Industry analysts are now labeling BPM as a "mainstream" technology based on its growing level of adoption among end-user organizations. There is another equally powerful indication: the growing hunger among software and hardware companies to embed BPM platforms to improve and speed delivery of their own goods and services. The reasons for this trend are obvious, yet profoundly important.
BPM can enable software vendors to rapidly create new revenue streams by bringing new solutions to their customers ñ and what could be more important during a time of economic constraint?
In addition, BPM can enhance the value of existing offerings. It can web/Cloud-enable legacy client-server technology, overcome rigidly-coded interfaces and extend interoperability. Vendors are facing customer pressure on all these counts.
Over the course of 2009, Appian saw a big up-tick in companies looking to OEM/re-sell our BPM platform (whether via SaaS or on-premise) to enhance their offerings. Our just-announced OEM partnership with Ricoh Americas Corporation is a great example.
Ricoh, a leader in digital office equipment, is combining its expertise in back-office equipment and processes with our Appian BPM Suite. The result will be process-enabled digital office solutions that bring new levels of automation and efficiency to back-office operations.
Ricoh will use Appian's comprehensive capabilities for real-time process visibility, management, reporting and optimization within Ricoh's Business Process Automation (BPA) solutions. Using Appian gives Ricoh a huge speed advantage in deploying process solutions for its customers. Ricoh also has the established relationships needed to put BPM in the hands of Fortune 1000 and mid-sized customers who may not even yet realize BPM's transformational value.
The excitement around "BPM for Vendors" will only grow. You can expect to hear a lot more from Appian on this topic throughout 2010.
Marc Wilson
Vice President, Global Partnerships
