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Azure Automation vs IBM BPM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Azure Automation
Ranking in Process Automation
27th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM BPM
Ranking in Process Automation
6th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
112
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Management (BPM) (7th), Application Infrastructure (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of Azure Automation is 1.1%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM BPM is 6.3%, down from 10.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Process Automation
 

Featured Reviews

CL
Automation enhances task efficiency and supports innovation
I currently work with SAP, but I haven't stopped working with that vendor at all. My involvement is cross-technology, so I'm exposed to S/4HANA and other technologies, which are very different from a couple of years ago. Currently, I am working for a consultancy that is agnostic to technology, so tactically and strategically we provide implementation or knowledge on various technologies including Microsoft, Business Central, Project Operations, SAP, and Board, which are different and linked to various business areas. Mostly I am working with Microsoft solutions now. In the last recent year, Microsoft is the technology with which we have the most exposure on current implementations, including both Business Central and Project Operations. I have been working with Microsoft Business Operation for approximately a year and a half. I am working with different products on Azure, as it is the platform we use to implement various types of solutions, including automation, IPA, and artificial intelligence. Other colleagues work with Azure File Storage, Blob Storage, and App Services, as these are more related to cloud work. I am working with Azure Automation, which is a process automation tool. While we have used the alerts and scheduling functions in Azure Automation very often, I am not able to judge or review their effectiveness. Integrating Azure Automation with other Azure services is very easy because there are pre-integration tools available that can be easily integrated with different technologies. The main benefits Azure Automation provides include being useful for recurrent tasks, which help reduce manual intervention and allow people to focus on more added value tasks, enhanced by artificial intelligence for more complex duties. I rate Azure Automation an eight out of ten.
Muhammad Kamran - PeerSpot reviewer
Has efficient processes and intuitive workflow with many valuable features
You will have access to make any needed changes. Additionally, the review will be published on PeerSpot.com in written or audio format, available to other people. You can stay anonymous if you wish. Notifications and the use of the review are subject to PeerSpot's terms of use, which you can find at PeerSpot.com/TOS. I would give the solution an overall rating of ten out of ten points.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Azure Automation is the scripting."
"There is a component of this BPM pool - I can't recall the name. What it does is, it allows you to create various scenarios and then run them quickly, before actually putting them onto a tool. So I think that part of the tool is really fantastic, because that enables you to create scenarios, create simulations, before actually going out and putting it into the tool itself"
"The solution offers great notifications."
"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."
"The possibility to add Java code as embedded .jar, that increases the flexibility of the solution."
"The platform's most valuable features are its process automation capabilities and its ability to provide a comprehensive view of business operations."
"Our customers use the solution as a workflow platform to manage their processes."
"It helps improve your process through continual measurement."
"Automating the whole workflow process to give our data steward the ability to take actions rapidly, and making sure we have all the data synced within the different platforms that we are using."
 

Cons

"The solution’s user interface could be improved."
"We still have a couple of issues that we are working on right now with stability. Mostly on the configuration side of the tool, and it has been about a month that we have been working to stabilize the platform.​"
"The tool's workflow function is very strong."
"It is a really powerful tool, but its entry price is so high, which makes it a very exclusive club for who gets to use it. The thing that seemed to be the most intolerable was that you could put lots and lots of users on it, and it worked fine, but if you put lots and lots of developers on it, it sure seemed to have challenges. The biggest challenge was the development because of the Eclipse tool. It just seemed like irrespective of the development team that you put together, whether it had 10 or 50 people, you would end up having to reboot the development server throughout the day when you concurrently had lots of people hammering on the system. The development server just got sluggish. This was true for every project I was on. Once you got more than about five people working on the system at the same time, it would just get slower and slower during development work, and the only way to fix it was to reboot the server. It became just like a routine. Sometimes, we would reboot at lunch or dinner time, which is silly. After the cloud instances started rolling out, I never saw that again. That was probably the one big advantage of the cloud version. Instead of using an independent Eclipse-based process development tool, we moved to web-based process and design. The web-based tool definitely had greater performance than the Eclipse-based tool. I never got onto another project after that with 50 people, so I don't know how the performance is when you get a large team on it, but it definitely seems that the cloud design tool was a massive improvement."
"IBM BPM can improve the dashboards and reports. It only has two dashboards, and reporting is very difficult to build."
"Where it can be improved is Integration. I think that the direction that IBM is taking now, to have something that is much more integrated, that can be seen as one single solution, is clearly the right way."
"Our developers are complaining that it's too complex to maintain."
"The debugging needs improvement. There is some confusion surrounding the debugging."
"It is a rather thick stack because you have to have WebSphere skills, IBM BPM skills, and an understanding of how the product runs on WebSphere. A lot of this will start to get a lot easier as they put it in containers, which will allow the platform to manage itself in some regards."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Starting out with Express can also help reduce the cost for adopting the product."
"The price is good but could be a little lower."
"When considering the features of the solution the price is expensive compared to competitors."
"I rate the solution's pricing a four out of ten."
"Our customers do see ROI. They'll identify some particularly painful or uncoordinated processes to start with, then build out from there, picking off low hanging fruit."
"The solution is expensive since it is an enterprise application."
"Due to its extensive features and capabilities, the product pricing is more aligned with medium—to large enterprises."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
23%
Computer Software Company
8%
Insurance Company
8%
Healthcare Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
29%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Insurance Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Azure Automation?
The most valuable feature of Azure Automation is the scripting.
What needs improvement with Azure Automation?
Based on feedback, Azure Automation needs to stay up-to-date with real technology game changers and include new features that meet market demands. It is essential for Azure Automation to capture ne...
What is your primary use case for Azure Automation?
My clients mainly use Azure Automation for back-office processes and operations, as the application of this product is wide-ranging. It depends on their in-house capabilities and the opportunities ...
Which is better, IBM BPM or IBM Business Automation Workflow?
We researched both IBM solutions and in the end, we chose Business Automation Workflow. IBM BPM has a good user interface and the BPM coach is a helpful tool. The API is very useful in providing en...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM BPM?
Once it is installed, maintaining it is not a big issue.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
WebSphere Lombardi Edition, IBM Business Process Manager, IBM WebSphere Process Server
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

1. Adobe 2. BMW 3. Coca-Cola 4. General Electric 5. Johnson & Johnson 6. NBCUniversal 7. Pfizer 8. Samsung 9. Siemens 10. Toyota 11. Verizon 12. 3M 13. Accenture 14. Airbus 15. Allianz 16. American Express 17. AT&T 18. Bank of America 19. Boeing 20. Cisco 21. Dell 22. ExxonMobil 23. Ford 24. General Motors 25. IBM 26. Intel 27. JPMorgan Chase 28. Microsoft (self-use) 29. Nestle 30. Procter & Gamble 31. Shell 32. Walmart
Barclays, EmeriCon, Banca Popolare di Milano, CST Consulting, KeyBank, KPMG, Prolifics, Sandhata Technologies Ltd., State of Alaska, Humana S.A., Saperion, esciris, Banco Espirito Santo
Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Automation vs. IBM BPM and other solutions. Updated: August 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.