Stonebranch automates workloads, managing over 500,000 jobs weekly, integrating with Informatica for ETL processes, and operates both on-prem and in private clouds for companies in different industries.
Stonebranch's Universal Agent is highly valued for bridging disparate technologies and enabling digital transformation by automating workflows. Users appreciate Stonebranch's user empowerment, allowing tasks initiation without IT dependency. Reliability and compatibility of agents are praised, deemed top-notch industry-wide. Stonebranch also offers a user-friendly interface, dashboard visibility, and scalability. Features such as task monitoring, automation, and patch updates enhance functionality and user experience.
Stonebranch requires better integration with Microsoft SRS, offering weak connectivity and poor visibility. Its Universal Controller lacks full functionality compared to established mainframe schedulers and needs a more efficient way to view workflow dependencies. Additionally, handling of negative value codes remains problematic, cloud availability is nonexistent, and enhanced analytics are necessary. Task monitoring proves difficult, with requests for easier management and potential mobile app development.
Calculating ROI for Stonebranch is complex as some users perceive it primarily as an operational expense, not directly as a profit-generating factor. However, other institutions report substantial financial benefits, estimating savings between 40% and 50% when compared to alternative tools.
Stonebranch is considered reasonably priced, with no costs beyond standard licensing fees. Users report licensing is transaction-based, with annual costs around $55,000 for 50,000 tasks per month. Stonebranch is noted to be 30-35% cheaper than Automic and less expensive than IBM Tivoli and Control-M. The pricing compares favorably to AutoSys and is lower than Redwood, positioned at a medium pricing level in comparison to competitors. Users rate the pricing from four to eight out of ten.
Clients use Stonebranch for creating workflows, automating workload, and extensive IT workflow automation including billing, reporting, and analytics. They handle over 500,000 jobs weekly and manage multiple SAP application jobs. Tasks are automated from file movement to downstream workflows, primarily in Informatica, and hosted on-prem or private cloud. Stonebranch also facilitates SAP job scheduling and replaces previous tools like AutoSys. Consultants implement it for retail businesses and migrating automated tasks.
Stonebranch customer service and support are generally rated highly by users for their responsiveness and capability. Issues are typically addressed within a few hours, with support teams available to provide knowledgeable and effective assistance. However, support is not available on weekends. Users appreciate the technical proficiency and prompt problem resolution, though some suggest there is room for improvement in specific areas.
Initial setups of Stonebranch varied in complexity from straightforward to complex due to system infrastructures and migration demands. Deployment times ranged from several hours to two years, depending on organizational size and integration extent. While some found deployment easy and quick, others encountered difficulties, especially with complex systems and integration of older technologies and job migrations. Assistance from Stonebranch during deployment was commonly appreciated, easing implementation challenges.
Users report that Stonebranch is highly scalable, handling extensive and diverse job execution without hitting performance ceilings. Organizations report ease in scaling both horizontally and vertically as needed. Stonebranch supports a wide range of systems and a significant volume of tasks, with one user managing a thousand jobs per hour without straining resources. Businesses can increase usage incrementally to accommodate future growth, suggesting potential for larger scale deployments.
Users find Stonebranch highly stable and reliable. Common praise highlights that, once configured, Stonebranch Universal Controller and agents operate without major disruptions. Occasional issues following system patches are rare and typically resolved by restarting the affected agent. Stonebranch also excels in high-availability modes and can recover gracefully from server downtimes without rerunning excessive tasks. Users acknowledge that its stability is contingent on proper configuration.
Stonebranch excels in handling IT workflow automation such as billing, reporting, and analytics. It effectively runs SAP application jobs and creates workflows to optimize task times across multiple machines. The solution enhances task visibility for clients, ensuring smooth operations. It offers a streamlined installation process, scalability, reasonable pricing, and a graphical, intuitive dashboard. Despite its strengths, users note areas for improvement like more advanced features, better dependency visibility between workflows, and improved connectivity with Microsoft SRS. Some challenges include dealing with negative codes, cloud availability, managing the task monitor, tracking jobs, and initial simulations.
What are Stonebranch's most valuable features?Stonebranch is implemented across many industries to manage complex IT workflows. It is widely used for running SAP application jobs, integrating ETL processes with Informatica, and automating essential tasks. Companies benefit from creating efficient workflows, improving task times, and gaining enhanced task visibility, facilitating seamless operations both on-prem and in private clouds.
Stonebranch was previously known as Stonebranch Universal Automation Center.
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