Appian was founded in 1999 by Michael Beckley, Robert Kramer, Marc Wilson and Matthew Calkins, who serves as CEO.[8][9]
In 2001, the company developed Army Knowledge Online, regarded at the time as “the world's largest intranet."[10]
In 2005, the company expanded into financial services and other private markets.[11] It became known for its low-code platform.[11]
In 2010, Appian Cloud was accredited with Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) low-level security by the U.S. Education Department. In 2013, it received FISMA Moderate Authorization and Accreditation from the General Services Administration (GSA).[12]
Secondary investments and Nasdaq: 2014–2017
In 2014, the company received $37.5 million in secondary investments from New Enterprise Associates, which was paid out to shareholders.[13][14] In 2015, transportation company Ryder began using the Appian apps instead of paper processing during the checkout process and internally for truck maintenance records.[15][16]
In 2016, Vontobel, a global investment firm, started using Appian's Low-Code Platform to improve its business processes.[17]
On May 25, 2017, Appian became a publicly traded company, trading as APPN on the NASDAQ Global Exchange.[18][19]
Process mining and artificial intelligence: 2018–present
In May 2019, Appian released Appian AI, enabling artificial intelligence capabilities on its platform.[20] In March 2020, the company updated the platform's Artificial intelligence and robotic process automation capabilities.[21] In 2021, the company was named a leader in Digital Process Automation software by Forrester.[22]
In 2022, Appian started highlighting the importance of low-code tools in improving environmental, social & corporate governance (ESG).[23] The company stressed that embedding these tools within operational processes makes it easier for companies to integrate ESG data sources, adapt to regulations, and remain in control of auditability.[24][25]
In February, the company secured provisional authorization from the Defense Information Systems Agency to allow its low-code platform-as-a-service “to handle Impact Level 5 controlled unclassified information and national security systems”.[26] This lets defense customers use Appian Government Cloud as well as the Appian Low-Code Platform.[26]
In March, Horizon Power, a Western Australian energy utility, wanted to transfer from manual process to automation and started using Appian's low-code platform to improve internal workflows and processes.[27][28]
April 2022, process mining, first available in January, was fully integrated into all Appian products.[29][30] This resulted in process mining, low-code/no-code workflows, and automation working as a single solution.[30][29] That same month, Appian started the free #lowcode4all program to help provide access to low-code education and certification for developers.[31] Participants complete a low-code curriculum and the Appian Certified Associate Developer exam, receive access to hiring recruiters through Appian's partner network, and get job search skills support.[32][33][34] The program targeted undergraduate and graduate students, students who had paused their education, unemployed, career-changers, and military veterans.[34][35]
In May 2022, Appian was awarded $2.04 billion in damages against Pegasystems Inc.[36] Pegasystems was found guilty of hiring a developer to spy on Appian, stealing trade secrets in an operation Pegasystems referred to as "Project Crush."[37][38] Pega is appealing the verdict and the company will not be required to begin paying the judgment until all avenues of appeal have been exhausted.[39] In February 2023, Pega filed an appeal asking the court to overturn the previous judgement and either rule in Pega's favor or order a new trial.[40] March 29, 2023, Appian filed a rebuttal and 8K.[41]
Acquisitions
On January 7, 2020, Appian announced acquisition of Novayre Solutions SL, developer of the Jidoka robotic process automation (RPA) platform.[42]
In August 2021, Appian acquired the process mining company Lana Labs.[43] The company's applications help companies discover the work patterns being used within their organization by looking through system logs for common actions and sequences.[44]
Services
Low-code platform
Appian offers a low-code platform with a visual interface and pre-built development modules.[45] As of August 2020, it was the only pure-play provider of low-code software on the stock market.[46] As with other low-code platforms, it enables businesses to create apps and automations using little or no code.[45][47] The platform protects privacy and security with its HIPAA-compliant cloud.[48] The platform includes Appian AI and Appian RPA.[49][50]
SAIL (Self-Assembling Interface Layer)
Appian SAIL technology is a low-code method for enterprise applications that works from back-end integration to upper level graphical user interfaces.[51] It also incorporates Appian's AI Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) tool.[52]
Appian Portals
This allows designers to use low-code to build and manage secure external websites that capture and share data from Appian applications.[53][54]
Process Mining
Process mining is the act of analyzing, improving, and monitoring business processes.[55] In April 2022, process mining was fully integrated into the Appian platform.[56] Appian uses process mining to identify any business inefficiencies, then uses low-code to draw a visual representation of a more efficient workflow, and follows up with a second round of process mining after implementation to make sure that the new process has solved the problem[57]
Appian includes the Mine Process history plug-in that lets users automatically import process data into the process mining product for further analysis.[58][59] It also includes a no-code module.[60]
Pre-built apps
Appian also sells pre-built frameworks. In late 2020, it launched apps to support businesses with COVID-19 concerns.[61][62] They track workforce health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, collecting information from employees and storing it in a HIPAA-compliant cloud,[63] help organizations reopen their offices, and helps banks manage Paycheck Protection Program loan applications, including AI-powered intelligent document processing.[61] Another app, created in partnership with the University of South Florida, helps educational campuses collect COVID-19 related data about individuals and coordinate health and safety guidelines in academic communities to plan for students returning to campus.[64] The firm also developed apps that facilitate return-to-work protocols,[61] and a framework for government organizations to manage acquisition processes,[65] institutional onboarding,[66] and intelligent document processing.[67]
Data Fabric
In 2021, Appian announced plans for a low-code data product.[68] It was completed in April 2022 and was named Appian Data Fabric.[69] It unifies data from enterprise systems, reducing the time to deliver new applications.[69]
