DEVOPSdigest

No-code platforms boomed in 2020, and now many organizations are on the lookout for such solutions. According to Forrester's 2021 predictions for software development, 75% of all application development will use low/no-code platforms this year, up from 44% in 2020. As a result, no-code would become the mainstay for all app development projects in 2021.

This overwhelming rise of no-code platforms is due in part to the new working environment and product demands brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Forrester survey (link is external) further found that "enterprises that embraced low/no-code platforms, digital process automation, and collaborative work management reacted faster and more effectively than firms relying only on traditional development."

Indeed, 2020 was a year that taught organizations to shun their old beliefs and embrace exciting new technologies. The pandemic changed the mindset of business owners from "plan and act" to "act and adapt."

As the pressure to achieve more with less increases in a challenging global economy, more organizations are changing their perspective and adopting rapid and simple no-code app development platforms. Such platforms enable teams to rapidly build apps that make a difference to business results and solve various technology bottlenecks. The no-code approach is allowing business experts to seamlessly innovate without the need for coding skills. It allows organizations to stay proactive and accelerate app development by bringing more people with varied skillsets into application development.

Highlighted below are the reasons why 2021 will be the year of no-code application development.

Supports the "Cloud-Only" Trend

2021 will be the "cloud-only" year, with the "cloud-first" approach becoming a thing of the past. Microsoft, Amazon, and Google continue to invest significantly in enhancing cloud technology. Forrester predicts the global public cloud infrastructure market will grow to a whopping $120 billion with 35% growth in 2021.

Cloud has become imperative for businesses of all sizes, across industries, and even government organizations are now fully turning to the cloud. No-code platforms, with support for on-premise and cloud versions, facilitate convenient cloud migrations. Such platforms can be leveraged to rapidly recreate existing business critical apps, unlock new opportunities for innovation, and future-proof all such innovations. With no-code platforms, organizations can attain new levels of productivity in the cloud.

Meets New Age Software Development Demands

According to a recent IDC study, business application development will shift toward hyper-agile architectures in 2021, with 80% of app development on cloud platforms using microservices and functions. Other experts believe that to stay competitive in 2021 organizations will have to embrace technologies that allow seamless development of serverless and cloud-native apps, enable the adoption of containers and microservices, help build actionable business intelligence leveraging cloud data services, and simplify the building of developer environments with integrated cloud toolsets. No-code platforms that support cloud-based application development can complement all such software development trends for 2021.

Enables Process Automation and Inspires Innovation

Global economic uncertainties and ongoing remote/hybrid working scenarios have inspired organizations across the globe to adopt automation and remove human dependencies in many resource and time-intensive processes. Automation of business processes will continue to grow in 2021 as most organizations will continue operating in a lean fashion.

No-code platforms enable business experts to build apps and dashboards to automate and streamline many business-critical processes. It empowers the business experts to take control of their requirements and liberates IT from spending a significant portion of their day on mundane user requests.

Delivers on the "Data for Everyone" Promise

The global pandemic has demonstrated the importance of "data for everyone." It's essential for organizations to enable the democratization of data across teams and departments. By adopting a "data for everyone" approach, organizations empower employees to glean actionable insights from various datasets and enable decision-makers to make data-backed decisions. No-code platforms enable business experts to create impactful reports and dashboards by bringing together data from multiple sources. And all this can be achieved without any dependence on IT.

Supplements Slow Transition Back to Normalcy

While 2020 was an unprecedented year, 2021 will be the year businesses return to normalcy. COVID-19 vaccines have already hit the markets; however, the transition back to pre-COVID times will be slow. Organizations will continue to operate remotely or with a reduced in-office attendance. No-code platforms, which enabled business experts across organizations to deliver quality apps blazingly fast during the pandemic, will continue to dominate the business app development landscape this year. Such platforms will enable organizations to make a gradual transition, while ensuring business continuity and growth.

Looking beyond 2021, no-code platforms will become commonplace for application development. This technology will empower non-technical business experts to bring together data and assemble software functions in the domains they know best, without any coding. Even the programmer purists, still working with hard-coding tools will recognize the convenience such platforms bring toward their work. In the decade to come, low-code platforms may experience a greater degree of crossover and osmosis with no-code platforms. No-code platforms are a must-have for organizations that want to stay ahead of the game in 2021.