Transforming how we look at application development

Editorial Type: Opinion Date: 2021-02-01 Views: 1,518 Tags: Document, Digital Transformation, Coding, Strategy, Covid-19, Management, Nuxeo PDF Version:
Christopher McLaughlin of Nuxeo explains how low-code development can drive digital transformation in 2021

Few would argue that the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly accelerated many changes that were already taking place across different areas of life and business. One such area is digital transformation.

This is something that most organisations have been approaching with differing levels of success and commitment for years now, but the events of 2020 have brought the need for greater digitalisation into much greater focus. As each new wave of the pandemic compounds the impact of the original lockdowns - and cements more permanent changes to the way the world works - organisations have found that they now have no choice but to reinvent their established practices and client services.

As organisations strive to make these changes, the focus falls on how best to approach doing so. Low-code development tools have grown in both prominence and use and are regarded as increasingly important in accelerating the pace of change of digital transformation.

A NEW BUSINESS LANDSCAPE
Not only did the pandemic catch many organisations by surprise, but it also affected their revenues and positioning because they were not ready or did not have a Plan B when circumstances called for it. That new digital service, channel, or app they were devising: if it was not primed to go live, it is likely to have been put on pause as businesses redirected energy and resources to firefighting.

But now it has become clear that companies and their customers are in this for the long haul, which means organisations must adapt and innovate today if they still want to survive. This, in turn, is putting pressure on software development teams to move quickly: they need to find ways to deliver new digital capabilities and services in a matter of weeks rather than months or years.

This is where low-code development tools have proved to be so effective, especially in the context of content-based applications, where low-code introduces the ability to create a new digital customer or supply-chain experience with a very rapid turnaround.


"It has become clear that companies and their customers are in this for the long haul, which means organisations must adapt and innovate today if they still want to survive. This, in turn, is putting pressure on software development teams to move quickly: they need to find ways to deliver new digital capabilities and services in a matter of weeks rather than months or years. This is where low-code development tools have proved to be so effective, especially in the context of content-based applications, where low-code introduces the ability to create a new digital customer or supply-chain experience with a very rapid turnaround."

THE VALUE OF LOW-CODE TOOLS
This focus on digital experiences is illustrated by research Nuxeo conducted in Q4 2020. It revealed that for seven in 10 organisations, digital transformation has become more of a priority since the threat of COVID-19 first emerged. This in turn had a direct effect on development teams and what is expected of them.

37% of software developers confirmed they were under renewed pressure to enable more effective collaboration across their organisations as people continued to work from home, while 32% were being called upon specifically to facilitate more effective use of content while teams were dispersed.

The research also revealed the value of low-code development tools to a business. The principal benefits included simplifying the development process (cited by 35%); accelerating digital transformation (by 25%) and boosting innovation (also cited by 25%).

Tools that speed the development process are hugely impactful in terms of helping companies transform and innovate, which has a knock-on effect in improving the customer experience. This all helps make a business more competitive - always important but especially so in this current period of uncertainty.

A DIGITAL FUTURE
COVID-19 did not create the need for businesses to digitally transform, it is just one more contributing factor. But if it was necessary to be agile, create new services and experiences to respond to the market demand quickly before COVID-19, then it has now become essential.

The future of business is undoubtedly digital and low-code development tools can help hugely in making this happen. In simple terms, they accelerate digital transformation and the value they provide to business is huge.

More info: www.nuxeo.com