World Bank Deploys Appian Enterprise to Enhance Effectiveness and Efficiency in the Collaboration with Its Partners on Virtual Learning and Dialogue Events

April 4, 2007; 05:21 AM
Appian, the leading provider of Business Process Management Suites (BPMS), today announced that the World Bank has deployed Appian Enterprise to support event management for the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN), a partnership of learning centers facilitated by the Bank. The new GDLN Event Management System (GEM) enables GDLN Affiliates and clients worldwide to more effectively manage the planning and delivery of joint virtual learning and communication events. GDLN events are delivered using distance learning techniques and technologies and typically involve, simultaneously, multiple parties in different countries and regions. By providing a collaborative, process-based workspace for coordinating all logistics, Appian’s BPMS delivers the structure and flexibility required to support these events.

The World Bank’s GDLN Secretariat chose Appian’s BPMS to optimize the entire cycle of event planning and provide a foundation that allows GDLN Affiliates to receive proposals from their clients, work collaboratively in planning events and help manage negotiations between their clients and other Affiliates involved in the same event. The new event management system will also help GDLN Affiliates schedule their own facilities and services for events, manage invoices, collect participant contact information, and conduct surveys efficiently.

"We selected Appian Enterprise after a competitive bidding process because its Business Process Management Suite provides the structure, features and flexibility we needed to help support the requirements of Affiliates and clients worldwide,” said Monika Weber-Fahr, Manager for the GDLN and Multimedia division in the World Bank Institute. "Once GEM is fully operational, it can provide our Affiliates and their clients with a comprehensive solution that responds to their unique needs.”

Currently, there are over 100 GDLN Affiliates and clients in nearly 80 countries, most of them in the developing world. Appian Enterprise has the capabilities to fulfill the needs of GDLN Affiliates and clients by providing the BMPS in several languages, working in variable bandwidth environments, and by being equipped with global 24x7 support. The IT maintenance costs of GEM are also minimized since Appian Enterprise’s BPMS uses the latest AJAX technologies to deliver a desktop application experience to its users without installing additional software.

“Appian Enterprise BPMS enables our customers to deploy the industry’s strongest process capabilities while improving the efficiency of their existing solutions,” asserted Matthew Calkins, CEO, Appian. “We are proud to provide a comprehensive solution that can meet the global needs of GDLN Affiliates and clients, allowing for a quick and reliable implementation. Our offering will add structure to the event management processes of the World Bank’s GDLN partnership and improve the way its Affiliates and clients are supported.”

Appian Enterprise 5 is a comprehensive suite that provides fully integrated process, knowledge and analytics capabilities to drive quantifiable ROI and expedite the delivery of next-generation, process-driven solutions. The leading BPMS enables customers to automate, execute and optimize cross-functional business processes from beginning to end.

About GDLN

The Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) is a global partnership of learning centers (GDLN Affiliates) that offer the use of advanced information and communication technologies to connect people working in development around the world. By applying tools and services developed in the field of distance learning - learning that takes place when participants in an event are separated by space and time - GDLN Affiliates enable organizations, teams, and individuals around the world to communicate, share knowledge, and learn from each others’ experiences in a timely and cost-effective manner. The World Bank currently acts as the partnership’s central “hub”, providing the Network with support for central systems, communications, and common policies and procedures through GDLN teams in the World Bank Institute, in the Bank’s regional vice presidencies and in the Bank’s Information Solutions Group. To read more about GDLN visit http://www.gdln.org.

About Appian

Appian is a leading provider of business process management (BPM) technology that helps organizations design, manage, and optimize their business processes. Appian Enterprise has revolutionized process design with a modeling environment that is simple enough for business users yet powerful enough for IT. Appian is the first BPM vendor to combine collaboration and content management with process to create best practice business processes. Appian's patent-pending Active Optimization Technology, which analyzes the in-flight process data stream, not just stored data, helps companies stay ahead of the competition. For more information, visit www.appian.com.