Likelihood to Recommend Arena PLM is well suited for part number, BOM and file management. Processing changes (ECNs, ACOs, DCO's, etc.) in Arena is very easy to do and provides great visibility on the status of submitted requests. The ability to communicate with Suppliers and grant them access to files in Arena is extremely helpful. Arena does not appear to be the best suited system for managing software
Read full review Product is a great tool to serve as a central point to compile and document sox controls. This allows transparency across the team and teammates to edit and view progress. The tool also provides an interface that will make it easy for the internal audit team to track and compile control requests. I particularly like how it lets all of the control owners take ownership of their controls. I am currently exploring some of the advanced tools that support testing and the accuracy and completeness of our data, which i'm very excited to explore.
Read full review Pros It provides easy, 'login-anywhere' internet cloud-based access to fundamental PLM functions. It provides secure access control for employees & vendors (but you pay per person for access licenses). Data is effectively 'always backed up' in the internet-cloud. There is an option to attach thumbnail graphics representative of each item and create a Bill of Materials view that also displays the graphics to help provide item recognition for BOM readers. Read full review HighBond is great for managing requests, to do’s, and review notes HighBond is generally flexible with the configuration and terminology you can use. HighBond is a good tool for centralizing risks, controls, test plans, and procedures in a framework that allows you to standardize its usage. Read full review Cons In my opinion, the Help Pages clearly do not realize that a picture is worth a 1,000 words; need illustrations and screenshots! I think the 'Save' button when editing Quality Processes needs to "float" on the active page, not lurking at the bottom. In my experience, the Arena PLM and QMS Training programs need to be revamped to include "real-world" examples and working through examples, not simply reading through a training manual. David Martin Sr. Dir., Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs
Read full review The current setup does not have a risk management option. There is not an easy way to catalog all audits and then cycle through them. The set up of tabs within a project can be a bit cumbersome and excessive. Read full review Likelihood to Renew We have so much time and effort invested into Arena. The history of approvals, revisions, etc. are necessary for many of our customers. We also have entire device histories recorded. Having to re-create that on another platform would be a feat requiring years of effort. But mostly, Arena just works. It's transformed our business into a much more streamlined system, resulting in a massive cost and time savings.
Read full review Usability Arena has improved their UI over the years that I've used it to make it more user friendly. Additionally, there is a lot of redundancy within Arena (multiple ways to achieve the same end), which makes it easier to learn.
Read full review Reliability and Availability Seems like when I need to access our workspace for an emergency situation, this is when maintenance is scheduled, just the luck of the draw, I guess, and I just wait until the maintenance is complete, and then can proceed
Read full review Performance We use a few other software or systems (Silicon expert) and it is seamless to us, pages load quickly and efficiently.
Read full review Support Rating Upon initial observation, Arena Solution appears to possess a rather intricate nature, yet this complexity was effectively navigated during the initial configuration phase with the invaluable assistance of an expert well-versed in Arena, a factor that greatly contributed to our comprehensive mastery and autonomous handling of Arena Solutions thereafter.
Read full review HighBond by Galvanize support has some of the best and fastest support that I have experienced. Though we only contact them through emails, they were quick to provide insightful information about our problems. Whenever we email them about an issue, they would be able to reply in less than an hour, ready and prepared with useful solutions to address the issue.
Read full review Online Training The On line training was easy to understand and was very efficient for most of our users. We used the training tools to make sure we use all of the features to their fullest and correctly! After a few weeks mos of our users were very proficient with ARENA PLM and were able to work on their own and use mos of the sections and PLM capablilities.
Read full review Implementation Rating Pretty straightforward, from OOB
Read full review I was not involved in the implementation, but i do think the interface works well and is a great tool to centralize our compliance program. I'm currently in the process of exploring many of the advanced features and using the Diligent Academy to learn about some of these exciting features to add value to our organization. I recently attended a CPE and was very impressed with the presenters and their energy and knowledge of the product
Read full review Alternatives Considered Arena is much better than
QAD in terms of BOMs and ECOs and Revision Control. We use Arena concurrently with SAP and they integrate very well together, which is nice. The integration team was really helpful in making sure that the SAP to Arena functionality runs smoothly, and when there are any issues, they are very responsive to help make changes to fix the problem that might be there.
Read full review Diligent Highbond stacks up somewhat poorly against our other tools. In addition to what was included above, we use some smaller tools that fulfill many of the gaps left by Diligent Highbond. We have since started to move away from Diligent Highbond.
Alteryx is better at processing data and their server tool can be used to publish results for review.
Read full review Scalability Arena is easy to customize and therefore easy to scale. Different user groups with access restrictions can be easily created and new training plans can be created to support different user bases. Suppliers can also easily be added or items can be shared with them
Read full review Return on Investment Decreased the company's time to market for release of its second generation flagship product. Decreased the turn around on non-conformance reports (NCRs), supplier corrective action reports (SCARs), and corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs). Better organized the company's process maps, DHF, and other regulatory related information so that major audits are completed faster and with fewer findings. Read full review It has saved me time generating status reports It has saved me time in coordinating with others to obtain information, since it tracks requests and sends reminders It saves time with to dos and open reviews to keep track of tasks to be completed Read full review ScreenShots Arena PLM and QMS Screenshots Diligent One Platform Screenshots