Safe and Sound: No-code and Secure Application Deployment

The democratization of technology by no-code has awakened the controversial debate surrounding the security of no-code application development, specifically by business users. Andie Dovgan, chief growth officer at Creatio, looks at the skepticism surrounding no-code and how organizations can manage secure application development better. 

Some skeptics categorize these platforms as mere user productivity tools, operating ungoverned, unmanaged and of questionable quality. In almost every instance throughout history, when a major technological advancement weaved its way into society, it arrived draped in skepticism and criticism. Come to think of it, almost all great innovations of our time were widely ridiculed before they became popular. Take, for instance, computers. In the early 1980s, the age of the personal computer sprung up, and the term ‘computerphobia’ was coined. Sufferers experienced a mix of fear, anxiety and hostilities towards computers. Whereas in the early days of the telephone, skeptics wondered if this was a tool that could be used to communicate with the dead. As time has demonstrated, we cannot live without these innovations today, and no-code platforms are no exception.  

According to Forrester, enterprises are increasingly adopting no-code application development platforms despite active skepticism around no-code. So, what gives? 

Unlike traditional code, no-code is a visually-driven programming language. Each block represents hundreds of validated lines of code aggregated into a simple box. This graphical user interface enables developers of various skill and experience levels to securely and easily create applications by dragging and dropping the pre-built boxes. While business users can finally build apps independently, experienced developers can benefit from increased productivity resulting from tedious admin becoming abstracted and, therefore, effortless to manage. As a result, numerous enterprises globally integrated no-code platforms into their development stacks to gain a vast advantage over their competitors by speeding up software delivery and innovation.  

Too Good to Be True, But It Is 

One of the most common fears that discourage organizations from integrating no-code into their tech stack is security. In fact, no form of development, no-code included, is a security exception. The most common concerns affecting all types of development include human error, lack of compliance and lack of skills or knowledge. In most instances, human error is the result of an individual making an unknowing error which could result from a lack of skills or knowledge, whereas a lack of compliance is the willful neglect of a determined and presumably understood rule or guideline. Therefore, it’s not about which form of development is safer; all forms are susceptible to these same factors that can hinder security. Ultimately, it is the human component that is more likely to jeopardize the security of an application rather than the platform itself. 

No-code solutions have given way to business developers through the abstraction of previously complex tools. To some, business developers are the average joes of IT. They are not experts in a particular discipline, nor are they meant to be. Rather, no-code employs a new generation of tools to allow citizen developers to generate the needed results as if they were expert-built. With no-code platforms, citizen developers enable companies to leverage the technologies and skills they might not have a chance to otherwise.   

No-code tools significantly accelerate application delivery because of the security automation capabilities built into the platform. Citizen developers are not writing code or building security measures. Citizen developers reuse the code developed and tested by professional developers. In essence, professional developers build the composable blocks by aggregating hundreds of lines of code into a simple box, while end-users arrange these blocks to build the applications. Arguably, no-code applications by design are more secure than bespoke solutions because they are developed by tried and tested building blocks prior to use.  

See More: The Rise of the Citizen Developer: Pros and Cons

Using No-code Is like Walking with Guardrails  

To paint a digestible image, using no-code is like walking with guardrails. It is difficult to veer off the path if one sticks to the guided road, i.e., pre-built application components. This does not mean that the functionality of no-code cannot be extended. Professional developers can use code to develop reusable code extensions if needed. But it is the software engineers building the extensions and not citizen developers. In this way, no-code also discourages siloes between IT and non-IT teams by fostering an environment for them to collaborate, permitting non-experts to be involved, but IT to have governance, total transparency and maintain control of the development and provide citizen developers with secure blocks to build the applications they need. 

See More: Could No-Code Tools Be the Key To Unlocking Your Employees’ Full Potential and Productivity?

Every Application Depends on Data 

No-code supports various use cases, including enterprise software development, fast prototyping, workflow automation and data analysis. Every application depends on data. Data leakage is the most prevalent security breach, and it usually coincides with the misconfiguration of access controls.  

From the software vendor standpoint, data is handled through predetermined access points; only certain operations can be performed, and unsafe operations are prohibited. The unsafe operation is determined and vetted by the platform developers. This can resolve potential issues such as unintended and frivolous data access, avoidance of race conditions and proper login and monitoring. However, human errors occur, and misconfigurations happen. 

How Can Organizations Reduce Security Risks?

What differentiates a secure development platform is not just the platform but the policies, guidelines and training that an organization institutionalizes to ensure secure application deployment. Although a no-code platform does ensure some pre-built security measures that vary by vendor, users of the tool, both business and professional, should know where the no-code guardrails end. Companies need the right strategies and platforms to sustain other new waves of innovation evolving from different levels of the organization. 

Before selecting a no-code platform, an organization should consider the appropriate governance without conceding time-to-value, including tools to automate testing and monitor the quality and performance of built applications. The organization in question must involve its security SME from the get-go to ensure the right platform is selected. The items to consider include what current infrastructure the company has in place, what security measures are embedded in the new platform and what measures need to be implemented to ensure no future security breaches occur. Involving the right people at the beginning of the selection process ensures the right platform is selected for the organization.  

The right no-code platform will effectively support both the professional developer and the business developer, but the right policies and best practices will reduce the risk of misconfigurations and human error. Alongside a thorough platform selection process, policies to manage the no-code platform should be developed and adopted.  

Human error and poor habits are the most likely to affect the quality and security of applications. To complement the documentation formulated by the organization, security awareness training is imperative to educate users when they are incorrectly building applications or inadvertently jeopardizing the security of their device or network. As such, all users, especially citizen developers with the least amount of experience configuring and building applications, have a solid foundation built on education to take on the new waves of innovation. 

Don’t Fear, Embrace the New 

Instead of fearing the new generation of application development, enterprises are best left to embrace the changes inevitably coming their way. With the right measures in place, enterprises can reap the plethora of benefits over and above the speed offered by no-code platforms.  

How are you making the most of the no-code revolution? Share with us on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We’d love to know!

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