Mo Apps, Mo Problems?

Innovation Mo Apps, Mo Problems? Spencer Beemiller Brand Contributor ServiceNow BRANDVOICE Storytelling and expertise from marketers | Paid Program Aug 4, 2022, 07:19pm EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin With the right low-code platform, organizations can tame app sprawl and kick-start innovation. We rely on apps to optimize our lives so we can focus on the stuff that matters. Organizations are no different.

These days, the average company uses around 110 SaaS applications at any given time. While freedom and flexibility are important, there comes a point where businesses start to see diminishing returns. That’s right: We need to talk about app sprawl.

Trying to tame an application explosion? You’re not alone. getty Like urban sprawl, app sprawl is the product of rapid expansion without oversight. As teams start using more apps without governance, IT loses visibility into what the business is doing, and the business disconnects from the helpful management of IT.

That opens the door to potential security issues and limits the business’s ability to be strategic. If you can’t see holistically what you have, you won’t know what you need. To paraphrase the late, great Biggie Smalls : mo apps, mo problems.

The sprawl cycle App sprawl is part of a broader trend in development that’s been happening for years. When I started my career in the WAN optimization space back in the mid-2000s, the issue was data sprawl, not app sprawl. Businesses didn’t know where all their data was stored or collected.

This exposed them to a host of security issues and made governance practically impossible. So most companies consolidated hardware that ran business applications by bringing it back into the data center. When SaaS took the world by storm, teams could suddenly solve problems without going through IT’s centralized governance.

While that unlocked lots of creativity, it also created problems. Rogue IT black-holed visibility from the organization while, once again, creating potential security issues. We went from data sprawl to platform sprawl.

This is an ongoing issue, and many companies are still trying to rein in shadow and rogue IT. To quote ServiceNow CIO Chris Bedi , “The truth of the matter is that employees are already using low-code tools, just without the approval of their IT teams. ” The problem with sprawl, regardless of the form it takes, is that it puts IT on the defensive.

In the age of unchecked app development, IT and the business are locked in a constant battle between security and creativity. Rather than acting as a business enabler, IT becomes the department of “no” as it tries to curb the spread of unsanctioned infrastructure. In the age of unchecked app development, this is where we find ourselves, with IT and business locked in a constant battle between security and creativity.

Choice fatigue Businesses are at an impasse. On the one hand, they could allow app development to continue sprawling. This isn’t the best option.

For one, anybody who’s browsed a never-ending diner menu knows that more choices doesn’t always lead to a satisfying meal. Choice is good, but choosing is hard. (And there’s research to back this up !) Sometimes, less is more.

Having fewer choices can make us feel more satisfied with our decision. On the other hand, businesses could restrict teams’ ability to build and buy apps. That doesn’t seem like a great option either.

People really do need apps to get work done. And as we’ve seen before, teams aren’t going to stop going rogue just because IT tells them “no”. For cities dealing with urban sprawl, it isn’t helpful or productive to ban development entirely.

The same goes for app sprawl. Rather, it’s up to organizations to provide the foundation individuals need to develop apps safely and strategically. Here’s where low-code and no-code solutions take center stage.

Enabling the future Low-code tools allow anybody to create apps using an array of powerful building blocks that already adhere to the company’s governance and security standards. They reduce the time it takes to make apps by about 90% , which is huge. Over the next three years, most of the new apps developed by enterprises will use no-code or low-code technologies.

Low code is getting a lot of hype because it empowers citizen developers , but I’m also excited about what it can do for app sprawl. It gives teams ample flexibility to create the apps they need, while also providing the governance capabilities and visibility organizations say they lack. Sprawl made it impossible for organizations to be strategic about app development.

With the right low-code platform, it’s impossible not to be. For example, organizations can begin to use software asset management and application rationalization solutions to gain a consolidated view of what teams are building today—and how to best enable them for tomorrow. Then, using low-code tools such as ServiceNow’s App Engine , they can unleash creativity by empowering employees to build apps that solve their particular problems.

Sprawl made it impossible for organizations to be strategic about app development. With the right low-code platform, it’s impossible not to be. Good development requires conversations.

Sprawl happens when IT and business aren’t talking to each other. Low-code platforms are powerful because they make it possible to have those conversations again, turning IT from the department of “no” into a strategic enabler. Everybody gets the best of all worlds: creativity and security, development and strategy.

Instead of more apps, more problems, it’s more apps, more innovation. Boom. Spencer Beemiller Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.