Low Code
In short
Low code refers to platforms on which applications and workflows are built largely from visual building blocks rather than program code. Forms, approvals and small databases take days instead of weeks. Where the blocks fall short, you add code selectively. No code goes one step further and does without code entirely – with correspondingly tighter limits.
What low code is good for
Typical uses are internal tools: data entry screens, checklists, approval forms, simple reports. In Microsoft 365 the building blocks are called Power Apps and Power Automate – many SMEs already have them with their licence.
The gain is speed: someone who knows the process can model it themselves with a little support.
The most common misconception: no developers, no running costs
Low code lowers the effort of building, not of running. The data model, permissions, error cases and the question of who will still understand the application in two years all remain.
Then there is platform lock-in: a low-code application can rarely move to another vendor without a rebuild. And licences are often charged per user – what is cheap for ten people can cost more for a hundred than a custom web app.
The Swiss angle
Low-code platforms are almost always cloud services. As soon as personal data lives in them, the same questions apply as for any service provider: where is the data processed, and is the outsourcing governed (Art. 9 and 16 FADP)?
How we handle it
We use low code where it is enough and build ourselves where the limit is reached – often the one first and the other later. Examples are under internal tools.
Related terms
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