Team streamlining workflows with process automation

Why Now Is the Right Time to Migrate from OpenText MBPM to a Modern Platform like Appian

Sascha Cutura | Regional Director, DACH | August 2025

For years, OpenText MBPM (formerly Metastorm BPM) has been a trusted workhorse for process automation in many organisations. It was once the go-to platform for building and managing workflows, especially in large enterprises with complex, document-heavy processes. But like many older systems, MBPM is now a legacy platform. It struggles to keep up with the demands of today's businesses that need speed, flexibility, and seamless integration with modern technologies.

This slowdown comes at a time when the global process automation market is projected to reach $154.13 billion by 2030, up from $116.16 billion in 2025, growing at an annual rate of 5.82. (Mordor Intelligence). The shift underlines just how essential digital process transformation has become for competitive organisations.

Adding to this momentum, Gartner's forecasts that by 2025, 70% of all new applications developed by organisations will use low-code or no-code technologies, a jump from less than 25% in 2020.

Organisations still relying on MBPM to run critical processes, are probably already aware of its limitations. Clunky interfaces slow daily work, performance lags behind modern expectations, and integration with newer systems remains limited. Skilled specialists are becoming harder to find, turning even small fixes into major challenges. And with OpenText's roadmap centred more on keeping the “lights on” rather than upgrades that deliver real innovation, the platform risks slipping further behind in a fast-moving digital world. OpenText's roadmap for MBPM is more about maintenance than about real improvements.

So why do so many organisations hold on to it? In one word: risk. Many teams fear that migrating many legacy workflows to a new platform will mean huge disruption, cost overruns, and business downtimes. But the reality is, continuing to use an ageing BPM system comes with bigger risks. I It slows organisational digital transformation, increases reliance on manual workarounds, and limits the ability to adapt operations when market conditions shift unexpectedly.

The Business Case for Moving to Appian

Modern low-code platforms like Appian are built for the way businesses work today. They combine process automation, data management, integrations, AI and reporting all in one place. This provides a unified view of workflows enables faster automation design, and allows processes to adapt easily as business needs change.

Appian in particular has been a preferred choice for organisations moving away from MBPM. It offers powerful low-code tools that speed up development and its flexible architecture means you can connect easily to other systems like ERPs, CRMs or custom databases. The user experience is much more modern and intuitive, and ensures teams can access processes on any device, wherever they are.

Many leading global organizations and government agencies have already made the move to Appian, including SMBC, the USDA, the US Air Force, and the US Army . From streamlining multi-billion-dollar contracting systems for the US Army, to cutting acquisition costs by approximately $80 million for the US Air Force. These real-world examples show that Appian can handle mission-critical, large-scale process transformations with proven success.

Another big plus is how Appian handles upgrades. The cloud platform is designed with regular, backward-compatible updates. You benefit from new features, improvements and security patches without having to worry about breaking what you already have in place. This means you spend less time testing and fixing and more time actually improving processes. Over time, that reduces the cost of maintaining your automation and keeps your total cost of ownership lower than with older systems like MBPM, where upgrades can easily turn into costly mini-projects.

How AI Makes Migration Easier

One of the biggest concerns is the actual migration, how can organisations take year's worth of workflows, forms, data models, document and tacit knowledge available with the SMEs, business rules, and rebuild them on a new platform without losing the functionality or creating errors in the migrated applications? This is where AI can genuinely help.

Modern migration tools, often powered by AI, can analyse your existing MBPM processes, map out dependencies, and even generate draft versions of workflows on the new platform. This cuts out a lot of the manual heavy lifting and reduces human error.

AI can also help test the new processes, flag inconsistencies, and simulate how changes will affect end users. Combined with an experienced implementation partner, you can reduce downtime and move at a pace that suits your business.

Key Things to Get Right

Migrating to Appian or any modern platform is not just a technical project, though. You need a clear plan, executive buy-in, and the right people involved from day one. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Prioritise your workflows. Not everything needs to move at once. Start with the ones that will deliver the biggest value when modernised.
  • Get your data ready. Legacy data often needs cleaning and mapping to new structures. This is a great chance to fix old issues and workarounds.
  • Plan for change management. People need training, clear communication, and time to get comfortable with the new way of working.
  • Lean on experienced partners. Working with a team that understands both MBPM and Appian reduces headaches.
Don't Let Legacy Hold You Back

The bottom line is, the longer organisations retain legacy systems like OpenText MBPM, the harder it becomes to compete. Modern platforms give you speed, visibility, and the ability to evolve when the market demands it. And with AI-supported migration tools, moving to a modern solution like Appian has never been more achievable.

For organisations ready to begin their migration journey, Yexle offers the expertise to make it a success. We have helped organisations of all sizes successfully move from MBPM to Appian, while taking care of legacy OpenText MBPM system with our managed service during such transition, unlocking new value and future-proofing their operations. Let's talk about what's possible for you.

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