iBPMS: Adding Intelligence to the BPM Suite

Among other reasons, Apple's successful entry into the mobile market is largely due to designing and delivering an intuitive, intelligent, and mobile computing device into the hands of consumers.Although smartphones have been around since the early 90s, Apple unleashed the next generation of smarter, more intelligent phones that are also fun and easy to use.

The Business Process Management (BPM) market is also going through an evolution. The idea behind an intelligent BPM Suite (iBPMS) is that the BPMS as we know it needs to evolve and incorporate modern technologies to meet skyrocketing data consumption needs and an increasingly global, mobile,and tech savvy workforce.

In Gartner's words, iBPM Suites"enable leading organizations to make their business operations more intelligent by integrating analytics, social, and mobile technologies into orchestrated processes" (Source: BPM Suites Evolve into Intelligent BPM Suites). Jim Sinur, Research VP at Gartner, has been advocating the idea of Intelligent Business Operations supported by iBPMS on his blog, as well asin a recent Gartner BPM Summit sessionin Baltimore.

According to the same report from Gartner, the key technology differentiators that make a BPMS more intelligent are:

• Social: provide context and meaning on an action by including additional external data sources to process data. Allow more ad-hoc interactions and discovery between knowledge workers.
• Mobile: support multiple mobile devices and enable workers on the go to remain productive, responsive, and informed wherever they are.
• Analytics: extend Business Activity Monitor (BAM), Business Event support, and reports for more responsive, dynamic "active analytics" and "on-demand analytics" for predictive analysis and process optimization.

Appian has been a leader in innovating and incorporating these intelligent features into the Appian BPM Suite for years now. Many Appian customers and their end-users have embraced these modern features and enjoyed the benefits of having an intuitive, social user interface, mobile access, and advanced analytics that help them keep a pulse on the organization. Read more about some of these customers who were part of the Mobile, Cloud, and Social BPM panel moderated by Gartner's Daryl Plummer at Appian World 2012.

Cindy Cheng