Solving the Puzzle of Governance and Security
The demand for new, better, faster digital solutions is increasing all the time. According to the 2022 Gartner CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey, four out of five CEOs are increasing digital technology investments to counter current economic pressures, such as inflation, scarce talent, and supply constraints.
Increased demand leads to increased investment leads to more development and faster solutions. Add in low-code and no-code platforms, and you’re moving even faster.
But all that leaves out something incredibly important. With all these new solutions, enterprises open the possibility of less control and more risk, which signals a need for clearer governance and more control. But more control means less usability which leads users to workarounds which means…you guessed it, more risk.
What’s the balance?
A difficult puzzle to solve
Today, getting governance and security right is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces turned upside down. Increasingly decentralized workplaces and new technologies make it more and more difficult to keep control of the landscape, but centralizing compliance and security are mission-critical.
By 2026, application security will become the most desired software engineering skill for more than 75% of organizations[i]. In 2022, it was less than 20%!
So, hiring experts is the solution, right? Well, no, not really. Most platforms, whether pro-code, low-code, or no-code, work differently, and with organizations increasingly developing on multiple platforms, the right experts are essential. That said, just as important is working with partners and platforms that have control in mind throughout the development lifecycle.
Think about a pro-code platform where implementing governance controls all has to be done manually versus a platform like Mendix that has governance baked in and ready to go. Call it “governance-in-a-box.”
Putting the pieces together
Keeping in control of your app landscape isn’t as simple as a lock icon. Platforms must provide tools and capabilities that give you the insights you need and the ability to scale, as well as doing it in a way that’s relatively easy and sustainable. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Data and dashboards
Organizations can have hundreds, even thousands, of applications. So imagine how chaotic it can be to try to keep track of what apps you have, how they’re performing, if they’re interacting with other apps, and more. Depending on the size of your organization, you may not even need to imagine too hard. Now imagine centralized dashboards that show your entire app landscape, providing data and insights. You can see where you’re strong and where your gaps are, as well as where your important assets and information live. From there, you can make data-driven decisions.
Usability
Organizations need the right tools to execute, but those user experiences need to be developer-friendly during implementation and easy to use for the end-user. If your platform can’t meet those standards, we’re back to workarounds and risk.
Security
Needs will differ depending on industry, location, and regulatory environment, but you need to be confident that your information is protected and you’re developing in a secure environment.
Reusability
The ideal state is one where you can set an element up once and know that it works for your needs, then pick that element up and use it in other spots. That way, you’re not repeating the same task over and over, and you can, to an extent, set it and forget it. Think of it this way: If you’re hosting a backyard barbeque, is it easier to have all your beer in a cooler with ice, so it’s ready to go at your fingertips? Or would you rather keep having to go back to the store and pick up 1-2 at a time? When you have something that works and you can pick it up and use it elsewhere, you should. If not, you’re repeating the same task over and over.
Mendix: Your puzzle-solving partner
Maybe it’s no surprise, but all the above are things that Mendix does well and is consistently improving, culminating with our newest release, Mendix 10.
Whether you’re creating a single application or an entire suite, we have you covered with the right set of tools, dashboards, and insights. It’s all about offering more options but keeping the experience simple, so you can keep control over your apps without that control grinding development to a halt. Remember governance-in-a-box? Mendix 10 makes that possible.
Looking for some proof? The U.S. government has extremely strict security and control policies to ensure security. As of early 2023, Mendix is in process with FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program), meaning any U.S. government agency can leverage Mendix Cloud for Government as a platform for app development.
If Mendix can provide scalability, improvement, and control to the U.S. government, you can rest easy knowing that we’re hitting the highest standards to bring usability AND control to you.
The final piece
Whether your digital strategies are modest or grand, if governance isn’t near the top of your priorities and planning, you’re sunk before you even start developing.
And with the puzzle getting more and more complex, you need to consider partners that can help you not only execute on your governance strategy, but also keep your execution workable as you scale.
Is governance as slick as the latest front ends? Maybe not, but if your digital strategy falls apart because you didn’t put it at the top of your to-do list, you’ll learn the hard way that it’s just as important.
[i] Gartner, Cool Vendors in Software Engineering: Enhancing Developer Productivity, 16 May 2022, Arun Batchu, Marty Resnick, Manjunath Bhat