Appian software picked for Army portal upgrade

Appian Corp. has sold the U.S. Army additional software licenses and service maintenance for its Army Knowledge Online portal, including an upgrade to the latest version of its portal solution, the company said today.

The upgrade, known as Appian Enterprise v.3, is an open, standard-based business process management suite that offers process, knowledge and analytics capabilities in an integrated development framework. It will provide the Army with the capability to push content to targeted users based on profiles and preferences, Appian said.

The portal software also is designed to help improve decision-making in combat by enabling the Army to establish nested networks built across operations, training, leader and doctrine areas, and to connect users in these areas with virtual command and team leaders, Appian said.

The Army has used Appian's software in its portal since October 2001. The portal provides single sign-on access to nearly 300 mission critical applications and servers, and has more than 1.6 million users, with 72 percent of active forces using it regularly. More than a million documents have been uploaded into the portal and more than 12 million documents have been downloaded from it.

The Vienna, Va.-based software company's other federal government clients include the Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development and Transportation departments, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, IRS, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Veterans Benefits Administration and Veterans Health Administration.

By the end of the summer, the Army plans to award a single contract to maintain the portal. More than 25 contractors currently work on different components of the portal, which often results in redundant efforts.