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Fred_Scefi - PeerSpot reviewer
Solutions Architect at Agile Technology Consulting
Real User
Feature-rich, data governance market leaders, and adequate technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The dictionary, the search, and the ratings are without a doubt the most beneficial components of this solution."
  • "The main issue probably has nothing to do with end users, but installation can definitely be simplified."

What is our primary use case?

We essentially use Informatica Axon to set up a data governance framework for a corporation, usually a medium-sized or large organization.

What is most valuable?

The dictionary, the search, and the ratings are without a doubt the most beneficial components of this solution. 

Socializing data governance is one of the examples, but I'm not sure what the others were. For instance, if you locate a specific data attribute, you can grade its accuracy by assigning it a star rating between 0 and 5. 

When someone else conducts a search, they might discover whether employees at the company believe the data to be of high quality.

In terms of additional features, I believe it is quite rich. As I previously stated, it is a fairly mature product.

What needs improvement?

The main issue probably has nothing to do with end users, but installation can definitely be simplified. Also, I believe that this is something that they are already working on it, but it needs to be provided as a service. 

The Microsoft version, Purview, is now available as a cloud service, it must be provided as a service rather than just installation. You do not need to go through the installation, you literally create an account in five minutes. That is something they need to do. I believe that it is already something they are on working on, but I don't believe it has yet been released.

For how long have I used the solution?

Over the past year, I have definitely used Informatica Axon.

I have worked with Informatica Axon for two years.

We are always working with the latest version.

Buyer's Guide
Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC)
September 2024
Learn what your peers think about Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2024.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Informatica Axon is a stable product.

It's a fairly mature product. For many years, it has been the market leader.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Informatica Axon is a scalable solution.

The smallest organization would have 500 users.

Any of the multinational corporations could be the largest. It's quite pricey. 

It is commonly used by large multinational corporations.

It has two or three user interfaces, one for everyone in the organization, one for specific data analysts, and one for IT technical staff.

How are customer service and support?

Like many organizations, technical support responds quickly at times. It can take some time. It's about average, in my opinion. I wouldn't say it's particularly good or bad. It's average.

I would rate the technical support a three and a half out of five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

I am just really familiar with Azure DevOps as a deployment technology.

Some of the Azure services, such as Database and Purview, and Informatica tools, such as Axon, and Data Governance, are among the things I am familiar with.

How was the initial setup?

Informatica Professional Services should absolutely perform the installation due to its complexity. Additionally, training is required for end-client configuration. It is not something you can pick up and configure immediately.

Although there is no cloud version of it yet, it can be deployed in the cloud as a virtual machine, or VM.

Axon itself, you normally allow anywhere between five and ten days to conduct the installation configuration together, and that's not elapsed time. It normally takes a week to two weeks to install and configure an initial setup. This is elapsed time, not necessarily man hours. You will always need additional configuration to be done. Although the actual installation and configuration might be completed in a few weeks, getting it ready for use by the organization might take six months.

What about the implementation team?

We do not have a technical team. I was the person who deployed this solution.

It was a challenge, but I did it for the POC.

Informatica Professional Services was consulted when it came time for the client's actual installation.

Axon can typically be present; the technical installation only requires one person, and a second data specialist is typically required for configuration. Normally two. Additional technical setup and data configuration are required.

What was our ROI?

It is definitely high if used properly, but many organizations spend all of the money and then fail to use it to its full potential. It is unquestionably a good investment if used properly.

It depends on how the client uses it.

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

Pricing is determined by the number of licensed users as well as the number of Core CPUs. 

You can imagine how expensive it would be for a company with 10,000 users, but it all depends on how many analyst user licenses they require. 

I believe there is a flat fee for the end user. 

It is not expensive, but individual licenses are required for technical users, data analysts, data stewards, and the data governance team, which can add up if you have a large number of them.

Different clients may have different licensing costs, but it is based on a yearly paid license. It is renewed every year. There is an initial licensing fee as well as an annual renewal fee.

They are very expensive, and they charge a lot because they know they are number one. I would rate them a five out of five. Five being the most expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely recommend it. If they can afford it. I strongly advise them to use it. But, before diving into Axon or any of the other governance tools, make sure they understand their data landscape thoroughly because the tool will not help them with that. They will fail if they do not have good data practices in place.

I'm a freelancer, but the consultancy I went through is also independent, but they do have a partner relationship with Informatica, as they do with many vendors.

I would rate Informatica Axon a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Kunal -Verma - PeerSpot reviewer
Solutions Architect at LTIMINDTREE
Real User
Top 10
Provides efficient data modularization features, but its technical support services need improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution has the best feature for parameterization."
  • "Its features for partitioning and optimization could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for data modularization.

What is most valuable?

The solution has the best feature for parameterization. We can apply it at the mapping and task flow levels. It helps with auto-linking and dynamic linking options for flexible data integration.

What needs improvement?

The solution's capability to handle large volumes of data compared to its on-premise version needs improvement. Its features for partitioning and optimization could be better as well. There needs to be more options for partitioning, including database partitioning, pass-through partitioning, etc. Additionally, it doesn't support XML data types for SQL server databases. Also, it captures success and targets rows only within a system-defined area. It should be able to capture and track the number of rows processed by each pipeline.

Presently, users need to write code against the existing APIs to access information data. It is a complicated process due to the limited functionality of APIs. Instead, there could be an option to write queries against repository tables to fetch the data like its on-premise version.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for two years.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support team could be responsive. We have to contact their global support team to raise new feature requests. Currently, we encounter issues with parameterizing email IDs at the task level to configure features for success, warning, and failure. We sent a request to them back in 2020, but they are yet to add those features.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC)
September 2024
Learn what your peers think about Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2024.
802,829 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Director at Softpath System, LLC
Reseller
Top 5
Enables secure data protection during testing and controlled access to sensitive information
Pros and Cons
  • "Informatica Persistent Data Masking can mask production data for different users, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access sensitive information."
  • "Once the data is masked, we won't be able to reverse it back to its original value."

What is our primary use case?

Test data management is a common use case. When conducting testing in lower environments, we want to avoid exposing sensitive information. To achieve this, we use Data Masking to modify the data. 

For example, we change personally identifiable information, phone numbers, and emails so that they cannot be viewed. The modified data retains the structure and format but doesn't reveal the actual information.

What is most valuable?

The tool is mainly valuable for testing teams, as it helps protect sensitive data during testing. It can also be used to mask production data for different users, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access sensitive information. These are the main reasons why we use this tool.

What needs improvement?

I think there's only one area that could be improved. Currently, when we apply the Data Masking rate, we don't have a way to view the masked data. It would be helpful if there was a feature to allow us to see the actual information.

Once the data is masked, it cannot be reversed. Having the ability to revert it back to the actual value would be beneficial, especially if we need to see the original information. Although our enrollment has decreased, it would still be helpful to have that feature.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Data Masking as part of my work.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability is good. It's definitely reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is good. It's definitely scalable to handle higher volumes across different platforms as well. It performs well in terms of scalability. 

Additionally, when it comes to implementing more source systems, there haven't been any issues.

How are customer service and support?

Our experience with customer service from Informatica has been excellent. They are always available and responsive.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is generally straightforward. However, there can be some challenges during the on-prem installation process, even though we have the steps and prerequisites. Dealing with installation issues is quite common, but overall, it's not excessively complex to set up.

The need for maintenance depends on the team. Sometimes, the solution you configure in the tool determines the level of maintenance required. However, overall, maintenance hasn't been a significant issue.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I would rate the solution 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
Chuha Adequatov - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Regulatory Reference Data Management Division at Altynalmas JSC
Real User
Top 10Leaderboard
User-friendly, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to clean out data and improve the data quality is the best feature."
  • "The cost of Informatica MDM is expensive and has room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We used the solution for data storage, and data cleaning to improve data quality. The solution also served as a data lake for reporting purposes.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution has made it easier for us to retrieve and maintain the data as well as saves us time.

What is most valuable?

The ability to clean out data and improve the data quality is the best feature.

The solution is user-friendly and easy to navigate.

What needs improvement?

The cost of Informatica MDM is expensive and has room for improvement. Although the solution is good, it is not worth the high cost.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for five months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I give the stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I give the scalability a ten out of ten.

We had ten people using the solution in our organization.

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

We previously used EXAScaler and switched because we were moving to the cloud.

How was the initial setup?

I give the initial setup a nine out of ten. The deployment took us one month. We prepared the environment and the deployment was completed by the Informatica engineer.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed by an Informatica engineer.

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

The solution is very expensive. I give the cost a three out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

The solution is good and I recommend it as long as the pricing fits the organization's budget.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PrashantTripathi - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Analyst at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 10
Useful query handling, quick support, but user interface could improve
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Informatica Cloud Data Integration is Pushback. You are able to push the data to the solution itself, and it can handle the queries. It helps us a lot. With other tools, the burden is kept on the server."
  • "Informatica Cloud Data Integration can improve by being more user-friendly. When you're working with the solution a lot of technical knowledge is required. It's not a solution that anyone can use properly, you need knowledge of what's happening at the back end, such as SQL. When you get stuck, you need to look into your logic. For other tools, such as Dell Boomi, anyone can use them."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Informatica Cloud Data Integration in a large organization, and we have customers all across the world. 

Informatica Cloud Data Integration is for migrating data from a source to a target. The major advantage of working with this solution is that it can handle large amounts of data. The drawback is the performance is a bit slow but it can handle a large amount of data compared to other tools.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Informatica Cloud Data Integration is Pushback. You are able to push the data to the solution itself, and it can handle the queries. It helps us a lot. With other tools, the burden is kept on the server.

What needs improvement?

Informatica Cloud Data Integration can improve by being more user-friendly. When you're working with the solution a lot of technical knowledge is required. It's not a solution that anyone can use properly, you need knowledge of what's happening at the back end, such as SQL. When you get stuck, you need to look into your logic. For other tools, such as Dell Boomi, anyone can use them.

In a future release, the UI should be more developed to allow more features.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Informatica Cloud Data Integration for approximately four months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Informatica Cloud Data Integration is stable. 

I rate the stability of Informatica Cloud Data Integration a four out of five.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There are some performance issues sometimes.

We have more than 50 developers using the solution in my company.

I rate the scalability of Informatica Cloud Data Integration a three out of five.

How are customer service and support?

The support from Informatica Cloud Data Integration is great. They respond quickly and if there is an issue it can be resolved fast.

I rate the support from Informatica Cloud Data Integration a four out of five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

Informatica Cloud Data Integration is famously known for its high price. The vendor targets large enterprises, and not medium or small companies. These large companies, and organizations, handle large amounts of data. If you go into any large bank, such as American or Canadian banks, these banks use this solution because it is more reliable, secure, and has more functionality.

There can be extra changes, such as using the cloud.

I rate the price of Informatica Cloud Data Integration a two out of five.

What other advice do I have?

This is a good tool and others should use it. This solution is known for its ability to handle large amounts of data and in the market, there are not that many tools available. However, there are competitors in the market, such as Oracle and IBM.

If an organization's data is very limited and they are not using large amounts of data, then I would suggest going for a smaller targeting solution, such as Dell Boomi. When it comes to large and secure data, I would recommend others to use this solution or SAP BODS or IBM.

Informatica Cloud Data Integration has a nice GDP rating and a good European market.

I rate Informatica Cloud Data Integration a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Architect at Unilever Inc.
Real User
Top 10
The solution offers good data governance and they provide helpful documentation and training
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution offers good data governance."
  • "Some functionalities can be a challenge in the cloud."

What is our primary use case?

I'm a senior architect and we are partners with Informatica. 

What is most valuable?

The solution offers good data governance.

What needs improvement?

I've found that whatever functionalities are available on-prem, can become a bit of a challenge sometimes in the cloud. There are no simple rules for customization so they need to be applied which is a challenge on the cloud side.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Informatica stability is great. Even now, Purview has evolved a lot, but we haven't used it to the same extent. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

We are partnered with Informatica, so we don't have an issue with technical support. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

Our preference is Purview when we're asked for a cloud solution because it's a cloud native and the same applies when taking cost into account. Deployment is easier with Purview. If an organization is going for a hybrid solution and there's a lot of governance and complex rules involved, my first choice is Informatica. If that's not the case then I go for Purview.

How was the initial setup?

Without experience, it may be somewhat difficult but I don't find it particularly complex because there's a lot of training and documentation available. We've already had a lot of experience so it's a piece of cake for us. 

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

Licensing costs are not fixed and I know that Informatica offers discounted prices to certain customers. Microsoft is cheaper.

What other advice do I have?

The solution is suitable for enterprise or mid-size organizations. But if there are customer-related or different domain issues and it has some kind of regulatory impact and a lot of external agencies come into the picture, then it's always good to go with the Informatica Axon.

I rate this solution eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
InitZero - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise MDM Architect / Solution Arch at Volvo Group
Real User
Top 10
Scalable, ensures proper data governance, and is easy to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability is very high."
  • "The only thing that I can imagine that might be improved is how the available transactions verify addresses used. These transactions have a valid end date and must be used within the agreed timeframe."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is used for real-time validation of the addresses entered by end-users in the MDM solution and validation of the addresses which are received via the inbound interfaces. 

Apart from validation, this service is used to enrich the address data, for example, entered addresses include country, city, and street name. The service returns additional characteristics, for example, postal code (if it can be derived from the other attributes), which are then written back in the requesting system. It's used for Master Data Management in our case.

How has it helped my organization?

The overall quality of the addresses associated with other master data entities (Customer, Supplier, physical locations, etc.) has improved significantly. Addresses have now standardized format per country of origin - this means that addresses located in one country have a bit different template than in others. This is a consequence of the fact that Informatica uses various country postal authorities to provide the content used by the Address Verification service. As explained earlier, we use the results of AV service to enrich the address information in some cases. 

Due to improved quality of addresses, the user satisfaction of our MDM solution has increased. Also, the connected systems receive more complete data from MDM. Address Verification service helps in ensuring proper data governance of the master data which is used in many critical processes across the whole enterprise.

What is most valuable?

The product is easy to set up thanks to pretty good documentation. 

It supports several ways of using it (real-time, batch mode) and has testing capabilities. 

The pricing model is clear. 

The service returns good results which vary depending on the country of the address origin. In case there are multiple matching addresses, this service returns all of them which allows our end of the process or the end-user to select the best matching record. The speed of returning the validated addresses is really great.

What needs improvement?

The product is really good in its current form; it's hard to imagine what can be improved. It's easy to integrate via the exposed APIs, hence, also in this aspect, I don't see much that can be changed.

The only thing that I can imagine that might be improved is how the available transactions verify addresses used. These transactions have a valid end date and must be used within the agreed timeframe. Sometimes it's difficult to predict how many transactions will be required. In the worst case, some of them might be lost if not used on time.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for more than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There is no single issue with the stability since we started using it (more than 1 year ago).

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is very high.

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

We previously used Google APIs, however, that was for another client. Hence, there was no real switch as such.

How was the initial setup?

The product is very easy to set up and offers good documentation.

What about the implementation team?

We handled the implementation in-house.

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

I'd advise users to try to predict the expected usage of the service. The unused transactions may be lost if not used on time.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at both Google and Experian.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Partner channel manager at Inactic
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Makes sure our data is in good shape across different apps
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Informatica Axon has been the data marketplace."
  • "It would be great if the cloud version could match the full range of capabilities available on-premise."

What is our primary use case?

We use Informatica Axon to make sure our data is in good shape across different apps. It helps us work with clients to set rules for data and keep things organized. For a bank, it makes sure customer info, like contact details, is correct and follows privacy rules. Axon also made it easy for our team to check and trust the data we were using. It is like a tool that brings everyone together and helps us find and use data better.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Informatica Axon has been the data marketplace. It has been a favorite because it not only boosts user engagement but also fosters collaboration. Implementing it was straightforward, and it seamlessly became a part of our organizational culture, making it easy for people to work together and share information.

What needs improvement?

One area I would like to see improvement in Informatica Axon is achieving feature parity between the on-premise and cloud versions. It would be great if the cloud version could match the full range of capabilities available on-premise. This would ensure a seamless experience and allow users to leverage all of Axon's features regardless of their deployment environment.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Informatica Axon for almost two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate Informatica Axon at eight out of ten for stability. The main thing to improve is making the features and interface consistent between the on-premise and cloud versions. The cloud interface looks modern with DDGC, but the on-premise one is a bit outdated. Aligning them would be a big plus.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is quite scalable. We had approximately 500 end users.

How are customer service and support?

The standard support is good – they usually get back within the agreed time. If you have a higher-level support contract, like gold, silver, or platinum, you get a faster response, but the support team is generally effective and helpful.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Informatica Axon varies, but it generally depends on having a good grasp of data concepts. If you understand data well, the setup becomes more straightforward. Deploying and maintaining Informatica Axon depends on the use case, but I would say not too many people are needed. I would recommend at least two people per department or business unit to start with. It is good to have a mix, like an admin or engineer and a developer. One person could handle the technical side, while the other, who understands data and processes well, can provide expertise.

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

The licensing for Informatica Axon is expensive, but it provides value for the investment. With the new cloud platform, they have introduced a consumption-based license model, where you only pay for what you use. This change has made it more affordable and easier for users.

What other advice do I have?

For those looking to start using Informatica Axon, my advice is to do thorough research, especially on available solutions, as integration with other software plays a big role. With the Informatica cloud solution, you have the flexibility to choose features that suit your needs. Starting with data quality is usually a good move before diving into more complex tasks. Consider exploring tools like robotics for repetitive or tedious tasks. Having someone experienced with data is a significant advantage, as these projects often have long cycles. Experienced individuals can guide you, help set realistic expectations, and emphasize the need for patience, as data governance projects take time to show results. Overall, I would rate the solution as an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: September 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.