We have 12+ years of experience as an Appian service provider
Are you still running your own Appian landscape?  Moving to Appian’s Cloud model is the right ambition but is easier said than done. You may want to leverage your hosting capability, you may have an Azure or GCP strategy, or specific security/data privacy requirements that you need to meet. psKINETIC is one of the most experienced Appian service providers globally – we have been supporting on-prem instances since 2010. Through our Application & Infrastructure Support (AIS) Division, we help customers with Appian upgrades, test automation, health-checks & performance tuning, and with migration to the cloud. We also run application support and minor change programs for customers in the US, Europe, and the Far East (Singapore). Our entire operation is ISO27001 certified.

On-Prem Challenges: The Dreaded Upgrade 
You will have to upgrade. Appian have a quarterly release schedule with new features for you to exploit, and critical hotfixes are released regularly.  Upgrading is painful for your infra and application teams and often has a negative impact on your end-users. It is particularly tricky if you operate across the globe. 

Lack of test automation. Many established Appian customers have application landscapes that have grown organically in selected departments or regions. Typically, test automation was not a key priority. Consequently, upgrades are more laborious and the approach to application enhancements is less agile.    

On-Prem Challenges: Incomplete Monitoring  
Everyone agrees that ongoing monitoring is critical for all on-prem software. Given the horsepower and complexity of the Appian platform, clients are often struggling to design and implement appropriate monitoring solutions. You don’t want end-users telling you that you have a problem!  

Finally, the Biggest On-Prem Challenge: “You should move to the Appian Cloud model”  
Maybe the biggest challenge that large, established Appian customers face. It feels like the right thing ‘to do’ and everyone is espousing the (theoretical) benefits.  

Long-term, it is clear that the world is moving to the platform model.  The question though is often whether the business case stacks up over a 3 to 4 years’ horizon. The current running/infra economics are probably largely similar (we have seen many instances where keeping the hosting model the same is less costly). Furthermore, the project costs and potential disruption are not insignificant.   

Either way, if you have a good number of applications, a good number of java plug-ins and other connections to your IT infrastructure, this is a project that will take time – maybe 12 to 24 months? 

Our recommendation? Minimise the challenges associated with upgrades by introducing test automation and consider engaging a services’ vendor that can sell you ‘upgrade as a service’. At psKINETIC, we have supported customers through over 100 upgrades. It is like all things, the more you do it, the better you get.