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IBM BPM vs Oracle BPM 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM BPM
Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
110
Ranking in other categories
Application Infrastructure (7th), Process Automation (5th)
Oracle BPM
Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)
15th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Business Process Management (BPM) category, the mindshare of IBM BPM is 7.6%, down from 7.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle BPM is 1.8%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Business Process Management (BPM)
 

Featured Reviews

Mohammed Almalki - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good case management and its integration with process design but there's a learning curve
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.
Neilsen Seixas - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables robust integration capabilities, facilitating seamless connection with various systems and applications
We utilized Oracle BPM to automate various administrative processes within our organization, specifically focusing on eliminating paper-based workflows related to licensing procedures in our environment. Oracle BPM enabled collaboration between our IT and business teams for effective process management. Utilizing the Oracle VPN, we experienced significant improvements in process efficiency. For instance, a process that previously took forty days before implementation was reduced to just twenty minutes after implementing Oracle BPM. This remarkable reduction in time demonstrates the substantial benefits brought about by the solution. The solution is comprehensive, encompassing modeling, implementation, and runtime capabilities. Additionally, by leveraging this platform, we seamlessly integrated Oracle Portal and Oracle Document Management, providing a complete solution within the Oracle ecosystem. The integration capabilities of Oracle BPM with other systems significantly influenced our workflow. Our workflow was impacted positively by these integrations. Initially, we utilized Oracle BPM alongside other Oracle products such as Oracle Context Manager, Oracle Portal, and Oracle Document Management. Despite using multiple products, they are seamlessly integrated, providing a comprehensive solution for our clients. This solution encompassed document management, workflow control, process execution, and automation, effectively streamlining processes and eliminating bureaucratic hurdles. The transparency and efficiency achieved through this integrated approach were highly beneficial for our clients.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The reach with Integration Adapters and support for adding custom Java code are valuable features."
"The case management and its integration with process design are good features."
"This solution has streamlined our operation and improved the TAT of sales, operations, and underwriters."
"There is a component of this BPM pool - I can't recall the name. What it does is, it allows you to create various scenarios and then run them quickly, before actually putting them onto a tool. So I think that part of the tool is really fantastic, because that enables you to create scenarios, create simulations, before actually going out and putting it into the tool itself"
"It is being able to see the process, and understanding what the process is versus having to bury it in code somewhere."
"IBM BPM and Automation Anywhere working together automate manual tasks with a reduction in FTEs, creating about a 30% reduction in FTEs by automating processes."
"Our customers use the solution as a workflow platform to manage their processes."
"IBM BPM is a stable solution."
"I find the data lineage features most valuable."
"We have more than 800 distinct applications in our IT landscape. We had enough scalability and okay development cycles, and it has been enough to cover our backup operations and order management systems."
"One of the most valuable features of Oracle BPM is the workflow itself. It is quite intuitive."
"Currently, we define the tasks, and based on certain decision rules, the tool decides the task priorities and the time frame of the task."
"The Workspace is a full, rich application where most users can find what they want. It shows them a list of their work."
"It is easy and cheap."
"This solution has given us a quick time to market, the ability to integrate with the rest of the corporate applications, and the ability to hire talent in low-cost locations."
"One of the most valuable features is its user-friendly API, which simplifies the implementation of workflows, such as managing inbox tasks for specific users within BPM profiles."
 

Cons

"The engine itself tends to accumulate a lot of data that needs to be cleaned up, and that's the kind of thing that keeps it from, in some scenarios, scaling as much as it needs to. And then, when you're building solutions, if you're not careful to keep the screens from being associated with too much data, if you're going to just do things the way that a lot of people would just assume that they can do, without having experience of having made those mistakes before, it will accumulate a lot of data, and that will cause it to perform very badly."
"From the testing perspective and minor enhancements perspective, customization is something that is a little tedious as compared to new tools. In addition, various open-source tools that are available are not working with IBM BPM."
"New users will need at least six months to get comfortable with IBM BPM, at least initially. So, there's a learning curve."
"The integration could be improved."
"I believe that if the license were cheaper, it would have a greater impact."
"I'd like the tool to be more flexible."
"Some of the features are not enough for my business. We need to build custom user management for the many end users affected by BPM."
"We had hoped that the product would provide us with plug-ins like Salesforce. Its development environment needs to improve. We expect to see elastic features like containerization. We don't just need an on-prem virtual machine."
"There are delays in offering the latest technology, so there is a need to be more responsive to technological changes."
"Every time we roll out a new version of processes, we have to migrate to a new process. The process of this migration was not very smooth. We later decided that it would be easier for us to stop all processes, deploy a new version and then restart."
"It could have easier administration. It takes time to configure and deploy."
"Oracle BPM should allow integration with external, common APIs."
"Pricing is an area that could use improvement."
"You have to maintain it manually."
"Their Case Management set of features is severely lacking and should be a target for immediate improvement dealing with unpredictable processes inside of organizations."
"Oracle BPM could probably be improved with respect to the cost. When you are using this product, it'll be a bit costlier for the ROA. I think they should do some discounts on these products, especially for the licenses."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I think it's a reasonably priced tool, but it's important to consider which customers should buy this solution. It's designed for enterprise customers, not small ones."
"I give the pricing an eight out of ten."
"IBM BPM cannot be considered a cheaply priced product. IBM BPM is a really expensive product compared to other companies. One needs to opt for the perpetual licensing model offered by IBM."
"Our customers do see ROI. They'll identify some particularly painful or uncoordinated processes to start with, then build out from there, picking off low hanging fruit."
"The pricing is very high."
"We have a yearly licensing model. It is not expensive. There are no addition costs to the standard license."
"The product is expensive considering the hardware and software costs."
"It's expensive. All software is always extremely high. The manufacturing cost that we have compared to the selling cost, it's not like you're building a house or building a car. But putting that aside, considering that it's expensive, it's a lot of money. If you compare it with some of the other alternatives in the market, it's a similar price. For instance, if you compare it with Pegasystems, it's a similar price."
"We received the product packaged into the Oracle database solution."
"I don't have information on the exact cost of Oracle BPM because a different team handles that, but it's pretty high. Oracle products are very costly. I would rate pricing for Oracle BPM three out of five. Though the pricing is high, the solution has a lot of features."
"Oracle is good, but they're still expensive compared to other vendors."
"The licensing for this product is very costly. We pay for a yearly license to use Oracle BPM."
"This solution is very expensive. You are charged per license and an additional 20% for support."
"The licensing model is good."
"The pricing is significantly high, particularly for Brazil where fluctuations in the exchange rate between the dollar and the real can further increase the cost of Oracle licenses."
"As with all Oracle products, the licensing over VMware is an issue."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
32%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
 

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?
SAP is more expensive, but IBM BPM is very expensive. If a scale of one to ten is used, I would rate IBM BPM at nine in terms of pricing.
What do you like most about Oracle BPM?
The solution provides extensive functionalities.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle BPM?
The licensing is expensive. It needs to be more affordable, especially in the Kenyan market.
What needs improvement with Oracle BPM?
Oracle BPM should ensure its product is aligned with current technology by keeping up with advancements like AI. There are delays in offering the latest technology, so there is a need to be more re...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

WebSphere Lombardi Edition, IBM Business Process Manager, IBM WebSphere Process Server
Oracle Business Process Management
 

Learn More

 

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
State Revenue Office Victoria, New South Wales Health, REDISA, Panduit, Total E&P Indonesie
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM BPM vs. Oracle BPM and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.