No-code platforms provide a way to build web and mobile apps without writing code. Basically, you want to build an app (mobile, web, etc) but you don’t know how to code, so you use a platform to build it and deploy it. Instead of building your layout with code, you typically drag and drop components or parts of an application.
As you can see, it’s a visual way to drag parts together to create a page, form or dashboard. Whether you’re a production manager seeking to digitize shopfloor operations, a service desk employee or business analyst in a Fortune 500 company, I’m sure you’ve had ideas about useful apps to build or workflows you could automate. Today, no-code platforms such as Any2Info enable you to build whatever kind of apps you could imagine, a skill that was once only available to developers.
By 2021, there will be 1 million vacant programming-related jobs. No code platforms make building web apps and mobile apps possible without hiring expensive and in-demand developers. Even those in large organizations know how hard it is to launch something new or get something changed by IT. No code is enabling organizations to build a myriad of internal and external facing tools without having to get IT involved at all. With no code you can launch app experiments without technical knowledge enabling organizations to innovate faster. Employees that best know their own business processes don't get lost in translation with other departments, there's no maintenance burden and no IT overhead. Just pure productivity.
Low-code vs. no-code
Some of the platforms out there allow you to add custom code optionally, or help you create the bulk of your app so that it can then be handed off to a developer or IT to put the final touches on it and deploy it. This is what we call "low-code". However, this still requires help from a technical person which can be frustrating if you need to deploy your solution quickly. And going down the low-code route is not only associated with longer development cycles, it's generally also more costly as many low code platforms have a very steep learning curve. It may take up to 6 months of training to become fully proficient building apps yourself. Finally, once you are a trained low-code developer your low-code skills are not always easily transferable to another low-code solution. To us, using low-code may feel like driving a hybrid-electric Prius vs. an all-electric Tesla with better performance and at a lower cost.
No-code as an extension to existing systems
The holy grail is to build anything imaginable without writing a single line of code, but this is still a few years out. However, no-code is a convenient way to skip the drawbacks of low-code. For example, at Any2Info we are very focused on keeping things as visual and simple as possible so that just about everyone can build an app with a single day of training. Although our platform barely has any limits as to what you can build, we would never recommend you to build or replicate an entire ERP or CRM system from scratch as it doesn't justify the time building it yourself. However, our platform is perfectly suited to provide an extra layer of flexibility on top an existing system. For example, imagine you would like to build a customer-facing portal so that your customers can keep track of their orders via a web-or native mobile app. Another example is that of mobile apps for frontline employees that require access to relevant information such as work orders or instructions guided by videos. This is something that most ERP systems can't do, but with Any2Info it's easy to connect your ERP and build a functional and beautiful looking application on top.
A platform-as-a-service (PaaS) approach
With Any2Info you can build highly scalable, 100% secure and GDPR compliant web-and mobile apps:
1. Build once, run everywhere — Apps that you build with Any2Info are 100% responsive and can be deployed with a single click as a web app or native mobile iOS and Android app.
2. Connect to any data source — We haven chosen our name "Any2Info" for one simple reason: the ability to connect your app to any data source such as ERP and HR systems, SQL databases, industrial computers and PLCs and even stand-alone IoT sensors.
3. Beautiful design — We use a standardized UI that looks clean and beautiful, but you can also create something customized that matches your company's brand and style guide.
4. Unlimited apps and user based pricing — No matter how many use cases or functionalities, with Any2Info you can build an unlimited number of complex apps. You pay a simple and transparent fee per user.
5. Native devices features — Use native features such as audio, video, signature capture, OCR and facial recognition technology.
