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IBM BPM vs IBM Business Automation Workflow comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.5
Businesses using IBM BPM reported improved efficiency, automation, and cost savings despite high costs and moderate ROI.
Sentiment score
7.5
IBM Business Automation Workflow boosts ROI through productivity, cost savings, and digital transformation, benefiting IT infrastructure efficiency.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
IBM BPM customer service is generally positive, with effective support, though response delays and communication issues are noted.
Sentiment score
5.7
IBM Business Automation Workflow support is effective with variations in response timeliness and requires detailed information for best results.
The customer service is outstanding.
We had a contract that provided on-site support, which was very satisfactory.
If the solution is readily available to IBM support team, they provide it instantly.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
IBM BPM offers impressive scalability, efficiently managing high user volumes with varied experiences and requiring occasional careful tuning.
Sentiment score
7.8
IBM Business Automation Workflow offers scalable solutions, supporting high transaction volumes and adaptability for enterprise growth, despite some customization limitations.
The solution has scalability issues; on a scale, I would rate it at eight out of ten.
I found IBM BPM to be scalable to a certain level but it struggled with large volumes of concurrent transactions.
We are implementing load balancing and horizontal scalability.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
IBM BPM stability varies; recent versions improve reliability, but issues remain with infrastructure, configuration, and developer expertise.
Sentiment score
7.7
IBM Business Automation Workflow is stable, especially with best practices, auto-scaling, load balancing, and proper maintenance resolving initial issues.
 

Room For Improvement

IBM BPM needs improved customization, integration, and user-friendliness, addressing complexity and high cost with enhanced API and AI features.
IBM Business Automation Workflow needs better integration, UI, analytics, cloud migration, and support, with enhanced flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
IBM BPM also lacks smaller solutions, so I must purchase multiple solutions to start with workflows and applications.
Many developments are focused on AI, LLM models, and data science.
 

Setup Cost

IBM BPM's high costs suit large enterprises, while flexible Cloud Pak and tiered licensing offer varied pricing options.
IBM Business Automation Workflow, though costly, offers robust features and flexible licensing, making it a valuable productivity investment.
SAP is more expensive, but IBM BPM is very expensive.
 

Valuable Features

IBM BPM offers integration, scalability, and low-code development with strong UI, enhancing efficiency and reducing complexities.
IBM Business Automation Workflow centralizes automation tools with low-code features, enhancing efficiency and agility in process management.
The integration capabilities of IBM BPM are excellent.
The system is fully customizable, very resilient, and fault-tolerant.
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM BPM
Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
111
Ranking in other categories
Application Infrastructure (8th), Process Automation (5th)
IBM Business Automation Wor...
Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)
15th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Business Process Management (BPM) category, the mindshare of IBM BPM is 7.4%, up from 7.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Business Automation Workflow is 2.2%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Business Process Management (BPM)
 

Featured Reviews

SureshThota1 - PeerSpot reviewer
Good automation, stable, and scalable
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.
Ateeq Rehman - PeerSpot reviewer
Customizable features empower seamless workflow automation
The system is fully customizable, very resilient, and fault-tolerant. We have first-line support from IBM, so there are no issues. We have integrations with different banks, ERP systems, and other human resource management systems by integrating through different systems. It provides many ways to integrate, and we are utilizing it effectively.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Business Process Management (BPM) solutions are best for your needs.
838,640 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
32%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
38%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which is better, IBM BPM or IBM Business Automation Workflow?
We researched both IBM solutions and in the end, we chose Business Automation Workflow. IBM BPM has a good user interface and the BPM coach is a helpful tool. The API is very useful in providing en...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM BPM?
Once it is installed, maintaining it is not a big issue.
What do you like most about IBM Business Automation Workflow?
The most valuable feature of IBM Business Automation Workflow is cost management.
What needs improvement with IBM Business Automation Workflow?
There is always space for improvement and to adopt more features as the industry and technology evolve. Many developments are focused on AI, LLM models, and data science. I would like to hear more ...
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Lombardi Edition, IBM Business Process Manager, IBM WebSphere Process Server
Business Automation Workflow
 

Overview

 

Sample 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
Key Bank, Barclays, Control€xpert, MIR Insurance Brokers, Conqord Oil
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM BPM vs. IBM Business Automation Workflow and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
838,640 professionals have used our research since 2012.