Employee empowerment. Improved productivity. Simplicity. Agility. Low-code tools have revolutionized the development and creation of business process applications. They allow non-technical entrepreneurs to easily execute tasks that otherwise rely on input from software engineers and skilled developers.
The emergence of low-code tools has allowed more businesses to adopt automation, become more actionable and responsive while embracing digital transformation. But there exists a challenge; choosing the right low-code platform that fits your organization’s needs can be challenging.
In this article, we discuss 6 factors to consider when choosing low-code tools for your business;
Security and compliance requirements
In today’s ever-evolving and complex business environment, it is important to make sure that your processes are properly documented, automated, and modeled according to current compliance requirements and set security practices.
If you’re designing applications that require HIPAA compliance and high-security standards, you must evaluate the auditing capabilities, data lineage capabilities, active directory integrations, data sovereignty compliance, hosting constraints, and other non-negotiables upfront.
A good low-code platform will allow you to amend and monitor apps quickly and simply when necessary.
Pricing estimates and usage requirements
Low-code tools have different pricing and business models. Some charge based on the usage and the number of user application downloads. This means that the more applications you develop or the more users you have, the higher you’re charged.
Other platforms charge based on the development scale. While most have capability-based pricing tiers, some offer multiple products that are purchased separately. For example, it will cost you between £7.50 and £30.20 for PowerApps licensing depending on the number of users and the Microsoft PowerApps features you want to use.
As such, it’s important to understand your organization’s production and end-state development requirements while selecting low code tools. Don’t just get attracted by the low prices, consider all the financial factors involved.
Ultimately, the tool must provide impeccable user experiences, robust operational capabilities, and development productivity.
Prioritize integration needs
A low-code application is only useful if it can integrate with your existing legacy systems seamlessly. Developing low-code tools in silos can be very expensive.
The applications need to connect with any system such as APIs, third-party data sources, and data center databases. Besides, if your organization creates machine learning models and loT data pipelines, connection with low-code tools will be advantageous for your organization’s visual design tools.
Generally, most platforms provide APIs, but how efficiently they operate and what you can manage to do with them varies considerably. You don’t want to develop low-code applications that require continuous maintenance and complex integrations.
The low-code platform you select should facilitate seamless connection with legacy systems and external data sources using REST APIs, SOAP web services, and ready-to-use integration adapters. This allows you to deploy apps easily, thus providing a unified content view across your system’s entire tech infrastructure.
Task handling and scalability
The primary goal of any organization is to succeed and grow. Choose a low-code platform whose suite of services and software can grow along with your organization.
Your business often encounters operational issues that require upscaling processes and the use of complex applications. A flexible and robust model that allows you to scale up and down is crucial as it minimizes risks.
Your preferred platform should be flexible enough to help you upscale operations and design mission-critical applications to ensure long-term business sustainability. This allows your business to evolve and grow organically without the common disruptions that arise when organizations are forced to make major changes in the software system.
Functionality
Low-code tools help your organization make enhancements easier and accelerate application development. Gone are the days when one desktop computer was only assigned to one user. The current business environment requires employees to work from several devices in different locations at all hours of the day.
When testing and evaluating feasible platforms, try to consider the functionalities and the development needs of your organization. Make a list of all the tasks performed by your employees such as filling out questionnaires, inputting data, and processing documents. Determine what the tool can and cannot do by analyzing its scope, strength, and weaknesses.
The low-code platform should have all essential functionalities that allow your employees to be productive on their phone or home computer as they are at the office.
Intelligent automation
A good low-code tool should easily accommodate simple to complex business applications. Besides, it should automate virtually any kind of process, from a simple request to a complex task that requires a deep comprehension of business logic and extensive documentation. Where possible, go for tools that are versatile enough to leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence to evaluate data trends and predict the effect of tactical and strategic changes.
What do you look for in a development platform?
Low code platforms come with immense capabilities and potential but can be time-consuming to set up. As with anything, they are of different kinds and functionalities. Establishing informed criteria is critical when selecting the ideal low code platform for your business. Good luck!
