In the world of enterprise platform solutions, active competition is beneficial. Even with the feature set that Scheer PAS offers as part of its platform, it makes sense for organisations looking to solve their business process and integration problems to evaluate alternatives and compare competing products. Before we get into the comparison, here is a brief overview of Scheer PAS.
Scheer PAS - Features at a glance
Unlike many other software solutions that aim to solve the easy and simple problems in enterprise IT infrastructure (such as user interface creation, simple integrations and developer adoption), Scheer PAS focuses specifically on the complex challenges in large enterprise IT landscapes. With its unique combination of:
- Integration of IT systems (SAP, non-SAP, legacy, cloud...)
- Powerful process engine for orchestration
- Low-Code / Pro-Code interoperability
- API management for the use of existing APIs
- Process Mining
- and more...
But we would not be part of the Scheer brand, which has been inextricably linked with the topic of processes in Germany for decades, if we did not combine our technical service portfolio with the topic of business processes. We see ourselves as process experts and have therefore developed a "Process iPaaS" with Scheer PAS: An integration platform whose focus is on mapping our customers' business processes and making them fit for the digital world. We concentrate on connecting business processes and systems in such a way that measurable results and a holistic view of the entire company are created. We want our customers to experience how the use of Scheer PAS leads to greater efficiency, reduced costs, higher throughput, optimised quality and faster delivery.
However, we do not want to get lost in the many aspects of Process iPaaS, but rather focus on its unique value for enterprise IT. Our aim is to compare Scheer PAS with its "alternatives". The inverted commas are quite justified here, because even though other solutions share certain features of Scheer PAS (and some of them even surpass certain things), there is no real alternative to such a unique platform designed specifically for European organisations. Let's start with that:
1st Mulesoft vs. Scheer PAS
With MuleSoft is an integration platform with API management and numerous ready-made connectors and templates with which users can easily integrate their systems. However, the library is missing two important components for European companies. The most notable highlights of MuleSoft are:
- Comprehensive integration options
- Pre-built connectors and templates
- Robust API management
As well as being easy to use for integration purposes, MuleSoft also has some disadvantages:
- Steep learning curve for specialised projects
- High costs (considering the features)
- Limited documentation and support
- Missing context of the business processes
The disadvantages mentioned could easily be overcome by companies with well-prepared IT departments, with the exception of the last one, which is the biggest obstacle for the platform. The lack of business processes obscures the real business benefits of the MuleSoft platform. The other stumbling block of MuleSoft is the lack of complexity and completeness due to the lack of real transparency in terms of real results.
MuleSoft does not have the functionalities of Scheer PAS, especially with regard to complex business scenarios in which SAP, non-SAP, legacy and modern systems are used in the company.
Many European companies, especially in the DACH region, are often still struggling with digitalisation, but most IT problems cannot be generalised. MuleSoft lacks nuances and customisation options here, while Scheer PAS takes a leading role in tackling complex business scenarios.
2. Frends vs. Scheer PAS
Simplification is usually a good thing. As a Nordic iPaaS platform Frends offers integration, workflow automation and API management. In terms of functionalities, a similarity to Scheer PAS is recognisable. In the following, we will first look at some of the remarkably positive aspects of using Frends in an enterprise context:
- Low-Code development enables the use of Citizen Developers
- Support for hybrid integration
- User-friendly user interface
- Cost efficiency
The most important point that Frends offers its customers is "simplicity". Again the inverted commas, but this time for a different reason. Frends' offering is indeed user-friendly and fast, giving users the feeling that their IT problems are easy to solve. However, this approach also has some drawbacks:
However, this approach also has some disadvantages:
- Limited functionalities
- On-site use is required for some integration functions
- Microsoft.net technologies as a limiting factor for many organisations
Simplifying the integration and automation of workflows comes at the cost of limiting the platform's capabilities to the specific challenges of an organisation. This and the use of proprietary technologies limit the potential use cases for the platform. In turn, the lack of process transparency can limit smaller or mid-sized organisations with simple IT challenges that often don't involve many different types of IT systems and services, which is where Scheer PAS comes in, and the direct comparison with Frends makes it seem like the two platforms are intended for different users, with one obviously being more complex than the other.
3 Boomi vs Scheer PAS
Also boomi wants to make it as easy as possible for its users - and therefore a good solution for less difficult challenges. For a serious business use case in a large organisation, however, the iPaaS solution boomi is inadequate. It makes it possible to connect different applications, data and people and relies on low-code. Similar to Frends, boomi has API management with workflow automation. The advantages of boomi include
- Ease of use (for beginners and non-technical users)
- Extensive range of ready-made connectors
- Strong support from the community
As in the previous example, Boomi's main selling point is a simplified user experience, which could be beneficial for lightweight organisations with little to no complexity in their business processes or IT architecture. Another point is the fact that the additional components are all housed in separate interfaces, which supports the thesis of using it for less complex processes. Speaking of processes: Unlike Scheer PAS, boomi does not offer true integration of business processes into the platform, which further separates the integration effort from the real results. To summarise, the following disadvantages of using boomi over Scheer PAS can be noted:
- No complex integration scenarios
- Lack of visible results from integration initiatives
- Learning curve in view of the need for support from the community
boomi is another excellent solution for simple workflow automation and IT integration for citizen developers. However, it lacks the depth and customisability found in more comprehensive platforms such as Scheer PAS. As boomi pushes Low-Code usage, it loses the customer-specific view of a complex and often quite diverse IT landscape.
4 Camunda vs. Scheer PAS
We have to approach the comparison between Camunda and Scheer PAS differently than before. Camunda presents itself as a process orchestration platform focussing on BPMN models (which are also used by the Scheer PAS) and decision automation. The integration capabilities are sufficient, but not nearly as deep and customisable as a large enterprise would want. Let's take the strengths of Camunda:
- Process-centred platform
- Dedicated engine for business modelling
- Low-Code form editor for UI tests
- Open source components
Camunda is a suitable solution for companies that want to focus exclusively on their business processes. However, despite the Low-Code requirement for the UIs and the large number of open source components, Camunda lacks a bridge for Low-Code and Pro-Code users. This automatically proves to be a hindrance for both sides. In addition, there are several other aspects of Camunda that still need to be optimised.
- Lack of defined data models and type systems for data objects
- No microservice architecture (monolithic structure)
- Complex initial setup
- No management for internal or external APIs
- Complex integrations must be developed manually (per-code)
If a platform offers both Low-Code development, which is more focussed on simple UI creation, and Pro-code tools with which professional software developers can shine, the lack of connection between these two worlds leaves something to be desired. In this case, companies have to fall back on professional services. Scheer PAS, on the other hand, uses pro and low-code almost interchangeably, providing a smoother experience, regardless of the complexity of the projects.
Scheer PAS is characterised by the use of microservices architecture, which enables a greater integration bandwidth. Compatibility, performance and scalability take centre stage. Scheer PAS is also characterised by the fact that the rest of the IT architecture remains functional in the event of a service failure.
5. workato vs Scheer PAS
Cloud-based solutions are clearly the future. As such Workato is proud to offer the self-proclaimed #1 in the field of cloud-based integration iPaaS solutions with additional workflow automation functionality. Like its other offerings, Workato relies heavily on its low-code interface and pre-built connectors. Below are the benefits users receive when they choose Workato:
Workato offers the following advantages:
- User-friendliness through short workflows
- Extensive (cloud) integrations
- Strong customer service
The first sentence of this comparison claims that cloud-based solutions are the future of corporate IT architecture. However, this future is somewhat idealised, as currently many large organisations still rely on local systems that are part of their core IT architecture and play a major role in their business processes. This lack of horizontal integration could pose an additional challenge for organisations seeking Workato's help. There are additional challenges for Workato where Scheer can easily outperform PAS, such as:
- Restrictions in data management
- Complexity of user-defined scripts
- Missing business process context
Apart from the lack of horizontal IT system integration, Scheer PAS as a product from Switzerland and Germany offers significantly stronger data governance, especially in the EU, with a GDPR-compliant architecture. In addition, the data integration offered by Workato is nowhere near as deep as the true system integration of the Scheer PAS platform.
Conclusion
Although many other iPaaS and automation platforms and services excel in certain areas, many of them are lacking in both the general requirements of EU organisations and in some of the specific areas they focus on. A general observation of all products reveals that all of the above platforms and services are inadequate compared to Scheer PAS in the following areas:
- Integration of business processes
- Holistic results of integration projects
- Complex integrations that combine old and modern systems
- Horizontal integration between on-premises and cloud systems
- Connection of Low-Code and Pro-Code options
- General range of functions
Many platforms focus on being user-friendly, but lose sight of sufficient documentation and more complex customisation options. This ties users to their ecosystem, which then hinders further development when more complex challenges arise. The platform that was actually purchased as a solution thus becomes another piece of patchwork that has to be integrated into the in-house IT architecture.
The Scheer PAS platform utilises its numerous possibilities not only to solve company-specific challenges or to automate parts of business processes. Scheer PAS can also act as a basis for the entire company IT, combining old and new systems into a harmonious whole - open, scalable, transparent, powerful and future-proof. This makes Scheer PAS an instrument that turns companies into agile market leaders of the future.
For further comparisons with other platforms and an extended market overview, please follow this link this link.If you would like to familiarise yourself with the capabilities of the Scheer PAS Platform, click here.
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