In this article, we want to raise the topic of a new way of developing enterprise applications – the low-code approach. Particularly, we’d like to look at the OutSystems platform as a proper low-code environment for developing mobile and web applications.
Did you notice that the traditional approach to creating enterprise applications is becoming obsolete? It requires a considerable amount of time, it’s expensive or necessitates rare specialists, and creates an immense investment in the tools and infrastructure.
Among the 3,300 IT professionals interviewed* in 2019:
- 46% estimated that the development of a mobile application in their companies takes 5 months or more,
- 64% of respondents said they have tech debt,
- 75% complained about the lack of talented specialists.
* Global survey for app development 2019 by OutSystems
These data show the need for changes in the enterprise software development process. One of the great solutions to this problem is the OutSystems low-code platform. Here, we’ll talk about the opportunities this platform provides for businesses of any size and type.
Table of Contents
OutSystems Platform Overview
OutSystems is a low-code platform for enterprise mobile and web applications development. The platform provides everything for quick app creation, management, and deployment.
You can learn how the low-code development process in OutSystems looks in a 2-minute video of the company:
OutSystems 2-Minute Overview from the company’s YouTube channel.
5 groups of OutSystems users
OutSystems is an advanced platform filled with diverse functions. Therefore, it is suitable for a fairly wide range of users.
OutSystems itself identifies 5 user groups that can significantly improve their activities through the platform. For each of these groups, OutSystems solves many global problems directly related to their position in the company and KPIs.
Let’s look into these 5 groups of users in more detail.
IT Leaders using OutSystems are able to:
- quickly create applications and launch them in new markets
- work within the platform in a singular team alongside business users
- get rid of tech debt
Business Leaders get the opportunity to:
- implement fresh ideas in new markets faster
- improve user experience
- speed up the editing process to meet the customers’ needs quicker and better
Enterprise architects, by using the platform, can:
- modernize the technological stack
- integrate applications with any corporate systems
- design and deploy scalable and secure applications
Professional developers get the opportunity to:
- develop applications of any complexity
- use familiar programming languages and add their own code
- develop applications in a DevOps environment and send them to production with one-click
Citizen developers, working with OutSystems, can:
- create and run applications without the need to write code
- create new functionality under the supervision of professional developers
- design applications with the correct architecture
Six OutSystems Core Features
The main feature of OutSystems is faster to-market process of high-quality applications. Every bit of the platform is designed specifically to make the development quicker and of five-star quality.
OutSystems names the 6 main features of its platform.
1. Unlimited integration possibilities
OutSystems greatly simplified the integration process. The platform’s users can manage configurations without having to write code. Because of this, employees spend less time on development and don’t make mistakes. OutSystems provides internal integration with SAP systems, REST, and SOAP services.
2. Brilliant UX
With OutSystems, even non-professional developers can quickly create interfaces with excellent performance. The platform provides a Screen Templates framework to create beautiful interfaces. The users are able to add their own elements there, so the templates can be completely adjusted to one’s needs. Also, OutSystems provides libraries of themes, actions and models, user interface and screen templates, and various layouts.
OutSystems’ Screen Templates framework. Source.
3. Adding custom code
No need to be anxious that in the process of the app creation, OutSystems will narrow your actions and you won’t be able to build complex user interfaces or integrate with the necessary systems. With OutSystems, the users can easily extend their applications with custom code. The platform also visualizes application development and, in doing so, helps avoid errors.
4. Corporate level
OutSystems is a low-code platform with advanced enterprise features. The platform provides corporations with scalability, high security, performance, and architectural support. All of which are needed to meet the requirements of the business.
5. Continuous deployment
This feature helps to make modifications faster and reduce application maintenance costs. It doesn’t matter how many changes you need to make in the application or how significant these modifications are. The architecture of applications will always be correct and efficient.
6. Necessary metrics
OutSystems provides metrics that demonstrate application productivity. These real-time data show what should be optimized in the app. OutSystems provides a built-in toolkit, identifies the causes of the problems in real-time, provides custom dashboards with performance indicators and internal APIs for access.
The user experience on the dashboard screen. Source.
At this stage, designers, developers, and business users work together closely. They create working prototypes of the application that meet all the product requirements or its parts.
Is OutSystems flexible enough?
OutSystems, in its study ‘State of Application Development Report 2018’, mentions a curious fact. The company surveyed more than 3,500 IT professionals and discovered that the main reason that creates barriers to the adaptation of a low-code approach is the fear of the lack of flexibility.
Executives don’t believe that they will be able to develop applications that truly meet their business needs.
The surest way to find out if it’s true is to study the independent reviews of the OutSystems low-code platform on Gartner Peer Insights.
At the time of writing the article, OutSystems has received 227 reviews with an average rating of 4.5. Such a high rating undoubtedly indicates that the platform is almost completely satisfying the needs of its customers.
What apps can be developed on OutSystems?
Most often, OutSystems’ clients develop two types of applications on the low-code platform:
- applications for their customers’ use,
- applications to improve the internal processes of the corporation.
OutSystems helps a great deal in getting both kinds of applications up and running. The platform provides the possibility to develop excellent web portals, and mobile and web applications for enterprise employees and customers.
It delivers a high level of development quality at all stages of the enterprise software development life cycle. Thanks to this, OutSystems can support the development of complex and large-scale applications.
What about Blockchain, IoT, and AI?
Some our clients are concerned that with OutSystems you won’t be able to use Blockchain, Internet of Things, or Artificial Intelligence in applications developed on a low-code platform.
OutSystems low-code platform solves this problem. The company has developed open-source components that allow corporations to integrate AI, IoT, and Blockchain into their OutSystems applications.
Already, many corporations have developed dozens of applications using these technologies. They praised the quality and speed of development. Among them are companies such as Deloitte LLP, and ISB Global.
Conclusion
OutSystems delivers a great alternative to the traditional approach of enterprise application creation. Using the platform, companies operating in various industries and of different sizes, significantly reduce the time taken by development, eliminate tech debt and have the opportunity to attract citizen developers into the development world.
The OutSystems platform allows you to successfully develop a wide variety of enterprise mobile and web applications. The platform provides all the necessary enterprise software development tools and functions for this.
You can familiarize yourself and your team with the platform in even more detail by studying the success stories of their customers, case studies, as well as independent OutSystems reviews at Gartner Peer Insight.
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