What is Low-code development?
Low-code development is exactly what the title says: software development with less coding. The emphasis is more on the user interface and process of the applications, than the coding aspect. The idea is not new, it has been around for quite a while, and at the moment the technology is quite mature and extremely well suited for production use.
With Low-code the goal is to be able to develop software faster, and to enable users with less experience to participate in or even build applications on their own – to even become Citizen Developers if they so desire. With powerful visual drag-and-drop tooling and high-level abstraction of very complex programming tasks, the focus can be kept more on solving the domain problems than knowledge on specific programming languages. This can also help companies with developer talent shortage.
What are Power Apps?
Power Apps is a part of Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft’s approach to low-code development. It is a fully hosted experience, from the development to hosting the apps, everything is in the cloud and hosted by Microsoft. The whole platform is connected to an organisational tenant and accessed with Entra ID accounts (Microsoft 365 accounts, or as formerly know, Azure Active Directory accounts), making it very secure and very scalable straight out of the box.
With Power Apps, the focus is more on designing the user interface and the process how users interact with the application, rather than writing code to implement functionality.
What types of apps has Gofore done with Power Apps
Over the last year we have created several Power Apps applications for our customers. These include Mobile apps as well as browser-based applications. Some applications were Proof-of-Concept types, which then became real, production applications. Others were greenfield, new applications, or modernising existing applications to a new technology platform.
These apps have been very fast to build, and thus very cost-effective, compared to more traditional software development. Our customers have been very happy not only with the cost savings, but time savings as well. As applications take shape fast, it has enabled customers and Gofore to reduce the feedback loop of development, allowing customers to see their ideas become reality faster than ever before.
Read more about the case Fimea: Low-code paid off – immediate value from a quickly-completed application
So, a faster and cheaper way to develop apps – what’s the catch
Low-code is no silver bullet, it has its’ limitations just like any other technology. For a successful Low-code project, the technology must be a good fit. An analysis of the project is needed first, to assess what are the proper tools to use, not the other way around.
Low-code approach is best suited for smaller, less complex applications. If you are looking for a huge application with loads of functionality and complex data handling and algorithms, then perhaps it would be better to stick to more traditional development. On the other hand, sometimes the apps needed to solve a problem or help with a process are quite simple or straight-forward, and then Low-code should definitely be considered.
What can Gofore help me with
Gofore can be your solution partner in designing and developing Power Apps. We work on Power Apps just like with other development approaches, and we can help your organisation in getting started with Power Apps. We can guide you through the steps needed to build applications, work with you on the security model – or just create awesome apps for your organisation. We can build PoC applications to test the suitability of the platform for your needs, or just evaluate your requirements and help decide whether or not Low-code is the way to go.
Low-code can also be a part of your digital transformation journey. It can enable automating small pieces of the puzzle that may be outside the scope of your other apps, or it can complement bigger applications by providing additional functionalities.
Please don’t hesitate to ask for more information – we’re here for you!
