No-Code and Low-Code: Codeless Programming Helps Businesses

While there is a lack of developers in the job market, platforms help companies to program without technical knowledge.

In a scenario in which most companies, regardless of size or sector in which they operate, are going digital, the lack of professionals in the technology area becomes increasingly latent. A Softex survey estimates that there will be a deficit, next year, of 408,000 developers in Brazil. With the devaluation of the Real against the Euro and the Dollar, the problem only increases, as companies from abroad are hiring Brazilian technology professionals.

In this context, programming schools and training projects are emerging that aim to train developers for the market. However, there is another trend that can help to solve this problem: No-Code and Low-Code.

Generally speaking, this is programming without code, or with little code. Today, there are several platforms on the market that allow a non-technological professional to create simple software and applications. The sector even calls this audience “citizen developers”, as opposed to “professional developers”.

The difference between No-Code and Low-Code concepts is basically the code level. In Low-Code, a citizen developer creates most of the project, but requires a professional to make the final adjustments. In No-Code, the application is developed entirely by the common user.

Today, the Low-Code market is much more mature than the No-Code market, as most platforms still require a small dose of code to solve the pain of digital transformation. No wonder, the global Low-Code market should move US$ 13.8 billion in 2021, according to Gartner forecast, which represents a growth of 22.6% compared to last year.

No-Code and Low-Code in practice

The Zeev is a company of more than two decades in the technology market. Three years ago, she identified the Low-Code trend and pivoted the entire business in that direction. In an exclusive interview, Rafael Bortolini, Zeev’s R&D and Innovation director, reveals that conversations about codeless programming have been around since the early 2000s, but that the technological maturity to offer practical solutions has only recently been reached.

“It is a technological and social movement that is well dispersed around the world. It is not a market sector, it does not have a regulatory body that defines exactly what it is”, explains Rafael. Technology has matured to the point where we’re able to provide powerful tools for creating applications to people who don’t know how to program.”

According to the executive, the movement has a social character because it helps to solve a socioeconomic problem, which is the lack of technology professionals. “It’s the democratization of development. Low-Code gives the power of software development to people who didn’t have the time or money to invest in five-year university courses, for example”, he analyzes.

Rafael highlights that Zeev’s platform, like others on the market, already has the integration between systems as a standard. In other words, software developed by Low-Code is easily integrated with those provided by native technology companies.

Programmers will be replaced?

The Low-Code and No-Code movement did not come to replace technology professionals. Rather, it is a way to complement the developers’ work. While professional programmers will continue to develop more complex software, the citizen developer is responsible for simple day-to-day solutions for companies.

“You can’t do everything with Low-Code and I don’t know if it will ever be possible”, predicts Rafael Bortolini. According to the specialist, the software that is in the core, that is, that is critical within a company’s operations, will still have a responsible technology professional. Other programs, which operate on the periphery of the business, can be created by professionals from other areas.

The executive also points out that it is not enough to open a Low-Code platform and, at first, go out “dragging the boxes and thinking that you are going to build an application”. There is also a learning curve. “It’s just going to take weeks, not years,” he says. In this sense, professionals or entrepreneurs who are already used to using software and applications tend to accelerate this learning curve, as they understand the limits and possibilities of this universe.



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