No-Code Platforms & Why You Need Them in 2023

Organisational data is the most valuable asset for any business. But harnessing the power of that data and using it to its full potential is easier said than done. Siloed data, slow technology and a lack of skills to use data effectively are holding organisations back from making better and faster decisions. Which is where no-code platforms come in.

No-code development platforms make it easy for businesses to become data-driven organisations. They help you unify your data and make it available to the people that need it through the right set of user-friendly tools and features. And because they are no-code, they can be easily customised to your unique use case.

Say goodbye to siloed cultures and having lots of data across many departments, databases and spreadsheets. Inevitably, this leads to bad decision-making, low productivity and critical information being missed. Instead, say hello to no-code platforms and the myriad benefits they can bring to your organisation.

Let’s look in more detail at no-code development platforms, how they can supercharge productivity and why you need a platform like Baserow in 2023.

What is meant by no-code platform

No code-development platforms are a type of software that requires little to no programming skills to quickly build an application. Through a visual development interface, users can drag and drop software applications, connect them, and easily create full web or mobile apps. The key part of how no-code platforms work is the fact that users do not need to have any coding experience or knowledge of programming languages.

Some of the best no-code development platforms are open source databases like Baserow that can be built and customised to your needs. The software lets you turn even the most complex projects into clear and accessible data for you and your team. Its awesome tools, features and workflow automation combine to help unify business processes, enhance productivity and inform better decision-making.

Why no-code platforms are so popular

No-code platforms have become increasingly popular because they offer an easy and fast alternative to lengthy and costly development processes. More and more businesses across the globe are discovering the value of these platforms in helping them develop an app, automate their workflows and modernise their data infrastructure.

One of the biggest benefits of this type of software is its ability to transform productivity. High productivity is an indication that businesses have the right resources and are making the most out of them. In today’s data-driven world, organisations realise that they need innovative technology to gather, organise and analyse their data, solving challenges quickly and efficiently instead of wasting weeks, months or even years.

The need for a bespoke database solution

Businesses that can harness the power of consumer-centric data can understand their customers’ needs far better. Many organisations in banking, retail and other sectors are utilising such initiatives to provide personalised products, services and communications.

According to a 2021 McKinsey report, companies that excel at personalisation generate a whopping 40% more revenue from those activities than average players. Shifting to top performance in personalisation could generate $1 trillion in value across US industries. Highlighting the need for a bespoke database solution.

What’s more, in the current economic climate of higher inflation and rising interest rates productivity is even more important for businesses with stretched resources and budgets. Many of us are bracing for the likelihood of a global economic downturn in 2023, so there’s no better time than now to put our data to work with a complete no-code platform to store, access, analyse, visualise and predict.

Benefits of no-code development platforms

Higher productivity

We’ve said it and we’ll say it again, no-code platforms can enhance productivity. They let you build more applications in less time, and they offer many tools and features to help you automate processes and workflows. Build apps quickly and efficiently instead of wasting precious time.

Get all your teams involved

Believe it or not, data sharing is still not the norm across many businesses. Especially data sharing outside of specific departments or with external partners. But this is holding businesses back from making better and faster decisions. Modern organisations need to think about streamlining data and collaboration.

No-code platforms allow them to do just that. They provide organisations with the tools they need to build customisable databases and functions and then gain valuable insights from them. This creates an open data culture, promoting the exchange of and collaboration of data across teams and departments.

With all of your teams on the same page, you’ll benefit from more valuable insights to drive performance and growth.

Keep data safe

Businesses want to keep their data and intellectual property safe. No-code platforms provide enterprise-ready security options for user access permissions and self-hosting. This ensures easy data access while keeping company data completely safe. In addition, admins can set limits for who can see what data, thus eliminating the need for creating multiple separate databases for different roles or departments.

Reduce your SaaS load

Since the global pandemic, there has been a sharp rise in the number of software-as-a-service applications used by businesses. In 2021 alone, organisations used an average of 110 SaaS solutions. These can often be used in isolation by different departments, without integrating proper processes or data. Amongst other things, this can create a big blind spot for many businesses.

In addition, teams can be overwhelmed by the sheer number of tools and apps required for them to do their work. And with so many apps and tools for sharing files, communicating, collaborating and managing productivity, companies can easily run into problems with the accuracy and consistency of their data.

Reduced costs

Forget about expensive developers. No-code platforms help you cut costs because you can easily build applications quickly, with no technical expertise needed. You’ll save on what you’d spend on hiring experts, plus you can cut the costs of having multiple SaaS subscriptions.

And just think of the costs involved in managing lots of other apps and tools. You’ll save on things like managing file storage, passwords and different software versions. And the costs of managing all of those different workflows, roles and responsibilities. With one platform instead of hundreds, you’ll enjoy drastically reduced costs.

Agility

A no-code development platform can easily integrate with all of your existing software to provide your organisation with one unified source of information. It can help your team pull in and connect all datasets across your organisation, from sales and marketing, product development, R&D, HR and more, all into one central platform that improves performance and efficiency.

Flexibility

Your team will have the flexibility to feed in other software applications and processes, alleviating the burden of managing multiple vendors or manually validating and retrieving big volumes of data. No-code platforms can be designed quickly and efficiently to suit your teams and your organisation’s needs, however simple or complex.

The best no-code platforms

So, what are the best no-code development platforms out there? With so many different categories to choose from it would be hard to list them all, but if you check out our industry map you can see the top options per category in the ever-growing no-code landscape.

In terms of databases, we think that Baserow is the best option available for businesses. Our online database is open source, so you can run it independently on your own server. This is appealing if you’re concerned about vendor lock in.

Baserow gives you a better way to organise and record data, combining the familiarity of a spreadsheet with the power of an industry-leading database. It works via a user-friendly graphical user interface which lets you marry components and third-party program interfaces (APIs) until it works just the way you want it.

Ideal for organisations with complex needs or big volumes of data, it lets you build impressive custom solutions with lots of functionality. In turn, this helps to modernise your business workflows and drive productivity.

You get a big library of useful templates for product planning, project management, finance and much more. All you have to do is import your data and you’re good to go. You can integrate your data for analysis and reporting, visualise it using a kanban or calendar view, and link it across multiple tables to handle complex workflows.

Invite collaborators to a group and assign permissions so that they have the resources they need to complete their tasks. And make data available to viewers publicly, controlling what they see by using filters or hide fields.

We use modern tools and frameworks like Docker, Django, Nuxt and Vue so that you can easily write plugins or contribute. Plus, you can integrate other software including popular third-party work apps like Slack, Mailchimp, Stripe and many more.

Get started with a no-code spreadsheet database

Ready to get started? Then get in touch with Baserow today! Or check out our guide to help you transform any spreadsheet into a database.