Kianda

What it is

Kianda is a low-code, workflow-oriented platform for building business applications from reusable components. Its low-code page calls it a "no-code business process automation platform" in one sentence and a "flexible low-code platform" in the next, and its home page describes a "configurable, lowcode platform" that lets you turn workflows into business apps customized to your processes and integrated with your existing systems.

The page is written for IT teams and developers who want to deliver apps faster, and for the business users they want to hand safe tools to. It also says IT teams "need a safe approach to enable business users to build and moderate business applications" so IT can focus on high-value work and shrink its backlog. The same company sells EHSwise, a health and safety product built on the platform, and that product is what the home page leads with.

How you build

The core idea is reuse. The low-code page says "Kianda flexible low-code platform enables component reuse and shared code blocks to accelerate deployment", and that reusable building blocks let you focus on the functionality your business application actually needs. In practice, developers keep a toolkit of components and shared code blocks. Everyone else uses drag-and-drop components for the rest of the app. The page says this lets a developer concentrate on the shared code components that add value while the rest is assembled visually.

The page describes the low-code environment as a visual designer interface in place of traditional programming. It says low-code platforms let you deploy operational applications and add shared code where needed. The promised result is applications delivered "in days not in months," with user-friendly, responsive interfaces for the people who use them. The page's broader point is that a wider range of people can contribute to an application's development, not only those with coding skills, and it offers a downloadable Ultimate Guide to Low-Code Development.

3 themes run through the page, each with a reader in mind.

• Business agility. Business changes faster than the technology available to support it, so business users build and moderate applications while IT works on higher-value tasks.
• Continuous improvement. Tasks and data flows can be adapted quickly, and the people closest to the business supply the ideas.
• Governance. The company describes "strong, IT-led governance and compliance guardrails" so processes follow compliance policies and practices as controls, standards and regulations change.

That third theme is what separates an enterprise low-code platform from a personal app builder, and it explains the enterprise low-code membership. The builders are business users and developers, but IT sets the guardrails.

The navigation shows the rest of the platform: a features page, mobile and offline apps, workflow automation, and a page on low-code development for professional developers. The home page says the Kianda platform lets you turn your workflows into easy-to-use business apps that integrate with existing systems.

EHSwise is the clearest worked example of what gets built. It is health and safety software that the company says is "configured to your process." With the low-code platform you can create custom safety forms and workflows. Its modules, per the home page, include risk assessment, incident reporting (upload any file type related to an incident, from anywhere), audit management (create, schedule and complete audits and assign actions), non-conformance handling by department, site or location, permit to work, and event tracking for meetings, toolbox talks, training, inductions and drills. The navigation also lists contractor management and COSHH assessment, and there are versions for construction, manufacturing, logistics and retail. An EHSwise Safety Kiosk lets workers file safety reports on project sites with a few clicks. The home page promises easy mobile reporting, reminders and audit-ready insights: incidents, observations, near misses and hazards are captured in real time, audits come with automated reminders and action tracking so deadlines are not missed, and permits are issued and approved inside the system.

Pricing and customers

Both the platform and EHSwise have their own pricing page in the menu, and the site offers demos and discovery calls.

The page cites Gartner for a forecast: "By 2023 the quantity of citizen developers within larger enterprises will be at a minimum of 4 times the number of professional developers." The date is already in the past, so read it as the company's argument for the category rather than a current statistic.

The home page carries customer stories and quotes for EHSwise. UCB Bio-pharma and H&MV Engineering have case studies. The UCB story describes a flexible, people-centered approach to health and safety with better real-time visibility, streamlined risk management and support for continuous learning across the organization. The H&MV Engineering story concerns standardizing HSE processes across global high-voltage projects in data centers and renewables. David Thornton, Group HSE Director at HM&V Engineering, says the system brought "structure and consistency, ensuring greater system reliability and data security." Paul Race, Director of Manufacturing Operations at AVK UK, says EHSwise made it "incredibly easy for us to roll out and manage our Health & Safety processes across our UK operations." Denis O'Sullivan, Associate Director, EHS & S at Leo Lynch, says it gives them "a centralised portal" for accident and incident reporting, site audits, safety observation reports and asset management. Paul Race adds that everything is now centralized in one mobile-friendly platform for on-site and remote teams, and that what impressed AVK most was how quickly they could get started. These quotes are about EHSwise rather than the generic platform, but they show the platform at work.

Who it suits and who it does not

Kianda suits a company where IT wants to let business teams build workflow apps without losing control. It fits an IT group with a backlog, a compliance function that wants guardrails, or a safety team that would rather configure its own forms and workflows than accept fixed modules. EHSwise gives a health and safety team a head start, since it ships with modules for incidents, audits and permits, while the platform underneath lets them change those forms.

It is less obviously right for a solo founder who wants a public site or a store. The pages are about internal business applications and governed processes. The low-code page also expects a split between developers who maintain shared code blocks and business users who assemble apps, so a team without anyone in the developer role has to decide who owns the components.