Universal Automation Center

My main use case for Stonebranch is Universal Command. A specific example of how I use Universal Command with Stonebranch is that I give Unix commands from the mainframe.

I don't know how Stonebranch has impacted my organization positively, as it was a very long time ago, approximately 15 years. I can say that it did what it had to do regarding specific outcomes or changes such as improvements in efficiency, fewer errors, or time saved from using Stonebranch.

I have no idea what the best features Stonebranch offers.

I have no idea how Stonebranch can be improved.

I have been using Stonebranch for five years.

I have no idea what I think of Stonebranch's governance and security regarding its AI capabilities. I don't know what I think of Stonebranch's accuracy and reliability of output regarding its AI capabilities.

Stonebranch is not used anymore in my organization. I do not know what advice I would give to others looking into using Stonebranch. My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer, and this is no longer the case.

I give Stonebranch a rating of 7.

My major use case for Stonebranch is job scheduling and orchestration.

I usually create major orchestration workflows where I integrate Stonebranch with an alternative GoAnywhere MFT file transfer application, creating all the file transfer blocks and using Stonebranch to orchestrate multiple file transfer blocks based on dependencies.

I integrate Stonebranch with GoAnywhere MFT using web services.

I primarily use Stonebranch from scratch, building everything myself. I had a specific file transfer tool for managing a huge load of file transfers with IBM and wanted to reduce dependency on a single tool due to licensing costs. I set up a low-cost distribution of data using the integration of Stonebranch and GoAnywhere MFT to organize file transfers and dependencies properly, significantly reducing manual tasks. As a result, I saved almost thousands of hours during my two-year project plan for setting up Stonebranch and migrating file transfers into Stonebranch plus GoAnywhere, which automated many of the manual efforts previously handled.

I have limited experience integrating Stonebranch with multiple applications, having done so primarily through GoAnywhere MFT over web services. I have also used Stonebranch's agent functionality to access and execute remote applications, passing runtime arguments as needed.

The best feature that Stonebranch offers is primarily the base provided by the controller, a very profound orchestration that is very reliable. Another notable part is the script execution that happens in Stonebranch, offering two modes: batch mode and interactive mode. I can run specific tasks overnight with fewer dependencies in batch mode without tracking many details, while interactive job execution mode allows tracking every step in script execution. Additionally, one more important feature that Stonebranch offers, which captures everyone's attention, especially in banking and other domains, is the Data Mover Gateways that provide secure handling of external integrations and file transfers over the internet, enhancing customer end experience security.

Majorly, when 90% of the transfers take place within the organization between different departments based on orchestration dependencies, the file transfers are usually internal over the company's internet. However, for example, when working with a bank that has multiple business-to-business clients, customers need a secure gateway or web link to share data, ensuring no misuse or unauthorized access without their consent.

These are the major standout features compared to other workload automation tools, but more features come to mind, such as the wide variety of triggers that Stonebranch offers. Compared to other scheduling tools, they are quite useful and cover all types of system tasks within the same application, including manual time-based, file monitor based, and task monitor based triggers. For example, I can monitor the status of a specific Stonebranch task and execute something else in the orchestration workflow or set some values on variables through a task or script. Additionally, it allows monitoring of emails, wherein I can set triggers based on receiving specific emails or attachments and perform specific tasks accordingly. It also offers application monitoring that I can integrate with web services or via agents to monitor individual application statuses and receive alerts in case of anomalies.

To provide an example, previously there were cases where a legacy system had manual email notifications that a person had to monitor physically. If an instruction was sent via email, it could be delayed due to unavailability, resulting in late task execution and high chances of human error. After introducing Stonebranch, email monitoring is handled automatically, orchestrating tasks in a well-organized manner. The one-time development efforts required are negligible compared to manual efforts. For instance, if a specific weekly task took about 700 hours annually, introducing orchestration can save about 600-650 hours per year, depending on the task under consideration.

The self-service automation access currently available in Stonebranch could benefit from added features. While it is already secure, introducing two-step authentication or multiple authentication methods such as SAML could enhance security further.

I would give Stonebranch a perfect score if there were no scope for improvement, but I believe there are still aspects of user experience and features that could be enhanced.

I have been working in my current field for the last 12 years.

Stonebranch is stable.

The scalability of Stonebranch depends on the new requirements and data added, and it is very manageable and scalable.

My experience with customer support while working with Stonebranch during the development phase was minimal, as the application is user-friendly. However, when I did interact with customer support, their responses were prompt and helpful for my learning process.

Initially, I used the Sterling File Gateway application for many file transfers but transitioned to the alternative GoAnywhere MFT due to licensing costs and the need for load distribution, which made Stonebranch the best match to reduce manual efforts while migrating file transfers from Sterling File Gateway.

Managing user access and permissions within Stonebranch is very easy to set up and maintain.

I evaluated Cisco Tidal Workload Automation and Control-M, but Stonebranch was deemed more dependable and cost-effective, offering more features compared to the others at that time in 2018.

The accuracy and reliability of output generated by Stonebranch's AI depend on the specific functionality being approached. While it captures publicly available information about the application, I should be vigilant when utilizing AI for troubleshooting as those answers may be generic. Therefore, AI-provided solutions should be treated as references rather than the sole basis.

The application performance during peak workloads is quite good, judged by user experience and operation team feedback. Stonebranch handles peak loads effectively, and the infrastructure it is hosted on is well managed, contributing to overall satisfactory performance.

Stonebranch has definitely reduced the number of manual efforts required and the resources needed for development. However, given my 24/7 operational needs, I still have resources available to monitor critical tasks and jobs deployed within Stonebranch and integrated applications.

The learning curve for new users adopting Stonebranch depends on their specific problem statement or the use cases. Users must explore the entire application and its functionalities to gain a comprehensive understanding of what is available, allowing full utilization of Stonebranch's features.

The documentation and training materials provided for Stonebranch are quite helpful for beginners and intermediates. However, users should emphasize practical exploration of the functionalities instead of relying solely on theoretical documentation.

I have specific SWIFT audits in my current project to ensure compliance. Based on SWIFT requirements, I scan application configuration files and the versions installed alongside the Java runtime, checking for any vulnerabilities in both the application and the hosting servers. This scanning occurs monthly to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in a timely manner based on priority and risk.

My advice for anyone considering using Stonebranch is to go through the documentation for foundational knowledge but not to restrict their understanding to only the features aligned with immediate requirements. Exploring Stonebranch's full range of functionalities will empower users to robustly address new requests and implement optimal solutions using its orchestration capabilities. I would rate this review as not applicable.

My main use case for Stonebranch is job automation.

A specific example of how I use Stonebranch for job automation in my day-to-day work is that we have workflows that need to be executed on another application and we use Stonebranch to facilitate this. We have daily batches which need to be executed and we use Stonebranch to automate those batch runs. These jobs include file watchers, and then loading the data from those files to our database, and then executing some reports, executing some jobs that trigger the reporting workflows in the underlying application to process the data from those files. We process all the data that was loaded into the application to generate regulatory reports, which will be used by the regulatory team to file the reports to the regulators.

The best feature Stonebranch offers, according to me, is the simplicity of usage. Although it is quite basic, the job runs are quite robust. I have felt that it is quite reliable.

I would like to add that the alerting, specifically job failure alerts, successful notifications, and the timeout alerts are good, but I felt that these are manually set and could be improved with more intelligence built into the application itself. Stonebranch is quite basic and relies on manual inputs most of the time.

I believe Stonebranch has positively impacted my organization by taking off the load of running all those jobs manually to generate all these reports. I believe the organization might have previously used some schedulers within UNIX, such as a cron tab to run all these jobs. The File Watcher functionality and the Task Monitor functionality in Stonebranch might have been the biggest contributor or functionality which would have triggered my organization to switch to Stonebranch. The UI is quite good.

I believe Stonebranch can be improved by making it more modern in terms of adding new jobs, as the look and feel of the application is very basic and the UI can be improved.

What holds me back from rating it higher is that the UI could be much simpler. The menu options can be improved by putting a hamburger menu on the left-hand side to see all the services that are provided. It is often difficult to locate the service that you are looking for. They could add a search function for the services that we are looking for. For example, variables cannot be searched for directly. We have to fetch variables from the list that automatically comes on the screen. The UI needs improvement.

I have worked as an L3 Production Support for almost three years.

Stonebranch's stability is good.

I would advise others looking into using Stonebranch to go for it, as it is reliable and gets the job done.

Regarding Stonebranch's AI capabilities, I think its accuracy and reliability of output is good. I have never doubted it once. I have never had a scenario where it gave a false output or an unexpected output. Everything has been as expected. I rate this product a 7 out of 10.

My main use case for Stonebranch involves transferring files to upstream or downstream systems, as I work for Mainframe technology. We used to transfer the supplier-related files or the order-related files, and also receive the files from customers such as distributors or dealers and send the files to suppliers. File transfer was the main work which I have dealt with.

A recent specific example of how I use Stonebranch for a file transfer task is in Toyota, where our application is a new part application dealing with the accessories parts of Toyota vehicles. We used to get orders from customers, who are basically distributors or dealers, and they used to send orders in batches and in files. Those files are very large, and those are the orders we receive from customers, while a few are the orders we place towards the supplier, such as purchase orders. In those cases, we used to send files to suppliers, and to send or receive the files, we use Stonebranch for the file transfer. Our AS/400 system also uses Stonebranch to send files to the Mainframe system and vice versa.

I also want to add that in a project where we are modernizing the legacy application to a new and modern system, we are using Stonebranch to send files to the new system from the legacy systems and also receive files from them. Stonebranch is used as the file system medium; it is very important for our application to send and receive files, thus playing a very important role for us.

Right now, what I can recall as the best features Stonebranch offers is that it bridges the gap between old legacy systems and modern cloud storage systems such as AWS S3 or Azure Blob, letting us track a file's entire life cycle from one UI. It can really handle very big files without limitation; we have never felt any issue handling very big files. It is a very big plus point. I would also add that it has good fault-tolerant delivery; if a network glitch occurs between a local plant server and the central Mainframe, then Stonebranch features auto restart and checkpoint restart capabilities to pick up basically where it left off, not from the start, which saves time and prevents failures.

The checkpoint restart capability has helped our team significantly, especially since our application is very old and we have a support team that is highly dependent on Stonebranch. At night, we have very large batches that run, and if a file transfer fails, it can cause a huge loss to the company. Stonebranch's features, such as auto restart and checkpoint restart, help to start the process from the point where it failed, not from the start, saving us time. In Toyota, everything depends on time; even a minute's delay can lead to a lot of loss. This capability helps the support team avoid high-priority tickets and saves the company from losses.

Stonebranch has made a difference in terms of time saved, primarily due to the checkpoint restart and auto restart features that help in saving time. It also leads to cost savings; if a file is half processed and other orders are not processed, it can cause significant losses. These features in Stonebranch help us save costs for the company and reduce delays, which can again lead to losses. We transfer files to AS/400 through Stonebranch, and if a delivery instruction reaches AS/400 late, the truck will wait at the depot, causing orders not to reach on time. Such delays would cost the company a significant amount of money.

I think Stonebranch could be improved by creating a command line tool so that Mainframe teams can control everything without using a web browser. This would help us quickly address issues as Mainframe users are accustomed to the command line. If Stonebranch can send all failure alerts directly to Mainframe's SDSF screens, it would also help us debug faster and reduce our need to contact Stonebranch team repeatedly for any issues. Building automated templates that instantly recognize Mainframe data structures, known as copybooks, without requiring data engineers to manually set up fresh translation metadata arrays for every new inbound file type is another improvement I can recall.

I have been using Stonebranch for a very long time, for nine years.

Stonebranch is stable; we have been using it for a very long time. As I already mentioned, I have been using it for nine years.

The customer support is good; whenever we had any issue, they immediately addressed it and tried to get it resolved.

As I mentioned, Stonebranch helps us a lot in file transfer because I am from the Mainframe team, and every file transfer involves Stonebranch. We are also using Stonebranch in the modernization project for every file transfer between the legacy system and the modern system. This is my perspective based on my work experience, although there are many other areas in Toyota where Stonebranch is used that I am not fully aware of.

My advice for others looking into using Stonebranch is that they should use it for file transfers because it is very reliable and has inbuilt capabilities that help any organization perform file transfers effectively. Even if something breaks in between, Stonebranch has the capability to fix that and complete the file transfer process. Big organizations rely heavily on these transfers; as I mentioned, in Toyota we are consistently sending and receiving files to multiple upstream and downstream systems, and we are heavily dependent on Stonebranch without any issues, and we have never considered replacing it with any other platform.

Stonebranch is a very good product, and I would definitely recommend it. I gave this product a rating of eight.

We use Stonebranch for our enterprise workload automation and orchestration because we are a fintech, and all of the data we have, all of the application-related jobs, and all of our automated workflows are managed through Stonebranch.

What I appreciate about Stonebranch is mainly the UI experience, which is easy to use and allows for user-friendly creation of all tasks and workflows, along with lightweight agents and easy-to-use integrations.

The benefits of integrating Stonebranch with third-party applications include having observability ITSM tools to audit and resolve critical job failures, the ability to automate tasks through REST APIs for COTS products, and using orchestration for self-remediation or diagnostics, making it versatile for various repetitive tasks beyond just batch jobs.

Stonebranch's workload automation with cross-environment job dependencies has streamlined our processes significantly, as we operate in a multi-cloud environment with existing data centers. The orchestration acts as a controller, facilitating communication across systems without needing individual systems to talk to each other, thus easing orchestration processes whether in a single or multi-environment.

Stonebranch's compliance and security features play a crucial role in our workload automation from a governance perspective, as we are a fintech that needs to monitor controls to prevent potential SLA breaches when jobs are delayed.

The key benefits of using Stonebranch that improve our organization's functionality include the numerous integrations provided by Stonebranch that continue to get updated, the flexible licensing model that can yield significant benefits through Enterprise License Agreements, allowing for many features to be bundled within a single solution, and positive impacts on upgrade processes, vulnerability remediation, and the responsive support from our Customer Success Manager.

From an improvement perspective, since everything is moving towards the cloud and AI, the integrations with Stonebranch need to be accelerated. Stonebranch does provide SDKs for building our own integrations, but they need to enhance this further as the market evolves.

A few features we would like to see included in Stonebranch are improvements to reporting capabilities, specifically the ability to pull an entire workflow into a single report seamlessly. Stonebranch has mentioned they are developing a new solution called the reporting database to address these limitations.

I have been working with Stonebranch for the last four years.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the tech support and customer service of Stonebranch around eight or nine.

Before Stonebranch, we used Broadcom's AutoSys and several other individual schedulers including the Windows Task Scheduler, cron job, Visual Cron, and Ab Initio Control Center, among many more.

The initial setup of Stonebranch was challenging because it was not widely known in the market. However, through professional services, Stonebranch helped train our team and facilitated the migration process. While the migration did have challenges, Stonebranch was able to fix issues that arose during the migration.

We have seen a return on investment with Stonebranch, as the centralization of all jobs has reduced overall efforts, although it is not directly equating to a cost reduction. We are meeting our audit requirements and are close to achieving full ROI.

In evaluating other solutions before choosing Stonebranch, we assessed at least twelve to thirteen market products and finally considered three solutions: Stonebranch, JAMS Scheduler, and a Redwood product, among a few others.

The key differences between Stonebranch and the Redwood solution or JAMS Scheduler include the fact that some solutions did not support our Solaris environment, cost factors, technical capabilities, compliance with our fintech regulations and policies, and resource utilization. We needed lightweight agents versus heavy ones running across our systems, which helped us select features that meet ninety to ninety-five percent of our requirements.

Based on my experience with Stonebranch, I would advise other organizations to find value in their customer-friendly approach that supports necessary customizations. During our extensive nine-month proof of concept, the support and service provided after the sale has remained high, ensuring we got what we needed even post-implementation.

Overall, I would rate Stonebranch as a product or solution an eight out of ten. I believe Stonebranch needs to expand further into the infrastructure automation space.