By Chandrashekar LSP, Evangelist Zoho Canada
The push for business digital transformation began years ago – and the need has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the numerous logistical and operational issues brought with it – but many are still trying to modernize their business operations with digital tools. There are many digital tools
available, but many of them do not meet the needs of specific industries or verticals and too few of them allow for customization; leaving businesses to develop their own apps with their own resources.
A new study from Zoho, which surveyed 800+ IT and business leaders from various industries and regions, found that 53% of IT professionals said that enterprise app development is their main focus. But at the same time, only 25% of the respondents stated that their business was building more than 10 apps every month.
So what can be done to improve capacity?
Tackling digital transformation with a personnel and revenue deficit
Before we dive into the solution to these shortcomings, we must first outline the issues that have contributed to this deficit.
Most notably, businesses across the country in industries of all kinds have recently been experiencing a major labor shortage with recent research showing that 64% of businesses have found their growth limited by limited staff, which is leaving many without the personnel they need to develop needed apps.
When you combine this issue with the limited revenue streams many businesses are forced to manage due to economic issues brought on by the pandemic, it has created a major deficit for businesses and their IT teams.
According to Zoho’s study, 65% of respondents say that the major IT challenge for their business is a combination of communication gaps, lack of priority for departmental needs, and slow app development and process turnaround.
Shortcutting the deficit with low-code app development
As businesses look to overcome the labour shortage – and a potentially limited revenue stream as well – and empower themselves to build the apps their business needs to thrive in the new normal, there exists one area of app development that can shortcut these issues: low-code/no-code (LCNC) app development platforms.
Because platforms like these – including Zoho’s own Zoho Creator platform – do not require the deep technical skills of traditional app development, businesses do not necessarily need to dedicate their IT team to tasks that can now be done by other members of your team; freeing up your IT pros to handle more demanding tasks.
Additionally, LCNC also dramatically shortens app development time, which is an IT challenge according to Zoho’s study which showed that nearly 50% of respondents say that accelerated application development is the main benefit of low-code platforms.
Survey respondents also indicated an appreciation for a lack of complexity within LCNC platforms, with 52% of all respondents expressing that the lowered complexity of a lowcode platform is what appeals most to them.
Because of these benefits and a range of others, many IT experts expect LCNC app development platforms to explode in popularity. Zoho’s research backs this expectation with approximately 60% of respondents expecting their organizations to invest in lowcode technology in the near future.
Finding the right LCNC platform for you
If your business is among those facing a labour shortage or trying to conduct business as usual on limited budgets, and you’re struggling to create needed apps, take a look at LCNC app development platforms. The many benefits they can bring to your organization maybe the right step towards modernizing your business.
