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Google makes G Suite's App Maker generally available

The low-code environment is targeted at IT departments that don't have the budget for custom apps.
Written by Stephanie Condon, Senior Writer
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Google on Thursday is bringing App Maker, its developer tool for G Suite, into general availability. App Maker is a low-code environment developers can use to build custom business apps. It launched in beta in late 2016.

As it moves into GA, App Maker is also getting a couple of updates: First, G Suite administrators will have visibility over these custom apps, including oversight of owners, usage metrics and OAuth permissions. Admins will also be able to prevent apps from running without their approval.

Additionally, for customers who also have a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) account, App Maker is offering built-in support for Cloud SQL. It also supports a "Bring Your Own Database" model so customers can connect to their own database using the JDBC API or a REST API.

App Maker also enables developers to connect their apps to data and services from Gmail, Calendar or Sheets, as well as around 40 other Google Services via Apps Script.

Google pitches App Maker as a valuable tool for organizations that don't have room in their IT budgets for custom apps. Given that IT budgets typically prioritize big-ticket enterprise apps like CRM and ERP tools, it can be challenging to find resources for custom apps that focus on other needs, such as resolving help desk tickets.

Google highlighted how Electronic Arts (EA) used App Maker to create an app for streamlining capital resourcing.

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