SWOT Assessment: Eccentex AppBase v5.0

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1 SWOT Assessment: Eccentex AppBase v5.0 Analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats Reference Code: IT Publication Date: 29 Jul 2013 Author: Sue Clarke SUMMARY Catalyst Eccentex AppBase provides dynamic case management using the platform-as-a-service (PaaS) model. It is an application development product which is complemented by AppTemplates and AppLibrary. AppBase provides a cloud environment to develop, scale, and manage case management software-as-a-service (SaaS) apps. Support is provided for structured and unstructured data as well as structured, unstructured, and unpredictable processes. AppTemplates provides pre-built application templates for investigative, incident, and service request-based work. AppLibrary offers off-the-shelf application and vertical-specific SaaS apps for knowledge workers. Although Eccentex has large enterprise customers, its target market is mid-sized organizations. Key messages AppBase is offered as a PaaS, making it quick, easy, and cost-effective to deploy. AppLibrary provides a store for apps built using AppBase or AppTemplate, offering a "one-stop shop" for organizations looking for pre-built applications. Applications can easily be customized or extended using drag-and-drop capabilities, which are suitable for use by business users with no technical skills. Eccentex faces stiff competition from high-profile business process management (BPM) vendors and enterprise content management (ECM) vendors with case management capabilities. It therefore needs to raise its market profile in order to communicate to potential customers that it offers a different kind of proposition. Ovum view The dynamic case management market is growing as the large ECM vendors evolve from being providers of platforms to case management vendors. Their systems are centered on building Ovum. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited Page 1

2 content-centric processes. Eccentex offers a different proposition as AppBase is data-centric, i.e. it is based on a particular piece of data, such as a customer or a case file, with the ability to utilize an underlying process. It allows organizations to design, develop, and deploy process-centric web applications. Despite the fact that most of the large ECM vendors have introduced cloud-based offerings, take-up has not been high, and most of the implementations to date have been in private clouds. Again Eccentex offers a different approach as its solution is only available via the cloud. It offers mid-market companies the opportunity to use software they may not otherwise be able to afford or have the internal resources to implement if it was an on-premise solution. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENTERPRISES Why consider Eccentex AppBase? Eccentex has a number of capabilities that will appeal to organizations looking to implement a PaaS solution for dynamic case management. It is cost-effective, based on a subscription model requiring no hardware or software installation, which will be attractive to overworked IT departments. It can be used in remote locations through the availability of offline forms, which organizations with dispersed offices will find useful. It supports collaboration between internal and external users, a feature that many organizations require. In addition, the Eccentex AppLibrary provides a cloud-based marketplace for partners to showcase pre-built knowledge worker application solutions, providing a "one-stop shop" for business and IT managers. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths AppBase is a cost-effective solution Eccentex has provided a low-cost multi-tenant PaaS service, which focuses on investigative, incident management, and service requests for the knowledge worker, and addresses dynamic case management requirements of organizations. It is suitable for organizations of any size, although Eccentex's target market is mid-sized companies. Pre-built solutions speed up deployment times Any app built on Eccentex s AppBase or AppTemplates can be stored on AppLibrary to provide a "one-stop shop" for organizations looking to address unstructured process or dynamic case management challenges. Ovum. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited Page 2

3 Customizable templates are provided AppTemplates supplies three templates incident, investigation, and service request which are built on top of the platform to help customers create and modify dynamic case management applications. Each template is customizable to meet the requirements of the user. Business users can easily customize and extend applications Drag-and-drop capabilities allow business users and subject matter experts to easily customize and extend application areas, as well as provide development tools for customization of applications that can be used by qualified developers. New business objects can be created, roles managed, processes modified, relationships between business objects can be changed, and new pages designed. The Application Studio within AppBase is used for these customizations. Weaknesses The company is focusing on a narrow group of vertical industries The target markets for AppBase are the government, insurance, financial, and energy sectors. Case management is applicable across many industries and Eccentex needs to widen its focus to other industries, possibly working with partners with expertise in specific industries to increase its customer base. Limited templates provided out-of-the-box The pre-packaged templates are limited to incident, investigation and service requests. This narrows the applicability of the product; it may deter organizations with other case management requirements from using the product. Eccentex needs to pre-package some more general templates. No integration support for mobile devices Users increasingly want access to applications on the move. At present AppBase provides mobile apps through configuration in HTML5 and third-party developers, but does not include native support for ios or Android operating systems, which may limit its appeal within organizations that have large numbers of mobile workers that need access to applications while on the move. Opportunities Eccentex has the opportunity to build its market share Eccentex can build market share by introducing pre-built collaborative tasks to enable knowledge workers to collaborate within processes. Ovum. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited Page 3

4 Eccentex can add mobile capabilities On the AppBase roadmap are plans to include mobile integration, which is required to allow users to run processes on the move. The appeal of AppBase can be widened At present AppBase is targeted at a narrow range of vertical industries. Eccentex can widen its appeal by marketing it to other industries. One way to achieve this is to work with partners with expertise in specific vertical markets who can create industry-specific templates and applications that can be made available through the AppLibrary. Threats Competition is strong in the case management area Eccentex faces stiff competition from mature and very large ECM platform vendors which include case management in their portfolios, and also from BPM vendors. Although Eccentex offers a different proposition with AppBase, as a small company it needs to raise its market profile to get its message across to a wider market. Some organizations are reluctant to deal with a small company In the current climate of consolidation in most technology areas, many organizations are reluctant to implement a solution from a small company with a relatively low market profile, which may be acquired at some stage in the future. This need not be an issue. Most companies are acquired for their technology and the products benefit from greater research and development budgets in the hands of larger vendors. There is a reluctance among some organizations to use cloud-based services Some organizations are still reluctant to use a PaaS-based service, particularly one that offers a multi-tenant model, because of security issues. Eccentex has to convince those organizations that the cloud can actually be more secure than an on-premise solution if the service is run with the appropriate measures in place to secure an organization's data. Ovum. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited Page 4

5 DATA SHEET Key facts about the solution Table 1: Data sheet Product name AppBase Product classification Content management Version number 5.0 Release date March 2013 Industries covered Target markets are government, insurance, financial, and energy Geographies covered US, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand Relevant company sizes Mid-sized organizations (1,000 3,000 employees) Platforms supported Microsoft Windows Languages supported English Licensing options Subscription per user or transaction Deployment options PaaS (on-premise) Routes to market Direct and through partners URL Company headquarters 6101 W Centinela Ave #110,Culver City, CA 90230, USA Source: Ovum APPENDIX Methodology Ovum SWOT Assessments are independent reviews carried out using Ovum s evaluation model for the relevant technology area, supported by conversations with vendors, users, and service providers of the solution concerned, and in-depth secondary research. Author Sue Clarke, Senior Analyst [email protected] Ovum Consulting We hope that this analysis will help you make informed and imaginative business decisions. If you have further requirements, Ovum s consulting team may be able to help you. For more information about Ovum s consulting capabilities, please contact us directly at [email protected]. Disclaimer All Rights Reserved. Ovum. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited Page 5

6 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, Ovum (an Informa business). The facts of this report are believed to be correct at the time of publication but cannot be guaranteed. Please note that the findings, conclusions, and recommendations that Ovum delivers will be based on information gathered in good faith from both primary and secondary sources, whose accuracy we are not always in a position to guarantee. As such Ovum can accept no liability whatever for actions taken based on any information that may subsequently prove to be incorrect. Ovum. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited Page 6