Podcast: Low-code tech powers 75 percent of all enterprise software

There has been a lot of talk about the low code/no code movement over the past few years. Is this a new trend or is it an established practice making a comeback?

In 1997, a developer asked Apple founder Steve Jobs: “How can code make me more productive?” His answer was: “Eliminate 80 percent of the code”. So, the idea of low code has been around for a long time, says Siemens CIO Hanna Hennig.

Hanna says we are in a fourth industrial revolution now, the era of digital transformation. This is transforming society, especially manufacturing where 60 percent of tasks can be automated according to a report from McKinsey, thus improving productivity, quality and safety. but what does this increase in automation mean for developers?

With this level of automation comes a fivefold demand for developers, she says. The problem, she explains (referring to developers), is that “you guys are not enough. There is much more demand with regards to applications and development”.

And so this has led to the rise of what is known as the citizen developer, or an employee who develops apps usually for use by themselves and others on their team. Low code techniques give programming skills to these non-professional developers.

But the question is: will this become an industry wide trend? According to a 2021 Siemens survey, 75 percent of IT leaders say that the no code/low code approach is something their organisation cannot afford to miss.

This is probably because Forrester and Gartner analysts estimate that 75 percent of all enterprise software in 2021 was built with some degree of low-code technology. Additionally, Gartner predicts that, by 2024, 65 percent of all application development activity will be powered by low code.

Hanna was speaking on the FullSTK stage at Web Summit 2021.

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Main image: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Web Summit (CC BY 2.0)