With this low-code platform, you’ll be ready for the future
That we are fans of low-code will surprise no one. But why should an organization actually choose low-code? And when you do, which platform do you choose and why? In this blog, Jaco van Kooten, solution architect at Mendify, lays it out for you.
Why low-code?
The name really says it all, with low-code the amount of manual code required to develop software is many times less than with traditional programming languages like Java and C#, which are a lot more abstract. Low-code development methodologies allow developers to build applications with visual models and thus requires less technical expertise. This process is much faster than traditional development methods and allows companies to reduce time-to-market – or time-to-business – many times over and respond faster to changing business requirements.
Low-code expands labor market
With low-code, programming becomes more accessible to less technical people because you build an application with ready-to-use pieces of logic. So the learning curve is much steeper, which gives more room in this tight labor market.
Building with Lego or with Duplo?
Of course, you have to make a fair comparison. We often compare traditional programming languages to Lego, and low-code to Duplo. You can build wonderful things with both. Thus, with Duplo, you build faster, but coarser. With Lego, the building process is more intense, but the result is more refined. The result of a low-code development process will be sufficient for many purposes. But for example, if you want to create a planning tool with very complicated logic – NS planner type – you don’t build that 123 with a low-code platform. For that single application where low-code is not sufficient, you can always fall back on a traditional programming language.
What platform?
There are about fourteen well-known low-code platforms, such as Appian, Betty Blocks, Google App Maker, K2, Mendix, Microsoft Power Apps, OutSystems, Quick Base, Salesforce Lightning and Zoho Creator. There are also a number of open-source low-code platforms available, such as Joget and WaveMaker. To make a good choice, you must first know exactly what you want to create with the platform. Do you mainly want to house administrative or registration operations in an application, or do you also want to model processes with case management? There are low-code solutions that are very good at supporting business processes, but are not as strong in UI, for example. One supports creating mobile applications optimally, but if you don’t need mobile applications, that’s not an important criterion for you. If you want to be able to integrate different applications, it is important to choose a low-code platform that supports that. Not all low-code platforms have functionalities to show clear management reports. If that is important to you, you should include that in your list of criteria.
Gartner and Forrester on Mendix
In the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms, Mendix is recognized as a leader and as the pioneer in this rapidly maturing market. Forrester also sees Mendix as a recognized leader, and in addition, the platform has the highest scores of all evaluated vendors. Mendix’s low-code platform offers extensive integration capabilities, is scalable and can be used to build small, simple applications to large, complex systems. The platform also provides a collaborative environment where multiple developers can work on a project simultaneously, further reducing development time. Mendix also continues to innovate constantly, regularly offering new features and capabilities.
Want to know more?
Need help choosing a low-code platform? Please contact us, we are happy to help.