7 Myths About Low-Code (and How They’re Holding You Back)

1. Low-code is only for simple apps

Low-code is sometimes equated to simple automation and unsuited for complicated tasks. With some platforms (especially no-code), that might be true. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all answer.

Platforms (like Mendix!) can handle your most complex use cases across the enterprise. Customer portals? No problem. Bringing together data? Absolutely.

Take a look at an example from Schwarz Group. It used Mendix to build a decentralized development capability, which helped digitize processes across the retail value chain.

2. Low-code restricts my options with deployment

Your needs are your needs. Whether you’re happy in a public cloud, need a private cloud, need to lock everything down on-premises, or something else, your enterprise needs a platform that can meet your needs today AND provide flexibility.

This is where your future use cases and desired endpoints can drive your platform choice. Is it true that some low-code platforms offer limited flexibility? Yes, but don’t let that move your thinking to ALL platforms don’t.

Mendix provides safe, secure cloud flexibility to meet your needs. Need an example? Mendix Cloud for Government is FedRAMP® approved.

3. Low-code doesn’t play nicely with sensitive data

Data is one of the most essential tools you have. It drives your choices and your experiences. Data is also critical to take advantage of artificial intelligence and GenAI.

Equally as important as the data itself is keeping that data secure. You can’t risk compromising your data, so a platform potentially exposing that data is unattractive.

Low-code platforms that can’t bring your data together in a secure, synthesized way can’t help you make the most of it. Some can’t. But some can.

4. Low-code is just for business people to play around in

You’ll often hear “low-code” and “citizen development” together. And there’s a reason for that. Low-code platforms simplify the development process, and there’s a long history of citizen developers building solutions in them. But if that’s all you’re using low-code for, you’re not maximizing your value.

Is low-code great for quickly iterating and prototyping? Yes! Is there a space for citizen developers and business technologists? 100%.

But for low-code to sing, you need collaboration tools that make it easy for the business and IT to collaborate. You also want portfolio management tools that allow you to see everything happening in the enterprise. Now, you can deploy your business and professional development teams more effectively to reduce duplicate work and increase value. Pretty cool, huh?

5. Low-code doesn’t prioritize security and governance

Let’s continue the above thread. The idea of citizen development is often mixed with shadow IT and a lack of governance.

We’ve already discussed the importance of collaboration and portfolio management. Still, these must be backed up by solid governance and security practices that help you speed up development while maintaining control.

The best platforms bake in the tools to simplify governance and back that up with a process to ensure you’re covered throughout the development lifecycle.

6. Low-code isn’t for customer-facing applications

You must create winning customer experiences to stand out and stay ahead of the competition. So, it stands to reason that a platform that struggles with elegant experiences and interfaces will have limited value to you. Why settle?

Proximus used Mendix to create the Proximus+ customer portal. With more than a million users onboarded, Proximus was able to simplify and significantly improve the customer experience.

7. All low-code platforms are more or less the same

If you’ve had this thought, we happily forgive you, but one size does not fit all when it comes to low-code.

Think of it this way. Picture a bowl of noodles. What do you see? Spaghetti carbonara? Pho? Vermicelli? Boxed macaroni and cheese? They’re all noodles but that’s about where the similarities stop. They’re not trying to taste the same and will offer differing satisfaction levels depending on your needs.

Low-code is the same way. There are many varieties of platforms to fit your use cases.

Your new low-code perspective

Now that we’ve redefined the limitations of low-code platforms, you can look at low-code with fresh eyes. What can low-code do for you? How about almost anything!

• Sophisticated experiences for external users
• Mission-critical apps to streamline internal processes
• Automate and extend processes

And that’s just the start.

The key is to carefully consider your use cases and find the platform that’s the best fit. And we have the perfect page to help you do it.

Everything You Need to Know About Low-Code Platforms helps explain the differences between platform types, along with the pros and cons and questions you need to think about before selecting the right one for your needs.

Low-code platforms can work together with legacy systems to give you the coverage and solutions that you need. But you won’t know that until you get started.

Need help? We’re here to talk.