Low-Code and No-Code Tools: A Guide for Small Businesses

Low-Code and No-Code Tools:

Low-code and no-code tools speed up app development for small businesses. They allow for customized apps without high costs.
But with various options available, how do small businesses choose the right tool for their needs?

Choosing the Right Low-Code and No-Code Tools

Low-code and no-code toolkits have different features and are used for different purposes. They can operate in a standalone mode or on top of existing infrastructure, and can come in the form of tools you run on your own server or cloud-based subscription services with monthly fees and specific capacities.

Early on in the process, small business IT teams considering low-code and no-code will need to delve into details. Defining the problem and application requirements can be difficult for small businesses, especially if they don’t have in-house application development experience. But, starting with internal applications rather than customer-facing tools is also a good strategy for small businesses interested in low-code and no-code.

Low-code and no-code tools are especially useful for small businesses with “if only” problems. For example, “Our current driver scheduling app is great, but if only it could email managers the next day’s schedule, it would be even better.” In this example, a low-code and no-code solution can take an existing application and extend its functionality.

However, this doesn’t mean that small businesses can’t start from scratch with low-code and no-code tools to develop entirely new applications. But, taking on the task of building a new application is a big commitment, whether using low-code and no-code tools or more traditional development environments.

The Use of Toolkits When Developing

Low-code and no-code toolkits can cut the time to develop applications, but someone still must sit down and design the application and IT platform it runs on. Writing code is a big part of the application development process, but is just one of many tasks that go into building and running an app. Organizations should view low-code and no-code as a means to support their existing developers, rather than as a complete replacement for them.

Finding the Best Low-Code and No-Code Path

Low-code and no-code is often promoted as a “third path.” Yet these are not distinct paths; they are parts of a broad spectrum of options and can have considerable overlap. For example, small businesses often already have low-code and no-code available to them to complement Software as a Service tools they’re already happy with. Many SaaS providers are branding their existing cloud-based platforms as low-code and no-code development environments primarily designed for extension. Small businesses already using SaaS apps may be able to extend those applications quickly.

Integrating the use of low-code and no-code toolkits into existing development teams is the best way for small businesses to reduce costs and speed up development. It is important to remember that low-code and no-code is best used to supplement existing developers, not to replace them.