Cloud Elements (discontinued) vs. Ellucian Ethos vs. OpenText MBPM

Cloud Elements shines when you want to offer multiple options to the user on a type of system, such as supporting integration to CRM and wanting to offer Dynamics, Salesforce, and HubSpot on equal footing. If you only have a single integration with a single system, using Cloud Elements adds an unnecessary layer of abstraction.

Incentivized

Ethos Integration is a work in progress. Some API's are still not available under this framework. However, it has the advantage of being an abstraction layer on top of the database, supports the publish-subscribe model. Since some Banner 9 modules still do not support the direct SAML2 connection, Ethos Identity (EIS Server) is a necessity for SSO.

Incentivized

Metastorm is well-suited for scenarios in which internal stress testing an application is needed in a hurry before showcasing it to potential customers. It supports different views of the process from Swimlane perspective, so different methodologies can be handled. It is an Enterprise level tool and handles both small and large projects quite well, although smaller companies may be stressed out by the amount of time it takes to properly maintain the application.

Incentivized

• The API itself is very robust and easy to use, being a standard REST interface, standard HTTP response codes, well-packaged error messages, etc.
• Their uptime is great! I think I've seen one (short) 5-minute' blip' the entire time we've been connected for any type of primary function.
• Their support is top notch, they respond quickly, and the team that works with you is communicative and knowledgable.

Incentivized

• It allows connection between systems that are completely different
• It allows you to use workflows in terms of if one thing happens in one system you can "notify" multiple subscribers to take actions
• It has analytics to provide you insights into your applications

Incentivized

• Complex routing of tasks based on calculated criteria
• Linking between tasks and accessing relevant information
• Organising, scheduling and prioritising
• Different views for different people

Incentivized

• The only thing I can think of that they could improve is the quality of the assets they produce in the go-to-market process. This is a huge value add service, but the quality of what was produced was lower than what we would have produced internally. We spent more time going back and forth on the assets than it would have taken us to build them from scratch.

Incentivized

• Operational reporting: This does not replace or provide an easy platform for operational reports or warehousing. It would be nice if they provided a full stack.
• Learning curve: Training and documentation are minimal.

Incentivized

• The Metastorm process engine is based on an older version of .NET. Updating to a newer version would resolve several known issues with .NET email functionality.
• Metastorm builds web pages at run time. While the UI presented to the end user is fine, the Document Object Model is convoluted and subject to change with new releases. Providing a more simplified DOM or at very least a custom function to replace document.getElementById() would make client-side scripting a much more powerful tool.
• One function that I've seen Metastorm competitors do well, is email wizards. Having a WYSIWYG email editor would be really nice.

There are other products that seem to be a better fit for future initiatives.

Incentivized

Part of our issues could be from the original set up, but also because the system does not allow flexibility.

Incentivized

Although it is intuitive to use it does require training

Incentivized

Support from Ellucian for Ethos Integration was generally good. The help in building Ethos was adequate, and resolving issues were handled professionally. However, for Ethos Identity module, the support in building the cluster failover architecture was lacking. After over a month of open engagement, the issue still has not been resolved.

Incentivized

Great customer service for an API support related query

Incentivized

At the time we found Cloud Elements we found no other option that had a Unified API for cloud storage providers.

Incentivized

We have not used any other product similar to this, but for us, it made sense that the first product we tried was made by the company who developed our ERP system because they know the system inside/out. Solutions made by other companies that only look into documentation does not mean they would be able to create a product that could do such integration well.

Incentivized

We found that OpenText MBPM held its own quite well against IBM BPM. We ended up choosing OpenText MBPM due to the analytics, complex routing, and the ease of SOA service integration. Furthermore, the ability to quickly develop simple User interfaces make this tool a daily component of our most-used toolbox components.

Incentivized

• Not my area of expertise, but it made my job as an implementer much easier, especially after finishing the first integration.

Incentivized

• Our ROI is nonexistent at this time as we are still implementing. However, the minimal cost signifies that it will be a significant help.

Incentivized

• The development of the ticketing system has enabled us to greatly improve customer relationships
• The scheduling and allocation of the tasks has reduced both the number of open tickets and the turnaround time to resolution
• Management information from the system has improved decision making

Incentivized