Appian and IBM Business Automation Workflow compete in the business process management space. Appian has an edge in appealing to non-technical users with its low-code platform and rapid application development, while IBM Business Automation Workflow focuses on seamless integration in enterprise ecosystems.
Features: Appian offers rapid application development with its low-code approach, robust process modeling capabilities, and mobile readiness, making it accessible for non-technical users. In contrast, IBM Business Automation Workflow excels in end-to-end process management, seamless third-party tool integration, and a comprehensive ecosystem for enterprise-grade solutions.
Room for Improvement: Appian could improve in customization flexibility and provide a more user-friendly interface for complex models. Enhancing offline capabilities and integrations with existing ecosystems is also important. IBM Business Automation Workflow should focus on better UI flexibility and smoother integrations. Both platforms would benefit from more intuitive design and enhanced user experience.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Appian provides diverse deployment options including public, private, and hybrid cloud environments, and boasts strong customer service, albeit with concerns about resource strain due to rapid growth. IBM Business Automation Workflow mainly supports on-premises deployment and offers reasonable technical support, although costs can be high.
Pricing and ROI: Appian presents a cost-effective pricing model with flexible options, though it may be costly compared to open-source solutions. It accelerates ROI through fast application development. IBM Business Automation Workflow is perceived as expensive, aligning with enterprise solutions that offer substantial features and support, but both solutions face challenges in demonstrating immediate ROI due to complexity.
Appian is very efficient, allowing us to build a lot of applications within a financial year, making it cost-effective.
Their customer service is responsive, and the team is very prompt for support.
The technical support is generally good.
Appian has a community where I can put my questions.
IBM provides long-term support and maintains a traditionally good customer-vendor relationship.
If the solution is readily available to IBM support team, they provide it instantly.
Appian is scalable, but it depends on how you build your applications.
Initially, without much coding, I can easily handle five thousand records.
We are implementing load balancing and horizontal scalability.
We can manage the license usage and scale our environment while optimizing license use.
It depends on how it has been designed and how it has been configured.
I would like to see more enhancement in the user interface to allow more freedom in designing the sites and pages.
If there is a very complex process that includes a lot of data transitioning and memory-centric processes, it consumes a lot of memory.
Many developments are focused on AI, LLM models, and data science.
IBM Business Automation Workflow could be more intuitive, with more advanced low-code features and services definition.
On the pricier side, both Appian and Pega are enterprise-level solutions, placing them on the slightly higher side.
The pricing of Appian is based on the number of users and generally ranges from 70 to 100 USD per user per month.
It is not a cheap license but in line with expectations for such software.
The zero-code integration feature is remarkable, allowing for ease of data transfer and workflow enhancement.
I can create tables, perform database-related activities, and create multiple tables.
It is easy for me to define the process and create configurable workflows.
We have integrations with different banks, ERP systems, and other human resource management systems by integrating through different systems.
It assisted in making users concentrate on the process flow rather than just features.
Appian is a unified low-code platform and solution used by businesses to build enterprise applications and workflows. This product adapts to the needs of clients and the technologies they are already using to combine their data in a single workflow and maximize resources. The platform has four main components through which it transforms the work process for companies of various sizes. They are:
Appian is utilized across a diverse set of industries, including automotive and manufacturing, energy and utilities, education, financial services, telecom and media, transportation, retail, insurance, healthcare, and life sciences. The most frequent use cases of Appian are customer journey, governance, risk and compliance, operational efficiency, supply chain, distributed order management, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management.
Appian Features
Appian has various features that allow users to create solutions for their businesses. These features can be separated into a few groups according to function, including automation, low-code application development, and integrations and data. Some of the most frequently used features of Appian include:
Appian Benefits
The benefits of using Appian include:
Reviews from Real Users
A practice leader - digital process automation at a computer software company values Appian highly because the product is easy to develop, low-code, and has a good user interface.
Alan G., an advisory board member at Codecon VR, Appian offers a clear application life cycle, easy to learn documentation, and comes with a fundamentals course.
IBM Business Automation Workflow combines business process management and case management capabilities in one workflow solution. It integrates the capabilities of business process and case management into a single workflow offering. It unites information, process, and users to provide a 360-degree view of work to drive more successful optimized business outcomes. IBM Business Automation Workflow on Cloud provides the same capabilities that are offered in the IBM Business Automation Workflow offering, all within a ready-to-use, cloud-based environment that is hosted in IBM Cloud data centers and managed by IBM.
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