Eliminate IT Bottlenecks with Low‑Code Platforms: Simplifying Digital Transformation

Albert Einstein once noted, “Genius is making complex ideas simple.” In the age of digital transformation, that principle is more relevant than ever. Industrial processes generate vast, fragmented data streams that can overwhelm traditional IT stacks. A streamlined, low‑code platform can cut through that complexity, freeing up scarce resources and accelerating deployment.

Johan Jonzon, CMO and co‑founder of Crosser—an industry‑leading edge analytics provider for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)—explains how low‑code solutions can close the IT delivery gap that hampers modern factories.

Digitalisation is a megatrend: stakeholders across manufacturing are deploying connectivity, data‑analytics, and automation to optimise every touchpoint. Yet a Mulesoft report shows that the number of projects IT teams are asked to deliver has risen by at least 30% year‑on‑year since 2017. With limited developers and increasing demands, the result is a widening backlog that stalls digital progress.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

When faced with backlogs and resource constraints, the answer isn’t more code—it’s simpler code. Low‑code platforms replace verbose programming languages with visual editors, drag‑and‑drop components, and declarative logic. They require minimal hand‑written code and are intuitive enough for non‑developers to master.

This means existing staff—maintenance technicians, data analysts, or production line managers—can be trained to build or tweak applications, distributing the workload across the organization. As Asana’s global survey of 13,000 workers revealed, 71% of employees reported burnout in 2020. By sharing responsibility, IT teams can reduce pressure on individual developers and improve morale.

With more people contributing and faster iteration cycles, businesses can accelerate their digital roadmaps. Forrester research indicates that low‑code platforms can speed software delivery by up to ten times compared with traditional development. Appian’s survey found that nearly 80% of IT developers believe low‑code frees them to focus on higher‑value projects.

Fight Complexity Head‑On

Crosser’s platform is engineered to tame the chaotic data environments that plague industrial deployments. Its Crosser Flow Studio offers pre‑built modules and a drag‑and‑drop interface, making the design, deployment, and management of data pipelines accessible even to users with limited coding experience.

Complexities such as fragmented networks, raw sensor streams, limited bandwidth, and thousands of tags can fragment data and lead to routing issues. Crosser’s architecture normalises and manages these fragments at the network layer, ensuring data arrives correctly and efficiently.

Centralised low‑code platforms like Crosser undergo rigorous testing and validation because they serve many users across diverse systems. This continuous feedback loop improves code quality, accelerates bug resolution, and enhances overall security and reliability.

Cybersecurity threats are evolving daily. A Make UK survey found that 60% of manufacturers have experienced a cyber incident. By reducing the amount of custom code and providing built‑in security controls, low‑code platforms help safeguard critical operations.

In practice, simplicity unlocks innovation. Low‑code platforms empower staff to build, iterate, and maintain applications without deep programming expertise, boosting IT efficiency and propelling industrial digital transformation.

The author is Johan Jonzon, CMO and co‑founder of Crosser.