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Business process management applications continue to evolve rapidly, with the newest software helping companies more efficiently connect human workflow with enterprise applications.
eWEEK Labs recently reviewed two such applications: Bluespring Software Inc.s BPM Suite 4.2 and Fujitsu Software Corp.s Interstage Business Process Manager 7. BPM Suite is a good choice for companies that primarily want to automate human tasks via Microsoft Corp.s desktop applications but also want flexibility in integrating both .Net- and Java-based applications. Interstage is entirely Java-based, eliminating some deployment and management chores for IT administrators.
Priced on a per-CPU basis, average implementations of BPM Suite range in cost from $75,000 to $125,000, according to Bluespring officials. Priced starting at $60,000 per server, Interstage is a good choice for companies looking to more tightly integrate applications as part of process automation.
Bluesprings suite is a broad BPM solution that is much like Ultimus Inc.s Ultimus BPM Suite in that it can integrate desktop and enterprise applications into a process. BPM Suite 4.2 supports a broad range of applications through Web services, but there are specific connectors designed to support Microsoft applications such as MS-CRM 2.1.
Interstage, in contrast, uses a Java API and Web services to connect enterprise applications. However, the Fujitsu product doesnt offer very many prebuilt application connectors. A key differentiator for Interstage is its Web-based Process Designer—a tool that is pretty raw when compared with Windows-based process designers but does give business analysts and developers a way to build processes without having to run a Windows-based client application.
Both products reviewed here are mature and compete well with other BPM solutions. To help determine which BPM solution will work best in your organization, see eWEEK Labs sample RFP (request for proposal).
Click here to read the full review of BPM Suite 4.2.
Click here to read the full review of Interstage BPM 7.
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