AWS,Azure, and BPMS

AWS, Azure, and BPMS

Business process management (BPM) is a fundamental pillar of digital transformation, although it is often underestimated. Since the 1980s and 1990s, this discipline has evolved in tandem with workflow technologies, ERP, PLM, CRM, and other integrated software.

Today, with the rise of the cloud, automation, and artificial intelligence, giants such as AWS and Azure are seeking to capture a share of the BPMS (Business Process Management Suites) market. But where do we really stand in this race to orchestrate processes?

Alain marchildon
Alain Marchildon
President

BPM, a strategic business discipline

Business Process Management (BPM) supports the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve/Innovate, Control) continuous improvement cycle and has several specific objectives:

  • Define and document business processes.
    Establish relevant key performance indicators (KPIs).
  • Optimize existing processes.
  • Identify and eliminate bottlenecks using monitoring and simulation.
  • Reduce waste and automate tasks that do not add value.
    Monitor results and restart the improvement cycle.

From the era of workflows to the arrival of BPMS

The 2000s marked a turning point with the emergence of model-based development. BPMS tools made it possible to visualize, execute, monitor, and optimize business processes in real time.

The first generations of BPMS were often expensive, complex, and heavily dependent on internal infrastructure (monolithic middleware). They required constant IT support and development resources to map each task in the process.

The evolution of standards: BPMN, SOA, RPA

Starting in 2009, BPMS solutions began to integrate standards such as BPMN 1.2, followed by BPMN 2.0 (in 2011). The SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) approach enabled greater modularity and interoperability.

Platforms such as IBM BPM, Oracle BPM, Pega, and Appian have become established. Around 2017, robotic process automation (RPA) was integrated into several BPM suites, further enhancing their effectiveness.

The era of the cloud and BPMS as a service (BPMSaaS)

Since around 2015, BPMS tools have migrated to the SaaS model, enabling execution in the cloud. This has paved the way for greater flexibility, reduced infrastructure costs, and wider adoption among SMEs.

At the same time, major cloud service providers such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud have begun offering lightweight workflow tools:

  • AWS Step Functions and AWS SWF (Simple Workflow Service)
  • Azure Logic Apps, Power Automate (formerly MS Flow)
  • Google Workflows
  • Open-source tools such as Camunda, jBPM, BonitaSoft

However, these solutions are closer to orchestration or integration engines than true comprehensive BPM suites. They enable the automation of technical tasks or the integration of cloud services, but do not fully cover the business, human, and decision-making dimensions of a BPMS.

BPMS vs Orchestration Cloud: what are the differences?

It is important to distinguish between solutions such as BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) – focused on technical orchestration – and BPMS platforms, which go much further:

Modern BPMSs thus enable closer alignment between business intent and technological implementation. It is this extended orchestration that makes them indispensable in a structured digital transformation approach.

AWS and Azure in the BPMS race

AWS and Azure offerings are evolving rapidly. Here’s where they stand in 2025 :

  • AWS Step Functions : focused on executing machine states. Good for orchestrating microservices, but limited for managing complex business workflows.
  • Azure Logic Apps : excellent for simple integration and automation between cloud applications, but not well suited to human processes or complex business decisions.
  • Microsoft Power Platform (Power Automate + Power Apps + Power BI) is beginning to position itself as a comprehensive low-code offering with BPM elements, but still requires extensions to compete with specialized suites.

The cloud giants therefore seem to be laying the groundwork rather than competing head-on with traditional BPMS publishers… at least for now.

Towards convergence of tools?

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The future may well see a convergence between cloud orchestration tools, RPA platforms, low-code/no-code solutions, rule engines, and BPMS. Players such as Camunda, Appian, and BonitaSoft are already seeking to unify these capabilities in a hyperautomation approach.

As for AWS, Azure, and Google, their strategy seems to be the gradual integration of these building blocks into their ecosystem, or the acquisition of specialized solutions to fill their gaps.

Conclusion: monitoring must be maintained

The promise of BPMS remains intact: to orchestrate business processes with agility, clarity, and efficiency. Although cloud solutions from major providers are advancing, they do not yet replace the functional richness of mature BPM suites.

It will be necessary to closely monitor the evolution of these cloud tools in order to anticipate their transformational potential. In the meantime, companies wishing to structure their processes can take advantage of traditional or hybrid BPMS.

👉 If you are interested in this topic, we recommend reading our white paper:

Motivations and characteristics of a BPMS platform (only in french)