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reviewer1028712 - PeerSpot reviewer
Professional Services Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Apr 20, 2023
A reasonably priced tool that is helpful for the automation of business processes
Pros and Cons
  • "Previously, our company's business automation process was slow. IBM BPM's schedule and response functionalities are excellent...There are countless use cases in which IBM BPM proves to be a valuable tool for my clients."
  • "I hope IBM uses something from IBM Content Navigator to make the interface easier to navigate."

What is our primary use case?

Previously, our company's business automation process was slow. IBM BPM's schedule and response functionalities are excellent. So, our customers are happy with it. We implement the solution for our customers.

My clients utilize IBM BPM for various business processes, ranging from correspondence management and vacation requests to expedited legal cases and numerous committee meetings. There are countless use cases in which IBM BPM proves to be a valuable tool for my clients.

How has it helped my organization?

Our customers have experienced a lot of benefits. So now, they have automation in place to implement internally or externally in their environment. This has enhanced the customer experience and made it good. The product has many BPM tools, which help eliminate bits of work. Also, information is now available and accessible according to their security or role in their businesses. They can now increase their process in the Middle East. They also do manual work using the tool. The tool also helps them ensure that they are able to follow policy compliance. In short, the tool helps in a digital transformation, and so IBM BPM increases the efficiency of our clients. All of the aforementioned reasons increase the revenue of our clients and our company.

What is most valuable?

Customers find the tool's capability to scan and compare it with other products in the market to be valuable. As a top business process management technology, it is comparable to the cloud-based automation tool BAO, which appears to be a fusion of two solutions, IBM BPM and IBM Case Manager. Customers can cover their work-related issues, or problems can be covered with IBM BPM. Customers can streamline their operations and automate certain processes while managing their security. So I believe there are a lot of advantages one can reap using the tool.

What needs improvement?

Currently, the tool's interface is created using a forklift upgrade, which is proving unhelpful. I hope IBM uses something from IBM Content Navigator to make the interface easier to navigate.

In the past, IBM BPM has worked on certain features to make it a container solution.

Buyer's Guide
IBM BPM
March 2026
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For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM BPM for four to five years. I work as a system implementer for IBM. Also, I am using the solution's latest version. We have a lot of customers using it since it is an affordable tool.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution that can be scaled up or scaled down, including the components or processes of IBM BPM.

Our company handles ten customers using the tool.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support of the solution is excellent.

How was the initial setup?

The level of complexity involved in setting up the system depends on whether the business processes are simple or highly complex. Based on our experiences, we deal with the complex setup required for complex business processes. Our team has gained valuable experience in implementing the product and handling complexities with the help of our customer support.

The tool's deployment model depends on the country where customers are located.

The product itself has a feature to take care of the deployment process.

During the deployment process, the first stage involves development, distinction, and protection. In the second stage, servers are deployed on nodes. As someone from the development side, I do not handle the deployment myself. Instead, we install the solutions and configure the environment on our customers' dashboards. After that, we can deploy our solutions or applications on top of it.

We only need a few people to carry out the deployment process.

The maintenance and deployment of the solution are very easy. Also, installation of the latest release is an easy process.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

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. Small customers may opt for another solution, a small one, or a resource. However, it's a reasonable tool for enterprise customers, especially for governance purposes in their space. Also, according to IBM's policies, the cost of the solution will increase as the need for it grows. Therefore, the cost varies for different companies. We have been working with many solutions for over 25 years, and we have a lot of enterprise customers in Saudi Arabia. Some of our customers have been with us for 25 years.

What other advice do I have?

I would tell those planning to use the solution that they need to start using it gradually over time before scaling up to achieve the best value from the product. They can eventually implement or automate all of their systems. For me, it is one of the best products globally. Over the years, IBM has been able to merge two solutions into one. For Business processes or integrations and to deal with whatever issues customers face, IBM BPM can help to automate such business processes. Overall, I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Implementer
PeerSpot user
Ismail El-Dahshan - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at areebah
Real User
Apr 1, 2023
Scalable solution as adding many offline and online servers is easy
Pros and Cons
  • "Its most valuable features are usability and integration with other IBM products."
  • "The initial setup process is complex for basic users."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for multiple business processes and its quality of service feature.

What is most valuable?

The solution's most valuable features are usability and integration with other IBM products.

What needs improvement?

They should include coaches or forms from the back end. We get multiple forms as many implementations are involved, and attaching them to the business processor via phone takes a lot of work. The implementation process could be more accessible.

They should make the integration between BPM and RPA easier. We can have a systematic process using RPA.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the solution's stability as a seven as we face issues with the snapshots in the processor.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable, as adding many offline and online servers is easy. We have 100-200 customers using the solution.

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial process is straightforward for professionals. It is complex for basic users.

What about the implementation team?

Our team provides application support and administers the operations for BPM administrator.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is highly-priced.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I compared the solution with Oracle BPM. The solution is better than Oracle as it's very stable and robust. With its help, you can easily develop, publish, and deploy your work.

What other advice do I have?

It is a good solution overall. I rate it as an eight.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
IBM BPM
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about IBM BPM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
884,192 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1948521 - PeerSpot reviewer
Técnico sênior at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Jan 7, 2023
Reliable and simple to use but is expensive
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is stable."
  • "I'd like the tool to be more flexible."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution to develop some internal applications and as a business process modeler. It is a way to prototype and start developing applications.

What is most valuable?

The solution provides an easy way to develop. It's simple to use. 

The solution is stable. 

What needs improvement?

I would like them to make the tool more user-friendly in order to make the development process even simpler. They use an outdated programming language. 

I'd like the tool to be more flexible. It should be modernized a bit. It looks outdated. 

The initial setup can be challenging. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is pretty good. I'd rate it seven out of ten in terms of reliability. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution isn't exactly scalable. I'd rate it two out of ten overall. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is okay. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I am also starting to use Cloud Pak.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is challenging. However, once it is done, it's done. It's not hard in the sense that you don't have a lot of other things to do. 

Right now, we are integrating from Cloud Pak. The cloud makes it easy to handle, and we have the help of IBM engineers. Once again, you do it once, and it is done. After that, you are just using it.

I'd rate the initial setup a two out of ten in terms of ease of use. That's in terms of IBM in general, as we have a lot of IBM products. This product has a generally much easier process, however, IBM is hard. 

What about the implementation team?

We did not use a third-party consultant. We worked with IBM engineers. We talked directly to them and were able to set everything up. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is expensive. The company may not be of the opinion it is expensive, however, it is expensive when I look at the total cost. I'd rate it eight out of ten in terms of how expensive it is.

What other advice do I have?

We are IBM partners. 

I'd rate the product as a whole six out of ten. It is okay in general. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2022852 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director, Digital Transformation at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Dec 30, 2022
A highly scalable tool that needs to be streamlined and updated
Pros and Cons
  • "Initially, the process architecture studio was very helpful and it was compliant with BPMN standards."
  • "I would like IBM to consider including AI-enabled process mining, robotic process automation, and very good OCR capabilities from the computer vision side."

What is our primary use case?

We use it to architect our core services and business processes. For example, my company is responsible for issuing licenses to oil and gas vendors who operate petrol and gas stations. This is a very complex process starting from submission of the license request to the approval by the minister's office, and then checking the localization policy to see where they can give approval. We use IBM BPM in a plethora of complex processes in different areas of our business.

What is most valuable?

Initially, the process architecture studio was very helpful and it was compliant with BPMN standards. In the beginning it definitely gave us mileage in terms of business process designing, but nowadays, there are very good and smart tools that have OCR and AI facilities. Currently, the tool looks quite ineffective in a digital transformation environment. We're a mix of proprietary and open source tools, and we don't find IBM very inclusive.

What needs improvement?

IBM, as a suite, is becoming more and more obsolete because it obliges the customer to buy multiple tools for the same purpose. For example, BPM is only for architecting the business process workflow, and then you need to integrate it with the DataPower solution to bring in the data. There are also other tools for the process mining part that are not a part of BPM. From a business perspective, to achieve one goal we have to license multiple IBM tools on-premise, whereas there are other competitive tools that are assembled and engineered on one platform, and can be utilized in a much simpler and more seamless way. That is why we're finding it very difficult to continue working with the IBM stack. They need to unify the process landscape into one engine.

AI-enabled BPM tools are more relevant these days, where you use artificial intelligence to understand process pitfalls and you apply that in your process design and logic. I would like IBM to consider including AI-enabled process mining, robotic process automation, and very good OCR capabilities from the computer vision side.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with this solution for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. I would give it a seven out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is high. It's a seven out of ten. 

We have a team of about six people, our business analysis team, who run the solution. There are about 2,000 end users. 

How was the initial setup?

From a user-friendliness perspective, I would rate it as a six out of ten. There was definitely a learning curve to adopt the tool and understand all of its features, but once learned, it was a very good tool for that period of time - about four or five years ago.

What about the implementation team?

Our deployment was done by SBM, Saudi Business Machine, which is the Saudi partner of IBM Global. Our solution designer worked with a business process architect, middleware solution designer, and tool specialists from IBM. There were around eight consultants on the IBM team from different technical backgrounds. Our deployment involved the entire middleware with BPM and DataPower. It took around one and a half years.

Now, our IBM BPM maintenance is outsourced. There is a contract team of three engineers who are maintaining the software because a lot of processes are housed on IBM BPM and the processes need tweaks from time to time.

What was our ROI?

I would say the ROI is moderate because the license prices are high and the operation and maintenance cost is high. Just like Oracle ERP, you rarely see an ROI, but it becomes intrinsic to your organization. It's the same with any BPM tool. Even if you don't have a very high ROI, somehow you get captivated, locked into the tool.

I would say the ROI is a six out of ten.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is very high. On a scale of one to ten, if ten is high, I would say it's an eight. The total cost of ownership over a period of time is very high.

It is usually a one-year license. Last time, for a better price, we paid for three years upfront.  

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution as a six out of ten.

I suggest that those looking into this tool do proper benchmarking and visit the Gartner and Forrester reports and PeerSpot reports before choosing IBM. Also, if they are going for this tool, it is better to have a strong in-house team for not only deployment, but also utilizing the tool later on.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Ivan Cardenas - PeerSpot reviewer
Expert engineer III at Sophos Solutions
Reseller
Jul 20, 2022
Good tool for document sharing and management
Pros and Cons
  • "IBM BPM's best features include document sharing, management document creation, widget and barcode creation, and integration."
  • "IBM BPM's price could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use IBM BPM for the life cycle of the automation process.

What is most valuable?

IBM BPM's best features include document sharing, management document creation, widget and barcode creation, and integration.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using IBM BPM for ten years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

IBM BPM's scalability is very high.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

IBM BPM's price could be improved.

What other advice do I have?

I would give IBM BPM a rating of eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Senior Services Engineer at KENAC COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Real User
Jun 23, 2022
Covers most pain points but may be too complex for entry-level clients
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a solid product. It covers most of the pain points for clients."
  • "It might not be suitable for entry level clients because it comes with a huge number of modules for processing that at times might not be necessary for upcoming clients."

What is most valuable?

It's a solid product. It covers most of the pain points for clients.

What needs improvement?

It might not be suitable for entry level clients because it comes with a huge number of modules for processing that at times might not be necessary for upcoming clients. It's too complex, but it's suitable for the enterprise level.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable. We haven't had any issues.

How was the initial setup?

With the business process tool, it needs to be customized according to what the clients want. So, complexities will be there.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is high.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 7 out of 10.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1126206 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Account Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Jan 9, 2022
Performs well for both us and our customers
Pros and Cons
  • "The performance is fine."
  • "I would like to see the solution be able to interact with other customer software solutions."

What is our primary use case?

Everything is possible with the solution. We use it for order, personal and production processes. We make use of it in the healthcare and food markets. There are no limits to its use. 

What is most valuable?

Owing to my lack of a technical background, it is difficult for me to state which features are most valuable. 

What needs improvement?

I would like to see the solution be able to interact with other customer software solutions. I am referring to interaction with SSP or other applications from the IT customer management database, in respect of integration in the IBM BPM.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM BPM for six years

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. While this varies with the needs of the customer, we have very good technicians and developers for IBM BPM. As such, it depends on our know-how, although I can say that our customers are satisfied. 

How are customer service and support?

I am not in a position to comment on the support. 

How was the initial setup?

I have never installed the solution and am not aware of the process involved. 

What about the implementation team?

I believe we have 20 persons on the BPM team, consisting of a manager, support people and several developers. 

What other advice do I have?

We use the solution both for our own needs and those of our customers. We have a contract with IBM for the solution, meaning that we offer both cloud-based and on-premises solutions. We provide these products and are partners to the vendor. 

The performance is fine. 

I believe we have 40 customers who make use of the solution.

I would certainly recommend the solution to others. 

I rate IBM BPM as an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Senior J2EE Developer at DataServe
Real User
Top 20
May 4, 2021
Integrates well, good design, and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "The integration and design are valuable features."
  • "The interface is limited and should improve in the future."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution as a business process management platform.

What is most valuable?

The integration and design are valuable features.

What needs improvement?

The interface is limited and should improve in the future. We are having to develop an extended application to avoid the limitation in the interface design.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for approximately 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have found the solution to be stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have contacted customer service when we had some issues and it took quite some time. They could be more responsive.

What about the implementation team?

We have an in-house team that does the implementation of the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

When considering the features of the solution the price is expensive compared to competitors.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this solution to those who have enterprise companies. If the business is small then the price of the solution would not make sense financially because it is expensive.

I rate IBM BPM an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free IBM BPM Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free IBM BPM Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.