𝗟𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲/𝗡𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺? 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲!
LC/NC platforms have a place in the enterprise but what is their real value? The platforms differ by audience and degree of extensibility. There are architectural tradeoffs to consider as well as a set of gotchas.
𝗡𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 are intended for non-technical users who want to deliver value with the greatest amount of simplicity and ease of use They have limited customization options, but they empower non-technical staff to contribute to development and reduce reliance on specialized developers. NC platforms are designed to lower the barrier to entry especially for folks without technical expertise. Sometimes our software industry treats NC platforms with distaste. They are a fact of life and will continue to grow.
𝗟𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 are designed for more technical users including developers who want to create rapid value more efficiently. These platforms are geared towards enabling people to have more control through some customizations and extensibility. LC platforms generally offer a higher degree of customization and flexibility, making them more suitable for building complex tailored applications. They sometimes offer a cost savings with reduced development costs and potentially scalable pricing models
𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗖/𝗡𝗖?
- Rapid Development: With drag-and-drop interfaces, non-tech personnel can build apps fast, cutting dev time from months to days.
- Cost-effectiveness: Less coding expertise required means savings in hiring and upkeep of expert devs, lowering total ownership cost.
- Business Agility: By enabling non-devs to make functional apps, orgs respond quickly to mission changes without waiting on IT.
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗖/𝗡𝗖?
- Limited Customization: Predefined components can limit unique functions. For complex functionalities, traditional dev might be needed.
- Complex Integrations: Though LC/NC platforms integrate, linking legacy or niche systems can be hard, affecting interoperability in enterprise scenarios.
- Vendor Lock-in: Adopting a specific LC/NC platform makes you dependent on its features and roadmap. Switching later could be costly and time-consuming.
𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗚𝗼𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀:
- Governance: LC/NC democratizes app development. Implement clear governance to avoid redundant or insecure apps.
- Monitoring: Traditional tools might not fully cover LC/NC platforms. Use compatible monitoring tools.
- Data Management: LC/NC data practices might not align with the enterprise, raising data integrity issues.
Like custom development, dependency management, scaling, security are still first order concerns. Fundamentally, the NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) applies too.
#SoftwareArchitecture #LowCode #NoCode #TradeOffAnalysis
Pix by Michael Fenton on Unsplash