IBM InfoSphere Information Server vs Informatica PowerExchange comparison

IBM and Informatica are both solutions in the Data Integration category. IBM is ranked #31 with an average rating of 8.0, while Informatica is ranked #18 with an average rating of 8.0. IBM holds a 0.9% mindshare in DI, compared to Informatica’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Informatica users who would recommend it.

IBM InfoSphere Information ...

Read 7 IBM InfoSphere Information Server reviews

1,082 Views
885 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Informatica PowerExchange

Read 22 Informatica PowerExchange reviews

1,554 Views
1,154 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

IBM InfoSphere Information ...

Informatica PowerExchange

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Informatica PowerExchange and IBM InfoSphere Information Server are competing products in data integration and management. IBM InfoSphere is often considered superior due to its comprehensive features, despite higher costs.

Features: Informatica PowerExchange is known for robust data integration, real-time data processing, and ease of use. IBM InfoSphere Information Server offers ETL, data governance, and quality management, with a comprehensive focus on data management.

Room for Improvement: Informatica PowerExchange could enhance its feature richness, scalability, and integration with more third-party tools. IBM InfoSphere could improve its user interface, streamline its deployment process, and offer more flexible pricing options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Informatica PowerExchange is praised for straightforward installation and user-friendly support. IBM InfoSphere may involve more complex deployment due to its extensive functionalities, yet it offers responsive and knowledgeable customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Informatica PowerExchange generally presents lower initial costs and a satisfactory ROI. IBM InfoSphere, with higher initial costs, is valued for its long-term strategic benefits, offering substantial ROI potential.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM InfoSphere Information Server vs. Informatica PowerExchange Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM InfoSphere Information Server vs. Informatica PowerExchange

April 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 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)

Informatica PowerExchange

Ranking in Data Integration

18th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Data Integration category, the mindshare of IBM InfoSphere Information Server is 0.9%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Informatica PowerExchange is 1.1%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Data Integration

Featured Reviews

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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Mohammad Faizan Ahmad

Sr. Technical Engineer at Investcorp Bank BSC

Helpful in handling areas like complex data sources and data processing but needs improved support services

The major challenge with the tool stems from the fact that if you are implementing it in the cloud, then it has to be within the framework. Another challenge is the large volume of data. Informatica PowerExchange is a product through which we enable connectivity, so it is not an application product or a stand-alone tool, but Informatica's core systems or IICS uses it to connect to multiple systems. The major challenge associated with the tool is on the infrastructure side. The tool's features could be something faster with more connectors. A number of connectors can help connect to a wide variety of applications. The tool should focus on reducing the resilient time, like, if any network disconnectivity happens, then auto-reconnection and the retry method should be more robust so that manual intervention is not required. We communicate with the tool's support team as we need to raise our issues with them. I have already worked with Informatica and have a total experience of around eight to nine years; the one problem with the tool is its support team since they take a lot of time to address a particular issue. If one time you schedule a call and explain the situation to them about the issue, the support team will raise tickets and take notes. They will ask you to share the logs or screenshots of the errors, and you will get no resolution. The support team will randomly give you some documents and expect you to go through them, and if you get back to them with questions, a new person will be allocated, and you will have to start explaining everything again. I would not say it is a pleasant experience.

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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

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

"This solution is extremely flexible and scalable."

"IBM InfoSphere Information Server is stable."

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

"The solution can connect to different systems i.e. mainframe, IMS or AS/400 Legacy Systems."

"Overall, it's a good tool. It's currently number one on the market. It pretty much has all the necessary capabilities to pull the incremental data from the source system, technically speaking."

"The user interface and user experience are perfectly all right."

"The product’s flexibility is valuable."

"Mainstream integration and real-time integration are the best features."

"It is a scalable and versatile solution."

"PowerExchange is one of the best software solutions to build integrations with non-Oracle or standard database services, especially for SAP and Hana products."

"The agentless RCDC enablement through PowerExchange is a great idea and has worked very well so far."

More Informatica PowerExchange pros

Cons

"This solution would benefit from the engine being made more lightweight."

"Their technical support needs improvement."

"There are certain shortcomings in the cloud side of the solution, where improvements are required."

"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."

"The one place where it could be improved is definitely pricing. That's a very big problem. It depends product to product, but pricing is an issue."

"Real-time has not been enhanced that much over the past few years. There has not been as many features added like they did before."

"They should make it quick and easy for use of citizen data integration or for people or integrators developing at the customer side. They could be development teams within the business team. For them, the product owners can consider making it a little bit more seamless and a little bit more democratized."

"One area that could be improved is performance, as PowerExchange sometimes has less performance compared to native connectors when dealing with a huge volume of data."

"Integration with the largest number of databases and other systems would be important."

"I have minimal exposure to PowerExchange at this point."

"Pushdown optimization could be improved."

"Apache Spark has a machine learning algorithm, an area where Informatica PowerExchange lacks."

More Informatica PowerExchange cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing cost of IBM InfoSphere Information Server depends on how many users there are."

"There are licensing and connector costs. Basically, Informatica is pay-as-you-use."

"An annual package license fee is required."

"There is a need to pay towards the licensing cost of the product. It is an expensive product."

"Many users don't prefer to use the product, considering the high costs attached to the licensing part of the solution."

"The product is not very expensive."

"The cost of PowerExchange is reasonable. It does not rely on complicated formulas or unrealistic equations. The pricing model is straightforward. There is one component, and real-time integration is included. Some other solutions require purchasing additional modules or third-party plugins for this capability."

"It's expensive. In fact, nobody would buy any product of Informatica if the price was the only consideration. It costs money, and it doesn't come cheap, but it provides value for money in many ways."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

22%

Government

14%

Insurance Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

27%

Computer Software Company

12%

Insurance Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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

What do you like most about Informatica PowerExchange?

The product’s flexibility is valuable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Informatica PowerExchange?

The pricing and cost depend heavily on SAP's licensing structure, especially if using SAP integration services. Informatica is seen as broader in integrations.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Informatica PowerExchange?

I have minimal exposure to PowerExchange at this point. I will start working with it midyear, so I do not have much experience to suggest improvements.

See all answers

Comparisons

IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs IBM InfoSphere Information Server

Compared 65% of the time

Oracle GoldenGate vs IBM InfoSphere Information Server

Compared 15% of the time

Qlik Replicate vs IBM InfoSphere Information Server

Compared 12% of the time

IBM InfoSphere Information Governance Catalog vs IBM InfoSphere Information Server

Compared 7% of the time

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Informatica PowerCenter vs Informatica PowerExchange

Compared 67% of the time

Oracle GoldenGate vs Informatica PowerExchange

Compared 9% of the time

Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) vs Informatica PowerExchange

Compared 9% of the time

AWS Database Migration Service vs Informatica PowerExchange

Compared 4% of the time

Azure Data Factory vs Informatica PowerExchange

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Data Integration

March 2025

IBM InfoSphere Information Server report

Download IBM InfoSphere Information Server product report

Buyer's Guide

Informatica PowerExchange

April 2025

Download Informatica PowerExchange product report

Also Known As

InfoSphere Information Server, IBM Information Server

PowerExchange, Connectors

Overview

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

Informatica PowerExchange Connectors provides high performance, out-of-the-box connectivity without having to develop custom data access programs.

Informatica

Sample Customers

Canadian National Railway Company, Chickasaw Nation Division of Commerce, Swedish Armed Forces, BG RCI, Janata Sahakari Bank Ltd., University of Arizona, Biogrid Australia

ACH Food, BNSF Railway Company, Illinois State University

Buyer's Guide

IBM InfoSphere Information Server vs. Informatica PowerExchange

April 2025

Free Report: IBM InfoSphere Information Server vs. Informatica PowerExchange

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM InfoSphere Information Server vs. Informatica PowerExchange and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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