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Tag: Appian

  • Appian Extends Low-Code Approach to Aggregating Data

    Appian Extends Low-Code Approach to Aggregating Data

    At an online Appian World conference, Appian today unveiled an update to its low-code platform that adds a set of visual tools that enables developers to aggregate data within an application with the help of a database administrator (DBA) or data engineering team.

    Malcolm Ross, vice president of product at Appian, said one of the things that holds up application development the most is the need to wait for data to be massaged in a way that makes sense within the context of an application. The latest edition of the Appian Low-code Automation Platform aggregates multiple data sources into a single data vector columnar data store that resides within the platform.

    In effect, Appian is applying a low-code approach to data engineering processes that, today, require dedicated expertise to set up and manage.

    Appian

    The latest version of Appian also adds an Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) tool enabled by optical character recognitions and AI models, application design guidance, developer collaboration tools and enhanced DevSecOps capabilities that enable software packages to move between development, test and production environments with a single click in a way that is governed by the Appian platform.

    Appian is also extending robotic processing automation (RPA) tools to centrally manage bots within an application to Windows platforms.

    Finally, Appian is making a formal, less-robust community edition of its platform available to a limited number of developers as part of an effort to expand the overall size of its developer community.

    Ross said as both professional and so-called citizen developers embrace low-code applications it’s critical to have guardrails in place that ensure applications are deployed in a way that adheres to DevSecOps best practices. The Appian Low-code Automation Platform includes the software development life cycle (SDLC) tools needed to set those guardrails regardless of the level of experience any developer has, noted Ross. In fact, Appian guarantees, for a flat services fee, that an organization’s first project will go live in just eight weeks.

    In general, Ross said the number of individuals capable of building applications continues to expand as more “business technologists” learn how to build applications. Previously, these individuals might have used 4GL tools or macros to build applications based on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. The Appian low-code platform makes it possible for this class of power end users to build more robust enterprise applications using a set of tools that compare their efforts to known best practices and offer suggestions to make improvements.

    At the same time, professional developers are opting to build applications using low-code tools to reduce the size of application development backlogs. Not every application that needs to be developed requires developers to employ procedural code.

    The net effect is more applications than ever are being simultaneously built and delivered at a time when organizations are launching multiple digital business transformation initiatives.

    It may be a while before the effects of low-code platforms are fully realized within IT environments. However, the one thing that is certain is IT teams of all sizes should expect to be managing an exponentially higher number of applications.

  • University of Texas at Dallas Adds Low-code Intelligent Automation to 2021/2022 Curriculum

    University uses the Appian Low-code Automation Platform to prepare students for careers in the new world of low-code Robotic Process Automation, Artificial Intelligence, and more

    MCLEAN, VA, Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Appian (NASDAQ: APPN) announced that The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) is using the Appian Low-code Automation Platform for a new curriculum course on Intelligent Automation for the 2021/2022 academic year. The course, led by Assistant Professor Gaurav Shekhar in the UTD Naveen Jindal School of Management, enables students to get “hands-on” with a low-code platform for complete automation. Students will learn to master skills including Process Orchestration, Process Modelling, Process Re-engineering, Robotic Process Automation, and Intelligent Document Processing (IDP). Students who complete the course receive certification as an Appian Level 1 Developer.

    “UTD is committed to preparing our students for rewarding lives and productive careers in a constantly changing world,” said Shekhar, program director of the Master of Science in Business Analytics Flex and Online programs in the Jindal School. “Low-code development and automation skills are in high demand by businesses in the Dallas area and around the world, creating exciting new career opportunities for students who master those technologies.”

    UTD is an education and research powerhouse. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education designated UTD an “R1” doctoral-granting university of the highest research activity. Faculty, including a Nobel laureate and members of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, deliver top-ranked programs in business, engineering, science, the arts, and technology. UTD has been named a “Best Value College” by The Princeton Review for seven years.

    “Industry partnerships are a growing resource we use to help students become career ready and able to contribute the moment they enter the workplace,” said Dr. Hasan Pirkul, dean of the Jindal School. “We count on our partners to tell us what skills our students will need to succeed. And we are grateful when those partners point us to, and sometimes provide, the most advanced knowledge and tools available.”

    UTD first partnered with Appian in 2018 to provide low-code automation platform skills training to students. In 2019 and 2020, Shekhar made low-code development with Appian the basis for the Digital Consulting class project. The 2020 class project delivered AI-based Intelligent Document Processing into business operations at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

    “The results of UTD’s 2020 Capstone project for DFW Airport were impressive,” said Michael Youngs, Vice President of Information Technology Services at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. “The students were able to provide new Artificial Intelligence capabilities that will reduce our need for paper forms and accelerate our business processes. This is furthering DFW Airport’s commitment to modernize and digitalize its business processes Airport-wide. We applaud UTD’s focus on bringing a new generation of low-code experts to the workforce.”

    Appian helps organizations build apps and workflows rapidly, with a low-code automation platform. Appian combines people, technologies, and data in a single workflow to maximize resources and improve business results. UTD chose Appian as the learning platform for students due to Appian’s unique combination of development simplicity with modern automation power and industrial-strength cloud security and reliability. Analyst firm Forrester predicts that by the end of 2021, 75% of application development will use low-code platforms, up from 44% in 2020.

    “Low-code is the future of business automation, and it is a future that is open to virtually anyone,” said Michael Beckley, Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Appian. “UTD is at the forefront in understanding the tremendous career opportunities available to graduates with low-code expertise. We’re proud to continue making our platform available to UTD’s students.”

    To try the latest version of Appian for yourself, sign up for a free trial at https://www.appian.com/platform/free-trial/.

    About Appian
    Appian provides a low-code automation platform that accelerates the creation of high-impact business applications. Many of the world’s largest organizations use Appian applications to improve customer experience, achieve operational excellence, and simplify global risk management and compliance. For more information, visit www.appian.com.

  • Deloitte and Appian Form Strategic Alliance to Modernize Mission Systems for Government and Commercial Clients

    Together, these organizations are helping clients strategically revamp business processes through a low-code center of excellence

     

    TYSONS, Va., March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Deloitte Consulting, LLP and Appian (NASDAQ: APPN) today announced a strategic alliance to help modernize mission systems for its clients within commercial, federal civilian, defense, state and local government agencies. Working together, these organizations are providing clients with the ability to modernize their systems through low-code development and intelligent automation, which ranges across several technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA), robotic workforce management (RWM) and more.

    This alliance showcases the power of low-code at the center of IT modernization and digital transformation. Deloitte recently established an Appian Solutions Incubator to build application accelerators, templates, and reusable solutions.  These will accelerate the modernization process in order to help provide clients with a fast and efficient way to revamp business processes and improve workflow.

    “Government entities are focused on IT modernization but often have challenges due to legacy systems,” said Kerri Maloney, Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Government & Public Services Lead Alliance Partner. “Appian helps us offer our clients a solution for modernizing systems quickly and seamlessly. Together, we are working with some of the largest federal agencies to transform their automation strategies and create more agile processes.”

    Currently, Deloitte and Appian are collaborating with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to upgrade their legacy systems and implement new technologies by leveraging robotic process automation (RPA). Specifically, the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) is utilizing the Appian platform to modernize their existing systems.

    “Deloitte provides a superior level of excellence in providing IT services to the government and we are proud to partner with them,” said Marc Wilson, Founder and SVP of Global Partnerships and Industries. “We have been working in the public sector for decades, with several large clients, and this alliance is a true testament to the power of what can happen when we come together to help organizations become more agile through automation.”

    To learn more about Appian’s work within the public sector, click here.

    About Appian

    Appian provides a low-code development platform that accelerates the creation of high-impact business applications. Many of the world’s largest organizations use Appian applications to improve customer experience, achieve operational excellence, and simplify global risk management and compliance. www.appian.com

  • Hackathon: DevOps Q&A with Appian VP Malcom Ross

    Hackathon: DevOps Q&A with Appian VP Malcom Ross

    Hackathons are a great way to demonstrate the value of a platform. I had the chance to speak with Malcolm Ross, vice president, Product at Appian to share a bit more about Appian’s virtual hackathon to correspond with its upcoming user conference.

    Full disclosure: I’ll be one of the judges attending Appian World to judge the finalists, so hope to see you all there!

    Alan Shimel: Can you share a high-level overview of the Hackathon?

    Malcolm Ross: Appian is holding its first online hackathon in conjunction with DevPost to correspond with our upcoming Appian World conference in late April. We’re looking forward to seeing how participants are able to build and deploy powerful enterprise apps with Appian’s low-code cloud development platform.

    Shimel: Who could apply for the Hackathon?

    Ross: Whether they’re an existing Appian customer or not, we challenged anyone to build a new app on the Appian platform that enables their business to do more. There’s no specific theme—just show us something that improves their team’s performance and drives enterprise innovation! We asked all participants to submit their applications by March 27 along with a demo video (hosted on YouTube, Vimeo or Youku). This should incorporate a step-by-step visual demo, and additionally, a way to access the working application for judging and testing. Anyone interested in participating received a free 60-day instance of the full Appian Cloud platform to support their development efforts.

    Shimel: Who judges the winners?

    Ross: A panel from Appian will score all eligible submissions to determine the top three finalists. Finalists will be notified by April 13 and given the opportunity to demo in-person or remotely to an all-star panel of judges, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Forrester analyst John Rymer and yourself, Alan! We’ll also have some Appian executives involved in the process including ‎Senior Vice President for Strategy Lang Ly, Chief Technology Officer Michael Beckley, Director of Product Strategy Jorge Sanchez and myself.

    Shimel: What are the evaluation criteria for the selection of the winning team?

    Ross: It’s pretty open-ended for participants to come up with their own innovations. The main requirement was that the users must build a functioning app on the platform by March 27. More about the criteria can be found here.

    Shimel: What are the awards?

    Ross: There are three cash prizes ($5,000, $3,000 and $2,000) along with admission to Appian World 2019 and promotional of the submissions by Appian on the Appian AppMarket.

    First place will receive $5,000 cash and four free passes to Appian World 2019, and the Appian Deluxe Promotion, which includes a featured promo on Appian.com, Appian AppMarket (if the app is in the market) and Appian Community, joint webinar and collateral, a blog post on Appian.com and a press release.

    Second place will be awarded $3,000 cash and two free passes to Appian World 2019, and the Appian Promotion, which includes a featured promo on Appian AppMarket (if app is in the market) and Appian Community and a blog post on Appian.com.

    The third-place prize is $2,000 cash and one free pass to Appian World 2019, and the Appian Promotion, which includes a featured promo on Appian AppMarket (if app is in the market) and a blog post on Appian.com.

    Shimel: What is the timeline for the Hackathon?

    Ross: As mentioned, the deadline for entry was March 27. We’ll make sure to notify finalists by April 13 so they have some time to book travel if they would like to meet our all-star panel of judges for the conference. Final judging will be held on April 25 at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.

    Shimel: Where can people find more information about the Hackathon?

    Ross: Anyone who’s interested can find more information about Hackathon at Appian.devpost.com or learn more about our Appian World conference at appianworld.com.

    — Alan Shimel

  • Q&A: Michael Beckley, CTO/CCO, Appian

    Q&A: Michael Beckley, CTO/CCO, Appian

    Recently I had the chance to speak with Michael Beckley, chief technical officer and chief customer officer at Appian, about his company’s move to go public and the DevOps space in general. For those of you who don’t know Michael, he is a founder of Appian and leads the company’s technology vision and oversees customer initiatives worldwide. He also serves on the Industrial Advisory Board for the University of Virginia’s Computer Science Department and is a member of the University of Maryland Advisory Board in Computing. He has an interesting take on the IT space and DevOps in particular. Read on for our discussion.

    Alan Shimel: Michael, what do you think has been the “special sauce” that has led to Appian’s success to date?

    Michael Beckley: With Appian, companies build unique business applications up to 20x faster and mobile-enable and modernize existing systems. For example, a company like Ryder was able to build a web and native Android tablet application that cut the time it took to rent a truck in half.

    But the “special sauce”? That’s Appian’s culture of innovation. Our engineers think long-term and invest in breakthrough tech like our patented SAIL UI technology for zero code native mobile apps. Thanks to SAIL, the web apps you configure in Appian automatically deploy to iOS and Android as native, full-featured apps or specialized micro apps we call “Sites.” As long as we get the culture right, we expect to continue to deliver enduring value for our clients.

    Shimel: With becoming a publicly traded entity, some companies have found “managing to the street” does not match their own long-term business plans and their customers needs, how does Appian avoid this?

    Beckley: Companies, like people, are an aggregation of their habits. Appian’s habit has always been to hold to our long-term vision of enabling every company to be a software company. We are not your typical Silicon Valley tech company. Our roots are in DC, we largely bootstrapped this business, and learned to be good stewards of capital while helping to support the core missions of federal agencies and some of the world’s largest brands. The proceeds following this IPO will be invested back into our business to benefit our customers.

    Shimel: What do you see post-IPO being the biggest areas for growth as it relates to new products and services?

    Beckley: We  plan to invest in innovating and enhancing our platform. While our platform is industry-agnostic, we have recently made, and plan to continue to make, investments to enhance the expertise of our sales and marketing organization within our key industry verticals of financial services, health care and government. We have made, and will continue to make, investments in research and development to strengthen our platform and expand the number of features available to our customers. As we continue to increase the functionality of our platform and further reduce the amount of developer skill that is required to build robust applications on our platform, we believe that we have the potential to expand the use of our platform.

    Shimel: Digital transformation is a term that is being used a lot these days. How far along the adoption curve are we on digital transformation?

    Beckley: While many speculate that digital transformation is just a tech industry buzz word, in reality, digital transformation is a living, breathing effort. According to a recent survey, digital transformation is a C-level priority and is considered a top focus for almost 50 percent of all companies this year.  From Appian’s perspective, we believe that the utilization of low-code software to drive digital transformation is still relatively new and our customers will be able to succeed in their digital transformation efforts by incorporating low-code development.

    Shimel: Where does the DevOps market intersect with the Appian business model?

    Beckley: Organizations are turning to DevOps to accelerate development and bring an application’s capabilities to a user quicker. The Appian low-code development platform fits into the DevOps model and supports the seven major DevOps categories including code, build, test, package, release, configure and monitor.

    Overall, our business model supports the DevOps market; we’re living in a world where citizen developers are playing such an important role in the enterprise and our platform empowers the citizen developer while alleviating developer resources to focus on the more challenging, business-critical developer work.

     Shimel: What about containerization and microservices? How do these technologies affect Appian?

    Beckley: Appian already uses containers and microservices. Appian’s enterprise customers often require a mix of cloud, hybrid cloud, and on-premise installations. We view containers and microservices as enabling technologies to support the diverse workloads and deployment models required by our enterprise clients.

    Shimel: What about security? What challenges does cybersec pose to Appian’s development of their platform?

    Beckley: Appian works with some of the nation’s most important and highly regulated industries, therefore we have built a comprehensive security and compliance structure that meets several industry standards. We frequently undergo third-party audits to ensure that we are always operating effectively to protect our customer data.

    — Alan Shimel