K3 by BroadPeak

Pros

We connect to a bunch of legacy systems, files and APIs. We get the data out of there and both send it to other systems and warehouse it. K3 has very intuitive ETL that does not require Python or some other code. Our operations teams have pretty much gone ahead and taken command of the full data lifecycle.

Cons

Nothing in particular comes to mind. For the super complicated work flows we worked with the K3 team to design some really complex orchestration. It took less time than expected. Documentation is fine maybe comparable to other systems but could always be better.

Pros

I can walk you though our process. We have a lot of on prem apps. We also have a handful of SAAS apps. There are a lot of integration options. We looked at everything from custom, in-house build to drag drop type solutions. Any integration app you look at is going to fall somewhere on this spectrum. For example, one product we looked at just formalizes an in house build, but carries a similar high workload. Others are highly abstracted and easy to use but do not allow you low level control. Many of these drag drop typesdid not get enterprise apps and complex integration work (nope this app has no API). We picked K3 because of its ability to create low level control, while making simple tasks easily managed by non-technical people.

Do your homework. Every developer wants to build their own stuff. But they do not want to maintain. K3 is great at meeting both sides. We flow a ton of very high priority data through K3 and support is great. BroadPeak really does understand challenging applications/ environments.

Cons

Pricing can get complicated. But, our all in cost is very reasonable. I asked one of their employees about this over beers and they admitted on the initial sale they are trying to figure out what kind of client you are going to be. Those who have a firm idea about what they want get a much better deal.

Pros

We use K3 a bit differently. Mostly we are using it for data prep pulling data out of a series of in house databases and legacy systems. We used to use a desktop tool for this, but K3 quickly pulls data out and we clean/map/rule it via K3 This gives us a great dataset to do Business Intelligence.

Cons

None that I can think of. The user interface is intuitive. And if you are dealing with legacy systems its awesome.

Pros

I've worked with the team on multiple engagements over the past 4 years. This is a great group of people. They really hire exceptionally well. The software is deployed on very complex projects efficiently. The code is top notch and reliable. As an external project manager, I've supervised implementations that are delivered on time and on a budget again and again. A lot of this is due to their no-nonsense approach.

Cons

K3 has evolved quite a bit since the early days. I like the direction they are going. They will not do custom code for you unless its a specialized adapter. If you want something in the middleware that is just for you...expect a no. This is actually a really good thing. Too many vendors jump at this to make a buck. But it hurts the overall application by having a single code stream.

Pros

Best in class. Not much more needs to be said. Always happy to recommend the right tool and I have yet to see a client of ours be anything but pleased with K3. Pricing is fair. The guys at BroadPeak are good at what they do. They know trading, they know compliance, they know commodities, and they know technology.

Cons

Never had a problem with K3 or BroadPeak