You understand that code limits innovation. You are eager to free your tech teams from the complexity of managing software so they can instead support projects that add value to the business. You're excited about implementing Codeless Architecture (CA)…
…But you don’t know how to get started. To set you up for success, we’ve broken down everything enterprises need to know before beginning their codeless journey.
Just as cloud service providers (CSPs) are what make Serverless Architecture possible, no-code platforms (NCPs) are at the heart of Codeless Architecture.
Serverless Architecture has been a transformative force over the past decade because it simplifies the complexities of the cloud into virtual dashboards that can be used by those with little-to-no understanding about managing physical servers. Similarly, an NCP abstracts entire application tech stacks (codebases and all) into a simplified interface, so users can access them. Not all NCPs, however, are created equal.
“No-code” is a popular buzzword in the market right now, so it can be difficult to tell which platforms would be best for helping large organizations truly go codeless. Let’s try to offer some clarity.
Popular web builder tools like Squarespace or Wix are technically no-code in that they allow users to rapidly build websites with little-to-no coding, however you wouldn’t—indeed couldn’t—use these tools to develop a custom insurance or banking application. For that, you would need something a bit more robust.
Unqork is the industry’s first no-code enterprise application platform. It allows users to rapidly build sophisticated applications using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Just as a no-code web builder allows users to design websites in a visual interface, Unqork allows enterprises to design business workflows and user experiences without writing a single line of code.
Unqork’s enterprise NCP was built with complex industries’ requirements in mind, e.g. enterprise-strength security, regulatory compliance, and data-powered functionality. This is why Unqork has been used by some of the world’s largest organizations to begin their codeless journey.
Hear what the COO of Marsh has to say about partnering with Unqork.
Despite low-code/no-code becoming a software industry category and their similar-sounding names, low-code is not the same as no-code. While low-code tools may provide some abstraction away from repeatable development tasks, low-code still requires working with code (indeed, some platforms require users to learn an entirely new proprietary low-code language). No-code completely removes the need to interact with a codebase, period—this is the entire premise CA is built on and a key differentiator.
Throughout the digital age, new development tools have come along to provide layers of abstraction that allow humans to design increasingly complex software without writing a bunch of 0s and 1s.
Over the decades, new generations of development tools successfully kept up with the increasing demands of the marketplace. Until they didn’t. Around 2010, developer productivity actually began to decrease for the first time in the digital age.
This is why companies are increasingly turning to Codeless Architecture. This new paradigm allows developers to keep up with today's digital ecosystems' increasing demands and complexity. And no-code is at the heart of CA.
Platforms like Unqork allow organizations to take a modular approach to transformation. Our customers come to us with a lengthy list of legacy systems and tools (some of which they can’t wait to replace, some of which they don’t mind sticking around). Unqork makes it easy to seamlessly integrate new codeless applications with existing systems and third-party services. As a result, companies can extend and renew their tech stack without the burden of legacy tech debt.
Even better, you can view and manage your entire digital ecosystem on a single pane of glass, which allows you to build efficient workflows across all your platforms and teams around the globe.
Going codeless opens new possibilities for developers as well. Here at Unqork, we don’t even use the terms developers, programmers, or coders, we say “Creators.” This is because the platform takes on the procedural work and allows users to build through higher-level declarative assertations.
To be sure, Codeless Architecture does not replace coders; it allows them to be more productive and frees them from high-volume (but not necessarily high-value) development work. Experienced Creators are freed to focus their efforts and expertise on addressing unique business challenges while newer Creators can quickly ramp-up to take tasks that previously required far more experience.
As Mindtree’s Shashank Raj puts it, “A traditional code-based system could take three-to-four months to learn just the basics. Most people seem to pick up Unqork in 15 to 20 days.” Unqork is far easier to learn than traditional coding due to the intuitive nature of the visual interface. Furthermore, Unqork’s Academy and Community hubs are great learning resources that empower users to get up-and-running on the platform. Even better, the Unqork Marketplace makes it easy for Creators to surface and integrate functionality built by industry experts and fellow Creators.
NCPs are also built to be easy for non-tech staff to use as well. This is important because it makes it easier for business analysts to directly take part in the development process instead of “throwing requests over the wall” for IT staff to interpret.
“When I was a back-end developer, I only cared about the data… now I can truly connect with the application and think like the user as I build.”
– Kamalanchali Asokan, Associate Technical Lead, EY
By eliminating the need to work with code, enterprises eliminate the costs associated with code—and coding costs certainly add up. In fact, Deloitte found that the average enterprise spends 57% of its IT budget just on supporting current operations. McKinsey backed this claim by uncovering that CEOs divert up to 20% of their “new product” budgets to pay off tech debt.
When you are spending your money “keeping the lights on,” you are not growing your revenue, which is another dent in your bottom line long-term. When you go codeless, you can reinvest the savings on upkeep and paying down technical debt into the rest of your organization.
