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Appian was founded in 1999 by Michael Beckley, Robert Kramer, Marc Wilson and Matthew Calkins, who serves as CEO.[4][5]
In 2001, the company developed Army Knowledge Online, regarded at the time as “the world's largest intranet."[6]
In 2005, the company expanded into financial services and other private markets.[7] It became known for its low-code platform.[7]
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).[8]
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.[9][10] In 2015, transportation company Ryder began using the Appian apps instead of paper processing during the checkout process and internally for truck maintenance records.[11][12]
On May 25, 2017, Appian became a publicly traded company, trading as APPN on the NASDAQ Global Exchange.[13][14]
Process mining and artificial intelligence: 2018–present
In May 2019, Appian released Appian AI, enabling artificial intelligence capabilities on its platform.[15] In March 2020, the company updated the platform's Artificial intelligence and robotic process automation capabilities.[16]
In 2022, Appian started highlighting the importance of low-code tools in improving environmental, social & corporate governance (ESG). 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.[17]
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.[18][19]
April 2022, process mining, first available in January, was fully integrated into all Appian products. This resulted in process mining, low-code/no-code workflows, and automation working as a single solution. That same month, Appian started the free #lowcode4all program to help provide access to low-code education and certification for developers.[20] 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.[21][22]
In May 2022, Appian was awarded $2.04 billion in damages against Pegasystems Inc.[23] Pegasystems was found guilty of hiring a developer to spy on Appian, stealing trade secrets in an operation Pegasystems referred to as "Project Crush."[24][25] 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.[26] 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.[27] March 29, 2023, Appian filed a rebuttal and 8K.[28]
Acquisitions
On January 7, 2020, Appian announced acquisition of Novayre Solutions SL, developer of the Jidoka robotic process automation (RPA) platform.[29]
In August 2021, Appian acquired the process mining company Lana Labs.[30] 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.[31]
