized technical skills. In addition, they are helping accelerate digital transformation and innovation. According to App Developer Magazine , the estimated annual growth for these platforms in the next four years is anticipated to be more than 28 percent.

Mendix CTO, Johan den Haan, says business innovation will be underpinned by the evolution of low-code.

Increased adoption of edge computing

In 2021, over 50 percent of business IT infrastructure are set to embrace edge computing in place of centralized data centers. This will allow for real-time decision-making, avoiding the potential delays in cloud computing, whose centralized nature makes it challenging to process data instantly and effectively.

Den Haan says applications that extract actionable information and business intelligence enable industrial enterprises and those with connected, smart physical systems to explore innovation opportunities while optimizing all operations.

AR to drive success for businesses

In 2021, Augmented Reality’s capacity to visualize information will go beyond enterprises to transform retail experience and live entertainment, which have been largely restricted during months of lockdown.

With movie theaters, shopping malls, storefronts largely empty for much of last year, low-code will be an enabler for the shift to AR to digitalize physical spaces and bring in-store and cinema experiences to wherever people are.

Multi-experience beyond mobile and web

Multi-experience in 2021 will extend consumers’ overall experience throughout all touchpoints and devices for a seamless, cohesive experience on web application, mobile, in-person and chat bots. This, in turn, will help achieve customer loyalty and retention.

Organizations must, however, break down the silos, automate across business functions and communicate between departments to optimize employee user and customer experience.

Low-code to drive workflow automation

This year, business process experts will play a more active role in building process solutions by using drag-and-drop integration and workflow editors to drive automation and achieve operational efficiency.

Nick Ford, VP of product and solutions marketing for Mendix, says: “This year, we’ll increasingly see workflow enablement embedded in the fabric of every tailored application built by low-code developers.”

Final thoughts

It is important to note that low-code is not a means to replace the engineering talent available to enterprises. Instead, it helps them concentrate on more complex tasks, to achieve company-wide innovation.

Organizations that weren’t completely digital must embrace the new normal and build software internally and drive automation. In addition to their inherent benefits such as reducing time-to-market, low-code platforms will encourage technical non-engineers and aid them with security, deployment, review and testing capabilities.

How Indium can help

Indium Software is a certified Mendix partner leveraging the Mendix low-code development platform to design applications and to integrate with existing applications with the use of OpenID, Twilio, Jetty Server and more.

With the help of Mendix, we help accelerate time-to-market for your applications by 6x-8x and build applications with modern UIs and integrations. Our Mendix development capabilities help our clients fulfill their key business requirements. 

The post Low-code in 2021: 5 key Trends to watch out for appeared first on Indium Software.