Azure Automation vs. Tidal by Redwood

We have found Azure Automation to be well-suited for tasks that must be performed on a scheduled basis. No matter how simple or tedious tasks are to perform manually, if they run on a scheduled basis, it makes sense to have them automated. If the tasks at hand are only performed once or infrequently, then it may be best to continue performing them manually.

Incentivized

On coming to well suited experience while error handling and effortless recovery processes are crucial, Tidal performs exceptionally well. It can identify and fix automated issues, reducing downtime and interruptions. A smaller automation solution may be more cost-effective if a business primarily utilizes a single platform or uses a small number of applications that do not require complex integration.

Incentivized

• Scheduled automation of Microsoft 365 and Azure tasks
• Scheduled automation of scripting (e.g. Powershell)
• Perform periodic maintenance

Incentivized

• Tidal Automation allows us to automate and schedule/ perform various tasks in a easy and effective manner. It is highly interactive and effective allowing nearly 4k -5k jobs to run a day.
• Tidal is designed to be easily shareable and collaborative allowing multiple users to work at a particular time making work effective.
• Tidal allows us to ensure that every event which is triggered is exactly when it's supposed to be regardless of other activities which are going as well.
• It is user-friendly to generate the reports required of a particular object and allows us to test the codes perfectly well before executing in live environment.

• An automation template library would be nice
• Clear estimation of costs - this goes for the entire Azure Automation platform
• It can be daunting at first due to all the settings and menu levels, but it is not difficult once you get started.

Incentivized

• Still a bit slow when navigating. If you close a job you have to wait a few seconds to open another one. Even when you made no changes.
• When viewing a job and make no changes, the "ok" button changes the last modified date as if you made a change. No big deal, but wastes time when troubleshooting a problem and looking into what jobs were changed last.
• You can see the parameters column in the "job activity", but not in "Job definitions".
• Can't search the parameters field in the filter.
• Changing a variable name does not change it on the job. It still works because Tidal Automation uses the ID number. It just causes confusion when you see a variable on a job and can't find the variable under "Variables". On top of that, Tidal Automation does not show the ID column under "Variables" making it even more difficult to find the variable.

We are on the fence. The increased pricing for renewals is staggering. With new automation options like Microsoft's Power Automate and Event Driven Ansible on the field, there are other options now available.

Having provided consulting services for years on Tidal by Redwood, I recommend going with a solutions partner or consultant to deploy it. I believe there are sizing and tuning guidelines that should be followed for environments of scale. I believe they are not critical when first lighting up the product, but if you are not aware of them you will encounter performance degradation after a few thousand job objects are added.

We did not evaluate any other automation products since we are already using Microsoft 365 and the Azure platform. Additionally, Azure Automation allows for a reasonable number of tasks to be performed each month at no cost, which is especially nice when testing the platform. We found Azure Automate's integration of Powershell invaluable when working directly with Microsoft 365, Sharepoint, Azure AD, and other systems via API.

Incentivized

1. Tidal is good at processing large volume pf data and is cost effective. 2. Tidal can automate the scheduling of production objects, ensure that materials are delivered on time 3. Tidal Process large volumes of data which cannot be done everyday by running codes/scripts manually which does it with ease when required.

Incentivized

• Ensures tasks are not forgotten
• Saves times - routine tasks no longer have to be performed manually
• Complicated tasks are no longer an issue

Incentivized

• Better decision-making and more process visibility are achieved through reporting and monitoring.
• Lowered time frames and streamlined administration of the workflow.
• Improved cost and resource allocation, especially in cloud contexts.
• A decrease in manual errors and related expenditures.
• Unusual problems that could occur during automation.
• Possible difficulties shifting to a new automation tool.
• The expense of beginning implementation and training.

Incentivized