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Cloud Business: Appian Touts Cloud Computing, IT Strategies for 2012

In its newly released report, Appian has stated that improved emphasis on cloud computing, mobile technology and social media in both federal and commercial operations will drive a strong IT trend in 2012.

As the Federal Government has been advocating “Cloud First” and “Shared First” IT strategies under the guidance of Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel, emphasis on cloud and shared services is of particular interest for the agency. According to media reports, guidance for a “Future First” initiative, with an additional emphasis on agile development, will be promulgated through VanRoekel’s office later in 2012, the company stated in a press release.

“This increased emphasis on future-proofing IT while taking advantage of cloud, mobile and social technology will be the linchpin for growth in process application development platforms, according to Appian CEO Matt Calkins. “In any enterprise, employees work with a wide range applications, and are often subject to hit-and-miss compatibility between applications and operating systems,” Calkins explained. “Not all applications are available for a given operating system, and data is often difficult to access, particularly for an increasingly-mobile workforce.”

To be a unifying force in 2012 for fractured enterprises, the global innovator in enterprise and cloud-based business process management (BPM) software, process application development platforms are the natural evolution of BPM, Appian feels. A process application development platform creates an environment with a single easy-to-use interface that can work natively on every operating system, and with every form factor and therefore in any location. As all of the functionality of any application works seamlessly and identically, any user can switch from one operating system or device to the next.

Recently, the company announced that global industry analyst firm Ovum (News - Alert) named Appian to the prestigious "Shortlist" in its new "Decision Matrix: Selecting a Business Process Management Vendor 2011" report. The report evaluates BPM vendors based on a quantitative assessment of their technology capabilities, end-user sentiment and market impact.