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IBM Cloud Pak for Data vs IBM InfoSphere Information Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 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 Cloud Pak for Data
Ranking in Data Integration
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
Data Virtualization (3rd)
IBM InfoSphere Information ...
Ranking in Data Integration
33rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
Metadata Management (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Data Integration category, the mindshare of IBM Cloud Pak for Data is 1.1%, down from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM InfoSphere Information Server is 0.9%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Integration Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Cloud Pak for Data1.1%
IBM InfoSphere Information Server0.9%
Other98.0%
Data Integration
 

Featured Reviews

Raman Shihan - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Data Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Unified data workflows have transformed how I manage sensitive analytics and end-to-end AI
One of the things that IBM Cloud Pak for Data does well is the data privacy and security that it offers. Since most of my data is very sensitive, IBM privacy framework helps me secure it very conveniently. In my experience, some of the best features that I encounter in IBM Cloud Pak for Data are the AI and Watson Assistant, which is very good. The analytics dashboard featuring all the recent history is very good with IBM. Searching for data through the unified search option is super cool. Among those features, the artificial intelligence that solves everything automatically stands out as most valuable in my day-to-day work, saving a lot of time. I can also store my data in many clouds with all the desired data. The customer service system is excellent and always willing to help. I would also add that the project analytics dashboard, ability to manage data across different cloud platforms, and end-to-end AI lifecycle are very great. IBM Cloud Pak for Data has positively impacted my organization by helping me see some return on investments. I have the ability to access all my data much quicker through the unified search option. It has also improved data security and governance in my organization very well. I've seen a 30% increase in productivity through the introduction of AI with IBM Cloud Pak for Data, which has really simplified a lot of operations that were manually tackled.
MI
Senior Data Engineer at Mohammed Mansour Alrumiah
Faced challenges with customer support and documentation but have benefited from reliable data integration over the years
As for utilizing the platform's metadata management feature, I have not worked on that feature yet, but personally, I have done that. To evaluate the effectiveness of IBM InfoSphere Information Server's data integration capabilities, if IBM is providing all the solutions we are using, then it is definitely a helpful thing. Mostly, the other thing is that it is a big area including data governance, data lineage, data management, and metadata, but every customer is not putting that much effort and money on that. They mostly migrate the data, use it, and forget it, but slowly things are changing. I am working in Saudi Arabia, so here also data governance, data management, and those kinds of things are getting attention. Regarding how scalable IBM InfoSphere Information Server is, I need to learn how to tune performance and scalability on the cloud. I am familiar with localized hardware, but on the cloud, I still have to do the work around it. In the beginning, we estimate the load and based on that, we put the hardware, but if there is continuous increase, I believe IBM also faces problems. Scalability needs to be improved because once the demand comes, you should be able to improve it, but for that, documentation on how to add hardware or resources to the software needs to be proper. I do not have much hands-on experience with that.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Its data preparation capabilities are highly valuable."
"IBM Cloud Pak for Data has enabled us to access diffuse data quickly across hybrid networks and given our teams an edge in data management through automation while adhering to compliance regulations."
"IBM Watson Catalog and data pipelines are the most valuable features of the solution."
"If you need to connect multiple data sources, ingest data and run AI/ML algorithm, IBM Cloud Pak for Data is very good solution."
"Cloud Pak's most valuable features are IBM MQ, IBM App Connect, IBM API Connect, and ISPF."
"The overall performance of IBM Cloud Pak for Data, particularly with IBM DataStage for ETL processes, is very good, the customers I have are all very happy, they are looking for expansion, and the experience is very good with it, providing them with the results needed and more."
"IBM Cloud Pak for Data is a powerful cloud-native all-in-one easy-to-use solution that enables us to put data to work quickly and effectively."
"DataStage allows me to connect to different data sources."
"The initial IBM InfoSphere Information Server is straightforward and you can choose what type of installation you want, such as a customized installation, with clear-cut documentation that, if followed, works fine and the installation has not given us issues."
"Reduces the loading and development time for Datawarehouse ETL."
"This solution is extremely flexible and scalable."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The integration with different technologies is the most valuable feature."
"Deploying the solution is straightforward for me."
"This solution has reduced the time it takes for ETL. We took an existing Teradata ETL application from three days to eight minutes."
"IBM InfoSphere Information Server is stable."
 

Cons

"To improve IBM Cloud Pak for Data, I suggest more out-of-the-box integration, enhancement of analytics to be sharper, and the deployment options should be very flexible."
"The technical support could be a little better."
"The tool depends on the control plane, an OpenShift container platform utilized as an orchestration layer...So, we have communicated this issue to IBM and asked if it is feasible to adapt the solution to work on a Kubernetes platform that we support."
"IBM Cloud Pak for Data can be improved because processing speeds are sometimes slow."
"The product is trying to be more maturity in terms of connectors. That, I believe, is an area where Cloud Pak can improve."
"The interface could improve because sometimes it becomes slow. Sometimes there is a delay between clicks when using the software, which can make the development process slow. It can take a few seconds to complete one action, and then a few more seconds to do the next one."
"One challenge I'm facing with IBM Cloud Pak for Data is native features have been decommissioned, such as XML input and output."
"The product must improve its performance."
"Customer Service: It's poor."
"This solution would benefit from the engine being made more lightweight."
"IBM InfoSphere Information Server should be more scalable. It should have the option to change the configuration to run on a single, non-multiple node, or multi-threading processing."
"There are certain shortcomings in the cloud side of the solution, where improvements are required."
"Unlike other tools, IBM tools do not provide much help from the internet, so additional support should be available."
"Heavy use of scratch disk which sometimes leads to failure."
"Their technical support needs improvement."
"We have decided to decrease the usage of metadata management because we did not see any significant advantages."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's quite expensive."
"I don't have the exact licensing cost for IBM Cloud Pak for Data, as my company is still finalizing requirements, including monthly, yearly, and three-year licensing fees. Still, on a scale of one to five, I'd rate it a three because, compared to other vendors, it's more complicated."
"Cloud Pak's cost is a little high."
"I think that this product is too expensive for smaller companies."
"The solution is expensive."
"The solution's pricing is competitive with that of other vendors."
"For the licensing of the solution, there is a yearly payment that needs to be made. Also, since it is expensive, cost-wise, I rate the solution an eight or nine out of ten."
"IBM Cloud Pak for Data is expensive. If we include the training time and the machine learning, it's expensive. The cost of the execution is more reasonable."
"The licensing cost of IBM InfoSphere Information Server depends on how many users there are."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
University
5%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Construction Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Large Enterprise20
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Cloud Pak for Data?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that the cost of the product can be a bit higher, especially for a company working on a tight budget.
What needs improvement with IBM Cloud Pak for Data?
One of the improvements I think should be made to IBM Cloud Pak for Data is that the cost of the product is a bit higher. Besides cost, I think something that is needed for improvement is that more...
What is your primary use case for IBM Cloud Pak for Data?
My main use case for IBM Cloud Pak for Data is that it is fully scalable and a scalable platform for data. I use it to provide data solutions for my customers. I also use it to provide various indu...
What needs improvement with IBM InfoSphere Information Server?
We are using the on-premises version of IBM InfoSphere Information Server, but we feel that all new development is mainly for the cloud. We receive corrections of errors, but we do not see new func...
What is your primary use case for IBM InfoSphere Information Server?
My usual use case for IBM InfoSphere Information Server is ETL, where we take data from one source to another data warehouse solution.
What advice do you have for others considering IBM InfoSphere Information Server?
We are about to change our platform from IBM AIX to SUSE Linux, as our whole platform is changing, so everyone should change from IBM to SUSE Linux. It would be very difficult for us to have a diff...
 

Also Known As

Cloud Pak for Data
InfoSphere Information Server, IBM Information Server
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Qatar Development Bank, GuideWell, Skanderborg Music Festival
Canadian National Railway Company, Chickasaw Nation Division of Commerce, Swedish Armed Forces, BG RCI, Janata Sahakari Bank Ltd., University of Arizona, Biogrid Australia
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Cloud Pak for Data vs. IBM InfoSphere Information Server and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
899,258 professionals have used our research since 2012.