AWS Step Functions vs Rocket Zena comparison

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) Logo
84 views|76 comparisons
75% willing to recommend
Rocket Software Logo
2,387 views|1,403 comparisons
100% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between AWS Step Functions and Rocket Zena based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Workload Automation solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed AWS Step Functions vs. Rocket Zena Report (Updated: May 2024).
771,157 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The solution is stable...The solution is easy to scale.""One can rate all the calls and that is a good feature.""It's Amazon, it's scalable.""It's a general solution that you can adapt to your own needs and is simple to use. We like that it can be integrated with everything in the AWS suite, and that the creation of the pipeline can be done using the graphical user interface.""It is a scalable solution.""The integration capability is easy, whereas building state machines is tricky.""The number of historical events is great.""What I like the most about Amazon Step Functions is how easy it is to use."

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"I like the whole product, but specifically, I like the license part. It's very easy to acquire a license for this product.""From a Linux configuration point of view, Rocket Zena is straightforward. It's fairly easy to set up the server and agents once you know how to do it.""In the latest upgrade, Zena added a web-based client. The more I use it, the more I like it. It's an excellent interface. They do a good job of steadily improving the solution to make it more useful.""You can click Ctrl-G and bring a diagram view. You're able to view in a diagram format. The view that it provides is easy, and you can move to the left, up, or down. You can double-click on a certain process. It'll drill into that process and all of its underlying components. You can double-click on an arrow or a component, and it'll bring up a screen that'll have all the variables that are assigned to that particular piece, as well as the values at run time. So, the diagram feature of it, at least for me, is pretty valuable.""We haven't had any problems since we installed it. It runs as expected, we haven't had any critical problems. It helps keeps the business running 24/7.""I have used other tools with similar capabilities; it's the ease of use.""I have found the scheduling feature the most valuable. I can map dependencies by using ASG-Zena. It gives a nice, quick visualization as to where things are.""The most valuable feature is the FTP file transfer."

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Cons
"The interface can sometimes feel limited, as we're unable to see what AWS is running behind the scenes.""Setup took about one day. We had some errors to understand in the beginning, but now everything is working good.""The pricing of the solution can be improved.""The solution's pricing could be cheaper. It is cheaper than Airflow.""The price and support are areas with shortcomings where the solution needs to improve.""I would like to see more data transformation features in Amazon Step Functions like additional operators and logic.""The solution's data size limit can be improved.""It wasn't easy to understand the licensing model. It's like if you use just a little, it's cheap, but it becomes more expensive as you use more. It's like a hook that ties you inside the Amazon ecosystem. So, it creates a dependency."

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"In the web interface, it stacks the tasks across the top, and they accumulate until you close or clean those out. That seems a little cumbersome. You must right-click and close all tabs constantly to keep the console clean and manage your views.""In the next release, I would like the user experience to be improved. The user interface should be more appealing to gen-z.""The scheduling mapping is a little disjointed. There is no wizard-type approach. There are a lot of different things that you have to do in completely different areas. They could probably add the functionality for creating all components of a mapping or an OPA schedule. The component creation could be done collectively rather than through individual components.""One area where it could be improved is communication between the different servers. Sometimes there are processes that have already been completed but we get a status notification that they're still active.""Another one that is probably a little bit bigger for me is that when there is an issue or there's an error, it writes on a different screen. I have to find the actual process name and go to a different screen to view the alert that got generated. On that screen, everyone's processes, not just the processes of the folks in my department, are thrown. It takes me a while to find the actual error so that I could go in there and look at the alert. It could be because of the way it was set up, but at least for me, it isn't too intuitive.""The documentation has room for improvement.""The UI is not intuitive, and it would be nice if there was a web interface.""Rocket Zena is a mainframe-based job scheduler. I would like it to be more open so that we can use it on a distributed platform."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The solution's price is reasonable."
  • "The solution is expensive."
  • More AWS Step Functions Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "I don't know the exact cost, but I believe that it is approximately $150 to $180,000.00 Singapore dollars per year. This would be approximately $100 to $120,000 USD per year."
  • "The pricing and the licensing are good. It is affordable and can be used to improve and optimize productivity."
  • More Rocket Zena Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:AWS Step Functions acts as a high-level layer, allowing us to seamlessly integrate with microservices.
    Top Answer:I was the second member to join a team tasked with creating a proof of concept. My responsibility was to demonstrate how to orchestrate microservices effectively using AWS Step Functions. Essentially… more »
    Top Answer:Orchestrating microservices with Step Functions provides a high-level abstraction for organizing entire workflows. This approach addresses the challenges that arise when working with multiple… more »
    Top Answer:In the latest upgrade, Zena added a web-based client. The more I use it, the more I like it. It's an excellent interface. They do a good job of steadily improving the solution to make it more useful… more »
    Top Answer:The pricing and the licensing are good. It is affordable and can be used to improve and optimize productivity.
    Top Answer:In the web interface, it stacks the tasks across the top, and they accumulate until you close or clean those out. That seems a little cumbersome. You must right-click and close all tabs constantly to… more »
    Ranking
    15th
    out of 51 in Workload Automation
    Views
    84
    Comparisons
    76
    Reviews
    6
    Average Words per Review
    508
    Rating
    7.7
    12th
    out of 51 in Workload Automation
    Views
    2,387
    Comparisons
    1,403
    Reviews
    7
    Average Words per Review
    999
    Rating
    8.3
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Amazon Step Functions, Step Functions
    ASG-Zena
    Learn More
    Overview

    AWS Step Functions lets you coordinate multiple AWS services into serverless workflows so you can build and update apps quickly. Using Step Functions, you can design and run workflows that stitch together services such as AWS Lambda and Amazon ECS into feature-rich applications. Workflows are made up of a series of steps, with the output of one step acting as input into the next. Application development is simpler and more intuitive using Step Functions, because it translates your workflow into a state machine diagram that is easy to understand, easy to explain to others, and easy to change. You can monitor each step of execution as it happens, which means you can identify and fix problems quickly. Step Functions automatically triggers and tracks each step, and retries when there are errors, so your application executes in order and as expected.

    Zena enables you to optimize business process flows with advanced workload automation that reduces manual intervention, system downtime, and processing errors. You can easily define processes and tasks, making them repeatable so you can focus on other priorities.

    Zena gives you the power to simplify management of complex cross-platform processes while making it easier to manage challenging hybrid IT operations environments. It speeds time-to-market while reducing the ongoing total cost of ownership associated with workload automation and enterprise application processing.

    With Zena, IT leaders have the power to visualize and manage the execution of thousands of workloads across end-to-end Operational processes, while increasing the quality, velocity, and efficiency of their delivery.

    Rocket Zena Features

    Rocket Zena offers the following features:

    • Optimization of process flows: Rocket Zena allows you to optimize complex business process flows across your hybrid IT infrastructure, spanning from mainframe to cloud. It provides full visibility into your operations processes end-to-end.

    • Simplification of operations: The solution simplifies the management of complex cross-platform processes, making it easier to handle challenging hybrid IT operations environments.

    • Advanced workload automation: Rocket Zena offers advanced workload automation capabilities for operations. It reduces manual intervention, system downtime, and processing errors by enabling you to define processes and tasks that are repeatable.

    • Visualization and management of workloads: IT staff can visualize and manage the execution of thousands of workloads across end-to-end operational processes. It enhances the quality, velocity, and efficiency of delivery.

    • Maximize workload automation flexibility: Zena features a graphical process whiteboard for task definition, minimizing redundant definitions and maximizing flexibility in designing workflows.

    • Integration with ease and at scale: The solution seamlessly integrates workload management on multiple platforms and facilitates the integration of critical applications with newer technologies, eliminating manual scripting and reducing overall costs.

    • Centralized scheduling management: It enables centralized scheduling management through a console with dashboard capabilities. Zena provides predefined and customizable views and reports to meet individual user needs.

    • Production statistics and reports: Zena simplifies monitoring and intervention by providing customizable dashboards. It offers drill-down capability to quickly navigate to problem areas and take necessary action.

    • Improved operational excellence: The solution helps optimize business process flows through advanced workload automation, increasing productivity and scalability. It also reduces operational complexity and ensures high process completion by automating complex processes with reliability and repeatability.

    • Integration with applications and platforms: Zena connects with a range of applications and platforms such as Microsoft SQL Server, Docker, Amazon Web Services, Oracle, Micro Focus, SAP, PeopleSoft, and more, allowing seamless integration within your workflows.

    • DevOps and value stream management: Users have access to design-time configuration of DevOps value streams, enables the use of variables for reusable and customized workflows, and provides monitoring and management of run-time execution of value streams.

    • Branching and condition management: Zena allows specifying critical branching for tasks with infinite conditions to ensure automation flows meet business requirements.

    • Mainframe and hybrid cloud support: The solution has the capability to span mainframe to cloud environments, distributing work across the entire IT ecosystem, including hybrid cloud environments and sysplex awareness on mainframes.

    Rocket Zena Benefits

    Some of the benefits of using Rocket Zena are:

    • Optimization of operational business flows

    • Simplification of complex cross-platform processes

    • Reduction of manual intervention, system downtime, and processing errors

    • Speeding up time-to-market

    • Lowering the total cost of ownership associated with workload automation

    • Enhanced visibility and management of workloads across end-to-end operational processes

    • Maximizing workload automation flexibility

    • Seamless integration with multiple platforms and applications

    • Centralized scheduling management with customizable views and reports

    • Improved operational excellence and reliability

    • Reviews from Real Users

      Akash Vishwakarma, a RPA Developer at a consultancy observes: "Its FTP feature is very good, as is scheduling any process or task with the Zena client. I have found it to be very helpful. If a task fails, it gives you a prompt."

      Gus Calero, a Sr. IT Product Manager at a healthcare company shares his view: “You're able to view in a diagram format. The view that it provides is easy, and you can move to the left, up, or down. You can double-click on a certain process. It'll drill into that process and all of its underlying components.”

      Bridgette Friedman, a System administrator at a wholesaler shares her experience: "In the latest upgrade, Zena added a web-based client. The more I use it, the more I like it. It's an excellent interface. They do a good job of steadily improving the solution to make it more useful."


    Sample Customers
    Alpha Apps, The Guardian, SGK, Bigfinite
    Fraternidad Muprespa
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm29%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Insurance Company5%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm38%
    Government25%
    Healthcare Company13%
    Wholesaler/Distributor13%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm28%
    Insurance Company16%
    Computer Software Company11%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business67%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise22%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business14%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise77%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business30%
    Large Enterprise70%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business13%
    Midsize Enterprise5%
    Large Enterprise81%
    Buyer's Guide
    AWS Step Functions vs. Rocket Zena
    May 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about AWS Step Functions vs. Rocket Zena and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
    771,157 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    AWS Step Functions is ranked 15th in Workload Automation with 9 reviews while Rocket Zena is ranked 12th in Workload Automation with 9 reviews. AWS Step Functions is rated 7.8, while Rocket Zena is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of AWS Step Functions writes "Simplifies complex task automation and enhances development workflows while offering user-friendly interface, seamless scalability and efficient workflow orchestration". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Rocket Zena writes "A continuously evolving, stable solution, with responsive support". AWS Step Functions is most compared with Camunda, IBM BPM, Apache Airflow, Pega BPM and Oracle BPM, whereas Rocket Zena is most compared with Control-M, Rocket Zeke, IBM Workload Automation, AutoSys Workload Automation and ActiveBatch by Redwood. See our AWS Step Functions vs. Rocket Zena report.

    See our list of best Workload Automation vendors.

    We monitor all Workload Automation reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.