Imagine a world where complex applications with thousands of lines of code can be built and deployed at lightning speed. This isn’t fiction; it’s a reality made possible by the emergence of low-code platforms. On the other hand, cloud platforms provide scalable infrastructure and on-demand resources to eliminate upfront investments and time-to-market.
Together, they enable rapid development, deployment, and application management, making it easier for businesses to innovate and adapt to changing market needs.
The Low-Code Market Could Approach $50 Billion By 2028 – Forrester
Factors Driving Low-code Platforms for Cloud Migration:
1. Faster Time to Market:
Low-code platforms and cloud migration go hand in hand, enabling rapid application development and cutting down the time and resources needed to build and deploy new applications. This is especially beneficial in cloud migration projects where new applications are crucial to harness cloud capabilities or replace outdated systems.
2. Seamless Integration:
Low-code platforms are cloud-native, which means that migration and integration are easy and fast, saving you at least half the time and cost. These platforms include important governance and compliance features. They have strong data security and built-in access controls. These capabilities ensure that applications created on low-code platforms meet industry standards and follow best practices.
3. Continuous Modernization:
Utilizing low-code platforms as part of your transition to the cloud can significantly streamline the development process, leading to cost reductions and increased agility. Whether you are building new applications or updating existing ones, low-code platforms offer a powerful array of tools that can assist you in reaching your objectives in the cloud environment.
Learn more about how to choose a low-code application development platform.
4. Improved Agility:
Low-code platforms provide flexibility and adaptability, enabling organizations to swiftly and effectively address evolving business needs and market conditions. This capability is particularly crucial for organizations that operate within industries characterized by rapid and constant change.
Challenges of Cloud Migration With Low-Code Platforms
As organizations move towards low-code platforms to achieve agility and efficiency, it’s crucial to understand the potential challenges that come with this innovative approach:
1. Customization Constraints:
While low-code platforms offer rapid development, they may fail to meet the intricate demands of complex cloud migration projects. Customization limitations can hinder organizations with highly specialized needs from achieving their full potential.
2. Vendor Lock-in Risks:
Relying excessively on a single low-code platform may lead to vendor lock-in, creating significant challenges and costs when attempting to transition to an alternative platform or technology. Thus, organizations should conscientiously evaluate the potential enduring consequences of their platform selection.
3. Integration challenges:
Integrating low-code platforms with existing systems and third-party applications can be quite challenging due to the complexity of the current IT infrastructure. Achieving successful integration requires careful and detailed planning as well as precise execution.
4. Security Considerations:
Low-code platforms provide integrated security features; however, organizations must validate the robustness of these measures to safeguard sensitive data and adhere to industry regulations. Security remains a critical consideration in any cloud migration endeavor.
How To Simplify Migration With Low-code Platforms
Migration with low-code platforms transforms your complex, monolithic systems into agile and cloud-ready applications that meet modern business needs. Low-code platforms offer a streamlined approach to cloud migration, making the process less daunting and more efficient.
Here’s how it can be done.
1. Decentralize legacy applications:
Legacy applications are typically large and interconnected, making migration challenging. Low-code platforms enable the breaking down of these monolithic applications into smaller, manageable microservices, allowing for easier management, independent development, deployment, scalability, and improved flexibility in cloud environments.
2. Simplify Systems:
Once the legacy applications are decentralized, the next step is to simplify the systems. Low-code platforms provide a visual development environment that allows your developers to re-architect these microservices using pre-built components and drag-and-drop interfaces.
This approach reduces complexity by eliminating unnecessary code and automating mundane tasks. Simplifying the system not only speeds up the migration process but also enhances the performance and reliability once it’s in the cloud.
3. Improve Existing Applications:
It is one of the significant benefits of using the low-code approach for legacy app migration. Low-code platforms enable you to enhance existing legacy applications by integrating modern features and functionalities without re-coding. For instance, you can add AI-driven analytics, IoT capabilities, or advanced security features to your legacy applications, making them more relevant and cloud-native.
This improvement phase ensures that your applications are not just lifted and shifted to the cloud but are optimized to leverage the full potential of cloud technologies.
4. Evolve as Business and User Needs Change:
Businesses are dynamic these days, so your applications and architecture should be. Low-code platforms are agile and flexible and evolve with your business and user needs. As your organization grows, low-code platforms allow for continuous updates and iterations of your applications with minimal effort.
This agility ensures that your cloud-based applications remain aligned with business goals, provide a better user experience, and easily adapt to new challenges or opportunities.
How to Mitigate Risks During Cloud Migration with Low-Code Tools
1. Conduct a Thorough Risk Assessment:
Carefully analyze potential risks when preparing your organization for migration. Laxity in analysis and prediction can have a disastrous impact on overall business performance. These risks further impose critical data loss, system downtime, and security breaches. Through a comprehensive risk assessment, organizations can establish a sturdy basis for crafting effective strategies to mitigate or eradicate these risks.
2. Adopt a Phased Migration Approach:
By adopting a phased migration approach, businesses can meticulously assess and confirm the success of each step in the process. This strategy significantly reduces the likelihood of extensive disruptions and ensures a smooth and uninterrupted transition for your business operations.
3. Ensure Compliance and Security:
Keep in mind that selecting a low-code platform requires adherence to industry-specific compliance standards and the presence of strong security features. Performing regular audits and security checks is crucial to ensure ongoing compliance. Ensure that data is protected and complies with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).
4. Invest in Training and Support:
Training is crucial for a successful cloud migration. Organizations must invest in training their staff to use the low-code platform effectively. Moreover, ongoing support from the platform provider is essential to address any issues that arise during the migration process.
How Does Low-Code Enhance Cloud-Native Application Development?
Low-code platforms are instrumental in boosting cloud-native application development by expediting development cycles, streamlining intricate workflows, and facilitating Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) processes. These platforms empower developers to rapidly create and launch applications in the cloud, thereby diminishing time-to-market and bolstering agility.
Conclusion:
Embracing low-code platforms can significantly expedite cloud migration and accelerate digital transformation initiatives. Organizations stand to gain from the efficiencies of low-code platforms, enabling them to optimize migration procedures, minimize expenses, and attain enhanced flexibility and scalability in the cloud.
As businesses undergo continual development, low-code platform incorporation for cloud migration will play an increasingly pivotal role in maintaining competitiveness and fostering innovation.
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Author: Siva Sekhar Rao Jamula
Technical Architect
Experienced Java and J2EE technologies expert including design and architecture. Over 10+ years of experience on leading, coaching and mentoring team members.