Risks of decentralized technology: reducing low code

Low-code development technologies have grown rapidly over the past two years as software development has become remote. Experts predict that this trend will continue until 2022, led by future application platforms. Anant Adia, Senior Vice President, Cloud, Infrastructure and Security (CIS) Infosys, shares her views on trends and views that businesses should keep in mind.

L.Ow-code / no-code development is a visual approach that relies on drag-and-drop components to write software. It is fast, accessible and convenient because it abstracts and automates the coding process. This allows non-IT employees to build applications without much help from the IT organization.

Risky development

The idea of ​​citizens-developers writing software is well suited to the federal and non-intermediate spirit of the times in business and technology. However, as low-code and code-free platforms become widespread for decentralized technology real estate, it exposes the enterprise to additional operational and security risks. Although these platforms are generally secure, some stages of development are more sensitive, such as when predefined code is deployed as visual blocks or when the platform continues to store critical data in the applications being developed.

So while non-technical personnel can independently write applications using low-code and non-code technology, their activities should be monitored by an IT authority to ensure compliance with security protocols and management practices. Particular care should be taken to manage and protect critical data. The IT department must give developers permission to access this data in accordance with company policy. At the same time, non-technical developers need to be aware of safe methods and risks when developing low code applications.

Read more: Forecast for 2022: head in the cloud

Throwing a shadow

Another possible consequence of decentralized coding development is shadow IT – technology projects initiated and managed from outside, and sometimes without the knowledge of the IT organization. At first glance, fully decentralized IT may seem like a good way to do everything quickly, but it creates serious problems in the long run, such as reducing reusability and increasing risks. For example, shadow IT applications may not be supported by the same backup and recovery processes as official IT applications, which increases the risk of data loss. Similarly, as long as the IT team carefully corrects vulnerabilities when they appear, it is unclear who is doing the same for shadow IT solutions.

With a few proactive measures, businesses can succeed in decentralized development while controlling the spread of shadow IT. Most importantly, gaining the trust of advanced developers so that they don’t bypass the platform – a low-open open API platform that makes it easy to integrate – is a way to do that. Good management and detailed application privileges will also hinder shady IT-wasting resources without creating the necessary documentation for software that will make it reusable. Finally, the adoption of a single low-code platform across the enterprise will bring standardization and encourage more and more developers to work with it.

Read more: How the Cloud-First approach can change modern banking

Security code for the future

У comprehensive study Regarding the adoption of civil coding, which covers 2,025 IT executives from six countries, 75 percent said the low code is a trend they could not afford to miss. Three of the four organizations in these countries have already adopted it.

Against this backdrop of rapid growth, businesses may overlook risks, especially if development occurs without the usual checks and balances. While decentralized technologies have their advantages, they also increase security risks and shadow IT. Businesses need to ensure that non-IT users are adequately trained in security aspects and that their work is subject to IT control and management policies. Using a platform that is supported by vendors and security credentials can improve the low code development experience and results.

How do you think you can better protect your business from the benefits of decentralized technology? Share with us LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. We would like to know your opinion!

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