IBM BPM Reviews

Vendor: IBM

3.9 out of 5

110 reviews
90% willing to recommend

3,538 followers

What is IBM BPM?

IBM BPM is a business process management tool that provides a robust set of tools to author, test, and deploy business processes, as well as full visibility and insight to managing those business processes. The solution provides tooling and run time for process design, execution, monitoring, and optimization, along with basic system integration support. To support various levels of complexity and involvement with business process management, there are two different editions of the product: IBM BPM and IBM BPM Express.

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IBM BPM is the #5 ranked solution in BPM Software, #5 ranked solution in top Process Automation solutions, and #7 ranked solution in top Application Infrastructure solutions. PeerSpot users give IBM BPM an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. IBM BPM is most commonly compared to Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC): IBM BPM vs Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC). IBM BPM is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 71% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 31% of all views.

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Featured reviews

Mohammed Almalki

Head of Solution Architecture at Riyad Bank

If you're already an IBM shop with the necessary skills and personnel, then I would recommend using it. However, it requires a yearly investment. So, if you're prepared for that, then go for it. New users will need at least six months to get comfortable with IBM BPM, at least initially. So, there's a learning curve. Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. Two main reasons: the skillset required to manage it and its integration complexity.

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SureshThota1

Enterprise Digital Solution Architect at Mashreq

The initial setup is complex, but once we have a mature framework in place, it has been working well. When deployed properly and as expected, customers are happy to use the solution. However, there is still a lot of configuration and installation taking time. IBM BPM provides a cloud-fast model, where it is possible to integrate automation of the process and where manual interaction is only necessary if automation is not available. We have implemented an ultimate installation that includes both capabilities, but some features were not enabled in the process access station. For example, I could not open KFC documents, they all uploaded, and saved the data, but could not do a profile page without manual interaction. IBM is still working on a permanent solution for this. The deployment time depends on the requirements, which can be critical, low, or medium-high. If the requirements are critical, it will take six to eight months. For medium requirements, it will take five months, and for low requirements, it will take only one month. Eight people were part of the deployment team.

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Prince Mathew

General Manager - Information Technology at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

One suggestion for IBM BPM is to provide better integration between their products, such as DataCap, which we use for scanning. Although the new CP4BA offers offline capabilities, not everyone is on CP4BA, so enhanced integration for those on older versions would be beneficial. Another major suggestion is to offer a migration path when a product reaches its end of life. For example, there was no migration path when we moved, so we had to redo everything we had developed over ten years completely.

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IBM BPM mindshare

Product category:

As of January 2025, the mindshare of IBM BPM in the Business Process Management (BPM) category stands at 7.6%, down from 7.7% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Process Management (BPM)

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	Business Process Management (BPM)	Jan 18, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Jan 18, 2025	Download
Comparison	IBM BPM vs Camunda	Jan 18, 2025	Download
Comparison	IBM BPM vs Apache Airflow	Jan 18, 2025	Download
Comparison	IBM BPM vs Pega Platform	Jan 18, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC)	4.0	N/A	93%	181 interviews Add to research
Camunda	4.1	22.2%	89%	77 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

IBM BPM is praised for process orchestration, system integration, and user-friendly interfaces. Its features include responsive UI, process modeling, APIs, and strong integration capabilities. Users value its low-code design, automation, scalability, and robust analytics. The platform enables quick workflow automation, document management, and customization with Java code. Its dashboards, monitoring, and ease of deployment enhance efficiency while integration with other IBM products and industry-leading APIs contribute to its acclaim in business management.

"The integration capabilities of IBM BPM are excellent."
"The integration capabilities of IBM BPM are excellent."
"The initial setup process is easy."

Room for Improvement

IBM BPM requires improvements in integration capabilities, user interface, and performance. It should offer more customization options and simplify installation and configuration. Users face challenges with debugging, scalability, and documentation. Pricing is perceived as high, and better support is needed. The adoption of cloud-native technologies, enhanced reporting, and smoother integration with other tools like RPA and AI are anticipated to enhance its functionality and user experience.

"The major issue is the pricing, which is very high. IBM BPM also lacks smaller solutions, so I must purchase multiple solutions to start with workflows and applications."
"The major issue is the pricing, which is very high."
"I suggest establishing a developer forum for better communication and issue resolution. Also, the administration panel could be improved for task management."

ROI

IBM BPM delivers notable ROI by transitioning processes from paper to digital, improving accuracy, and reducing errors. Less time is spent on processes like loan origination and claims processing. Customers experience automation, transparency, and significant cost savings. Though licensing and maintenance costs are high, users achieve substantial process optimization and faster transaction times, capturing value despite moderate ROI perceptions.

Pricing

IBM BPM's pricing is acknowledged as high, making it primarily suitable for medium to large enterprises. Users highlight the complexity of the licensing model, often on an annual basis, with costs influenced by user and server access requirements. Though some perceive it as competitive compared to similar enterprise solutions, others regard it as relatively expensive. Cloud Pak introduces some flexibility in licensing, yet smaller organizations may find open-source alternatives more cost-effective.

"Due to its extensive features and capabilities, the product pricing is more aligned with medium—to large enterprises."
"I rate the solution's pricing a four out of ten."
"The solution might be expensive, but I can't give you a precise number. In the market here, I've seen two main products for BPM: IBM BPM and Camunda. Camunda is very popular and open-source, so there's no direct comparison."

Popular Use Cases

IBM BPM is utilized across multiple industries, including insurance, healthcare, finance, banking, and logistics, for automating and managing various processes. Organizations leverage it for digitizing document workflows, enhancing process efficiency, loan and account processing, case management, and integrating data across platforms. It supports automation in underwriting, policy changes, business process management, and data flow orchestration. Users implement IBM BPM for improving back-office transactions, fraud detection, recruitment, and optimizing customer onboarding.

Service and Support

Many users describe customer service as good, with ratings averaging between 7-9 out of 10. Technical support is often praised for being responsive and effective, although some experience delays in complex issues. Consultants and business partners enhance support quality, offering quick solutions for challenges. Technical support ratings vary, with some giving high scores, while others note slower response times. Users appreciate escalated support levels for urgent issues but desire faster resolutions for complicated problems.

Deployment

IBM BPM's initial setup experiences vary widely. While some found it straightforward and user-friendly, many encountered complexity due to its advanced features and integration requirements. Challenges included database management, extensive configuration steps, and the need for specialized expertise. Cloud implementations tended to be quicker, while on-premises setups often required more time and coordination. Assistance from IBM staff frequently helped ease the process, though some users preferred handling the setup independently to avoid complications.

Scalability

IBM BPM is generally considered scalable, though experiences vary. Some note challenges with scalability under heavy loads or specific configurations, while others find it highly effective, particularly with WebSphere. Adjustments for scalability often depend on infrastructure and setup, with potential for seamless scaling across complex environments. Larger organizations typically find it adequate for extensive user bases, although issues have arisen with numerous concurrent transactions, requiring careful tuning and infrastructure adjustments.

Stability

IBM BPM is largely stable with some experiencing latency and instability tied to infrastructure and environment. Users often report improved performance with newer versions. While stability rates high, issues like server crashes under load and database connection interruptions occur. Migrating versions can present challenges, but many have found stability improves with correct platform architecture. On cloud setups, some face installation and architectural stability issues. Generally, IBM BPM is seen as reliable with ongoing support from IBM.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our IBM BPM Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

31%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Insurance Company

Educational Organization

Healthcare Company

Retailer

University

Media Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Comms Service Provider

Real Estate/Law Firm

Construction Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Legal Firm

Hospitality Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Outsourcing Company

Consumer Goods Company

Non Profit

Performing Arts

Logistics Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Sports Company

Transportation Company

Compare IBM BPM with alternative products

Learn more about IBM BPM

IBM BPM Features

IBM BPM has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Process designer authoring tool
Collaborative editing and immediate playback of processes
Interactive user interfaces
Process rules based on IBM Operational Decision Manager
IBM Integration Designer (BPEL and SOA)
Designing and building case management systems
Process portal
Real-time monitoring and reporting
Performance analytics and optimizer
Performance data warehouse
IBM Process Center with a shared asset repository
IBM Process Federation Server
Built-in enterprise service bus (ESB)
Transaction support
Integration adapters
Network deployment support
High availability: clustering and unlimited cores

IBM BPM Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing IBM BPM. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

Increased efficiency and cost savings: IBM BPM can help you optimize existing processes and incorporate more structure into the development of new processes by removing process redundancies and bottlenecks.

More scalable processes: The solution enables better process execution and workflow automation, which transfers well when scaling processes.

Greater transparency: Because IBM BPM’s process automation clearly defines owners for tasks along the process, it provides more transparency and accountability throughout a given process. In turn, this fosters more communication among teams.

Less dependency on development teams: IBM BPM offers low-code features which remove potential dependencies on development. Business users can be onboarded onto these tools quickly and easily, thereby increasing process automation across the company.

Reviews from Real Users

IBM BPM is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it’s good for developing complex apps, is robust, and has helpful team management and process performance features.

Zoran C., Owner/CEO at IT SPHERE, says, “It is perfect if you have to develop complex apps without much coding (only java script). It is also good if you don't have much IT resources in your company and would like to involve business analysts in the process of developing apps. My opinion is that it can do about 50% of all developers' work.”

Suhas V., BPM Architect at GBM, mentions, “Overall the solution is robust and has the ability to integrate with any product for complex workflows."

A BPM Consultant at a financial services firm comments, "Some of the features that I like the most are team management and process performance. They are both very useful and very powerful with regard to the workflow."

A Digital Banking & Innovation Director at a financial services firm expresses, “The processing functionality makes it easy to change processes and workflows easily.”

IBM BPM was previously known as WebSphere Lombardi Edition, IBM Business Process Manager, IBM WebSphere Process Server.

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IBM BPM customers

Barclays, EmeriCon, Banca Popolare di Milano, CST Consulting, KeyBank, KPMG, Prolifics, Sandhata Technologies Ltd., State of Alaska, Humana S.A., Saperion, esciris, Banco Espirito Santo