BPM Just Got Better: Mobile, Cloud, Social, and the Future of Business Process Management

Transcription

1 BPM Just Got Better: Mobile, Cloud, Social, and the Future of Business Process Manaement Published March 2011 Executive Summary This paper explores the rowin impact of mobile computin, cloud delivery and social business collaboration on enterprise Information Technoloy (IT), and Business Process Manaement (BPM) software specifically. It also examines how the Appian BPM Suite provides a sinle platform from which enterprises can tap the power of these emerin and inevitable technoloy models to drive hih-value process improvement across the enterprise, throuh the supply chain, and out to customers. Corporate headquarters 1875 Explorer Street 4th Floor Reston, VA appian.com EMEA headquarters 73 Watlin Street London, ec4m 9bj appiancorp.co.uk

2 BPM Just Got Better: Mobile, Cloud, Social, and the Future of Business Process Manaement Introduction The enterprise Information Technoloy (IT) landscape is at the dawn of a radical chane in response to a new set of business realities. The nature of work (how and where it ets done), the expectations of a new eneration of workers (accustomed to an always-on/always connected electronic lifestyle), and emerin business models that challene traditional concepts of IT cost and time-to-value are drivin the chane. In response, mobile computin, cloud and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery and social business collaboration technoloies are rapidly ainin momentum in corporate IT. Frank Gens, chief analyst at lobal IT research firm IDC, and author of the December 2010 report Predictions: Welcome to the New Mainstream, states: In 2011, we expect to see transformative technoloies make the critical transition from early adopter status to early mainstream adoption. We ll see the IT industry revolvin around the build-out and adoption of this next dominant platform, characterized by mobility, cloud-based application and service delivery, and value-eneratin overlays of social business and pervasive analytics. We ll see the IT industry revolvin around the build-out and adoption of mobility, cloudbased application and service delivery, and value-eneratin overlays of social business and pervasive analytics. IDC This prediction is based on incontrovertible demoraphic data million mobile devices shipped in 2010 a 55 percent increase over 2009 (source: IDC, 2010). Mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access device worldwide by 2013 (source: Gartner 2009). While users are oin mobile, Business IT is takin to the cloud, optin for subscriptionbased IT services over dedicated in-house resources. In fact, by 2012, 20 percent of businesses will own no IT assets at all (source: Gartner 2010). Social software, with its familiar interfaces and intuitive functions, has already supplanted as the communication and collaboration method of choice for the risin eneration of corporate workers. Accordin to a recent survey, 48% of respondents indicated they will use social software more than in 2011 (source: IDC Survey 2010). Each of these emerin technoloies presents unique opportunities for business. Each presents unique challenes as well. In the case of mobile, increasin the productivity and connectedness of employees on the o and in the field is attractive, but the cost can be prohibitive. Desinin and deployin mobilized versions of enterprise applications costs $20,000 for a no-frills Be Part of the Process 2

3 BPM Just Got Better: Mobile, Cloud, Social, and the Future of Business Process Manaement application and can rane to $150,000 for somethin sophisticated (source: Forrester Research, 2010). Cloud computin promises lowered IT costs and faster time-to-value than traditional on-premise deployments, but the cloud model is still new territory and many questions particularly around issues of data security persist. Social technoloies are proven facilitators of communication, and can clearly alvanize social roups in coordinated actions. In raw form, however, social platforms create too much noise and chatter that offers little or no business value. The challene, then, is to find a low-cost, reliable and secure way to harness the obvious value propositions of these three technoloies within a business context. The answer comes by interatin these technoloies directly into core business processes utilizin an advanced Business Process Manaement (BPM) software platform. The Appian BPM Suite provides a sinle platform from which enterprises can tap the power of mobile, cloud and social technoloies to drive hih-value process improvement across the enterprise, throuh the supply chain, and out to customers. The Appian BPM Suite provides a sinle platform from which enterprises can tap the power of mobile, cloud and social technoloies to drive hih-value process improvement across the enterprise, throuh the supply chain, and out to customers. BPM Just Got Better Appian is the leadin innovator in BPM software: The first to offer a complete BPM suite both on-premise and in the cloud, The first to provide native Mobile BPM, The first to make Social BPM business-value focused. The 100 percent web-based Appian BPM Suite is simple to use and comprehensive in capability, providin natively-interated process, business rules, reportin and analytics, content manaement, data interation and collaboration. Buildin on that heritae, Appian now includes a revolutionary interface (dubbed Appian Tempo ) that extends process visibility and participation throuh native mobile device access, real-time collaboration, filtered and personalized views of key business events, interation to external systems, and the ability to take direct action in a familiar and intuitive social media interface. Be Part of the Process 3

4 BPM Just Got Better: Mobile, Cloud, Social, and the Future of Business Process Manaement Fiure 1 shows the components of the Appian BPM Suite across Process, Data and Social capabilities. Fiure 1 Appian leads the pack with the best overall combination of modelin, desin and development. Forrester Research BPM Wave 2010 I was impressed with the way Appian has hidden a hue amount of complexity behind a relatively simple interface. Dennis Howlett, ZD Net Fiure 2 shows Appian s mobile and social interface, demonstratin how Appian masks its rich power in simplicity so that business users can drive process improvement initiatives. Appian ives employees of all levels a filtered, personalized view of the business events that matter to them. As importantly, Appian ives employees the ability to take immediate business action. Fiure 2 Be Part of the Process 4

5 BPM Just Got Better: Mobile, Cloud, Social, and the Future of Business Process Manaement Mobile BPM Appian is leadin the evolution of mobile BPM throuh native client applications for the Apple iphone, ipad, ipod Touch, RIM BlackBerry and Goole Android devices. In stark contrast to alternative methods of mobile application development, Appian delivers mobile access to enterprise process applications with no additional development costs. Applications built in Appian are automatically and immediately available on popular mobile devices. Native mobile forms can be submitted, tasks can be completed, queries and collaborations can arise and new processes and cases can be launched directly from the mobile device in a zero-trainin-required interface. Mobile BPM allows employees to stay connected, informed and empowered to make important business decisions reardless of where they are. It also extends BPM participation beyond predefined process participants to include all levels of the oranization. Usin Mobile BPM from Appian, the mobile devices people already use can now allow: Executives to see and enae with the business event information they need to make better, faster decisions in uidin the oranization. Suppliers, distributors and field staff to be linked in real-time to corporate processes and data. Customers to check account details, request information or see the status of a service request. David Carpenter, director of BPM at leadin apartment manaement firm Archstone, said, The new capabilities of Appian s already-robust business process manaement platform will deliver a new level of value for our customer service associates, who would welcome instant mobile access to our key enterprise processes and forms. These associates are locally manain thousands of disparate apartment properties, and can t be tied to their desktops while respondin to service requests. Fiure 3 The Appian Mobile BPM application can be downloaded from Apple App Store and Blackberry App World sites. Be Part of the Process 5

6 BPM Just Got Better: Mobile, Cloud, Social, and the Future of Business Process Manaement Cloud BPM Appian is already established as the leader in cloudbased business process manaement. In its Maic Quadrant for Business Process Manaement Suites, 2010 report, Gartner states that Appian sets the bar for BPM in the cloud. Appian in the cloud delivers full Appian functionality, is always connected/always on, and interates with the enterprise. It provides a powerful way to accelerate process improvement initiatives while reducin risk. BPM in the cloud from Appian: Appian sets the bar for BPM in the cloud. Gartner, Maic Quadrant for Business Process Manaement Suites, 2010 Offers low up-front investment, instant deployment and fast time-to-value Reduces risk by enablin customers to easily mirate between cloud and on-premise at any time Includes VPN access for interation to systems and applications behind a company firewall Appian s cloud BPM deployment provides reliability and security that can be touh to match by even the best internally manaed environments. There is no compromise when choosin to deploy Appian in the cloud. Appian is desined to meet the needs of enterprise customers with the necessary reliability and security uarantees in place, includin: 99.5% uptime uarantee SOC 1 report for the Infrastructure published under SSAE 16 and ISAE 3402 SAML or LDAP/AD interation for secure authentication and sinle sin-on SSL encryption of all communication between systems Compliance with national data privacy laws throuh local hostin NIST Revision 3 Controls (FISMA - Moderate) We use Appian in the cloud to rapidly deliver solutions for healthcare oranizations like Chartis and Bupa while reducin cost and risk, said Inolv Urnes, founder and principal at UK healthcare provider pshealth. With the new version of the platform we can extend the value of those solutions for reater speed and collaboration amon healthcare professionals in the office and those deliverin in-home care. Be Part of the Process 6

7 BPM Just Got Better: Mobile, Cloud, Social, and the Future of Business Process Manaement Social BPM Social technoloies are powerful communication and collaboration platforms, but they must be harnessed in a business context to have business value. Appian provides a seamless interation of familiar social tools with BPM to drive business collaboration social interactions that are tied to real business events and outcomes. Appian arms employees across the oranization with: Personalized, Filtered Views: Users can filter views by relevant application or process areas and subscribe to customized feeds to monitor the key events and information that is meaninful to them Easy Collaboration: Comment, question and collaborate on business events throuh real-time messae posts and ad-hoc updates to tareted roups within and outside of pre-planned business processes The Ability to Take Action: Generate actions and complete tasks from inside the event feed or from a mobile device, usin optimized web and mobile forms to capture data and route tasks In the words of Neil Ward-Dutton, founder of MWD Advisors, Appian Tempo isn t just for browsin notifications and status updates it s a place where users can initiate and participate in processes and tasks. (source: MWD Advisors, 2011) In addition to easily interatin with external 3rd-party enterprise systems like Salesforce.com, Appian can also incorporate social systems like Twitter or LinkedIn directly into an employee s event view. These external social channels represent a rowin and untapped source of new insihts into customer sentiment, sales opportunities, support issues and more. Gartner has stated that by 2015, internet-supported social processes will influence at least 80% of consumers discretionary spendin (source: Gartner 2010), leadin the firm to conclude that Either business ets social or it ets left behind (source: Gartner 2010). Brinin this new information into corporate processes in a controlled and actionable way will yield new business opportunities. Be Part of the Process 7

8 Conclusion Mobile computin, cloud and SaaS delivery and social technoloies are on the rise in corporate IT because they address new and urent business requirements, while also creatin new business opportunities. Marryin these technoloies to the vital processes that drive business success extends their value for business rowth and innovation. The Appian BPM Suite delivers the power of mobile, cloud and social in a reliable, cost-effective, secure, user-friendly and business-focused environment. Throuh native support for popular mobile devices, Appian extends process participation across all levels of the oranization. By fully-embracin cloud delivery of the entire BPM suite and its resultin applications, Appian speeds time-to-value, with no up-front cost. By addin business context and increasin the manaeability of social interactions, Appian creates more meaninful, effective and valuable collaborations. For more information on how BPM just ot better, contact Appian at info@appian.com. About Appian Appian is the lobal innovator in enterprise and cloud-based business process manaement (BPM) software. Appian s combination of simplicity and power provides everythin business users need to drive transformational process improvement on the desktop or via mobile devices. Commercial and overnment oranizations around the lobe use Appian to increase aility and collaboration, and accelerate business performance. Appian empowers more than 3 million users from lare Fortune 100 companies, to the mid-market and small businesses worldwide. Appian is headquartered in the Washinton, D.C. reion, with professional services and partners around the lobe. For more information, visit Corporate headquarters 1875 Explorer Street 4th Floor Reston, VA appian.com EMEA headquarters 73 Watlin Street London, ec4m 9bj appiancorp.co.uk