A low-code platform like Linx provides a development environment that programmers can use to create application software through graphical user interfaces and configuration, instead of relying exclusively on traditional computer programming (“hand coding”).

So why do we do it?

REASON 1

Competitive business landscapes require businesses to increase their delivery speed and lower their costs, while still delivering quality products and services. Where software development and IT services, in general, are concerned, it is no different. Solutions must be delivered at speed and at cost levels that would enhance overall business competitiveness, not hamper it.

Consider for example that in Linx, the effort of setting up a timer service that automatically executes a process that first connects to your Xero account, extracts overdue invoice details, then writes them to a file and sends the file via email to key stakeholders, literally only takes a few minutes. Coding such a solution would take much longer. It would involve a coder with very specific and costly coding skills – someone who might already be allocated to other projects and who might only be available in a few weeks’ time, which further decreases the speed at which a business can operate optimally or deliver value to the market. Speed and cost are crucial ingredients to competitiveness.

A good low-code development platform goes a long way in achieving this.

REASON 2

The technical and operational complexity of doing business require tools that can simplify the creation of business solutions. The Linx Designer makes it easy for a user to:

• See the bigger picture of a solution, yet quickly access and work on the details of the solution.
• Include from the ever-growing library of plugins (and their associated functions, services and types) those components required in a solution by dragging and dropping them in the desired sequence onto the design palette.
• Easily set the variables and parameters associated with functions, services and data types, which are listed as configurable properties in Linx.
• Debug a solution to ensure its expected functioning and easily troubleshoot possible errors.
• Deploy a solution to the Linx Server to start automated services or host REST API’s.

REASON 3

The opportunities presented by the integration to 3rd party systems via API’s require tools that can provide quick and reliable integration capability to overcome the technical challenges of systems integration.

Linx provides pre-packaged plugins for integration to various AWS API’s (including S3, EC2, SNS and SQS), Google Drive, Google Sheets, Xero, QuickBooks and FinSwitch.

Linx also makes it easy to expose your own REST web service for other applications to connect to your application.

REASON 4

The need for continuous improvement of business **process efficiencies, especially around automation, requires tools that can rapidly and effectively automate complex workflows.

Linx provides various services for automation, including a Timer service that will execute your process at a predetermined time, for example emailing a sales report every morning at 7 am. Linx also comes with a Directory Watch service that will execute your process under predetermined circumstances, for example when a change occurs to a specific file or directory a copy could be backed up on your server, or even backed up on AWS S3 (using the Linx plugin for AWS S3).

REASON 5

Talent shortages create the need for tools that can minimise coding, eliminate repetitive tasks, and simplify difficult and time-consuming systems integration tasks.

As a low-code development platform, Linx does most of the “coding” for you. For example, by dragging and dropping a specific function into your solution and setting its properties, the underlying code is created for you without you needing to know anything about the code syntax. In fact, you don’t even have to know which programming language is being used in the background to make it all work.

There are many compelling reasons for using a low-code development platform like Linx. At the end of the day, it all boils down to what impacts your bottom-line the most: speed, cost, power, ease of use and quality.

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