ActiveBatch by Redwood vs AutoSys Workload Automation comparison

ActiveBatch by Redwood vs. AutoSys Workload Automation

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

JAMS

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Workload Automation category, the mindshare of JAMS is 3.0%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ActiveBatch by Redwood is 3.1%, up from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of AutoSys Workload Automation is 7.0%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Workload Automation Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
JAMS	3.0%
AutoSys Workload Automation	7.0%
ActiveBatch by Redwood	3.1%
Other	86.9%

Workload Automation

Featured Reviews

Latha Viswanathan

Principal Data Base And Infrastructure Engineer at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees

Automation has replaced nightly monitoring and delivers reliable, unified job scheduling

We have really enjoyed working with JAMS in terms of notifications, alerts, and streamlining. There used to be a process with Automate, which is another product from Fortra, but even before that, the other division of the company that we were merging with had a tool that was built in-house called a file handler or file distributor. It was an in-house developed tool, but it was not as streamlined or as efficient as JAMS is. We literally had to have a dedicated nighttime person monitoring. Although we are 24/7, the divisions of the company that we were using JAMS for have been small scale. While we have automated it, we have streamlined it in such a way that notifications go out and alerts go out, but if there is anything, then we get paged and alerted, and if anything needs to happen at midnight, we can wake up. On the other hand, with the tool I mentioned, the file handler and distributor, we used to have a dedicated nighttime person that had to be sitting and monitoring it to see when a file arrived, whether it met the conditions, and then execute the next particular job. By using JAMS, we have gained a lot more efficiencies in terms of all of those to streamline it, and there is no necessary need for having an overnight engineer just keeping an eye on all of this.

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Abdul_Samad

Application Administrator Lead at Bluestem

Manages thousands of jobs daily and reduces downtime through secondary node support

The current feedback I receive from my end users regarding ActiveBatch by Redwood highlights issues with the tabs or panes during job modification. When the next user monitors it, they need to close the pane or job and reopen it to see the changes reflected. If the end user makes an update, it will not be visible unless they start from the beginning again. Implementing a refresh button would be helpful for real-time updates when the end user needs to see changes immediately. We currently face issues with the web console of ActiveBatch by Redwood. When users operate through an RDP session, every user has their own ActiveBatch by Redwood application. However, on the web console, users encounter daily activity issues where the job instances do not appear or update correctly, and they cannot view the latest logs. This issue is only present on the web console, as the application itself works without any problems. ActiveBatch by Redwood can be improved by adding more features, as we are not currently handling cloud-based applications like S3 buckets and Azure. Connecting to these cloud platforms would be a helpful enhancement.

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Pavan Katta

Assistant VP at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Experience significant automation with robust integration and user-friendly interfaces

There are areas of AutoSys Workload Automation that have room for improvement. They are implementing good enhancements in the R24 release. The web UI needs some improvement. Cloud integrations are limited to 25 or 30 configurable plugins and integrations to the cloud. They can improve in that area. They have separate tools, not AutoSys Workload Automation, such as Atomic and other SaaS-based solutions that can run inside the cloud. AutoSys Workload Automation can be configured in the cloud, but it requires a substantial number of VMs depending on the load. For on-premises deployment, it is a very good solution. They need to increase their footprint in the cloud and improve the web UI. They are making excellent progress in the R24 release.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"JAMS has improved my organization by taking a myriad of manual processes and allowing us to automate them. It enables our folks to focus more on tasks that require their human intelligence and their creativity and less on just mundane tasks. It increases efficiency, accuracy, and consistency."

"The alerting in it is really targeted... you can set specific alerting so that if jobs in a given folder fail, certain people are alerted. You can also set security at the folder level, so that only people in those areas can go set them. That means that the alerting and security can be set at a very granular level."

"The built-in triggers are great."

"The most valuable feature of JAMS is its user-friendly interface, especially after upgrading from version six to seven."

"The overall product is fantastic. I love it. It has been a fantastic, solid product. If I have one tiny bit of a problem with it, the support team gets in touch with me right away. I don't know if I've had another service that has been as fantastic as the JAMS support team."

"We also use the solution’s Interactive Agents. If we need to push something to our dealer portal, we can just drop a file in a folder and it goes. Running interactive tasks helps me users focus on business processes since I don’t have to take care of running the jobs manually."

"The planning capabilities are most valuable."

"The feature or capability to import a job is most valuable. We can import an existing job from different platforms, and all the configurations get migrated as well without modifying the code, job schedule, etc."

More JAMS pros

"The breakthrough for us was when we were able to take completely different software tools and integrate them into one long flow of data."

"What ActiveBatch allows you to do is develop a more efficient process. It gave me visibility into all my jobs so I could choose which jobs to run in parallel. This is much easier than when I have to try to do it through cron for Windows XP, where you really can't do things in parallel and know what is going on."

"I like ActiveBatch Workload Automation's licensing model because they're not holding you down on an agentless model or agent model, where every server needs to have an agent."

"One of the most valuable features is the job templates. If we need to create an FTP job, we just drag over the FTP template and fill out the requirements using the variables that ActiveBatch uses. And that makes it reusable. We can create a job once but use it for many different clients."

"One of the valuable features is the ability to trigger workflows, one after another, based on success, without having to worry about overlapping workflows. The ability to integrate our BI, analytics, and our data quality jobs is also valuable"

"Over the years that I have used this, it has probably saved us several hundred hours of development time for other teams and my own."

"ActiveBatch by Redwood has positively impacted my organization by efficiently managing a significant volume of data and workflow between our database and applications on the web browser."

"We leverage the solution's native integrations regularly. We have to get files from a remote server outside the organization, and even send things outside the organization. We use a lot of its file manipulation and SFTP functionality for contacting remote servers."

More ActiveBatch by Redwood pros

"There are no challenges in the sense that Autosys is a robust product with good performance."

"CA 7 is stable all the time."

"AutoSys Workload Automation is a stable solution."

"The benefits I have seen from AutoSys Workload Automation are significant; I would say it is about ease of administration."

"The integration that it provides and the auditing features are the most valuable to us."

"The flexibility in solving job scheduling challenges allows us to successfully integrate an acquired business’ fiscal close with our own, even though there is a lot of variance as to when they run in the calendar month."

"The features that I have found most valuable with AutoSys are that it is scalable, easy to use, fast, and always available. That's very important because if it's not steady then it's a real problem. So, at this point, we are satisfied with it."

"It has been a wonderful tool for automating our business needs, and that they should really consider this product."

More AutoSys Workload Automation pros

Cons

"I'm not sure if they have fixed it in a newer version, but there is no global search in the version I have. If I have multiple sub-folders that are named for business units, like HR or IT, and I have to search for a job, I cannot search from the top. I have to go to the HR folder to search for a particular job, or to the IT folder."

"The monitoring of the JAMS product and its performance is an area of concern for me."

"All my machines at work are Macs. JAMS client is a Windows-based thing."

"The solution is good, it's reliable. But sometimes the UI is not the most responsive I've ever used."

"JAMS handles exceptions fairly well but there are some areas where it might improve a little bit. It has to do with being able to automatically handle exceptions, out-of-the-box, rather than having to code them."

"For the most part, JAMS is very stable. Occasionally, if you leave multiple windows open over a period of time, it is necessary to end that task and restart."

"It does validations when you try to delete an object and if there are any dependencies in place, the deletion process will not proceed... there is no information provided as to what it was that caused the validation to fail... it's quite a tedious process to find which object is getting in the way."

"The biggest area with room for improvement is the area that my organization benefits the most from using JAMS, and that is in custom execution methods. I happen to have a very good C# developer. Ever since we got JAMS, he has spent a lot of time talking to JAMS developers, researching the JAMS libraries, and creating custom execution methods. He's gotten very good at it. He is now able to create them and maintain them very easily, but that knowledge was hard-won knowledge. It was difficult to come by, and if I should ever lose this developer, then I would be hard-pressed to find anyone who could create JAMS custom execution methods quite as well as he can since there really isn't all that much help, such as documentation or information, available on how to create custom execution methods."

More JAMS cons

"As more organizations are moving towards a cloud-based infrastructure, ActiveBatch could incorporate more capabilities that support popular cloud platforms, such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud."

"Between version 10 and version 12 there was a change. In version 10, they had each object in its own folder, but when we moved over to version 12, everything was in the same area mixed together and it was incredibly difficult and we actually had to create our own folders and move those objects—like schedules, jobs, user accounts—and manually put those into folders, whereas the previous version already had it."

"While the console app works well, they have some crucial design flaws within the console that still need to be worked out because it is not working exactly how we hoped to see it, e.g., just some minor things where when you hit the save button, then all of a sudden all your job's library items collapse."

"I can't get the cleaning up of logs to work consistently."

"The interface is not that user-friendly and is a little tough to navigate."

"The reporting needs improvement. There is a real need for the ability to generate audit reports on the fly. It needs to be a lot easier than what I can do right now. This is a major item for me."

"A cloud option is not provided as a free feature, making it a costly solution for smaller organizations."

"Whenever there is an overload, we are seeing crashes happening."

More ActiveBatch by Redwood cons

"We have to escalate through channels to get to somebody who knows what's going on."

"We would like to see good improvement on the historical reporting capabilities."

"It lacks support and integration with cloud computing platforms."

"I've used this product for a long time, but the GUI to me feels outdated."

"We are not ready to go to the newest release (12.0)."

"The reliability issues need to be resolved."

"Reduce the number of operational files. This would make the job of a system programmer supporting ESP easier."

"Quick search feature and job analysis could be improved."

More AutoSys Workload Automation cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Take advantage of its scalability. You can start small. The initial cost is very reasonable. Once you have started picking up the tool and adopting it, then you can scale up from there and buy more agents."

"There are no additional costs other than the license for Fortra's JAMS which is affordable."

"The product is reasonably priced, and we don't have any add-ons."

"It was $10,000 for the first year. Then, there is a maintenance cost for licensing every year that we get billed $5,000 for every year."

"It's expensive, to be honest, but it does the job."

"Our licensing is pretty cheap because we have a state solution. So, we pay only $1,000 a year."

"JAMS is priced competitively compared to similar solutions and offers flexible licensing options to cater to user needs."

"JAMS is close to the lower end of the pricing models for enterprise scheduling solutions. They are much cheaper than Control-M, as well as some other products that I've used. I also don't know of another solution where you can actually get true, unlimited licensing, where you can have as many instances and as many agents as you want."

More JAMS pricing and cost advice

"The price was fairly in line with other automation tools. I don't think it's exorbitantly expensive, relatively speaking."

"I don't think we've ever had a problem with the pricing or licensing. Even the maintenance fees are very much in line. They are not excessive. I think for the support that you get, you get a good value for your money. It's the best value on the market."

"ActiveBatch is currently redesigning themselves. In the past, they were a low cost solution for automation. They had a nice tool that was very inexpensive. With their five-year plan, they will be more enhancement-driven, so they're trying to improve their software, customer service, and the way that their customers get information from them. In doing that, they're raising the price of their base system. They changed from one pricing model to another, which has caused some friction between ActiveBatch and us. We're working through that right now with them. That's one of the reasons why we're why we were evaluating other software packages."

"If you compare ActiveBatch licensing to Control-M, you're looking at $50,000 as opposed to millions."

"It allows for lower operational overhead."

"Currently, we are paying approximately $7,000 yearly, which includes support."

"I like ActiveBatch Workload Automation's licensing model because they're not holding you down on an agentless model or agent model, where every server needs to have an agent. That's the main selling point of the solution and I hope they stay that way."

"The pricing was fair. There are additional costs for the plugins. We have the standard licensing fees for different pieces, then we have the plugins which were add-ons. However, we expected that."

"It is overpriced."

"There is an annual license to use AutoSys Workload Automation."

"Validate how many agents you need beforehand."

"I don't have information on the exact licensing cost of AutoSys Workload Automation because that's managed by the tools and financing teams. For agents, it's close to $4,00, but for the server setup, it's usually a one-time license initially, and it's AMC which is paid every year and comes close to $8,000 to $10,000."

"The pricing needs to be improved. Some of my client's complained that it was too expensive."

"We paid to use the solution monthly."

"CA pricing has been a problem, and not looked upon favorably here at all."

"The price of this solution is reasonable and there is an annual license required."

More AutoSys Workload Automation pricing and cost advice

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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Workload Automation solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Construction Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Performing Arts

Financial Services Firm

39%

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	20

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	47

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	77

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for JAMS?

My thoughts on the pricing of JAMS are that I won't say it is cheap, but it is cost-efficient, and that should be acc...

What needs improvement with JAMS?

An area that has room for improvement is related to the AWS RDS and database part, where they said that is in progres...

What is your primary use case for JAMS?

My use case is in batch scheduling and managing the batch jobs.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ActiveBatch Workload Automation?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for ActiveBatch by Redwood has been great; we recently renewed ...

What needs improvement with ActiveBatch Workload Automation?

I believe ActiveBatch by Redwood could be improved because the UI could be modernized.

What is your primary use case for ActiveBatch Workload Automation?

My main use case for ActiveBatch by Redwood is file processing. I use ActiveBatch by Redwood for file processing for ...

How does Control-M compare with AutoSys Workload Automation?

Control-M acts as a single, centralized interface for monitoring and managing all batch processes, which is helpful b...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AutoSys Workload Automation?

It is reasonably priced compared to the market.

What needs improvement with AutoSys Workload Automation?

There are areas of AutoSys Workload Automation that have room for improvement. They are implementing good enhancement...

Redwood RunMyJobs vs JAMS

Comparisons

Control-M vs JAMS

Compared 12% of the time

Stonebranch vs JAMS

Compared 8% of the time

Compared 7% of the time

VisualCron vs JAMS

Compared 7% of the time

Nintex Process Platform vs JAMS

Compared 4% of the time

More JAMS Competitors

Control-M vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 12% of the time

Stonebranch vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 7% of the time

VisualCron vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 6% of the time

Redwood RunMyJobs vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 5% of the time

Automic Automation vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 4% of the time

More ActiveBatch by Redwood Competitors

Control-M vs AutoSys Workload Automation

Compared 24% of the time

Stonebranch vs AutoSys Workload Automation

Compared 11% of the time

Automic Automation vs AutoSys Workload Automation

Compared 7% of the time

IBM Workload Automation vs AutoSys Workload Automation

Compared 5% of the time

OpCon vs AutoSys Workload Automation

Compared 3% of the time

More AutoSys Workload Automation Competitors

Product Reports

JAMS

Download JAMS product report

ActiveBatch by Redwood

Download ActiveBatch by Redwood product report

AutoSys Workload Automation

Download AutoSys Workload Automation product report

Also Known As

No data available

ActiveBatch

CA Workload Automation, CA Workload Automation AE

Interactive Demo

JAMS Software

Demo not available

ActiveBatch by Redwood

Demo not available

Broadcom

Overview

JAMS is an automation and job scheduling solution designed for workflow optimization, catering to businesses large and small with flexible licensing and integration options.

Offering both Core and Advanced packages, JAMS supports a range of environments from small teams to large-scale operations. Its standout features include integration with platforms like PowerShell, SQL, and SAP, coupled with capabilities such as dependency management and natural language scheduling. JAMS simplifies job management, centralizes workflows, and boosts productivity with its robust automation features. Customizable workflows and insightful logging make it adaptable for diverse needs, supported by responsive customer service ensuring seamless operations.

What are JAMS's key features?

Automation & Scheduling: Flexible automation helps manage complex job schedules efficiently.
Integration: Connects seamlessly with platforms like SQL Server, SAP, and Python for diverse applications.
Centralized Job Management: A unified interface for handling thousands of jobs daily.
Dependency Management: Supports complex workflows with efficient dependency tracking.
Insightful Logging: Provides detailed logs and notifications for precise task execution.

What benefits should users look for in JAMS reviews?

Enhanced Productivity: Automates repetitive tasks, freeing up resources for strategic initiatives.
Scalability: Flexible licensing models grow with business size and needs.
Efficient Workflow Automation: Streamlines job orchestration across environments.
Responsive Support: Helps ensure smooth operations with quick troubleshooting.

In industries, JAMS is employed for automating workflows and managing batch jobs. Organizations utilize it for SSIS, SQL Server tasks, file transfers, and integrating with vendor systems, achieving efficient file automation and data management. Scheduler enables precise execution of thousands of tasks daily, enhancing operational efficiency.

JAMS Software

ActiveBatch by Redwood enhances efficiency with features like job scheduling, integration, and real-time monitoring. It supports diverse platforms, automates tasks, and offers a single-pane view with robust security.

ActiveBatch streamlines automation by offering drag-and-drop functionality, pre-built job steps, and native integrations. Its customizable workflows and alert system aid in managing complex workloads like data processing and server monitoring across hybrid environments. While it effectively reduces manual errors and enhances productivity, areas like navigation and support for cloud platforms need enhancement. New users may face challenges due to its complexity and steep learning curve, and further improvements in reporting, mobile access, and training could provide additional support to users.

What important features does ActiveBatch offer?

Comprehensive Job Scheduling: Manages and automates complex workloads efficiently.
Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly connects with different platforms and applications.
Real-time Monitoring: Offers a single-pane view for quick issue identification.
Customizable Workflows: Tailors processes to specific organizational tasks.
Robust Alert System: Ensures timely notifications for critical events.
Data Protection: Incorporates strong security measures for secure operations.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating ActiveBatch?

Enhanced Efficiency: Automates repetitive tasks, reducing manual intervention.
Improved Productivity: Streamlines processes across hybrid environments.
Error Reduction: Decreases likelihood of manual errors.
Platform Support: Provides integration with diverse systems.

In finance, ActiveBatch is implemented for orchestrating batch processes and data management. The healthcare industry utilizes it for automating patient data updates and server monitoring, while the retail sector benefits from file transfers and inventory management automation.

ActiveBatch by Redwood

AutoSys Workload Automation delivers comprehensive scheduling capabilities and integration features, offering users scalability and efficiency in automation across platforms. Its enhanced user-friendliness and security make it a reliable choice for job scheduling and workload management.

AutoSys Workload Automation is well-regarded for its stability and intuitive graphical interface which facilitates efficient job scheduling across platforms. Users find its security features effective in ensuring controlled access, and appreciate its ability to handle high volumes of jobs while providing seamless orchestration and monitoring. However, the interface could benefit from modernization. Enhancements are suggested for reporting features and job flow clarity. Its integration with mobility and cloud platforms requires improvement as current support remains limited. Improving monitoring capabilities, managing cross-application dependencies, and simplifying upgrades are essential. Additionally, addressing the costly licensing model and enhancing high-level system process views are significant for maintaining competitiveness in automation.

What are AutoSys's key features?

Scheduling Capabilities: Provides robust and flexible scheduling options across platforms.
Integration Features: Allows seamless automation with diverse systems.
Security Measures: Ensures controlled and secure access to resources.
User-Friendly Interface: Offers an intuitive GUI for simplified use.
High Job Volume Support: Efficiently manages a large number of jobs with ease.

What benefits can users expect?

Reduced Manual Efforts: Automates processes minimizing the need for manual intervention.
Enhanced Visibility: Improves oversight and monitoring of tasks.
Effective Troubleshooting: Streamlines troubleshooting with well-organized workflows.
Scalability: Scales across diverse environments to meet enterprise demands.
Improved Efficiency: Increases operational efficiency with optimized automation.

AutoSys Workload Automation is extensively used in industries like banking, insurance, and retail for job scheduling, batch management, and server workload automation. It supports data processing for enterprise tasks, monitors tasks, and manages cross-platform dependencies, proving to be a reliable tool for complex job orchestration in these sectors.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Teradata, Arconic, General Dynamics, Yum!, CVS Health, Comcast, Ghiradelli, & Boston’s Children’s Hospital

Informatica, D&H, ACES, PrimeSource, Sub-Zero Group, SThree, Lamar Advertising, Subway, Xcel Energy, Ignite Technologies, Whataburger, Jyske Bank, Omaha Children's Hospital

Gaumont, Mercantil do Brasil, CCEE, Hanwha Life

ActiveBatch by Redwood vs. AutoSys Workload Automation