IBM Business Automation Workflow vs IBM Case Foundation comparison

IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. IBM Case Foundation

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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 Business Automation Wor...

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

12th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Case Foundation

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

27th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Business Process Management (BPM) category, the mindshare of IBM Business Automation Workflow is 1.7%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Case Foundation is 0.8%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Process Management (BPM) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Business Automation Workflow	1.7%
IBM Case Foundation	0.8%
Other	97.5%

Business Process Management (BPM)

Featured Reviews

Ateeq Rehman

Unit Head System Implementor at Allied Bank Limited

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.

Read full review

Khalid Tamim

Senior Systems Consultant at Saudi Telecom Company

User experience reveals stability and easy deployment, though improvements in integration options are needed

We are still working with DataPower Gateway with IBM solutions, but they will move to webMethods from DataPower, IBM. We still use IBM FileNet for the FileNet. We have already integrated IBM Case Foundation with IBM Content Management and are using IBM Content Navigator as an interface in Content Engine and Content Management for lifecycle documents. I do not use analytics for operational insights. We work in banking, but not in healthcare. Currently, my customers are using it on-premises, and security-wise it is fine. For Saudi Arabia, 300 users represent a medium business. I recommend IBM Case Foundation; it is the best in BPM solutions, and I support it. It is the best because it has stability, very good stability. IBM has good stability, and performance-wise it is also easy for deployment. From the GUI, you can make many changes, and it is low code; we did not write much code because the BPM design is a very good solution. My total rating for IBM Case Foundation is 8.5 out of 10.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's a flexible solution."

"One of the most valuable features is the way that they are adapting to the market. Initially, it was doing only workflow. Now it has started bringing all the other components like rules within the workflow and then the integration with RPA."

"Its interface is well-designed and user-friendly"

"It has integrated UI and deployment models, and it has a deep set of consultant and service provider ecosystem features."

"The most important aspect is that it helped us focus on the business process perspective."

"The business process modeling is the most valuable feature."

"The system is fully customizable, very resilient, and fault-tolerant."

"It helps develop applications very quickly. Once clients get used to it and familiar with the methodology, then they don't feel so locked in. It is able to add this element of agility to our clients' software development lifecycle. That is my favorite thing about it: You're not so locked in as you used to be when developing applications."

More IBM Business Automation Workflow pros

"The client and the IBM content navigation are the solution's most valuable features."

"The most valuable feature is the content manager part of the file as it is very stable, robust, and reliable."

"The solution is scalable."

"I recommend IBM Case Foundation; it is the best in BPM solutions, and I support it."

"The most valuable feature is its stability, which is why we are using it."

"Flexible and the ability to divide search screens, and to search for documents. The ECM feature inside the system is great."

"The content management is great."

"It is easy to set up workflows that notify the user depending on certain events."

More IBM Case Foundation pros

Cons

"I would definitely like to see a unified interface between the BPM side of the house and the case side of the house. Something that just seems a bit more cohesive, because right now there is sort of a disconnect between the BPM and the case side of the house. That makes it a bit of a hard sell sometimes. That is definitely first and foremost on my wish list."

"IBM Business Automation Workflow could be more intuitive, with more advanced low-code features and services definition."

"The SCADA Systems are very sophisticated and have a hard time integrating with our older scales. The technical support in regards to the partner side needs some improvement."

"Requires a lot of customization code writing which could be reduced."

"While everything is integrated into one platform, I'd like guidelines on when and how to use ODM. This applies not only to implementation but also to automation processes. Additionally, proper instructions should be provided when installing on the cloud."

"In terms of improvement, it could be less complex."

"The main improvement would be to make it easier to implement and deploy so that customers can kick it off and run quickly."

"If the issue needs escalation to level two or level three, it can take time on a case-by-case basis."

More IBM Business Automation Workflow cons

"We are now using microservices but there are some areas where the coordination with FileNet is problematic."

"Comparing the solution with other interfaces, IBM BPM is much better than Case Foundation. They need to make this solution's interface more user-friendly."

"90% of the feedback we receive states that the UI is not very user-friendly."

"IBM needs to update the user interfaces of all its products to make them more intuitive and accessible to beginners. Compared to Microsoft products, IBM solutions are less user-friendly. IBM programs are hard to master. It's a problem in my region because it's hard to find IT staff who can work with IBM."

"Once a workflow is launched then it stays static forever, which is a problem because if there is a change in the business then you cannot change the workflow."

"The service as it currently stands is out-of-date and lacks flexibility."

"There is a need for more open and flexible integration capabilities, allowing seamless collaboration with a broader spectrum of business process management solutions, beyond the confines of IBM's document management offerings."

"The place of improvement is merging or combining all of the workflow functionality into one seamless tool. Now, there are multiple installations that are different. Case Foundation, before you can put Case Manager and you've got IBM BPM, and the roadmap is there to merge them altogether. But that's the struggle at the moment, it's having multiple installations and disparate workflow applications."

More IBM Case Foundation cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing varies by use-case."

"The solution has saved us time."

"When you compare with Laserfiche and M-Files, IBM is expensive."

"The product is expensive."

"There is still a relatively high total cost of ownership to actually implement, support, and stand up solutions."

"IBM Business Automation Workflow has a flexible pricing mode, but the price is expensive. The price of the solution reflects the quality of the solution which is very high. The technical support is an additional cost."

"Nowadays, clients are looking at pricing as one of the major factors. For IBM products, they always think it is expensive for them. We are still educating our clients on the IBM FlexPoints licensing."

"While it can be quite costly, it offers significant benefits for users."

More IBM Business Automation Workflow pricing and cost advice

"IBM Case Foundation is a little expensive."

"This is not an expensive solution and we are using the standard license."

"The price falls in the middle range—not overly expensive but not extremely affordable either."

"Pricing is in the mid-range, it is not cheap, but it's not expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

31%

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	16

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	6

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 Business Automation Workflow?

The price of IBM Business Automation Workflow is on the higher side compared to the features it offers.

What needs improvement with IBM Business Automation Workflow?

Code management lacks merging capabilities. If parallel development requires merging, improvements in this area would be beneficial. Additionally, the user interface could be more visually appealin...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Case Foundation?

The tool is expensive for my customers; it is very expensive, more than other solutions. Some customers say it is more expensive. The license cost for Cloud Pak is per user and increases with the n...

What needs improvement with IBM Case Foundation?

We face some challenges with IBM Case Foundation from our customers, particularly with administration and configuration. We face many issues and open tickets with IBM regarding that, especially som...

What is your primary use case for IBM Case Foundation?

My customer's main use cases for IBM Case Foundation include banking, such as Bank Alryad, and the state Ministry of OI. There are many banks in Saudi Arabia in the banking sector. In the banking s...

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Product Reports

IBM Business Automation Workflow

Download IBM Business Automation Workflow product report

IBM Case Foundation

Download IBM Case Foundation product report

Also Known As

Business Automation Workflow

Case Foundation, FileNet Business Process Manager

Overview

IBM Business Automation Workflow combines business process management and case management capabilities in one workflow solution. It integrates the capabilities of business process and case management into a single workflow offering. It unites information, process, and users to provide a 360-degree view of work to drive more successful optimized business outcomes. IBM Business Automation Workflow on Cloud provides the same capabilities that are offered in the IBM Business Automation Workflow offering, all within a ready-to-use, cloud-based environment that is hosted in IBM Cloud data centers and managed by IBM.

IBM

IBM Case Foundation is for organizations that need to harness unstructured information and integrate it with business processes to drive critical business decisions. It enables organizations to create, manage and optimize case-based processes and is designed to decrease development costs while significantly improving process performance. Case Foundation links specific pieces of content with a structured workflow. It's an on ramp for organizations that choose to move from document-centric workflow solutions to the advanced capabilities of IBM Case Manager.

IBM

Sample Customers

Key Bank, Barclays, Control€xpert, MIR Insurance Brokers, Conqord Oil

Suncorp Group Limited

IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. IBM Case Foundation