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it_user1387506 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Product Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Reseller
The interface and the number of connectors that they provide are the most valuable features
Pros and Cons
  • "The interface and the number of connectors that they provide are the most valuable features. The support here, it's kind of okay. But the main thing is with the number of connectors and the UI, the user interface."
  • "The support definitely can be improved. Apart from that, the language should be extendable to other platforms. If I want to write, I'll run a different platform, like Python code on top of it, or COBOL code on top of it, and it should support those languages."

What is our primary use case?

Use cases vary depending on the client's needs. It depends on the customer. We have done a lot of flow automation for the return and authorization, like vehicle return material authorization. We have done a lot of automating their campaign systems. .It purely depends on the customer's requirements.

What is most valuable?

The interface and the number of connectors that they provide are the most valuable features. The support here is kind of okay. But the main thing is with the number of connectors and the UI, the user interface.

What needs improvement?

The support definitely can be improved. Apart from that, the language should be extendable to other platforms. If I want to write, I'll run a different platform, like Python code on top of it, or COBOL code on top of it, and it should support those languages.  

It should also have some kind of a custom-engineering extension that will add on to it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Camunda for four to five years.

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Camunda
November 2024
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

They support a scalable solution on cluster mode. We don't run into a massive scale, but we run with 1 to 5 million. 

The businesses we support range from small to medium.

How are customer service and support?

To be neutral, I would rate their support a five out of ten. Having regional support would add value. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty easy. It depends on the people who are installing it. It generally takes a few days.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it, as long as the business team can design the workflows, but the technical team can design the workflows. If they are technical, then I would definitely recommend it. For enterprise-grade, I would recommend looking into bigger equipment. 

I would rate Camunda BPM an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Enterprise Architect at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
Real User
Functionally agile platform with well-developed tools
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the management of internal processes, the ability to execute from design and the model for internal processes, the ability to make processes visible, and the ability to have information about the current state of each instance."
  • "Initial setup can be quite complex."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the management of internal processes, the ability to execute from design and the model for internal processes, the ability to make processes visible, and the ability to have information about the current state of each instance.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for over five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product - it works and doesn't disturb me or the IT director.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used Activiti, but it had no well-developed tools to monitor administration or develop new processes.

How was the initial setup?

Our initial setup was quite complex and took around six months due to some bureaucratic issues. However, I think that it could be faster for organizations without such issues.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This isn't a very expensive solution, and it's cheaper than its competitors in terms of licensing and resources.

What other advice do I have?

Functional agility is the main reason we use this platform. I would rate this solution as nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user

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Buyer's Guide
Camunda
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Camunda. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.
CTO at Unitarius
Real User
Flexible with compact and clear source code
Pros and Cons
  • "The flexibility is great."
  • "We have faced problems with the performance."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for our clients. 

What is most valuable?

The flexibility is great. 

I appreciate the compact and clear source code.

What needs improvement?

We have faced problems with the performance.

Camunda has two options: the Camunda main platform and Camunda Cloud. Right now we are trying to solve problems with the Camunda Cloud and there are significant problems with performance. We communicated this with the Camunda team. We're a member of the Camunda community and we try to solve those problems with them.

Community support is lacking and you need to pay for enterprise support.

I'd like to have the ability to buy into the data model. There are no data models in Camunda and we need information about variables and process instances. In other BPMs or other big BPM platforms, for example, IBM, there is that feature.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for a few years at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We've had some issues with the performance of the product, particularly on the cloud deployment. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have about 100 people using the solution at this time. 

We only have developers that use it. We are a development company.

How are customer service and support?

We didn't buy Camunda enterprise support. We only use community support and we don't have, to be honest, enough community support. It's not very helpful. We have many unanswered questions.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We've worked with many different solutions, including IBM, BPM, Oracle, SAP, and VPN platforms, among others.

I like Camunda due to the fact that I can embed it into our infrastructure applications. The library, not the whole sales server.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We use the community version, which is free. I'm not sure of enterprise pricing.

You do need to pay for the enterprise level to get support. Otherwise, you have access to community support, and it is lacking. 

What other advice do I have?

We are end-users of the solution. 

I'd advise potential new users to learn BPM notation. It is an issue due to the fact that we have to propagate BPM notation to our customers as a lot of customers don't know what is it and how to use and why BPM is a good solution.

Currently, this is the best solution compared to global JBPM and other open-source BPM platforms.

I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
CEO at CodeDock.com at Trask solutions a.s.
Real User
Good automation and it is simple to build a business process
Pros and Cons
  • "When I compare it with other BPM tools, like IBM, it is great, open source, and free when you use the community version."
  • "I would like to have a feature for audit logging, audit logs and audit log management. And some history of use for the audit logs."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of this solution is for credit flow processes in the banking industry, like loan approval processes and so on. The solution offers good automation and it is pretty simple to build a business process. We've also tried integration with other robotics and it was feasible.

Because we are partners, we currently use an enterprise edition. But sometimes we help our clients with community versions, so I have experience of both. These versions are very similar. The community version contains all the necessary features because there are only some applicable features in one of their web applications. 

What is most valuable?

I have found that this solution's applications are very competitive when it comes to some other tools, and not every tool has some front end applications for end-users. So Camunda will start with a complete application, which is quite useful, and they are ready to use directly after installation and payment. 

What needs improvement?

I would like to have a feature for audit logging and audit log management, and some history of use for the audit logs. It's not anything I need, but our clients often require these features and then we have to do it ourselves. I would also like additional models for location.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for two years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is quite stable. We have had only one incident regarding stability. It was something between the IBM web publications server and Camunda, so I cannot say if it was backing Camunda or IBM BPM, and perhaps it was something between the two solutions. But since then everything has been very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is hard to say if this solution is scalable. We started with Camunda in Germany, and now they can't form them into a global company. We've contacted their support team on this, and sometimes it takes very long to get an answer from them. 

How are customer service and technical support?

Their support system changes their authenticator on a daily basis and they are working on improving their response time. But it's not easy for me to get the right person if I want to discuss a problem. You work with one guy today, and tomorrow it will be another guy. Then I have to explain everything all over again. So it takes a lot of my time. The technical support, however, is still better than IBM BPM.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used IBM BPM and Activiti BPM but we switched to Camunda because of the pricing model. Camunda is much cheaper. We've also found that IBM BPM is not really stable, some applications are very complex and some project verdicts were not as successful as we expected.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not that complicated, but it isn't easy either. Deployment took a few days. The deployment time depends more on the complexity of what you want to do with Camunda than the size of your organization. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

When I compare it to other BPM tools, like IBM, it is great, open source, and free when you use the community version. We are also working on the enterprise version, so we are very satisfied.

What other advice do I have?

I feel that there is always room for improvement, so I rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
PeerSpot user
Enterprise Architect/Team Manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Very easy to integrate into the products and applications we provide for our customers
Pros and Cons
  • "Easy to use and easy to integrate into the products and applications we provide for our customers."
  • "Would be helpful if there were additional out-of-the-box activities."

What is our primary use case?

Our company uses this product for the automation of core banking processes. I'm an enterprise architect and team manager and we are partners with Camunda.

What is most valuable?

We are system integrators, and the value of Camunda for us is that it's easy to integrate into the products and applications we provide for our customers. The product is based on BPMN and is closely integrated with that standard. It's not complicated and generally easy to use, particularly for students and junior developers who come to learn from us as part of their studies.

What needs improvement?

It would be helpful if the solution had additional out-of-the-box activities.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for about a year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

We use the Camunda community if we have any problems. We haven't needed to engage directly with any level of support from Camunda. The company arranged some learning sessions before we started using the solution and we already had a lot of experience with other platforms. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We're using the open-source version of the solution. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Activiti as a possible alternative to Camunda but we decided to go with Camunda. 

What other advice do I have?

If you're considering an open-source tool, I would recommend Camunda and rate it eight out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Principal Consultant at Palmira
Real User
Top 20
Stable with support that's good for tracking bugs and has a very good BPMN engine
Pros and Cons
  • "We are using the BPMN engine of Camunda; we are not using the user interface. We are using just the engine, the back end of this. For us, it is working quite well."
  • "The initial setup can be complex for business users."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the product as an OAM that we have included in our software product. We are offering a private cloud solution and we sell it and deploy it to our customers. 

We are using it to create a low-code solution for strategic planning and performance management in order to automate the management processes such as planning, performance management, governance processes, and business process management as a whole.

What is most valuable?

We are using the BPMN engine of Camunda; we are not using the user interface. We are using just the engine, the back end of this. For us, it is working quite well.

The stability of the solution is quite good.

Technical support is good for getting alerts about bugs.

What needs improvement?

The form builder that will be utilized in the system and the data monitor both need improvement at this time. I want to exchange the data between the activity and UI basis. Currently, they are using a JSON file, which needs to be improved. We need something that can be used as a user interface and the user can make the data binding and exchange data between the activities.

This is what we did ourselves. We had the engine itself and we created a data monitor and formed it on top of it. This is what is missing in the system.

The initial setup can be complex for business users.

There occasionally be some bugs in the solution. 

The solution needs to offer more languages such as Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, et cetera.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The system is stable. This is why we selected it. Based on other products, we've found the most appropriate results coming out from the Camunda BPM engine. It's very good.

There are occasionally a few bugs, however, we are quite capable of dealing with them.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Since we are using Camunda as a core solution, a core engine of our system, we are going to continue using it. I'm not willing to change it down the line. There's no plan for us to change it and we are not thinking about changing it. It has all functionalities and we are using about 50% of the engine itself in terms of its capability. We will continue to invest in utilizing all Camunda functionalities in the BPM engine.

How are customer service and support?

In terms of technical support, we are using basic technical support as we are a technical organization. We are a software house. Our team is professional and they have experience in Java and private cloud technology. They are able to fix any issue. 

That said, there are certain bugs in Camunda. They are publishing information about them from time to time. We study the tool very carefully. Support from Camunda doesn't mean too much to us actually, as, in our organization, we have about 380 employees, and the majority of them are Java developers. We take the basic support to track the bugs only.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I also have some experience using Visio as business process management and ARIS as well as Bizagi.

We are partners of Software AG webMethods as an automation tool. We are using Mendix and OutSystems as a low-code solution. ARIS, webMethods, Mendix, and OutSystems are what we mainly use. 

You cannot compare Camunda with ARIS since ARIS is only for our documentation, business process documentation. You cannot compare it with Camunda. It is a totally different scope. However, in comparison between Mendix, OutSystems, and webMethods, they are very expensive tools and ultimately provide the same functionality, yet they are not using a pure BPMN XML. Maybe transferring the workflow between those systems doesn't work. That said, the consistency between, for example, Bonitasoft and Camunda and Bizagi is a matter of import and export. Between other systems such as webMethods and OutSystems and Mendix, for example, in webMethods, they are only still using an enhanced BPM engine mainly, meaning that they are not using the pure or the standard BPM notation. The same applies to Mendix and OutSystems.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup, for business users, is complex. If you compare it with cloud systems and Mendix, it is complicated. It has a very strong and very rigid back-end BPM engine and it's more trustworthy if XML files have been generated from Camunda. The quality of the XML file being generated from Camunda, the XML files of BPMN, is more trustworthy than other systems. That's why we selected it. This is the main reason that we selected it.

With the Camunda installer, the deployment of just the solution is pretty fast.

However, the automation process with the current functionality, meaning with the missing functionality of data monitor and data binding and with the lack of proper UI representation, it took us a year to develop those components to have a low-code solution on top of it.

Now, with our low-code solution on top, it will take us one to two days to have a visible process automated.

What about the implementation team?

We are an integrator and we are consultants in business process management, and we are developing a tool on top of it. Therefore, we help our clients to implement. However, when we originally installed Camunda, we handled the process ourselves. The way we do things now, we try to make it easier for clients.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We are using a developer license. I can't speak to exactly how much we are paying, or exactly what license type that we are using. I'm not the technical lead or the solution delivery team. Therefore, I can't answer this question.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did a lot of POCs on available products in the market, such as Bonitasoft, Camunda, Bizagi, so on. However, based on that POCs, we found that the best way to go forward in our solution in terms of the functionality and the accuracy of the XML files. If they could be generated by Camunda it can be more useful for us to adopt in our solution.

What other advice do I have?

We are users of the solution.

We are the latest version due to the fact that we are developing our own product based on Camunda. We are developing a solution based on Camunda. We are a heavy user of Camunda.

Camunda is not so popular in the market due to the UI (meaning the form builder, the way of developing the forms which would be attached to the process), and the data monitor (how to exchange the data between the activities).

A company would need to create an integration framework between Camunda and other systems. If they sold their offering with the UI and data monitor it would be the biggest automation tool ever.

For us, with our experience with using the tool, you need a good developer to be able to use the system effectively. Other than that there are no issues. For an organization that wants to adopt Camunda, they need to have the proper resources, and the proper training to use the system. 

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. There's a bug inside the BPMN monitor that knocks a few points off the rating. If the system is not saved, it will crash.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
R&D Junior at a consumer goods company with 11-50 employees
Real User
The technical support response was fast, but our problem hasn't been solved yet
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easily compatible with HTML forms and HTML language programming and that is the most significant part."
  • "I would also like a very easy to use form builder."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of this solution is for invoices, receipts and purchase orders. There is no specific line of business but we basically use it for some main processes that we want to be automated.

What is most valuable?

The solution is easily compatible with HTML forms and HTML language programming and that is the most significant part. The data model definition in Camunda is a little complicated, so for someone with industrial engineering background it would be hard. But for someone with a computer engineering programming background Camunda is much more understandable and really easy to use.

What needs improvement?

Just today I encountered a problem with the current version, and that is the functionality of the BPM standard, which is not yet implemented in Camunda. An example would be a new marker for tasks. Maybe the developers of Camunda can, as soon as possible, provide all possible functionalities of BPM standard in its process engine. Some are not yet supported and they can really cause serious problems for implementers.

In the next release I would like to have more documentation on how it can interact with other organization systems, as well as other documentation about API. I would also like more  support about features. It would be great for someone like me with a little programming and developing background, to see an easier platform for data modeling. A place where you can create your own data model, your own entities, your own entity relationship, and be able to find a form based on that data model. That would be much more straight forward for someone like me, as a teacher. But it's not provided here right now. I would also like an easy to use form builder.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working on Camunda BPM for about a month now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I think this question can be better answered by a developer or someone who is backing the network and server. I'm more concerned with process modeling and the process deployment tasks. But as far as I'm concerned, yes, there hasn't been any problems with stability.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is good. Just last week, we wanted to know something about our modeler and how to change it to be compatible with the Persian language. The Persian language is a language where you write from right to left, so it's different from most European languages like English. So, when we started to use Persian and modeler, the text was messy and disorderly and we wanted to know how to correct it. We sent emails but the support team said it's better to ask this question on a forum. I asked the question in forums but I haven't received a response yet. I think it may be because this problem is a little rare, so that is why they couldn't help us. But I think the support is good. At least they responded to the email as fast as they could, even though they couldn't provide a solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very easy, but we haven't deployed the program yet, as we are still only testing it. We have tested how to deploy new processes, how to use the clips to deploy processes, and how to integrate your modeler into clips. If you are referring to these issues, I think the provided documentation is quite sufficient.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others would be to know their own abilities, their own resources. Are they comfortable with a lot of programming even for a simple form? Do they have enough programming provided in their resources? If they are not comfortable with that, it can take a little longer for them to adapt to Camunda. But if they have good developers, programmers, HTML, CSS and so on, they won't have a problem. I can also say the documentation is good and they have a live, technical forum where you can ask questions and get a fast response. I am not sure if it is available in all BPM packages, though.

On a scale from one to 10, I will rate this solution a seven, because there are quite a few things that could be improved.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user

Well, what are the advantages of using Camunda than other BPMS tools, like ProcessMaker? While ProcessMaker is free too and integrated with a good built-in form maker.

IT Architect at Levio
Real User
Very good speed and execution with the capability to scale
Pros and Cons
  • "The speed and execution of DMN was a big selling point for us. It's very good at conducting business processes that are easily modeled and presented in a way that's easy to understand."
  • "Especially when you use the open-source version, there are issues with performance."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution to run business processes that contain human tasks.

What is most valuable?

The speed and execution of DMN was a big selling point for us. It's very good at conducting business processes that are easily modeled and presented in a way that's easy to understand. 

What needs improvement?

Especially when you use the open-source version, there are issues with performance. 

The external programs that communicate with Camunda are kind of late 20th century in terms of style and need updating.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In general, the solution is pretty stable. 

It's hard to get information to size it properly if you don't use a Camunda subscription. That might not really be a Camunda issue; it could be a sizing problem. For example, they have issues with very high usage of the database even when there are very few processes running. I had a situation in which the databases were at 100% and they should not have been. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Right now, we don't have too many users on the solution, but when it is done, we'll have about 25,000. It's quite scalable.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward, but if you need to tweak any part of the it, it can get complex.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did evaluate other options, but we were looking for something that was open source and small and there's not too much choice for those options.

What other advice do I have?

Right now we use a standalone Camunda in Docker. Before, on previous projects, we used embedded Camunda in Java applications. We use both cloud and on-premises deployment models. For cloud deployment, we use Microsoft Azure as the provider.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Camunda Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: November 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Camunda Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.