First No-code Day Highlights Growing Application Sector

In a sign of the growing enterprise value of low-code and no-code applications, automation platform Zapier will launch National No-code Day on March 11.

No-code Day is an effort to bring attention to enterprise low-code/no-code development, which could account for nearly two-thirds of all web development by 2024, up from about a quarter in 2020, Gartner predicts. 

“Low-code/no-code can help enterprises with key challenges such as the current IT skills shortage, unifying workflow silos, and fragmented data,” said Deb Gildersleeve, CIO of low-code app development platform Quickbase. The low-code/no-code movement is especially important right now, given ongoing skills shortages in several key tech roles, she added. 

Low-code/no-code tools can also support digital transformation initiatives. For example, applications can potentially free up IT talent to do more technical work. They can also promote cooperation among business departments.

“By utilizing low-code/no-code tools correctly, organizations can foster a culture that brings together IT departments and business users to support new technology, such as AI, which makes it more scalable and effective,” Gildersleeve noted.

Freeing up IT Staff

National No-code Day intends to raise awareness about the business uses of code-free tools, according to Zapier. No-code/low-code advocates have pointed to potential benefits for organizations: transparent project execution across teams, single-location data storage, widespread data access across the enterprise, and skills transferability due to application customization. 

Related:Why Enterprise Low-Code App Development Is in High Demand

These tools are not meant to replace IT teams but to take things off their heavily laden plates. A smart strategy for using automated tools will aim to free up IT pros to focus on more significant projects, including digital transformation, Gildersleeve said.

“When business users have access to building solutions using low-code/no-code, they can solve the problems they are closest to without using resources from the IT department and adding to the growing backlog of projects,” Gildersleeve explained.

Smart Strategy

Despite the benefits that National No-code Day will highlight, organizations have important considerations to make when investigating low-code/no-code applications.

The IT department should establish guardrails early in the process, Gildersleeve advised. Business users must understand when they are free to use these applications on their own and when IT should be called in. 

Organizations should then identify which business areas low-code/no-code tools will provide the best ROI. That means determining where the organization has silos and disrupted workflows and if tech can solve these problems.

“As a CIO, I recommend focusing on parts of the business that welcome and would benefit from adopting new technology rather than parts where technology would act as a frustration,” Gildersleeve said.

Finally, security must be a consideration across these tools. 

Adoption of No-code/low-code To Expand

In 2022, the best opportunities will likely come within the build environment, especially in sectors that have lagged behind on digital transformation, Gildersleeve said.

“Industries that often work in silos and who have been slower to adopt new technology, such as construction, manufacturing, energy, and more, have a distinct opportunity to fill labor gaps and unify their organizations from the office to the field,” she said.

Learn more about National No-Code Day.