EVANSTON, IL (October 29, 2018) – Today, Breakthrough Technologies announced the release of Loco v1.3, which adds Slack integration as a major new feature to its no-code app development platform. By adding the Loco App from Slack’s App Directory, Loco users can now instantly access data from their custom-built Loco apps directly within the Slack interface.
“This is a very exciting milestone for Loco because it gives a dynamic new functionality to the eight million people who currently use Slack on a daily basis,” said Doug Wilson, Managing Partner of Breakthrough Technologies. “Slack users now can seize the opportunity to become citizen developers, building their own applications using Loco and accessing the information in those apps from their Slack channels.”
“This is combining the collaborative potential of Loco with the collaborative realities in Slack, pushing the boundaries for how teams achieve their goals and get work done today,” Wilson continued.
Loco was launched earlier this year as a new way to empower every person to become a citizen developer, building their own applications with no software development or coding knowledge necessary. Loco is the easiest way on the planet to create databases, either from scratch or directly from the library of pre-built apps.
Loco is available at https://loco.build/ and the Slack app is available at https://slack.com/apps/ACPPEJBB9-loco.
Loco integrates with Slack to allow conversational commands to user data, including a simple structured find operation. Loco apps can also utilize Slack as a notification mechanism. Users can let their data tell them what they and their team need to know, instead of always having to query their data.
Recent updates have added several new features, including a suite of pre-built HR apps, including apps designed to facilitate performance reviews, salary tracking, and employee information; private decks that allow data to be seen only by their author and the app administrator; a better look and feel in the iOS view of the Loco app; and the ability to import data directly from the cloud using Google Sheets.
Organizations today have more data than ever to manage, compile, track, aggregate, sort, collate, and tabulate. In the past, citizens who needed a custom app solution to achieve these tasks were forced to hire developers to build it, even though the problem they were looking to solve only required a simple digital solution. Loco gives these citizen developers the power to take app development into their own hands, building and customizing apps to their own specifications.
Loco is completely customizable, allowing users to build the app they need to solve the problem they have. Apps can be designed within minutes from any device without any formal programming training, then deployed to the cloud in seconds and made available to teams immediately. Basic usage plans for Loco start at $100 per month, with a cost of $400 per month for unlimited usage.
“We built Loco from the ground up with the realization that the apps our customers need begin and end with their data,” Wilson said. “That’s because most business applications are really about two things: allowing users to manage data and allowing users to manage documents. Loco was built to streamline and integrate both processes.”
Because Loco is completely customizable, the apps that can be developed are restricted only by the user’s imagination. Since the user invents the data and the structure, there are no limits to the types of apps that they can construct. Each app is available to team members of the user’s choosing, or can be designed for private use.
About Breakthrough Technologies
For 20 years, Breakthrough Technologies has helped associations, nonprofits, small businesses, and other clients build web applications, websites, mobile applications, and enterprise solutions to address the complex problems they face. Breakthrough Technologies combines proven and emerging technologies with innovative thinking and high-functioning teams. The company has completed more than 800 projects ranging in value from $10,000 to $10 million, and its work has been recognized by organizations like Technology in Motion, Inc5000, Crain’s Fast 50, the CODiE Awards, and the Stevie Awards. Breakthrough Technologies focuses on open-source solutions and modular, forward-thinking architecture. They leverage proven platforms like Drupal, TAO, and Jaspersoft to deliver .NET, Cloud Services, and other end-to-end services. Breakthrough Technologies is 100 percent based in the United States with offices north of Chicago, next to Northwestern University.