Low-code software provider Appian (APPN 1.65%) has historically catered to large customers, but the company is also gaining traction with Appian Community Edition -- a free version of its software to help attract developers and new users and expand the funnel for its product.
In this Motley Fool Backstage interview aired on Nov. 24, Appian CEO Matt Calkins explains the role that Appian Community plays in the company's strategy.
10 stocks we like better than Appian
When our award-winning analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*
They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Appian wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.
*Stock Advisor returns as of November 10, 2021
Jeremy Bowman: I think you guys mentioned that you're coming off your third-quarter earnings report here too, that you've historically served up larger customers, where we call it the enterprise level and you're moving beyond that, and something I think new called Appian Community. Maybe you could tell us about that?
Matt Calkins: Yeah, let me tell you. Appian Community Edition is what you're referring to. We have a community and then we have a step-up and use it free version of the software called Appian Community Edition. Both of these are aimed toward enabling more users, training the populace at our charge, allowing people to make Appian part of their careers, learn about our technology and become a professional. The tech is very popular and a lot of our clients are looking for new employees who understand it. We wanted to open it up in that regards. We also want to make it easy for organizations to figure out what technology they're considering by using the product before they buy it. That's been extremely popular. We rolled out a new version of Appian Community Edition in the second quarter of this year and usage has taken off since then. One of my favorite things about it is that it's pre-populated with a lot of training videos and is extremely easy to get involved in. Once you've built something, you can even move that into a GA environment later on if you become an actual buyer of the software.
Bowman: When you say GA environment, what are you referring to?
Calkins: I am sorry. I mean general availability. When you create an application and you launch it, then it becomes GA. GA is any software that's running in a production capacity.
Bowman: Okay.
Calkins: I mean live, just a finished piece of software, that's all.
