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IBM OpenPages vs RSA Archer comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 4, 2025

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 OpenPages
Ranking in GRC
7th
Ranking in IT Governance
3rd
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
RSA Archer
Ranking in GRC
1st
Ranking in IT Governance
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
IT Vendor Risk Management (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the GRC category, the mindshare of IBM OpenPages is 2.8%, down from 5.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of RSA Archer is 5.6%, down from 16.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
GRC Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
RSA Archer5.6%
IBM OpenPages2.8%
Other91.6%
GRC
 

Featured Reviews

Gabriele  Meneguzzi - PeerSpot reviewer
GRC Practice Leader at Stratos Analytics
Have improved operational control and simplified internal workflows through a clear user interface
The most useful features in IBM OpenPages are the workflow features and front-end. The workflow feature in IBM OpenPages is very flexible, easy to configure, and can help design every kind of process, while the front-end is very useful, clear, simple, and dynamic. The benefit of a centralized platform in risk management, such as IBM OpenPages, is that it allows sharing information and guarantees a central framework of risk and control. The dashboards in IBM OpenPages help with monitoring processes for different users and profiles, and we use the dashboard extensively to show the state of different processes to control them. IBM OpenPages integrates effectively with other tools and existing infrastructure for my customers as we integrate other tools, using APIs to match different information, though some other tools may better support integration. IBM offers Connect, an add-on for integration, but we do not use it, relying solely on API. The reporting tools in IBM OpenPages have very strong potential because they are linked with Cognos IBM, a business intelligence tool, allowing for very good and complex reports, though creating these reports requires skills in business intelligence to get the most out of IBM OpenPages.
CJ
Information Security Specialist at Dubai Health Authority
Centralized management strengthens compliance with good look and feel
From my perspective as a customer and end user, Archer has an impressive look and feel, but the most adaptive feature is its ease of configuration which helps to enhance our process according to our maturity. It's more about our organization getting centralized with an integrated approach that focuses on risk governance and compliance. When can provide a detailed dashboards to management with the details of risks from top-down or bottom-up prioritizing actions based on its criticality or necessity. This allows us to show end users and management where the issues lie and effectively demonstrate accountability and visibility in compliance.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Good in ORM and compliance, analytics, custom reporting, features for our board including risk management, and good support for Basel regulations."
"IBM OpenPages provides time savings in recording risk management components."
"The content, reporting, and workflow features stand out as the most valuable aspects."
"The most useful features in IBM OpenPages are the workflow features and front-end, as noted by Ian Francis, an IBM expert lab, with the workflow feature being very flexible, easy to configure, and able to help design every kind of process, while the front-end is very useful, clear, simple, and dynamic."
"Everything about IBM OpenPages is valuable, particularly when compared to other solutions in the market like MetricStream, from which we switched due to its feasibility, user-friendliness, and performance."
"The most valuable features are the workflow engine, calculations, and security rules."
"IBM OpenPages saves time in my work as a developer."
"The ability to keep a record of internal incidents in the company, and also the monitoring of Key Indicators."
"RSA is a very rich application. I like its adaptive suggestion, where based on your users and the class of data, it can actually recommend you the proper control to choose. For example, we have been using PCI DSS as an NIST. So based on application feedback, it will provide you with a suggestion on which control objective needs to be set. Based on that, you can make a decision—you don't need to take the suggestion, but you can customize that particular provided suggestion. RSA Archer's workflow is also good, in terms of process automation."
"RSA Archer has reduced the time and effort required for meetings."
"The tool has stability, and it allows me to automate whatever process I have."
"It has the best workload management features."
"Archer has simplified our security audits. It's made it easier to raise and trigger questionnaires to customers."
"Its user interface is pretty neat, and there is flexibility in generating the data. You can customize reports at any level. You can directly get reports in Tableau format. If you want to generate statistical data, you can create reports with graphs. There is an adequate amount of flexibility for changing the format, the type of graphs, etc."
"First of all, its access control feature where it provides application level access, solution level access, and even recall access, as well."
"The tool has stability, and it allows me to automate whatever process I have."
 

Cons

"IBM OpenPages needs improvement in its UI. Currently, it is difficult to see the relationships (associations/parents) between all items unless you click on the item itself."
"Some self-relationships are not available in OpenPages' relationship model."
"IBM needs to work on pricing for organizations with around 100 users, as the licensing model is not competitive enough for SMEs."
"IBM OpenPages needs improvement in its UI. Currently, it is difficult to see the relationships (associations/parents) between all items unless you click on the item itself."
"I believe there's room for improvement in establishing connections with external information."
"The reporting tools in IBM OpenPages have very strong potential because they are linked with Cognos IBM, a business intelligence tool, allowing for very good and complex reports, though creating these reports requires skills in business intelligence to get the most out of IBM OpenPages."
"IBM OpenPages could improve by adding more conditions to workflows, as some existing conditions might not work and can produce errors."
"Pricing! It's very expensive just for the licenses."
"It's resource-hungry, that's the best way of putting it."
"The solution can be a little slow due to the Silverlight feature."
"I would like to see real-time data, from vulnerabilities, and threats."
"The ticket handling process could be improved."
"The technology's a little outdated."
"Initially, technical support is a little weak, and I would rate it six out of ten. The issue with initial support is that new engineers are often not as experienced."
"An area for improvement would be the user interface. They could also offer more on-demand applications free of cost."
"The design and advanced workflow need to be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The initial purchase is cheap. You pay a nominal price to start then renew the license annually. You also must buy a license for each module. I'm not too fond of that aspect of the licensing model. You buy the elephant and then spend more money to feed the elephant."
"At the higher end of the price scale, but provides better, more accessible functionality and customization than cheaper products."
"Fairly highly-priced, especially for smaller companies."
"RSA Archer's price is justifiable and not as expensive, compared to ServiceNow. I have heard that the licensing for ServiceNow is much more expensive. I'm unaware whether there are any additional costs after licensing fees."
"The solution is not at all a cheap product."
"I am not 100% familiar with that, especially with their new model. I just know that the way they've licensed per user to scale is good."
"The license is costly for the solution, but the remaining set up and maintenance is quite cheaper."
"I am not sure about other companies, but it's quite expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
23%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Outsourcing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Insurance Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with IBM OpenPages?
There is nothing in particular that needs improvement in IBM OpenPages, although reporting could be improved to make it easier to create reports.
What is your primary use case for IBM OpenPages?
My customers' main use cases for IBM OpenPages include ICT risk, operational risk management, and regulatory and compliance management.
What advice do you have for others considering IBM OpenPages?
For those planning to use IBM OpenPages, I recommend defining exactly what you want and understanding how IBM OpenPages can help you before starting to use it. I rate IBM OpenPages a nine out of ten.
What needs improvement with RSA Archer?
While it provides benefits in terms of security, the pricing is a bit higher than customers typically expect. It would be helpful if RSA Archer had the capability for two-way integration because, i...
What is your primary use case for RSA Archer?
Regarding the compliance, risk, and governance tools, I am comfortable discussing the tools in the GRC category. The specific module from ServiceNow is the ServiceNow Compliance, Risk, and Governan...
What advice do you have for others considering RSA Archer?
I have been in touch with about three companies who use RSA Archer actively in the compliance area. These companies use RSA Archer for nearly all purposes, including governance, internal risk, and ...
 

Also Known As

OpenPages
Archer
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Nationwide, Process Innovation AG, OSRAM Licht AG, Dep‹sito Central de Valores (DCV), Delta Lloyd Group, Unum
T-Systems, Bridge Point, Equifax, First Data, Global Imaging Company, Manulife Financial
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM OpenPages vs. RSA Archer and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.