In this article, Unqork’s Wyatt Smith explores (and debunks) some common myths about no-code platforms.
As no-code enterprise application development continues to rejuvenate major industries like healthcare and insurance, it’s no surprise that these platforms are generating some serious buzz in the tech community. Unfortunately, this buzz also comes with a lot of misinformation.
If you’ve never worked with a no-code platform before, you might have heard that it’s essentially the same as low-code, or that apps built without code can’t possibly be that sophisticated. So what’s the truth?
In this article, we’ll debunk some common myths about no-code and explore how cutting edge no-code platforms are bucking some of the disadvantages you might associate with the term.
Myth #1: “Low-code and no-code are interchangeable.”
Low-code and no-code app development platforms are not the same. As their names suggest, the fundamental difference between them is that low-code platforms still require code. What does this mean for app development? Buggy legacy code, siloed teams, and a widening divide between business and IT. These are the fundamental issues that cause 93% of large-scale enterprise IT projects to fail.
Low-code is not an effective way to solve these massive rates of IT project failure because it doesn’t get to the root of the problem—code. Code locks developers into certain ways of creating, drives up short and long-term costs due to legacy maintenance, and generally traps enterprises in a cycle of technical debt. In many ways, low-code simply expedites traditional application development, including its downsides. As long as enterprises are still beholden to code, even in the smallest instances, they cannot truly focus on innovation.
In stark contrast, building apps with a no-code platform doesn’t require writing a single line of code. No-code disrupts the status quo by allowing development teams to focus on business logic through visual configuration rather than code. This freedom allows developers to move nimbly between different phases of the development process, make changes without dedicating countless hours to rewriting functions, and follow innovative ideas as they come.
Low-code and no-code are radically different at their cores. No-code is a fundamental redefinition of traditional development rather than an optimization, and it represents a paradigm shift that’s shaping the future of enterprise technology.
Myth #2: “No-code platforms aren’t secure.”
Some believe that because building an app with no-code is so straightforward, it can’t possibly meet the same security standards of traditionally-developed applications. Others go even further, claiming that no-code developers will focus more on aesthetics and forsake security.
The reality is that no-code platforms are just as secure as any other method of application development, if not more so. With Unqork, enterprise-grade security protocols are built-in from the ground up. By having these decisions pre-made on the backend, no-code engineers are left with consistent security and faster development processes.
Developers can deploy their apps in a single-tenant, cloud-agnostic enterprise infrastructure, manage roles and permissions, and automatically document data changes in order to meet compliance standards. What’s more, since no-code platforms empower enterprises to cultivate in-house talent, developers don’t have to worry about granting outside engineers access to their sensitive data.
Myth #3: “Only formally trained developers can build truly complex applications.”
With Unqork, a lack of formal coding experience doesn’t preclude you from building complex, sophisticated applications. While formal training is often a prerequisite to building enterprise software with code, the foundations of no-code app development—the logic, the workflows, the user journey—are concepts that people from a wider variety of backgrounds can master.
The building blocks of Unqork’s no-code platform are intuitive modules and templates that make it possible for more people to help create applications. Unqork’s comprehensive training can get business stakeholders up to speed in no time, allowing them to bring their industry-specific experience and new perspectives to the development process. Dragging and dropping self-validating components into workflows enables these users to create highly complex interactions themselves without writing any code.
Using no-code also doesn’t mean development teams will end up creating suites of cookie-cutter apps that look exactly the same. If you’re ready to get started, Unqork Academy teaches users how to build everything that the platform offers. Being able to construct your own workflows and components means that there are always opportunities to build something new that truly differentiates your business.
Myth #4: “No-code is not cheaper or faster than traditional app development.”
Suppose an enterprise wants to revamp its approach to client lifecycle management by digitizing the associated processes. With code, the development team would need a variety of disparate tools at their disposal—for example, one to create a hierarchical structure that coded solutions don’t offer, one to process e-signatures, and so on. Soon, they’d be 12 to 18 months deep into a 20-month project that could run way over budget—only to fail to deliver the value it was supposed to.
With Unqork, it takes an average of eight to 12 weeks to see such a project through, from training to delivery. By removing reliance on code, you remove legacy maintenance and the cost of hiring outside engineers to work out pre-existing configurations. No-code also means there’s no longer a need to buy multiple different systems to get the necessary platform capabilities.
In Conclusion
Once you separate fact from fiction, no-code is a no-brainer. Although there may be a lot of misinformation out there, parsing out the truth can spell big gains for your enterprise. Once you’ve dispelled with the myths, it should come as no surprise that no-code enterprise application development drives innovation, reduces costs, and empowers programmers and non-programmers alike to bring their ideas to life.
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