BonitaSoft – Bonita Open Solution v5.3

Reference Code: OI00032-014
Publication Date: December 2010
Author: Mike Thompson
TECHNOLOGY AUDIT
Bonita Open Solution v5.3
BonitaSoft
SUMMARY
CATALYST
The business process management (BPM) space can broadly be split into two main categories: the
infrastructure players that provide BPM as part of an integrated technology stack, and the pure-play vendors
that provide BPM as a separate module, as an application that runs on various platforms. While the latter part
of the market can be seen as being well served by numerous vendors, BonitaSoft brings a different element
with a full-featured solution that follows the open source software (OSS) model. While this is not unique in
itself, BonitaSoft has created a solution that is both rich in functionality and backed up by a wealth of
expertise. Bonita Open Solution v5.3:

Views BPM as a method of creating process-based applications.

Is a full-featured open source solution.

Uses a code-free design methodology.
KEY FINDINGS
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Key Facts:

Uses a code-free design methodology to limit the requirement of IT intervention in
creating and deploying processes.

Treats simulation as a key aspect of process design rather than as an optional add-on.

Focuses on the creation of embedded process-based applications.

Lack of deployment experience for mission-critical processes.

The age of the company could be considered a negative.
i
Complete open source solution.
i
Comes with a comprehensive set of connectors for integration into underlying systems.
BonitaSoft – Bonita Open Solution v5.3
© Ovum. This Technology Audit is a licensed product and is not to be photocopied
Published 12/2011
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TECHNOLOGY AUDIT
OVUM VIEW
Bonita Open Solution v5.3 is a comprehensive and scalable BPM solution that includes a process designer,
an execution engine, and a monitoring console.
Bonita Studio
The Bonita Studio provides an easy-to-use graphical environment, configurable for different types of users,
based on drag-and-drop components, and using the business process modeling notation (BPMN 2.0)
standard. It allows for the definition of business processes without writing any code, and covers the
generation of end-user web applications, and smart information system connectivity. It encompasses several
other features, such as data integration, reporting, and importation of existing business processes.

BPMN design – Users draw directly on the screen using a BPMN context palette. They can click on any
step in the process to drag the next element into place without the need to move back and forth from the
screen to a separate palette. Once the process model has been defined, roles within the process and
associated data definitions are also carried out using the same drag-and-drop methodology.

Process simulation – Resources such as cost, duration, consumption, calendar, and so on can be
defined to the user requirements, and the process can be executed in simulation mode to get advanced
statistics and reports on resource usage, process efficiency, and duration. This can quickly identify
bottlenecks and unused or poorly used resources, allowing the designer to adjust resources and other
process parameters to create a valid runtime process.

Form customization – The Bonita Studio encompasses a form editor which allows code-free
customization of the forms corresponding to the process steps, as well as easy implementation of an
existing look and feel.

Easy connectivity – Bonita Studio comes with more than 80 ready-to-use connectors, allowing users to
interface their processes with their existing systems, including databases (Oracle, MySQL, MSSQL);
messaging systems (Microsoft Exchange); Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) (Active
Directory); enterprise resource planning (ERP) (SAP); enterprise content management (ECM) (Alfresco,
eXo Platform, Nuxeo); customer relationship management (CRM) (SugarCRM); extract, transform, and
load (ETL) (Talend); business intelligence (BI) (JasperSoft); business rules (Drools); and social software
(such as Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) simply by setting parameters. Many more contributed
connectors can be downloaded from the BonitaSoft community site.
When ready with process designing, form customization, and connectivity settings, the resulting application
can deployed with a single click in local or server mode on any Java-enabled machine.
Bonita Execution Engine
Bonita Open Solution comes with a generic and extensible engine to integrate new services or standards that
may emerge in BPM. The Bonita Execution Engine is flexible enough to adapt easily to any information
systems (IS) architecture, from simple to complex, and is powerful enough to support intensive workloads
either on-premise or in the cloud.
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TECHNOLOGY AUDIT
The Bonita Execution Engine is based on a technology that allows it to be deployed as a centralized or
distributed BPM server, as well as to be embedded within a BPM application.
Bonita User Experience
The Bonita User Experience is a pre-packaged production environment based on web standards. It can either
integrate into any kind of portal, or display a set of generic components that can be integrated into any
customer-specific production environment. The Bonita User Experience is a flexible, configurable, and
standard-based production environment that allows the easy integration of Bonita-generated applications into
the customer’s IS.
It contains an email-like interface from which users can easily manage their tasks and cases as they would
with Outlook. It also has business activity monitoring (BAM) capabilities: the reporting function shows an
overview of all processes and cases running, incorporating data from all users involved in the process.
Recommendations

The key factor behind a possible Bonita Open Solution implementation lies in the fact that it is an OSS
solution and, as such, comes with the advantages of reduced total cost of ownership (TCO). Unlike some
OSS solutions (not just in the BPM space) BonitaSoft has not handed off development improvements to
a community model, but takes full responsibility for supporting the solution.

Interestingly, BonitaSoft views BPM from an application viewpoint, something that is gaining traction in
the market. This model defines a process as an application, rather than seeing BPM as a technology
layer that controls applications.

Although Bonita Open Solution comes pre-packaged with a large number of connectors to underlying
systems, there is also a community (following the OSS model) from which additional connectors can be
downloaded. In this space there is also a strong recognition of the requirements for managing process in
relation to social networking, and connectors are available in this space.
FUNCTIONALITY
SOLUTION OVERVIEW
Bonita Open Solution is an intuitive and powerful solution with which to build process-based applications for
optimum cost. It consists of three elements:

Bonita Studio – An application to design processes such as one would on a whiteboard, define roles
and data, customize forms, and connect the process to the information system(s).

Bonita User Experience – A web-based environment to run process-based applications and manage
cases.
BonitaSoft – Bonita Open Solution v5.3
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TECHNOLOGY AUDIT

Bonita Execution Engine – The fast and robust “brain” of the solution. Bonita Open Solution comes with
a generic and extensible engine to integrate new services or standards that may emerge in BPM. The
Bonita Execution Engine is flexible enough to adapt easily to any IS architecture, from simple to complex.
In addition, it is powerful enough to support intensive workload.
Figure 1:
Bonita Open Solution – architectural premise
Source: BonitaSoft
OVUM
SOLUTION ANALYSIS
Process modeling
Bonita Open Solution uses a whiteboard metaphor for designing processes, where the user defines the
process as they would if drawing process steps and activities outside of a technical environment. The only
constraints applied are in the use of a BPMN 2.0 palette, and developers/designers would require expertise in
the meaning of the symbols used. However, as BPMN 2.0 is fast becoming the de facto standard, this cannot
be considered a weakness in any way.
The design whiteboard has a context-sensitive palette which simplifies the modeling experience and reduces
the need to move back and forth between complex palettes, as the only possible requirements are presented
dependent upon the design task being undertaken.
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TECHNOLOGY AUDIT
Versions of the process being modeled can be saved as staging versions, and the solution allows for the
management of these, as well as creating a collaborative environment for multiple participants within the
design process.
Bonita Open Solution is provided with an enterprise-class repository in which all processes can be saved,
organized, archived, and managed. This ensures that future design work can be undertaken not only with
reference to existing processes, but with the ability to re-use process parts.
Process modeling has to be seen as an iterative process, where the process model is dynamically linked to
the running instances of that model. Therefore, any modeling environment should allow for this, with the
ability to reflect changes to the model back into running process instances. Bonita Open Solution provides for
this functionality with the ability to change a process definition and publish this to live processes.
Unlike many other BPM solutions, BonitaSoft does not create a divide between the modeling and simulation
environments. Simulation is provided as an essential part of the design and modeling stage of creating
process-based applications, with users expected to create models that make reference to resource, cost, and
duration at all stages of the model creation. This allows for a “better” chance of creating a valid model at the
first pass, rather than relying on several iterations to implement a “correct” model.
As far as documentation goes, there are few limitations to how the process designs can be saved and
circulated. Process designs can be exported in a number of standards-based formats, such as pdf, jpeg, png,
bmp, gif, and svg. Process models can also be imported from three formats: BPMN 2.0, JBPM3, and XPDL.
The modeling environment (Bonita Studio) also ensures validation of the model, with warnings if a step or
activity is incorrectly configured or if there are missing data.
Development
Within BPM, development is not seen as a particular discipline. As the effort or methodology is focused on
building the model and then deploying it, there is effectively another stage involved, which can be likened to
application development. BonitaSoft sees processes as analogous to applications, a view shared by Ovum.
Process-based applications are essentially subsets of the more monolithic applications that proliferate
throughout organizations.
In order to bring this idea of process as application to fruition, BonitaSoft allows for advanced customization of
web forms, with field dependencies, dynamic field filling, pagination, and pre-built validation rules all included
in the application builder. This also allows the application to be customized to fit into corporate standards
easily, using advanced templating. Instead of having multiple applications, each with a different look and feel,
organizations can create process-based applications that have a consistency to them. This helps to reduce
training time and cost, and provides a better employee experience. These applications conform to World
Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards using HTML, CSS, and Javascript. All applications created in Bonita
Open Solution are easily deployable from the Bonita Studio.
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TECHNOLOGY AUDIT
Execution
Bonita Open Solution provides a rich interface that allows end-users to manage their process interactions.
Although this follows an “inbox” metaphor, it has to be said that many users are happier with full integration
into Microsoft Outlook. Although this requirement has been recognized and implemented in many BPM
solutions, BonitaSoft has not implemented this as part of the package in order to maintain a non-proprietary
structure (although integration is possible should end-users require it).
The product has native support for English, French, and Spanish, and support for translating interfaces into
other languages is carried out through community translation tool Babili, allowing the BonitaSoft community to
translate Bonita Open Solution interfaces.
BonitaSoft has also made a strong investment in allowing its solution to interface with social media solutions
such as Facebook and Twitter. Although this may appear to be of limited value, more and more users who
are implementing BPM are coming to realize that interaction mechanisms need to be available during the
process runtime, and not simply during the modeling phase.
Bonita Open Solution supports multi-process execution, where several processes can be modeled in a single
diagram and executed independently. This helps to reduce the dependency that exists between the model
and the process instance, where too much reliance is placed on the model to represent processes that might
be structured more loosely.
As a corollary to this, individual processes can be placed into a logical group (or more than one group) and
then the input for one process can be taken from the output of another. Although at first sight this might
appear to be of limited value, as it could be seen as a task better undertaken at design time (i.e. design the
logical function of each process), it does allow designers to think less about the required granularity of
process at the initial design phase.
Ovum has always promoted the idea of processes being analogous to transactions, with each process
instance being managed in the same way that transaction management takes place. The Bonita Execution
Engine is fully transactional in nature, allowing for failure management.
Monitoring and administration
Bonita Open Solution provides the same level of security as would be expected in, for example, a database
management system. Thus, user rights can be limited in respect of read, modify, update, and so on. In order
to ensure an understanding of this from the end-user point of view, actions that cannot be carried out by a
specific user or group will not be made visible. Users can define user and user groups from within the
process, or can integrate into existing LDAP directories.
Managers can define key performance indicators (KPIs) for any stage of the process, and have individual
instances presented in definable dashboards to ensure that targets are kept under control. This is allied to full
BAM capabilities to ensure the strong management of all aspects of the process and process environment.
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TECHNOLOGY AUDIT
PRODUCT STRATEGY
Bonita Open Solution is available to download for free over the Internet and is provided under a GNU General
Public License. The software is initially downloaded by first-time BPM customers to solve specific problems,
and not typically as part of a strategic technology purchasing decision. However, because Bonita Solution’s
software is powerful, and easy to use and maintain, initial purchases drive further adoption of Bonita
Solution’s software within customers’ organizations.
MARKET OPPORTUNITY
BonitaSoft believes that the BPM market is dominated by commercial vendors that supply their technologies
to large accounts via lengthy, complex, and expensive business and IS re-engineering projects. This high-end
positioning allows commercial vendors to charge a premium price for their products, bundled with high-level
consulting that aims to change the customer’s IS organization through a top-down approach.
With more than 20 years of evangelization from vendors and consultants, many companies are now fully
aware of the benefits of BPM and of the value of BPM solutions. However, those who want BPM but not
complex IT re-engineering are finding it difficult to justify the premium cost of proprietary solutions. They are
looking for cost-efficient, flexible but powerful alternatives.
Bonita Open Solution is the solution for businesses and organizations that want to avoid heavyweight
proprietary software, do not want to re-invent their IT systems, and expect a simple, cost-efficient, and
powerful tool.
While, in Ovum’s opinion, this might be an over-simplistic view of the state of the BPM market today, there is
no denying that many organizations are implementing OSS solutions in many areas, and that BPM is not wellserved in this space. Therefore, the introduction of Bonita Open Solution does create a possible market
disruptor.
GO TO MARKET STRATEGY
BonitaSoft targets medium to large companies and organizations, and addresses the needs of small
standalone development projects all the way up to company-wide IS re-engineering.
BonitaSoft has a fairly strong go to market strategy, in which it targets project team environments and small
project implementations as an initial approach, rather than going for the “big bang BPM” approach in the first
instance before increasing the scope organically to look at larger implementations within the organization.
BonitaSoft has an up-to-date, non-vertical-specific focus, as the company aims to disseminate Bonita Open
Solution to the widest possible audience. In 2010, BonitaSoft’s main geographic focus has been the south of
Europe and the US, which it will extend to Western Europe and Latin America in 2011.
At present, BonitaSoft has commercial offices in France, Germany, and the US, and its services are available
over five continents through its partnership network.
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TECHNOLOGY AUDIT
BonitaSoft has a direct sales model, mainly into private companies with small- and medium-sized projects. It
also has a partner network that targets larger deployments, as well as a public sector focus. Currently, the
revenue split between these two channels is 70/30, respectively.
BonitaSoft sees competition in three main areas:

Commercial solutions – IBM Lombardi Edition, Oracle, TIBCO, and Software AG.

OSS solutions – JBPM, ProcessMaker.

In-house developments.
Payment options are for support only. BonitaSoft Subscription Pack is a subscription service that adds to
Bonita Open Solution professional grade technical support and additional features to facilitate teamwork and
to accelerate and secure BPM deployments. There is also a professional support level which provides
professional-grade technical support.
IMPLEMENTATION
A pilot project would typically take between one and five days, and could involve just a single person with
basic Java skills for any technical requirements (this is the only technical requirement, regardless of the size
of the project). A departmental implementation with up to 30 users could take up to 20 days, and would
typically involve three people. Larger enterprise-wide implementations could be up to 40 days in length and
involve 10 people.
BonitaSoft has developed a number of programs designed to facilitate the ramp-up of project teams and to
ensure the highest level of productivity. Service offerings include:

Professional Support – BonitaSoft Professional Support covers all product-related issues when
designing, developing, deploying, and delivering a BPM application. BonitaSoft support teams are
directly connected with the BonitaSoft Research & Development organization. BonitaSoft Professional
Support includes developer and production support for Bonita Open Solution, including patches, updates,
and security fixes.

Subscription Pack – BonitaSoft Subscription Pack is a subscription service that adds to Bonita Open
Solution professional-grade technical support and additional features to facilitate teamwork and to
accelerate and secure BPM deployments.

Training – BonitaSoft offers a range of public and on-site training services to meet customer
requirements. Training is designed to help users fully leverage BonitaSoft’s solutions. Training
incorporates lectures, hands-on exercises, and use-case scenarios to build expertise in participants.
Instructors are BonitaSoft experts in designing, implementing, and deploying BPM applications.

Expertise and consulting – BonitaSoft offers a full range of consulting services to help developers go
from download to deployment and beyond. BonitaSoft experts can address a variety of situations in the
BPM project lifecycle.
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TECHNOLOGY AUDIT
DEPLOYMENT EXAMPLES
Société Générale, internal banking applications (France)
This major French bank has selected Bonita as the BPM solution for an internal ticketing application. With
Bonita, support requests are managed by a web application that interacts with Bonita processes responsible
for the lifecycle of the IT department’s request (around 50 concurrent users). This is a departmental
application that replaces a previous manual programmed application by externalizing the business logic into
processes. The deployment environment comprises a four-central processing unit (CPU) server running a
Tomcat and MySQL database over a Linux operating system. This is a standalone web application in which
the Bonita BPM engine is embedded.
Government of the Canary Islands, BPM in e-government applications (Spain)
Bonita was selected by the government of the Canary Islands as the BPM solution for e-government
applications. The customer was already using a BPM solution (proprietary vendor) but decided to migrate to
Bonita as it was looking to reduce costs by moving over to an open source solution. Bonita is deployed in a
centralized and clustered infrastructure (on top of a JEE application server) providing support for eadministration and e-government applications developed by the government teams, integrators, and other
solution providers.
Bonita is deployed in an enterprise-wide environment with thousands of potential customers. The technical
environment comprises a Linux server, Oracle database, and a cluster of two eight-CPU servers in which a
Bonita BPM engine is deployed in a Jboss application server. The server is accessed remotely by
applications deployed in different servers.
Chronoexpres: BPM in logistics and supply chain management (Spain)
Chronoexpres, a subsidiary of Spanish Postal, deployed Bonita to manage logistics applications, as well as
internal and external processes, as part of a strategic refactoring of its IS. The company’s new IS is based on
JEE and open source technologies, and includes a Jboss application server, Talend ETL solution, Alfresco
ECM product, Liferay portal, and Bonita. The whole system is deployed on Linux. The first BPM application
on top of Bonita is managing logistics and have as users both customers and internal Chronoexpres agents.
This first application is deployed in a four-CPU Linux server.
French Ministry of Agriculture, BPM framework for HR applications (France)
Bonita has been integrated into the Java/JEE framework internally developed by the R&D teams of the
French Ministry of Agriculture. This framework is used by other divisions of the ministry to re-develop its
human resources applications. Bonita’s rich application programming interface provides flexibility to the
development teams for developing and integrating BPM features in both existing and new applications.
Deployment infrastructure includes a Jboss application server and Sybase database on top of Linux servers.
It is being deployed by a French integrator with the support of BonitaSoft teams.
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TECHNOLOGY AUDIT
Table 1:
Contact details
BonitaSoft (Headquarters)
BonitaSoft
31, rue Gustave Eiffel
51 Federal St. Suite 305
38000 Grenoble
San Francisco, CA
France
94107
www.bonitasoft.com
USA
Source: Ovum
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BonitaSoft
– Bonita Open Solution v5.3
Published 12/2010
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