Study reveals 506% ROI with OutSystems low-code platform

OutSystems, a global provider of high-performance low-code development, has released the findings of the new Total Economic Impact of OutSystems, a commissioned study conducted on behalf of OutSystems by Forrester Consulting.

The OutSystems high-performance low-code platform paid for itself in less than six months, according to the study, and produced a 506% return on investment over three years. 

OutSystems was named a leader in low-code development platforms and the “developers’ choice” platform in the Forrester Wave: Low-Code Development Platforms for Professional Developers, Q2 2021 study.

“Companies of all sizes need to deliver business-critical apps with tight developer resources and are increasingly turning to low-code application development methods to meet their goals —  but not all low-code is created equally,” said Paulo Rosado, CEO of OutSystems. “It’s time for organizations to finally experience the radical productivity, power and speed required to crush their backlog and deliver the software they need to succeed. This new research uncovers the power of OutSystems high-performance low-code development.” 

The Total Economic Impact of OutSystems looked at the benefits realized by four enterprise organizations that had previously relied on standard software development frameworks before implementing OutSystems. Despite the fact that OutSystems works with businesses of different sizes and industries, the study assessed the financial benefits using a composite organization, which represents the value achieved by the companies Forrester questioned.

When comparing the time and expense of establishing and sustaining internal bespoke software development vs implementing the OutSystems platform, the study demonstrated considerable quantitative cost savings. 

Calculating the platform’s financial benefits vs costs yielded a net present value for OutSystems of $14.77 million over three years. This included the following:

● $5.5 million in cost savings for application development as well as continuous changes and maintenance (31% of total benefits)

● $4.6 million in incremental income from revenue-generating business initiatives (26% of total benefits)

● $6.7 million in cost savings from improved operational efficiency (38% of total benefits)

According to the report, OutSystems increased developer productivity by allowing teams to deliver more applications with the same number of developers and in less time.

OutSystems also streamlines the continuing maintenance and updates to such applications, which can have a significant influence on the bottom line, according to customer results. OutSystems projects were 25 percent to 50 percent less expensive than comparable prior projects, according to a director of software engineering and technology initiatives at a pharmaceutical company, and a director of custom development projects at a manufacturer reported a 2x development time savings in the first year.

Greater organizational agility, increased security, and fewer problems from higher-quality code are additional quantifiable benefits, according to companies: 

• “As a result of an acquisition, we needed to make a change to one of our apps. We did that in less than eight hours. Prior to OutSystems that probably would have taken 40 to 50 hours.”  – Director of software engineering and technology initiatives, pharmaceutical company
• “The OutSystems platform takes care of the nitty-gritty mechanical aspects of creating mobile capabilities in a very smart way, so you can focus on the application’s functionality and business value.”  – Director of software development, distribution company.