WebRatio Platform 9: the low-code platform to simplify and accelerate the Digital Transformation

Roberto Acerbis reveals the project of the WebRatio development team: a new version of the low-code development platform, even faster and more powerful. We have interviewed him to find out more details.

WebRatio Platform 8 was released in 2015 and today, four years later, a new version is announced. What have you been working during these years and why this new version?

R.A.: In WebRatio we have always been devoted to research and development of updated and reliable products, in 2015, in fact, we released the WebRatio Platform for mobile apps development and during these years our development team has dedicated its time to the continuous updating of the technologies that constitute our platforms, in order to offer our customers always updated products that bring a real advantage in digital solutions development. But the low-code platforms updating has not been the only activity: our developers, stimulated by market innovations and feedback gathered from customers, have understood the need to develop a completely new platform, with a modern architecture, new technologies and innovative features. This is the reason why the WebRatio Platform 9 project was born: an even more powerful and faster low-code platform, which will be on the market as a tool to accelerate the transformation and automation of digital processes in companies.

New architecture, technologies and features?

R.A.: WebRatio Platform 9 will bring with it many new features, starting from the fact that it will be a single low-code platform to develop all kind of applications: web, mobile and BPM. The architecture will no longer be monolithic, but based on microservices, to simplify and speed up the creation of single-page enterprise applications, also thanks to the use of UI widgets.

These technological innovations will come together with a modernization of the GUI, of the form creation system and a new and important feature: the layout modeling, which will make the designers’ life easier!

Layout modeling?

R.A .: During the last years we have listened to our customers and we have noticed that there is always a greater demand for speed and control in interfaces development. We have therefore developed a modeling system which lets design the layout with minimum effort and maximum control, for a complete UX customization. It is a WYSIWYG and drag-and-drop tool that eliminates the need to write code (which can still be entered, in case of customization) and shorts the design time, because you can preview the graphic result, thus being able to immediately intervene  in case of errors and changes, without having to wait to regenerate the application. This tool will increase the quality of the UI of the applications created and the development speed of the low-code WebRatio platform.

So will WebRatio Platform 9 make application development even faster than previous versions?

R.A .: Let’s think about the development speed already known of WebRatio Platform, thanks to the IFML language, then add a long list of optimizations we have made to the modeling system, in order to make the most common patterns faster; let’s add up also the speed of the layout modeling for the interfaces design and finally think about the ease of process management with the BPMN visual notation: the result is the development of web and mobile applications at an unprecedented speed. And then... if you get this speed during the development...think about maintenance and modification!

But let's not forget about reliability: the new technologies used by WebRatio Platform 9 will make safe the drive of a car that will go extremely fast.

You say that WebRatio Platform 9 will speed up Digital Transformation in companies. How can the WebRatio low-code platform do this?

R.A.: The development speed of WebRatio Platform 9 is the tool at the service of professionals who want to quickly bring innovation in companies and also the layout modeling, which now allows to accelerate the designers’ work, in future will also allow non-IT users to contribute to the web and mobile apps creation. The visual approach will allow them to collaborate with designers in the creation of the web and mobile applications interfaces, being able to see the layout in preview and make requests on the basis of what is seen, without waiting for a new implementation at every change. The WYSIWYG tool will then allow companies to move from concept to layout faster, drastically accelerating the startup phases of solutions creation, to have them in production after only a few days. Companies will be able to create web, mobile and BPM applications in every business area with unexpected times and resources, accelerating the digital  transformation of processes and also automating them (I think about DPA - Digital Process Automation - and the race that companies in different industries, such as the Banking & Finance, are running to meet the customer needs).

You said that, in order to constantly improve the low-code platform, WebRatio always listen to customers needs. How do you do it?

R.A.: WebRatio has always been looking for the best solution for customers. WebRatio Platform was born thinking about all that companies and developers who had to write thousands of lines of code, instead of using visual modeling. We create relationships with our customers based on trust and which are durable, some of those for almost twenty years, and these experiences have taught us that we must use all possible communication channels to stay in touch and meet businesses and professionals needs. One tool we use above all, when we release a new product version, is the Beta Program, to let users test in preview the platform's features, collect all their opinions and then release an already optimized version, according to the needs of the participants.

So there will be a Beta Program for WebRatio Platform 9? Can you give us some more details?

R.A.: Of course. Right now people interested can send an email at betaprogram@webratio.com to request for participation and they will be contacted as soon as we release the Beta version. They will be able to test the new architecture, technologies and features, to let us have their opinions and suggestions that will make WebRatio Platform 9 even more suited to their needs.