-->

The Suite Spot: Former Pure-Play Vendors Dominate BPM Magic Quadrant

The vendors dominating the business process management (BPM) space are those that once offered pure-play point solutions but have now developed integrated suites, according to Gartner's recently published Magic Quadrant assessing the marketplace.

"During the next five to 10 years, BPM and service[s]-oriented architecture initiatives will usher in a world where business users and IT will use declarative, model-driven approaches for managing work, resulting in applications that require little or no coding," says report co-author Jannelle B. Hill. Yet Hill admits that a lot of work needs to be done before we see a truly code-free environment. So, through 2012 market, churn will continue as vendors pursue different process-centric strategies.

The current leading companies in the BPM suite (BMPS) space, according to the report "Magic Quadrant for Business Process Management Suites, 2007," are:

  • Pegasystems (far and away Gartner's leader, in terms of both completeness of vision and ability to execute),
  • Savvion,
  • Lombardi,
  • Tibco Software,
  • Appian Analytics,
  • BEA Systems (which, after a drawn-out fight, recently agreed to be purchased by Oracle),
  • Metastorm,
  • Software AG,
  • Global 360, and
  • IBM.

The Challengers quadrant comprised four vendors:

Oracle and Adobe each missed the Leaders' quadrant by a sliver, falling short only in terms of completeness of vision.

The Visionaries quadrant included:

  • SunGard (which was second out of all vendors assessed in terms of completeness of vision),
  • Ultimus,
  • Singularity,
  • Intalio,
  • AuraPortal, and
  • Ascentn.

The report measured vendors based on 10 areas of BPMS functionality as determined by suite buyers, up from seven areas of functionality in the previous year's report. According to Hill, the increased level of functionality desired by buyers reflects the maturation of the BPMS market. Another sign of that increased maturity is the fact that Gartner expanded this year's report to include nine vendors that weren't part of last year's round-up: Ascentn, AuraPortal, EMC, Intalio, Oracle, Software AG, and SunGard -- as well as Captaris and Microgen, which were the only two denizens of the report's last-place Niche Players quadrant.

(Three vendors in last year's report were dropped this year: Axway, CA, and Graham Technology. Graham, according to the report, "decided to emphasize its business domain expertise in call center operations and a few other areas...[and] now competes more with CRM application vendors rather than with BPMS vendors.")

"Buyers expect BPMS to offer not only the design and runtime environment, but also the business process content to accelerate their learning and implementation," Hill says in the report. "The packaged content provided by these vendors varies and may include sample process models, rule sets, prebuilt user interfaces and even composite process frameworks that can deliver 70 percent to 80 percent of the total solution."

Part of the work that many vendors need to do, according to Hill, is to develop a better understanding of workflow. The suite approach helps uncover unsuccessful workflows because the information is visible and audited, Hill explains.

By better understanding workflow, the suites can better help users see and manipulate resources, according to Hill. For example, using a BPMS at design time and runtime enables operational managers to enhance process execution: Altering the routing of work can help make the most of available human resources; altering work rules can eliminate unnecessary bottlenecks.

The greatest value of such analysis and change, according to Hill, will come in businesses that change frequently -- she cites such fields as retail, financial services, telecommunications, higher education, and the media -- because these industries are more susceptible to external factors requiring business process changes in order for companies to remain competitive.


Related articles:

Connect: Quality Really Is Job No. 1
The "single version of the truth" is impossible without tools to ensure data quality.

Oracle and BEA Systems Settle on a Price
Three months after the initial $6.7 billion bid, the juggernaut of enterprise computing pays $8.5 billion for its rival in the middleware market.

Oracle Offers to Buy BEA Systems
On the heels of the SAP-Business Objects deal, Larry Ellison's company makes a multibillion-dollar move of its own.

BEA Systems Makes Hot SOA Moves
The acquisition of metadata repository Flashline and an expanded partnership with Tata Consultancy Services puts BEA back on the A list.

SAP Tucks-In Another Acquisition
The German software maker adds BPM functionality to its portfolio by acquiring Indian-based YASU.

IBM Acquires Cognos
The $5 billion deal marks ongoing consolidation in the Tier One business intelligence market; a "significant change" in IBM's direction, one analyst notes.

Forrester Wave Ranks Cognos and Oracle Tops in Performance Management
Forrester Research's ranking of BPM vendors provides a snapshot of a market in motion.

SAP to Acquire Business Objects [Oct. 2007]
The friendly takeover folds new business intelligence capabilities into one of the leading enterprise software platforms; amidst differing opinions, rumors loom of a counteroffer from Oracle or IBM.

Cognos To Purchase Applix
Cognos announced today plans to acquire business performance management (BPM) vendor Applix for approximately $339 million.

Business Processes Manage to Keep Growing
IDC predicts rapid growth for the BPM software market, which is expected to reach $5.5 billion by 2011.

Metastorm Improves Its Forma
The business process management vendor acquires Proforma, expanding its capabilities with enterprise architecture modeling.

Metastorm Adds ICCM to the Pod
The vendor's new Process Pod for partner ICCM's eService Desk lets users integrate BPM into all aspects of their business, not just the contact center.

BPM's Evolution
The market will see dramatic growth over the coming years, buoyed by a renewed interest in process management, as BPM vendors begin to leverage SOA.

Oracle Is Set to Purchase Hyperion
Oracle has agreed to acquire BI and performance management provider Hyperion Solutions for more than $3.3 billion in cash

The Newest Method of BPM
WebMethods unveils the latest version of its flagship product, with strong emphasis on utilizing SOA to drive process management, a trend representative of this emerging market.

BPM Samples the Entire Enterprise
OutlookSoft launches the latest version of its BPM product; users are able draw insight into customers and business operations from multiple data repositories.

Wet Woos Fire: BEA Systems Acquires Fuego
The middleware provider expands its SOA offerings by acquiring a BPM software company; expect a stronger service focus and access to new verticals.

BPM Speeds the Purchase Request Plow
"The customer understands we're looking for innovative ways to make processes easier...."

Hyperion's Integrated BPM Tool
System 9 provides users with a simple BI interface; the company's R&D on the new product and BI platform lasted three years.

The BPM Market Is Growing Faster Than Expected
Hyperion far outpaces its competitors in revenue share as the space continues to expand into different verticals.

Forrester Ranks the Top 10 BPM Companies
The research firm picks early leaders in the business process management market.

Viewpoint: Business Process Management Is the Next Phase in the CRM Evolution
Used to complement each other the two will drive greater results than they would on their own.

Viewpoint: The CRM Intersection
Where business and technology collide.

Viewpoint: How BPM Technology Helps CRM Deliver on Its Promise
Extend the reach of your CRM application beyond its traditional silos.

CRM Covers
Free
for qualified subscribers
Subscribe Now Current Issue Past Issues

Related Articles

9 Vendors Lead Gartner Magic Quadrant for BPM Suites

Magic Quadrant for BPM Suites '09: Established players continue to thrive as the space continues to evolve.

Appian Gets Mega-Friendly

Appian, a provider of business process management software, partners with enterprise architecture specialist Mega automates and streamlines business processes.

Oracle and BEA: One Big Happy Family?

Oracle's BEA Welcome Event: The enterprise software provider shares its post-acquisition roadmap, and promises "no forced migration."

Buyer's Guide Companies Mentioned