Click to learn more about author Borya Shakhnovich.
In 2020, countless industries were forced to accelerate their digital transformation practices, having no other option but to be agile in supporting the new normal: a remote business infrastructure. What has helped lessen the burden for employers? Implementing no-code infrastructures across business practices and processes to empower no-code developers within the company.
No-code is a software development approach that requires no coding and no prior programming knowledge in order to build applications and processes. No-code allows those who implement the solution to establish an automation layer that greatly reduces the time it takes to develop a platform. Using bots and AI for validating software code and the automation of manual processes frees up valuable human resources and cultivates the digital agility and transformation of an enterprise.
In the next five years, the number of applications built with low-code tools are expected to reach 450 million, with $21.2 billion spent by companies by the end of 2022 on low-code development platforms. By the end of 2023, the number of active no-code developers at high-end enterprises is expected to surpass the number of professional developers by four times.
This business trend is becoming a rising necessity. In a recent Gartner survey covering IT-related business, 46 percent of respondents stated that the increase in business-led IT spend was due to increased development of software, applications, or databases. Another Gartner survey found that 41 percent of respondents are active in citizen development initiatives, while 20 percent of respondents aren’t currently engaged in citizen development or low-code initiatives but are planning to start.
No-Code Development Meets the Cloud
Since its inception, cloud computing has seen major investments by providers like IBM, Microsoft Azure, Google, and Oracle, highlighting the need to expedite the adoption and enablement of simpler connectivity for cloud infrastructure. But, just like any other infrastructure, it needs to be supported and maintained in order to benefit the enterprise.
The biggest digital trend of 2021 could easily be the implementation of sustainable cloud infrastructure vs. the adoption of cloud infrastructure. Organizations that implement sustainable cloud infrastructure with automation see enhanced benefits – for example, documents that are easily accessible and able to be modified by multiple parties in real time.
Businesses that are scaling or adopting cloud infrastructure should consider empowering it further – an automation solution can boost agility and productivity while eliminating manual routine tasks, thus allowing employees to focus on high-value business goals.
According to the Flexera 2020 State of the Cloud Report, enterprises continue to implement multi-cloud and hybrid cloud strategies, in some cases using more than two public and two private clouds on average. Based on growing demand and the fact that cloud remains an essential pillar of digital transformation, there is likely to be an increase in cloud budget spend by nearly 50% this year. As a result, apart from workflow migration, the optimization of existing cloud use remains at the top of enterprise priorities for 2021.
Future No-Code Developers
No-code software allows enterprises to bring far more people, regardless of how tech-savvy they are, into the driver’s seat. In turn, this lessens the burden on the IT teams to fix the smaller, menial issues that arise daily in the workplace.
Additionally, AI will continue to play a major role in workflow automation processes, including predicting, analyzing, aggregating, and integrating data. Over the last few years, AI has proven itself to be extremely adaptable to almost any given sector or enterprise – even in our everyday lives. Applied AI, machines built for dealing with specific and narrow tasks, can be found everywhere, including in the home. On the other hand, advancements are rapidly moving towards developing more sophisticated deep learning algorithms, which are considered to be the most powerful forms of AI involved in the creation of neural networks.
Taking into account that the work-from-home trend is here to stay, we’re likely to see the adoption of AI technology related to boosting workplace automation in more than a third of companies by the end of 2021, as suggested by Forrester. Furthermore, the global impact of COVID-19 has shown enterprises actually increasing their investments in the technology, according to Gartner.
It’s clear that intelligent automation powered by pragmatic AI and no-code development is going to become the next major driver of business efficiency.
Why No-Code and Cloud Collaborations Are the Future
No-code allows users to streamline workflow processes and enables anyone in an organization to do the work themselves, without the need to use IT resources.
As more companies move to the cloud, security and credibility are of the utmost importance in their digital transformation journey. In order for businesses to meet the needs of their customers, organizations should look into partnering with cloud infrastructure companies to offer their products on cloud services.
With the no-code movement, employees are empowered to manage their own workflow processes, streamlining projects and minimizing tedious tasks. In turn, this frees up IT teams to better focus their efforts on the overall business infrastructure as we continue to work from home, and fend off continuous security threats. No-code puts employees in the driver’s seat, driving workplace efficiency, reducing burnout, and thereby affording a better work-life balance in the process. Allocating human resources can be a challenge in this ever-changing and unpredictable environment, but one thing is certain: The rise of the no-code developer is here to stay.