Metastorm have today announced the launch of their latest version of Metastorm BPM.
You will remember that Metastorm bought the Provision software suite last year and are in the process of merging this with their BPM tool. V7.6 is a stepping stone in that direction.
I mentioned in earlier posts that the stated direction for Metastorm was to have a common platform from which to run the Metastorm EA/BPA/BPM suite and this has been given the name Metastorm Enterprise. This will include shared services and a common meta-model for enhanced visibility and better understanding of the impact of decisions at all levels. Metastorm 7.6 will be the first step in this, using the Metastorm Provision simulation engine to run simulations on the BPM part of the suite. In effect what has happened is that Metastorm have replaced an older 3rd party simulation tool that worked with the Metastorm BPM suite with the integrated Provision simulation tool. The Butler group seem to think this is a good thing saying “The incorporation of the Metastorm ProVision simulation engine running within Metastorm BPM in this new release provides one of the strongest simulation and analysis capabilities available in a single BPMS today.”
Other functionality released in 7.6 is a gadget for integration with the Windows Vista to perform Business Activity Monitoring, better integration with Microsoft Office and Sharepoint Server 2007.
I wouldn't mind betting that the Provision Publication function - which could seriously do with an upgrade to it's formatting and integration with Office - has not been touched in this release though.
Maybe next time.
Read the full release on the Metastorm Web site.
