Aras vs. Agile - How do they compare...

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Aras vs. Agile - How do they compare...

How to compare Aras Innovator to Agile A9

We're often asked for guidance on how to compare Aras Innovator to Agile A9.  It's not exactly an Apples-2-Apples comparison,   but here is an overview that should help:

Aras Innovator

Agile A9

Low cost IT infrastructure.  100% Microsoft .NET and SqlServer for the lowest overall IT infrastructure cost of ownership.

Expensive Oracle database licenses and proprietary application servers.  Maintenance, support and upgrades are more expensive.

Lower cost IT skills sets.   Less DBA work required, and all IT resources will be the less expensive Microsoft certified professionals.

Requires expensive Oracle DBA’s  to manage the system.  Administrative support work is 2x – 5x more than an Aras Innovator installation.

Advanced Model-Based SOA Architecture means the system is inherently flexible and can be rapidly customized to meet customer’s needs without extensive programming.   Aras Innovator Model-Based architecture supports continuous improvement, allowing ongoing data model, process model and business changes, simply, and risk-free through the Aras Innovator drag-and-drop user interface.

Aras Innovator implementation projects have been delivered under-budget and ahead of schedule.

Legacy object-oriented Client-Server technology is difficult to modify to fit customer needs.  Very few customers can support their own systems,  requiring external consultants (expensive) for the initial deployment,  and additional consultants for every minor customization that is required after go-live.

Many Agile A9 implementation projects never finish…

Advanced Model-Based Architecture means faster deployment of upgrades.  Even heavily customized customer solutions are upgraded to the next major Aras Innovator version in less than 2 weeks by a single engineer.

Hard-coded customizations, and rigid object oriented approach penalizes customers who modify the software to fit their business needs.   Even minor customizations result in 60-90 day upgrade projects with large consulting teams when new major versions are released.

Aras Subscription is optional.  If the customer does not need enterprise class support, they don’t need to buy it.  Customer can also skip a year if necessary.

Not likely.

Aras Subscription includes the software AND consulting labor to perform upgrades... even of the customized system.  Aras Model-Based technology makes this affordable and achievable.

Every upgrade is another PO and another large consulting project.  Customizations are generally not even supported during upgrade.

SharePoint integration co-developed with Microsoft and available as a Microsoft Certified solution.

Not likely.

Parts, BOM, Drawings, Product Portfolio, Project Management, ECO,

Quality Systems, CAPA, FMEA, Risk Management, Manufacturing Process Planning, ISO,  Skills and Training Management,  Variant Configurator, and dozens more new solutions added to the community each year.

Parts, BOM, Drawings, Product Portfolio, Project Management, ECO.   ß period

Unlimited User Licensing to allow inclusion of all employees and supply chain partners in the PLM system, without expensive named user licenses.  Simple Subscription pricing allow predictable, fixed pricing.

Expensive named user licensing and maintenance contracts means high capital expense up front, and varying costs each year as the PLM system rolls out.

Integrations for all CAD (mechanical and electrical) are available

Integrations for all CAD (mechanical and electrical) are available

Integrations with all major ERP systems are available

Integrations with all major ERP systems are available

Can be deployed and used in production for unlimited users for no cost.  If the customer does not need help,  they don’t pay for services or Subscription.

Aras is confident that we provide the highest value-add services, and so can offer our enterprise class support services as an option, rather than forcing customers to spend money through legal contracts and coercion.

Not Likely.

Recent Comments

By: PLM Expert Posted on Mon, Nov 8 2010 3:18 PM

This list is not correct, and it is missing a lot of information on Oracle solutions that have been released for years and all available in public documents…

Aras has:

-No Analytics

-No ERP integrations out of the box

-No Data Quality engine

-No Enterprise Architecture (clustering, etc)

-A sub standard security model

You refer to “hard coded customizations” as being a bad thing, but that’s EXACTLY what a customer needs to do to deploy Aras!

The Aras toolkit is good, and the Aras data model is, in fact, very flexible.  The customers can create whatever they want.  This is NOT A GOOD THING.  If a customer wants to be in the software development business, then they will LOVE Aras.  If they want a PLM application up and running fast with a proven track record of success, Aras is not what they are looking for.

By: John Sperling Posted on Tue, Jun 7 2011 6:47 PM

PLM Expert – Thanks for your comments.  Sounds like you could use an update on the Aras technology given some of the inaccuracies in your post.  Thought I’d try to help out here (better late than never…)

- Aras does have analytics, in fact in addition to the full suite of Microsoft business intelligence capabilities, the open architecture means that you can use any other analytics product that you want, your choice

- There are a whole series of OOTB ERP integrations

- Aras is an enterprise architecture with clustering capabilities, etc.

- The architecture of Aras makes it easy to use subsidiary applications like Data Quality (even Oracle’s), while the Oracle strategy makes those offerings proprietary and expensive.

- The security model comment is clearly a misstatement; Aras has a very robust military-grade security structure with ‘need-to-know’ permissions based on groups and roles with hierarchical inheritance... in addition, Aras has Team-based security which Agile does not.

- The last comment on hardcoded vs. flexibility also seems misdirected.  The Aras model-based SOA framework allows tailoring to fit business processes without complex programming, and those customizations are supported through upgrades.  The reason for Agile's success is that since the data model is hardcoded, customers are generally forced to change their business to match the software.  While this can get customer up and running quickly, it stifles process-based innovation and presents a particular problem when business requirements change such as new market conditions, customer demands, acquisitions, etc. With a hard coded system you are unable to improve your business. Aras solves this issue by providing complete OOTB functionality that is highly flexible so you can get going fast, and customize your processes quickly as well to take advantage of opportunities. After all, isn’t that what companies really need?

By: XAgile Posted on Fri, Aug 19 2011 6:37 PM

John Sperling,

First full disclosure: You and I both used to work at Agile Software together before it got acquired by Oracle.

I don't have any incentive to defend Agile (I left a while ago) except that I think some intellectual honesty is required here.

Even when taking into account that this article was written in 2009, it contains a lot of inaccuracies and omissions that you can clear up for Aras. By the way, this not only goes for you but for all of the ex Agile people working at Aras. You know who you are.

A couple of examples:

- Many projects never finish. You and I both know this is not true. Agile's customer satisfaction is extremely high.

- Limited set of objects. You forget all objects and roles related to Cost Management (Customer, Supplier, Quote, Price, ...) or all objects related to Product Quality (CAPA, product change request, quality data mart) or Product Compliance (Specifications, Declaration, Substance) etc.

I think it would help Aras' credibility tremendously when it creates a true comparison. As a PLM professional well connected in this space, I know statements like this make Aras look like an untrustworthy partner.

XAgile