Low-code saw remarkable growth during the Covid-19 pandemic last year. And according to Gartner’s forecast, that momentum will continue through 2021.
Gartner’s “Forecast Analysis: Low-Code Development Technologies” report shows not only how much this market will grow worldwide, but also the factors driving adoption of the technology — such as the digitalization of business.
Digital Transformation: Low-Code Expected to Reach US$13.8 Billion
The worldwide market for low-code software development technologies is projected to total US$13.8 billion in 2021 — an increase of 22.6% over the previous year, which closed at around US$11.2 billion.
And despite ongoing cost optimization efforts, the rise of remote development during the Covid-19 pandemic will continue to boost low-code adoption.
According to Fabrizio Biscotti, research vice president at Gartner, there’s a clear explanation for the technology’s growth: “While low-code application development is not new, a confluence of digital disruptions, hyperautomation and the rise of composable business has led to an influx of tools and rising demand.”
In short, low-code allows IT teams to use their time and skills more intelligently and efficiently, accelerating the delivery of new user experiences.
Moreover, business experts and citizen developers can use low-code platforms to build applications independently, freeing IT to focus on developing more complex tools and improving infrastructure.
Low-Code Growth Expected Through 2022
The low-code movement is expected to keep growing significantly year over year.
Low-Code Application Platforms (LCAP), for example, are expected to remain the largest component of the development technology market through 2022, growing nearly 30% from 2020 to reach US$5.8 billion in 2021.
In the table released by Gartner, low-code ranks ahead of highly popular technologies such as BPMS (Business Process Management Suites), Multiexperience Development Platforms (MXDP), and Robotic Process Automation (RPA).
Business Digitalization Is Increasing Demand for Low-Code
The digitalization and acceleration of business is putting ever more pressure on IT leaders to dramatically increase application delivery speed and time to value.
Digital transformation has driven up demand for more customized software solutions, giving rise to developers outside the IT function — which, in turn, has fueled the growth of low-code.
On average, 41% of employees outside IT — or business technologists — customize or build data or technology solutions.
Gartner predicts that by 2025, half of all new low-code customers will come from business buyers outside the IT department.
Along these lines, Biscotti notes that the economic consequences of the pandemic have validated the low-code value proposition.
“Capabilities that support remote work functions, such as digital forms and workflow automation, will be offered with more elastic pricing, since they will be required to keep businesses running,” he said.
SaaS and Hyperautomation Will Drive Low-Code Adoption
All major Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors currently provide capabilities that incorporate low-code development technologies.
As SaaS grows in popularity and these vendors’ platforms see broader adoption, the low-code market will experience proportional growth in LCAPs and process automation tools.
In addition, IT technologists want to create and execute their own ideas to drive more automation across their business applications and workflows.
As a result, the need for business-driven hyperautomation will be one of the top three drivers of low-code adoption through 2022.
“Globally, most large organizations will have adopted multiple low-code tools in some form by the end of 2021.
In the longer term, as companies embrace the tenets of a composable enterprise, they will turn to low-code technologies that support application innovation and integration,” said Mr. Biscotti.
Investing in Low-Code Technology
Research like this from Gartner — a world-renowned advisory firm — and the market itself have consistently pointed to the growth of low-code technologies and the support they provide for enterprise digital transformation.
Low-code boosts performance across the entire company and closes internal gaps in system maintenance and development, driving up productivity.
Driving the digitalization of your business is now essential to staying competitive in the market and meeting customer expectations.
And to help you implement innovative solutions focused on creating value for your company, you can count on TrueChange.
Click here and get in touch today. We have been low-code specialists in Brazil for 10 years, and we have become a reference in implementation, training, and solution development with this technology.
