Low and No-Code Platforms – Is Growing Security Concerns a Threat?

If I have to name a technology that has been evolving exponentially over the past few years, it should be low- or no-code development platforms. Ever since they are introduced into the market, their demand has been skyrocketing. 

As the platform enables business persons, otherwise called as citizen developers, to develop applications using drag and drop interfaces quickly, it is celebrated by everyone in the business space. 

So, is low- or no-code platforms a runaway hit and future for the IT sector? Before immediately acknowledging with a YES, there is a prominent factor that needs to be considered. It is the security of these platforms. 

Often overlooked, the security threats associated with these platforms are cited to produce catastrophic results for some companies. So, enterprises must consider the security loopholes associated with low-code platforms. 

This post will brief you about the security concerns arising out of low-code platforms and what businesses must do to avoid such things in the future.

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global low code development platform market size was USD 10.82 billion in 2020. The market size is expected to rise from USD 13.89 billion in 2021 to USD 94.75 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 31.6% during the forecast period.

Before getting started, let’s throw light on what low-code platform is and why it is storming the business space.

What is low-code platform

Every company must rely massively on developers to create a website or application. And, they have to code line by line. The process consumes much time. The development cycle is long, and this might sometimes impact delivery, leading to unsatisfied customers.

To avoid that, a new technology called a low-code platform is developed. If you’re new to this concept, here goes the definition.

Low-code/no-code development platforms are types of visual software development environments that allow enterprise developers and citizen developers to drag and drop application components, connect them together and create mobile or web apps. (Source: TechTarget)

With a low-code platform, businesses don’t have to rely on developers, but their business persons can develop a website quickly and effectively. This accelerates development time and helps companies to develop and deliver websites or applications promptly and efficiently, leading to happy customers.

From the above discussion, it is imminent that low-code platforms are widely accepted and leveraged.

Low-code platform benefits for enterprises

• Improved agility
• Decreased costs
• Higher productivity
• Better customer experience
• Faster transformation
• Simple and easy to use
• Faster development cycle
• Freed up technical resources
• Faster delivery 

Now, let’s talk about the other side of using the low-code platforms – security issues. No evolving technology is short of challenges, and low-code platforms are no exception.

4 Security Challenges with Low-code Platforms

Shared below are 4 security challenges every business will face when dealing with low-code platforms.

1. Zero visibility to IT department

Every business must rely on the IT team to ensure the security of business activities. But, when it comes to the low-code platform website or app development, IT has minimal control, and the citizen developers have the maximum control over the development process.

Though the interface offers visual elements to create websites, the security threats are always there, often overlooked by citizen developers. This can make an impact on the business performance and branding.

So, again, the IT department must ensure the development is performed without any security lapses by devising best security practices for development.

2. Data governance

Though the low-code platforms enable users to develop applications faster without the help of core developers and IT teams, the real challenge is data leaks and hacks. As the citizen developers don’t have complete technical skills to manage data completely, there are chances that the data might be hacked or leaked from the website.

This can potentially cause huge business problems, and sometimes the customers can sue the company. So it is necessary to ensure proper data governance is implemented before the citizen developers start the app development.

SEE MORE : The Ultimate Guide to Low Code Technology

3. Lack of trust in the platforms

Though the platform is easy to use and develop applications, not many companies recommend and trust them for developing applications. Growing security concerns on data governance and visibility have forced many companies to refrain from the platforms.

While platform vendors strive hard to fix the security challenges, this might take a long time to implement. Another prime reason the companies turn down the platform is that the development part again has to be checked by pro developers to ensure compliance and security. So it consumes the time of the developer.

Some companies don’t like the idea of using their manual resources to fix security-related challenges when developing applications using the platforms.

4. Lack of awareness about the platform

While we talk about the security issues of the platform, not every company has complete awareness of this. In fact, many companies don’t even know such problems exist when developing applications through the platforms. The reason is simple.

They either lack awareness or don’t have adept developers who can notify the management. Either way, this could prove dangerous to the companies if they don’t focus on security enhancements before the problem worsens.

Another huge problem is that the entire website development may not be visible to the IT department. If a citizen developer comes up with an application for the unique need, he don’t have to wait for approval from the IT team.

He can create an application using the platform as it is easy and simple. But, he fails to account for the security challenges. This can cause problems in the future. So, the IT team must be informed and involved to ensure the organization’s security.

Wrapping up

Though the platform vendors strive hard to resolve the security challenges, they still have a long way to go. Meanwhile, enterprises using the platform should mix the efforts of pro developers, IT, and citizen developers to ensure a safe development environment.

So, is your organization already using a low-code platform?

Are you facing any security challenges?

Partner with a reliable vendor that can help you with security concerns and tips to avoid them.

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