Top 5 Alternatives to Fortra‘s JAMS for Workload Automation in 2024
Looking to upgrade your workload automation tools in 2024? If Fortra‘s JAMS solution doesn‘t fully meet your needs, you have great alternatives.
Based on in-depth research and analysis, here are the top 5 options I recommend considering as replacements for JAMS this year:
- ActiveBatch
- Redwood RunMyJobs
- Control-M
- Tidal Workload Automation
- IBM Workload Automation
These leading solutions scored highly across key criteria like features, ease of use, customer satisfaction, and Gartner ratings. They provide robust automation capabilities to optimize your workloads across platforms without the downsides of JAMS.
In this guide, I‘ll compare the alternatives to help you find the best fit for your business requirements and use cases. You‘ll learn:
- Key features and capabilities of each solution
- How they differ from Fortra‘s JAMS
- Pros, cons and pricing
- What real users say about their experiences
- Recent adoption trends and forecasts
Let‘s dive in and explore your top options to consider in 2024!
JAMS Scheduler: A Powerful but Complex Solution
First, let‘s quickly recap JAMS‘ core capabilities and downsides.
JAMS provides comprehensive workload automation across operating systems, databases and apps. It offers:
- Centralized job scheduling and monitoring
- Process automation to reduce errors
- Advanced security features
- Support for many platforms and systems
However, JAMS comes with notable disadvantages:
- Challenging implementation and configurations
- Steep learning curve
- Costly custom integrations needed
- Potentially overkill for less complex needs
These cons motivate the search for alternatives that are easier to use, integrate and scale.
The solutions below aim to deliver robust automation while avoiding JAMS‘ pitfalls.
ActiveBatch: Flexible and User-Friendly
ActiveBatch by Redwood Software offers extensive workload automation coupled with low-code simplicity.
It provides:
- Drag and drop workflow designer for visual automation
- Pre-built connections to 100+ apps, tools and databases
- Real-time monitoring and alerts
- Workload forecasting and simulation
- REST APIs and web services
Unlike JAMS, ActiveBatch uses low-code techniques for faster solutions. Its intuitive interface enables users of all skill levels to build complex workflows.
According to Gartner, ActiveBatch offers "flexible options for on-premises, cloud and hybrid deployments." It ranked highest for ability to execute in the 2022 Critical Capabilities report.
Key Benefits:
- Faster time-to-value: ActiveBatch delivers faster automation outcomes thanks to low-code and pre-built integrations.
- Ease of use: Less technical users can build workflows with minimal training.
- Flexibility: Supports on-premise, cloud or hybrid environments.
- Scalability: Workflows easily scale up to automate millions of jobs.
Pricing
ActiveBatch offers both perpetual and subscription licensing starting at $5,500 per server. Volume discounts available.
Cloud pricing starts at $1,000/month.
Customer Satisfaction
| Review Site | Rating |
|---|---|
| G2 | 4.6/5 (170+ reviews) |
| Capterra | 4.8/5 (40+ reviews) |
"ActiveBatch provides flexibility and robust architecture. We have built a relatively complex automation environment." – Senior Tech Specialist, Verizon
Redwood RunMyJobs: Connecting Disparate Systems
RunMyJobs from Redwood Software offers SaaS-based workload automation specifically focused on connectivity.
It stitches together automation across:
- All major operating systems
- Cloud platforms like AWS and Azure
- SaaS apps such as Salesforce, Marketo and ServiceNow
Central dashboards provide real-time visibility into interconnected workflows.
RunMyJobs empowers collaboration between IT and business teams for democratized automation. It also enables resilient parallel execution of workflows.
Compared to JAMS, RunMyJobs provides cloud-native architecture that‘s quicker to deploy across today‘s hybrid technology stacks.
Key Benefits:
- Universal connectivity: Built to automate across modern heterogeneous architectures
- Cloud-native solution: Enables automation across on-prem and cloud
- Collaboration: Allows IT and business teams to jointly build workflows
- Resiliency: Parallel execution prevents single points of failure
Pricing
RunMyJobs pricing starts at $20 per month per user. Offers both self-service and enterprise-supported plans.
Customer Satisfaction
| Review Site | Rating |
|---|---|
| G2 | 4.7/5 (100+ reviews) |
| Capterra | 4.8/5 (30+ reviews) |
"RunMyJobs has the flexibility needed to work with an extremely heterogeneous environment." – Automation Engineer, Cargill
Control-M: Workload Automation for Large Enterprises
Control-M by BMC Software focuses on providing robust automation for large enterprise environments.
It delivers centralized automation across:
- Mainframes, databases, ERPs and more
- Private and public clouds
- Big data platforms like Hadoop and Spark
Control-M also offers advanced workload analytics and predictive forecasting.
Its weather-based visualizations highlight potential impacts on key business services. Reports detail automated process health, resource consumption and more.
Compared to JAMS, Control-M provides more advanced analytics and forecasting capabilities. However, it trails in ease of use according to reviews.
Key Benefits:
- Advanced analytics: AI-driven forecasting and insightful reporting
- Broad mainframe support: Comprehensive automation for mainframe workloads
- Enterprise scalability: Proven with large deployments of 50,000+ jobs
Pricing
Control-M is licensed by job costing roughly $99/job plus maintenance fees. Significant discounts available.
Customer Satisfaction
| Review Site | Rating |
|---|---|
| G2 | 4.3/5 (50+ reviews) |
| Capterra | 4.2/5 (5+ reviews) |
"Control-M is an invaluable tool for workload automation, forecasting and analytics." Director of Operations, Rockwell Automation
Tidal Workload Automation: Automation Across Platforms
Tidal Workload Automation delivers robust cross-platform automation. It works across:
- Mainframe and distributed systems
- Cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure and AWS
- Container orchestration tools like Kubernetes
Its Control Language simplifies building automation workflows using natural syntax. Tidal also offers built-in workload forecasting and simulation.
Compared to JAMS, Tidal provides a more cohesive enterprise solution with a singular automation language vs disparate scripting. However, reviews suggest its UI can be improved.
Key Benefits:
- Unified automation language: Consistent syntax across all platforms
- Workload intelligence: Simulation and forecasting capabilities
- SaaS and on-prem options: Choice of cloud or self-hosted
Pricing
Tidal offers subscription pricing starting at $12,000/year for entry-level plans. Enterprise pricing not publicly listed.
Customer Satisfaction
| Review Site | Rating |
|---|---|
| G2 | 4.9/5 (20+ reviews) |
| Capterra | 4.8/5 (10+ reviews) |
"Tidal provides consistent and reliable job scheduling and dependencies. Workload forecasting helps allocate resources."
IBM Workload Automation: Mature Enterprise Solution
IBM Workload Automation provides industry-leading capabilities for large enterprises.
It offers robust automation across:
- Mainframe platforms like z/OS
- Distributed environments
- Cloud platforms
Its solutions scale to automate over 50,000 daily jobs at major banks and insurance firms.
IBM also infuses automation with AI for intelligent forecasting, resource optimization and more. This helps proactively identify and resolve performance issues.
Compared to JAMS, IBM Workload Automation has greater breadth and maturity backed by IBM‘s investments. But it can be overkill for smaller use cases.
Key Benefits:
- Enterprise scale: Proven supporting 50,000+ daily jobs
- Operational resiliency: Minimizes disruptions and exceptions
- Intelligent forecasting: AI and ML for smart optimization
Pricing
IBM uses customized pricing. Contract minimums start around $75,000.
Customer Satisfaction
| Review Site | Rating |
|---|---|
| G2 | 4.4/5 (10+ reviews) |
| Capterra | 4.0/5 (5+ reviews) |
"Rock-solid automation platform with excellent integrations across platforms." Director of Service Delivery, Dun & Bradstreet
Workload Automation Adoption Trends and Forecast
According to leading research firm Gartner, the workload automation software market continues rapid growth:
- Market size was valued at $1.97 billion in 2021
- Estimated to reach $4.33 billion by 2026
- Representing 16.9% CAGR from 2021-2026
Organizations are seeking more agile automation solutions as cloud and hybrid infrastructure expands.
The analysts forecast SaaS adoption will accelerate, growing 50% faster than legacy on-premises tools.
Global megavendors like IBM, BMC and Broadcom dominate market share today. But smaller vendors like ActiveBatch and Tidal offer strong alternatives distinguished by flexibility and ease of use.
Considering these forecasts, solutions like ActiveBatch and RunMyJobs aligned with cloud-first automation are wise long term investments.
Evaluate Your Top Options
The workload automation market offers many alternatives to explore beyond JAMS. Choosing the right solution depends on your specific environment, use cases and business priorities.
Based on your requirements, narrow down the top 2-3 options to further evaluate:
- Request demos to experience the interfaces and workflows firsthand
- Compare capabilities like supported platforms, integrations, analytics, etc.
- Review pricing and total cost of ownership for budget planning
- Assess ease of use from admin and end-user perspectives
- Consider scalability needs now and in the future
I hope this guide provides a solid starting point to identify the best JAMS alternative for your organization‘s workload automation needs in 2024. Let me know if you have any other questions as you evaluate options!
