OutSystems—or Why Low-Code is In.
Cloud-native development is not for the faint of heart. Has OutSystems found the secret recipe for how to democratize AI on Kubernetes or not?
The nearly astronomical cost of cloud-native development is making cloud adoption unattainable for many organizations. OutSystems set out to overcome this challenge with its low-code platform geared towards "radical simplicity".
It holds the promise of delivering high-performance, business-critical applications with minimal coding effort. But isn’t this aim somewhat over-the-top?
“Radical Simplicity” at Scale
OutSystems positions its platform as a solution for rapid development of custom cloud-native applications . Its catchy motto—"radical simplicity meets high performance"—emphasizes the ease of use in combination with robust functionality.
“In the 10 years since its introduction, OutSystems has become the obvious choice for development projects within the Toyota Group,” comments Atsushi Inagaki, General Manager IT BPR Promotion Div. , Information Systems Group.
According to a report published by OutSystems in February 2023, a cloud-native application can cost around $5.6 million in TCO over its lifetime and a take up to 18 months to build („Cloud-Native Development Report: The High Cost of Ownership“). Much of this burden, the report suggests, stems from a shortage of skilled cloud-native developers.
For Toyota, this skills shortage was a major roadblock.
Toyota's legacy systems happen to rely on a variety of ancient programming languages such as PL/I and COBOL. The engineers who have built these systems and are adept at these languages are reaching retirement age.
Toyota wanted to create a world where these engineers could adapt to the cloud-native paradigm at a low learning cost, where they could easily comprehend the framework and create value. “OutSystems, which allows us to build a variety of applications based on a visual environment, was exactly what we needed,” says Inagaki.
For Patrick Jean, CTO of OutSystems, there’s no question that cloud-native applications respond to the market faster, offer better user experience and provide superior scalability and resilience. “But this shift also represents an overhaul of the traditional software development process – one that most companies are not equipped to handle”. High-performance low-code offered a way to dramatically accelerate the entire process as well as reduce the strain on developers and minimize the overall total cost of ownership, he argues.
The role of the IT leader has never been more challenging, says Pete Peterson, CTO of Riviera Partners, a recruitment firm specializing in placing leadership and technical professionals in the technology industry. In his experience, the list of pending development projects continues to grow, and teams simply do not have enough time or resources to keep up with the demand for cloud-native applications. He has used OutSystems in three different organizations, and each time the platform was the catalyst of a transformation. Applications of strategic importance were created at a breathtaking pace and provided “exceptional value.”
OutSystems' client list includes notable companies such as Honda, Axa, Schneider Electric, and ING, proving the platform's versatility and appeal to large enterprises. Additionally, the platform integrates seamlessly with existing cloud infrastructures and offers extensive pre-built connectors and APIs to systems like SAP, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and Salesforce.
OutSystems simplifies integration through plug-and-play modules, automatically generating the code required for connecting external systems. Companies like Beeztees have leveraged the platform to enhance their SAP systems, creating custom applications that make data available across web and mobile environments. Beeztees' shift to a marketing-driven organization relied on OutSystems to build a multi-channel e-commerce platform integrated with SAP, providing scalability and agility for future growth.
HEINEKEN, the iconic beer brand, saved over 1 Million work hours by choosing the OutSystems platform over traditional cloud-native development.
"With (…) OutSystems, we can reuse components from previous apps. So, 80% of a new app is already built before we even start," reveals Giada Binelli, Global Low-Code Product Owner at HEINEKEN.
OutSystems offers public and private cloud deployments, which leverages the infrastructure of AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Its Public Cloud aPaaS option enables organizations to deploy at hyperscale, using OutSystems' graphical tools to manage the entire cloud application lifecycle. An example is the platform's template on Azure Marketplace, facilitating seamless integration with Azure Active Directory and SQL databases while providing automatic scaling.
Ranked as a leader for six consecutive years in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms (LCAP), OutSystems has consistently proven its ability to drive innovation. The company was founded in Lisbon and is now headquartered in Boston.