What is K2?

K2 allows you to create any business application you can imagine, with workflows and forms that span roles, departments and data sources. K2 apps integrate with your current systems, and they allow for insightful reporting. Everything you build is reusable and easy to change with little or no code. With K2, your people can access their tasks from anywhere — mobile devices, company portals or email.

K2’s flagship product is called K2 blackpearl. K2 blackpearl integrates with some of Microsoft’s mainstream products like SharePoint, Dynamics CRM, Exchange, SQL Server, SSRS and Office 365.  K2 offers the ability to automate your business process workflows using visual design tools that makes it easy to configure the interaction between people and systems across various parts of the organisation.  From a reporting point of view, K2 offers both out-of-the-box reports and an interface exposing reporting data for consumption using technologies like SSRS. 

K2 smartforms allows organizations to create their own electronic forms interfaces and dashboards surfacing information from various LOB (line of business) systems. K2 Service Brokers (connectors) are used to connect to a wide variety of data sources. K2 SmartActions allows the user to reply on an email with predefined keywords like “Accept” or “Reject” to continue a workflow without logging into a system.

From a developer’s point of view, K2 allows for its platform to be extended and for re-usable solutions building blocks to be developed using code. K2 is well integrated to standard development tools like Microsoft Visual Studio.  In support of optimal usage of the K2 platform, it is highly recommended that developers interested in K2, attend a K2 training course. Certifications are available for a variety of subjects like K2 blackpearl Core, K2 smartforms Developer and others. Source code for controls and service brokers can be downloaded from K2’s community website. The K2 Community serves a valuable purpose in ensuring a fast growing knowledge base to assist its members with valuable knowledge, community support and development tips and tricks.

In my opinion K2 blackpearl is an innovative and effective way to approach streamlining dataflow between people and systems across organisational units. K2 is not aimed at replacing current LOB systems but rather to complement and add additional value to them. Based on my own experience, K2 makes it faster and easier to create and maintain these kind of business applications. I learn new things about the platform every day and I am enjoying my journey with K2 to date