These numbers show an industry growing and it’s fair to say that no-code is being utilised in all sectors from finance to education. One industry that you might be surprised to learn is also taking advantage of what no-code development platforms have to offer are IT companies.
But Doesn’t IT Hate No-code?
As the no-code industry is growing, some have commented that it is replacing the requirement for developers but that’s simply not true and its use within and by IT companies is proof of how its a complement to traditional development rather than a replacement - as the saying goes, behind every no-code platform has to be some code eventually.
IT businesses are utilising no-code in many ways
- Improving their own business with tools to help them
- Using no-code to develop tools for clients
- Adding it as a service they offer to clients
Making The World More Efficient
No-code tools can be found at work in many different parts of an IT business, particularly when it comes to improving how they work across teams and on projects. A typical project will be complex, involving multiple teams and different phases of work.
Collaboration is therefore key to success in these IT businesses, where the ability to have a 360-degree view of projects and drop into them at the appropriate time is important for the smooth running of the business. Both clients and the internal teams benefit from this and no-code tools are integral.
As an example, one tool most IT companies use to allow teams to communicate is Slack and which offers a no-code workflow builder within their product. It is allowing IT teams to build quick and useful apps, for example, a tool that pulls together data that people input to slack and gathers it in one place, maybe another no-code like AirTable.
Most of the project management tools now used in IT businesses are no-code based. These allow the teams to collaborate across projects and manage the different phases, ensuring nothing gets missed and people can drop in at the appropriate times.
This is important with the current trend towards remote working where teams could be working in multiple countries and need to remain on the same page.
Any of the great no-code workflow tools are helpful for an IT business that will have lots of manual processes. By introducing automation they can improve performance and increase profits.
With the skills possessed in the teams, it’s really easy for them to pick up these tools and create lovely little time-saving, efficiency apps to solve any of the issues above. It genuinely means IT teams are empowered to see problems and fix them.
Efficient Development
IT businesses that are looking to develop tools for their clients have realised that using no-code for some of these projects is more efficient and will deliver greater profits. Making good use of the templates that come with no-code platforms, they get a headstart on any project.
They avoid having to do time-consuming and repetitive tasks like building account management, login screens or registration processes. By re-using tools that are already in these platforms, they can deliver fast projects with best practices built-in. This all ensures happy clients.
The combination of skilled IT professionals and no-code platforms can deliver some amazing products. Not only do you have the great functionality already built into the platforms, but you also have the ability to build custom code on top of the standard features.
With the capability that now exists to enhance what is already on the no-code platforms, IT businesses can bring the best for their clients. No-code platforms are becoming more and more advanced and part of this evolution is allowing traditional coders to build far more complex apps than in the past, adding custom code to the core base.
This is allowing IT organisations to change the configuration of their teams, where only a few members need to be traditional developers, with skilled business people supporting and being able to use the no-code tools to build the core product.
This, of course, solves another problem that all IT businesses face at the moment, the scarcity of skilled developers. There are not enough of them for the roles currently open and those you can find are able to name their price, which is normally pretty high. So by adding no-code to their arsenal, IT businesses can meet demand and keep costs down.
Website Development
One sub-genre of this development offering that is becoming a big and profitable part of many IT businesses is website development. It is something that’s been offered for a long time, a good lead-in to a client where more work might be possible.
But having no-code website builders like Wix and Webflow available nowadays is almost like a cheat for IT businesses. They can build high-quality websites quickly and are easy to maintain in the longer term, minimising ongoing maintenance.
Previously, coding a new website would have been a 6-8 week project at best but can now be developed and live within a few weeks, meaning improved profits and the opportunity to offer the website as a low entry offering to win the client.
Delivering A No-Code Service
No-code is also adding a potential new service to IT businesses, the ability to implement and support no-code in their client's organisations. With so many businesses understanding the importance that no-code can bring to them, they are looking to implement it into their teams.
Many struggle to understand where to start, what platforms to use or the training needed. This is where a good IT business can help them and charge for a new service.
They will start by assessing the client's needs, where they plan to utilise no-code and the types of use cases it would have. This will enable them to recommend the platforms that would work and pull together an onboarding scheme, including how best to train the teams.
For example, let's say a client is looking for a no-code platform that can be used within the accounts and HR departments to allow them to build small apps to track performance, monitor invoicing and alert absences.
Rather than pay for an expensive, off-the-shelf tool that doesn’t completely fit their needs, they would like a no-code tool that allows them to build these themselves. An IT business could find them the right no-code platform and train the teams on how to create these apps.
As you can see, progressive IT businesses are not afraid of no-code but have embraced its power to free their own team to be more efficient and deliver a more cost-effective service to their clients.
