IBM Cloud Pak for Data vs IBM InfoSphere Information Server comparison

IBM Cloud Pak for Data and IBM InfoSphere Information Server are both solutions in the Data Integration category. IBM Cloud Pak for Data is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.8, while IBM InfoSphere Information Server is ranked #31 with an average rating of 8.0. IBM Cloud Pak for Data holds a 1.8% mindshare in DI, compared to IBM InfoSphere Information Server’s 0.9% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of IBM Cloud Pak for Data users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM InfoSphere Information Server users who would recommend it.

IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Read 13 IBM Cloud Pak for Data reviews

2,927 Views
2,047 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

IBM InfoSphere Information ...

Read 7 IBM InfoSphere Information Server reviews

1,114 Views
911 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Cloud Pak for Data

IBM InfoSphere Information ...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

IBM InfoSphere Information Server and IBM Cloud Pak for Data compete in the data management and analytics category. IBM Cloud Pak for Data appears to have the upper hand due to its advanced features and data processing capabilities.

Features: IBM InfoSphere Information Server focuses on data integration, governance, and quality management, ensuring high-quality data management. Its suite is comprehensive for these tasks. IBM Cloud Pak for Data provides advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI, supporting a unified data platform for complete data processing and insight solutions. It emphasizes a scalable analytics approach.

Room for Improvement: IBM InfoSphere Information Server could enhance its analytics capabilities and offer more flexibility in AI integration. It might also improve cloud-native adaptability. IBM Cloud Pak for Data could lower its initial costs, optimize its integration with existing systems, and simplify its feature set for ease of use. Improvements in these areas could enhance user experience and accessibility.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM InfoSphere Information Server is valued for its easy deployment and reliable customer service, integrating smoothly with current systems. IBM Cloud Pak for Data supports hybrid cloud deployment, offering scalability across environments and fast service response, which highlights its strength in adaptability.

Pricing and ROI: IBM InfoSphere Information Server provides competitive pricing and a strong ROI, thanks to its efficient data management enhancements. Conversely, IBM Cloud Pak for Data may have a higher initial cost, but it offers significant ROI due to its extensive analytics and AI features, justifying the expense with its technological advancements.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Cloud Pak for Data vs. IBM InfoSphere Information Server Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Cloud Pak for Data vs. IBM InfoSphere Information Server

March 2025

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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 Cloud Pak for Data

Ranking in Data Integration

17th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Virtualization (3rd)

IBM InfoSphere Information ...

Ranking in Data Integration

31st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Metadata Management (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Data Integration category, the mindshare of IBM Cloud Pak for Data is 1.8%, up from 1.7% 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

Featured Reviews

Michelle Leslie

Data asset management engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

Starts strong with data management capabilities but needs a demo database

What I would love to see is an end-to-end, almost a training demo database of some sort, where one of the biggest problems with data management is demonstrated. There are so many components to data management, and more often than not, people understand one thing really well. They may understand DataStage and how to move data around, but they do not see the impact of moving data incorrectly. They also do not see the impact of everyone understanding a piece of data in the same way. I would love Cloud Pak to come with a demo database that illustrates the different components of data management in a logical way, so I can see the whole picture instead of just the area I'm specializing in. It would be great if Cloud Pak, from a data modeling point of view, allowed us to import our PDMs, for example. It would be ideal to import and create business terms in Cloud Pak. The PEA would be great to create the technical data. The association between the business and the technical metadata could then be automated by pulling it through from your ACE models. The data modeling component is available in Cloud Pak. Additionally, when it comes to Cloud Pak, even though it has the NextGen DataStage built into it, there is Cloud Pak for data integration as well. Currently, I do not think we have a full enough understanding of how CP4D and CP4I can enhance each other.

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UmeshKumar1

Business Analyst Team Lead at Accenture

Prompt support, reliable, but lacking scalability

IBM InfoSphere Information Server has multiple tools in that product suite. However, we mainly use it as an integration tool I have been using IBM InfoSphere Information Server for approximately five years. IBM InfoSphere Information Server is stable. IBM InfoSphere Information Server should be…

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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

"Cloud Pak is a very, very, very good system."

"IBM Watson Catalog and data pipelines are the most valuable features of the solution."

"DataStage allows me to connect to different data sources."

"You can model the data there, connect the data models with the business processes and create data lineage processes."

"I love the way that I can start at a very basic level with my data management journey by capturing my policies, justifying my data, and putting them into different categories to say this is data relating to individuals, for example, or data relating to geography."

"Cloud Pak's most valuable features are IBM MQ, IBM App Connect, IBM API Connect, and ISPF."

"The most valuable features of IBM Cloud Pak for Data are the Watson Studio, where we can initiate more groups and write code. Additionally, Watson Machine Learning is available with many other services, such as APIs which you can plug the machine learning models."

"The most valuable features are data virtualization and reporting."

More IBM Cloud Pak for Data pros

"This solution is extremely flexible and scalable."

"The integration with different technologies is the most valuable feature."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"IBM InfoSphere Information Server is stable."

Cons

"The setup cost is very expensive. The cost depends on the pieces of the solution I'm using, how much data I have, and whether it's on the cloud or on-prem."

"Cloud Pak would be improved with integration with cloud service providers like Cloudera."

"There is a solution that is part of IBM Cloud Pak for Data called Watson OpenScale. It is used to monitor the deployed models for the quality and fairness of the results. This is one area that needs a lot of improvement."

"One thing that bugs me is how much infrastructure Cloud Pak requires for the initial deployment. It doesn't allow you to start small. The smallest permitted deployment is too big. It's a huge problem that prevents us from implementing the solution in many scenarios."

"One challenge I'm facing with IBM Cloud Pak for Data is native features have been decommissioned, such as XML input and output. Too many changes have been made, and my company has around one hundred thousand mappings, so my team has been putting more effort into alternative ways to do things. Another area for improvement in IBM Cloud Pak for Data is that it's more complicated to shift from on-premise to the cloud. Other vendors provide secure agents that easily connect with your existing setup. Still, with IBM Cloud Pak for Data, you have to perform connection migration steps, upgrade to the latest version, etc., which makes it more complicated, especially as my company has XML-based mappings. Still, the XML input and output capabilities of IBM Cloud Pak for Data have been discontinued, so I'd like IBM to bring that back."

"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."

"What I would love to see is an end-to-end, almost a training demo database of some sort, where one of the biggest problems with data management is demonstrated."

"The technical support could be a little better."

More IBM Cloud Pak for Data cons

"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."

"Their technical support needs improvement."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 solution's pricing is competitive with that of other vendors."

"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."

"It's quite expensive."

"The solution is expensive."

"I think that this product is too expensive for smaller companies."

"Cloud Pak's cost is a little high."

"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."

"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

28%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Insurance Company

Financial Services Firm

22%

Government

14%

Insurance Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Cloud Pak for Data?

DataStage allows me to connect to different data sources.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Cloud Pak for Data?

The setup cost is very expensive. The cost depends on the pieces of the solution I'm using, how much data I have, and whether it's on the cloud or on-prem.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Cloud Pak for Data?

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM InfoSphere Information Server?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM InfoSphere Information Server?

There are certain shortcomings in the cloud side of the solution, where improvements are required. In our company, we are presently in the process of doing a PoC phase since we have the solution cu...

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What is your primary use case for IBM InfoSphere Information Server?

I use IBM InfoSphere Information Server in retail banking for transformation purposes.

See all answers

Comparisons

IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Compared 40% of the time

Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) vs IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Compared 19% of the time

Azure Data Factory vs IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Compared 14% of the time

Denodo vs IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Compared 11% of the time

Palantir Foundry vs IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM Cloud Pak for Data Competitors

IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs IBM InfoSphere Information Server

Compared 69% of the time

Oracle GoldenGate vs IBM InfoSphere Information Server

Compared 11% of the time

Qlik Replicate vs IBM InfoSphere Information Server

Compared 10% of the time

IBM InfoSphere Information Governance Catalog vs IBM InfoSphere Information Server

Compared 6% of the time

IBM Watson Knowledge Catalog vs IBM InfoSphere Information Server

Compared 4% of the time

More IBM InfoSphere Information Server Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Cloud Pak for Data

March 2025

Download IBM Cloud Pak for Data product report

Buyer's Guide

Data Integration

February 2025

IBM InfoSphere Information Server report

Download IBM InfoSphere Information Server product report

Also Known As

Cloud Pak for Data

InfoSphere Information Server, IBM Information Server

Overview

IBM Cloud Pak® for Data is a fully-integrated data and AI platform that modernizes how businesses collect, organize and analyze data to infuse AI throughout their organizations. Cloud-native by design, the platform unifies market-leading services spanning the entire analytics lifecycle. From data management, DataOps, governance, business analytics and automated AI, IBM Cloud Pak for Data helps eliminate the need for costly, and often competing, point solutions while providing the information architecture you need to implement AI successfully.

Building on the streamlined hybrid-cloud foundation of Red Hat® OpenShift®, IBM Cloud Pak for Data takes advantage of the underlying resource and infrastructure optimization and management. The solution fully supports multicloud environments such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud™ and private cloud deployments. Find out how IBM Cloud Pak for Data can lower your total cost of ownership and accelerate innovation.

IBM

IBM InfoSphere Information Server is a market-leading data integration platform which includes a family of products that enable you to understand, cleanse, monitor, transform, and deliver data, as well as to collaborate to bridge the gap between business and IT. InfoSphere Information Server provides massively parallel processing (MPP) capabilities to deliver a highly scalable and flexible integration platform that handles a variety of data volumes (big, small, and everything in between).

IBM

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

Buyer's Guide

IBM Cloud Pak for Data vs. IBM InfoSphere Information Server

March 2025

Free Report: IBM Cloud Pak for Data vs. IBM InfoSphere Information Server

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Cloud Pak for Data vs. IBM InfoSphere Information Server and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.

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