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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Jul 12, 2023

We performed a comparison between OpCon and Rocket Zena based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

Features: OpCon is praised for its versatility, seamless integration, convenient self-service option, and ability to automate manual tasks. Rocket Zena is highly regarded for its user-friendly interface, simplicity, useful diagram feature, Linux configuration compatibility, cross-platform job scheduling, and efficient FTP file transfer capability.

OpCon can improve its web-based interface, Solution Manager, which is not as functional as the desktop interface. Upgrading to newer versions can be complex, and users want a mobile app for accessibility. Rocket Zena lacks visibility into connections between applications, has limitations on the number of components in a process, and has a slow UI loading time. Users also find the UI unintuitive and want a web interface for easier access.

Service and Support: OpCon's customer service has a highly skilled and efficient technical support team that provides prompt and effective solutions. Customers value the support staff's helpfulness and friendliness. Rocket Zena offers excellent support, with knowledgeable and responsive technical assistance. However, obtaining higher-level support may involve some delay.

Ease of Deployment: OpCon's initial setup involves close collaboration with SMA consultants and training, which can be complex. Rocket Zena's setup varies among users, with some finding it easier to understand. However, Zena faces challenges when it comes to integrating with SAP.

Pricing: OpCon is recognized as being pricey and intricate to set up, demanding a learning curve. Nevertheless, it is regarded as a high-quality product that offers good value for the investment. Rocket Zena is seen as cost-efficient and budget-friendly, making it a feasible choice for smaller businesses.

ROI: OpCon has proven to be a valuable investment with significant returns through reduced time and errors, enhanced productivity, and the removal of full-time operators. Rocket Zena offers time savings, improved accuracy, and alleviates stress for engineers.

Comparison Results: OpCon is highly favored over Rocket Zena due to its flexibility, integration capabilities, self-service features, automation capabilities, and reliability. Users appreciate OpCon's graphical user interface, database functionality, and the ability to create a testing environment. OpCon's positive user reviews and its comprehensive features make it the preferred choice.

To learn more, read our detailed OpCon vs. Rocket Zena Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 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 image scanning and anti-malware features are really valuable.""The solution has streamlined operations. We have written custom jobs to do particular things, but OpCon is definitely the one that manages running them at particular times. Often times, those jobs have to run after hours. So while we still develop and spend time and man-hours writing code, once it's done, OpCon is running that in the afternoons or evenings. This is usually done during off hours when a person would normally be required to be here and do it. Instead, OpCon is available, consistent, reliable and easy to get things in and working quickly once we develop and get them working. OpCon takes care of the entire process, including notifications that we define if something were to happen so we know what to do next. Again, it's simplifies the entire process.""Having the jobs laid out while attaching dependencies is a nice addition to the program.""The automation of processes is the most valuable feature. One of the major hurdles for us over the last few years, before we found OpCon, was to make our nightly process happen automatically. Being a bank, we have nightly update processes that have to happen for posting transactions, for example, and it was a huge load off our department to have that automated.""We particularly like the fact that it's graphical because it is Windows-based. Before, we were text-based on the mainframe. You can also produce flow charts. Because it's point-and-click, its ease of use is very nice.""It allows us to have more information and more control than we previously had over the processes that are running in host systems.""The ability to chain jobs together allows us to create complex interdependencies between our jobs, and the integration into our core system is important because it allows us, through an automated system, to do a huge number of things that used to be done manually.""There are a lot of valuable features. The version that we're currently casting, Self Service, is going to be the most valuable to us. It is going to allow us to open up the doors, broaden our automation capability and help other business units to be able to automate a lot of the little things that they do from day to day. I'm really looking forward to being able to help other areas with their automation needs. Self Service is really key."

More OpCon Pros →

"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.""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.""I have used other tools with similar capabilities; it's the ease of use.""I like the whole product, but specifically, I like the license part. It's very easy to acquire a license for this product.""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.""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.""The most valuable feature is the FTP file transfer.""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."

More Rocket Zena Pros →

Cons
"I don't really think anything needs to be improved within the functionality. The only struggle I had, when I first started using it, is that it depends a lot on the command line and I didn't have that experience. So more built-in, basic commands or more education on commands would be good.""The solution has quite a learning curve for beginners. It's challenging. I wouldn't rate it as super-easy to automate processes. It's medium-weight. I've used more complex software, but I've used simpler software.""I would like more web-based training from SMA. That would be nice. Our primary OpCon representative is phenomenal, but we would like some training opportunities for learning on our own. When I started utilizing OpCon, the sheer breadth of it made for a very daunting task. I was almost fearful to start, not to mention fearful to go change things and possibly hinder a job.""The one area it needs some help in is the mainframe area because that is not its strength. They support the mainframe but it's not something that they are good at.""Some additional logging-information reporting would also help. They have all the information there but you still have to search around and look back. It's not right there for you, where you click and can get the reporting. You have to know the system and do some additional searches. So reporting is another area that they can build on by simplifying it.""I would like OpCon to implement a reporting feature on the dashboard that displays historical data for specific jobs. Ideally, this feature would allow us to view the past seven days or the next seven days, but with a specific focus on highlighting instances where a particular job has historically failed, particularly on Saturdays over the past year.""I have noticed lately that [tech support's] first answers tend to be, "Let's upgrade it to the latest and greatest first," without looking into anything. The last couple of times I've logged a ticket that's been the response, which is a little frustrating. We're not big on just upgrading on a whim. We do full testing.""The FICS integration is a little bit clunky. We've had some tickets with their support team, and sometimes they couldn't figure it out, but that probably has more to do with FICS than with OpCon."

More OpCon Cons →

"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.""The documentation has room for improvement.""In the next release, I would like the user experience to be improved. The user interface should be more appealing to gen-z.""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.""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 UI is not intuitive, and it would be nice if there was a web interface.""In the next release, I would like to have an alert feature to indicate when an agent is down. Rocket Zena is not capable of sending alerts that the agent is down. As of now, you have manually monitor to see when the agent is down."

More Rocket Zena Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "This solution is certainly not the cheapest, but we win in time."
  • "Yearly, it's around $30,000."
  • "Our licensing is on a yearly basis."
  • "Our license is for 1000 jobs. Including support, the license and upgrades are 2000 euros a month."
  • "Yearly, we're paying about $62,000. OpCon has an all-inclusive feature and module license, but you pay per task."
  • "Our annual maintenance costs are $45,000. The initial cost is separate."
  • "On a yearly basis our cost is between $25,000 and $30,000."
  • "Annually, we pay $29,000. This is for a blanket policy that covers everything, like licensing and support."
  • More OpCon 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:My favorite feature is the dashboard feature, which shows jobs that are running, and completed, any failures, and provides dashboard reporting.
    Top Answer:While the overall cost is reasonable, I'm interested in exploring options for making the managed automation solution, specifically the mass solution, more cost-effective.
    Top Answer:I would like OpCon to implement a reporting feature on the dashboard that displays historical data for specific jobs. Ideally, this feature would allow us to view the past seven days or the next seven… 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
    9th
    out of 49 in Workload Automation
    Views
    2,434
    Comparisons
    945
    Reviews
    7
    Average Words per Review
    1,269
    Rating
    9.4
    12th
    out of 49 in Workload Automation
    Views
    2,486
    Comparisons
    1,473
    Reviews
    7
    Average Words per Review
    999
    Rating
    8.3
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    ASG-Zena
    Learn More
    Overview

    OpCon is a robust and flexible platform capable of scaling up to meet the needs of clients running 140,000+ daily jobs across multiple environments and operating systems. Our proven migration framework helps clients painlessly transition from outdated or cost inefficient platforms thanks to our deep organizational expertise, REST API, and extensive library of legacy connectors. We have a variety of consulting options available for clients and offer no-cost training for the life of the contract.

    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."


    Offer
    Accel­er­ate dig­i­tal trans­for­ma­tion through work­load automation

    Automate repetitive tasks so you can focus on projects that drive your business forward. Find out how OpCon workload automation enables you to create repeatable, reliable workflows - all managed from a single platform.

    Learn more about Rocket Zena
    Sample Customers
    LOHR, Carnival Cruise Lines, Herbalife, Digital Federal Credit Union, Synergent, Frandsen Bank & Trust
    Fraternidad Muprespa
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm78%
    Insurance Company9%
    Government4%
    Manufacturing Company2%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm35%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Insurance Company8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm38%
    Government25%
    Healthcare Company13%
    Wholesaler/Distributor13%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm27%
    Insurance Company17%
    Computer Software Company11%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise46%
    Large Enterprise30%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business15%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise75%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business30%
    Large Enterprise70%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business13%
    Midsize Enterprise5%
    Large Enterprise82%
    Buyer's Guide
    OpCon vs. Rocket Zena
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about OpCon vs. Rocket Zena and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    OpCon is ranked 9th in Workload Automation with 56 reviews while Rocket Zena is ranked 12th in Workload Automation with 9 reviews. OpCon is rated 9.2, while Rocket Zena is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of OpCon writes "Gives us the ability to schedule dependent jobs across different mainframes". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Rocket Zena writes "A continuously evolving, stable solution, with responsive support". OpCon is most compared with Control-M, AutoSys Workload Automation, IBM Workload Automation, UiPath and Automic Workload Automation, whereas Rocket Zena is most compared with Control-M, Rocket Zeke, IBM Workload Automation, AutoSys Workload Automation and ActiveBatch by Redwood. See our OpCon 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.