A new unified development platform is now available to help build tailor-made business solutions. Low code development platforms are used to create application (app) software through a graphical interface.

Global technology company Zoho announced the latest version of its low-code offering, Zoho Creator, which it says addresses the need for an easy-to-use platform that enables business users (or citizen developers) to create complex and powerful business applications, while empowering the information technology (IT) teams to place sufficient guardrails and govern usage, ensuring security and compliance.

"The bulk of low-code application development, from customisation to automation, can be handled today by users with moderate technical knowledge. Where we see a gap, especially for the mid-market and enterprise, is between building and deployment," said Zoho Corporation regional manager: Africa Andrew Bourne.

"Currently there isn’t a low-code solution on the market that allows both business users and IT to truly build end-to-end business solutions. With this update, Zoho’s Creator Platform combines application development, business intelligence & analytics, integrations, and process automation into one single platform while simultaneously enabling IT teams to effortlessly manage ongoing challenges of security, compliance and governance. Now, organisations can leverage a unified solution for all of their low-code needs, extending the ability to innovate to every employee."

The new version of the platform aims to empower business developers to build scalable low-code solutions which include apps, integrations, analytics and process automation without costly and time-consuming training demanded by complex platforms. It is said to enable 10 times faster deployment than other solutions and includes enhanced features such as business process blueprinting, artificial intelligence-enabled smart import, enhanced serverless functions, conversational analytics, centralised governance and a multi-environment setup. These features are designed to help users build a connected ecosystem of solutions while maximising IT teams' control through a robust end-to-end application development lifecycle management.

In addition, the new platform helps to equip IT teams with greater control around governance, security and compliance, to help businesses build appropriate solutions and pursue new opportunities.