4 ways low-code app development boosts the agility of ITOps

Oct 26 ยท 6 min read

Low-code application development platform

Low-code application development (LCAD) platforms, as the name suggests, are development platforms used to design and deploy applications with minimal coding. They can help businesses build customized solutions with the help of intuitive visual builders, ready-to-use code snippets, form and report templates, and built-in connectors. Users can jump right into building applications since these platforms eliminate typical processes like creating frameworks, modeling data, and developing user interfaces.

LCAD platforms have gained momentum in the last few years owing to their simplicity, ease of use, and speed of delivery. IT teams often face an overload of automation requirements and a lack of resource availability, two pain points that hinder business productivity. Low-code platforms help improve the throughput of IT app development teams because they require fewer resources to work on projects and can finish projects in ten percent of the time it took previously.

Inventory management

Managing assets can be a challenging task, particularly for rapidly growing organizations. Inventory management is a systemic method to track and control the asset life cycle.

Low-code platforms can be used to compile and maintain a list of assets in a database. Admins can filter assets by type, color, or any specific parameter to check asset availability, including the number of assets currently in use and assets in stock. Based on past data, admins can get an estimate of when the new stock will arrive when ordered. They can also determine when the organization will run out of a particular type or brand of the device at the current rate of usage.

ManageEngine's low-code platform uses Deluge, a built-in low-code scripting language that allows users to create workflows while doing away with extensive code. Deluge was created in-house by our development team.

Compliance and risk management

For any business, especially an enterprise, it's crucial that all processes and applications comply with laws, regulations, and standards set by local and international governing bodies. Risk management aims to identify, monitor, and rectify these procedures for internal and external audits.

Organizations usually require ISO and SOC II certification, and must comply with regulations like the GDPR and HIPAA. A standard criterion for evaluation is how they manage risks. The current level of compliance for a product or team can be measured against each regulation. For example, let's say we're monitoring the encryption level of data for a particular team. They may be fine when it comes to SOC II and ISO but not strong enough according to the HIPAA guidelines.

Using a low-code app, admins can filter by standards and review if each business parameter is compliant with the controls in each regulation. In a scenario where a team is not compliant with the regulation, they can notify the respective product team and follow up on the app until the conditions are met. Admins can also send out weekly reports to product managers and compile overall reports for external audits.

Cloud spend management

Cloud spend management, also known as cloud cost management or cloud cost optimization, aims to help enterprises track cloud usage and monitor and manage expenses. For organizations that subscribe to cloud services or applications, admins have to make a call on whether a subscription is needed or where they can cut back or invest more.

Admins can create a low-code application to predict cloud usage. Let's say a start-up has invested in a help desk solution. They're currently hiring at a rapid pace to keep up with demand for their products and plan on upgrading to a revised plan with more features and a higher technician count. The sysadmin in charge of this change will have to monitor technician growth constantly and get budget approval from the finance team. Thankfully, this is a job a low-code application can simplify.

Low-code tools come with advanced analytics integration that provides data visualizations and monitors performance indicators. So, if the admin were to ask, "In Q4 2023, how much will I be spending on help desk services if I'm expanding at 10% per quarter?" the smart suggestions can give a reasonably accurate number that the admin can use to plan ahead. Likewise, low-code tools can evaluate license usage, including how many users or active users there are per license, if a license is registered under a former employee's name, and license expiration dates.

Vendor management

Gartner defines vendor management as "a discipline that enables organizations to control costs, drive service excellence and mitigate risks to gain increased value from their vendors throughout the deal life cycle." Vendors could include large ISPs, third-party testing services, or smaller contract vendors for building maintenance or device maintenance. With a low-code application, admins gain the ability to control all vendor-related services end-to-end in one place.

A vendor management dashboard typically displays vendor performance and their relationships. Let's say a development team has issues with a security vendor's penetration testing process. The team can file a grievance against the vendor. Admins can check their contract, verify SLAs and the frequency of issues, and make a call as to whether the organization should continue or terminate their contract.

Low-code platforms have the power to automate and improve business and IT processes in every industry. As organizations adopt low-code platforms, we'll see more citizen development use cases in domains like HR, finance, legal, and marketing. When investing in a low-code development platform, ensure that the solution can scale up to match business capabilities, has multiple integrations, and facilitates collaboration without compromising security.

About the author

Mahanya Vanidas

Mahanya Vanidas, Content writer

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