IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL] vs OpenText Identity Manager comparison

IBM and OpenText are both solutions in the User Provisioning Software category. Additionally, 93% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of OpenText users who would recommend it.

IBM Tivoli Access Manager [...

Read 29 IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL] reviews

93% willing to recommend

OpenText Identity Manager

Read 18 OpenText Identity Manager reviews

2,795 Views
1,090 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

IBM Tivoli Access Manager [...

OpenText Identity Manager

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 2025

IBM Tivoli Access Manager and OpenText Identity Manager compete in the enterprise identity management solutions category. OpenText Identity Manager holds the upper hand with its modern and integrated approach, enabling broader feature sets and automation capabilities.

Features: IBM Tivoli Access Manager focuses on access control, delivering strong authentication and policy management alongside centralized access controls for .NET, Java, and Exchange servers. It offers advanced security and Web SSO, ensuring robust protection against internal threats. OpenText Identity Manager surpasses basic control by providing comprehensive identity management, automated workflows, and self-service features, offering a wider range of functionality suitable for modern enterprise environments.

Room for Improvement: IBM Tivoli Access Manager requires updates in terms of integration capabilities to reduce reliance on manual configuration and to enhance support for emerging standards. It could also benefit from improving its UI for a better user experience. Lastly, updating its customer support structure due to its end-of-life status is crucial. OpenText Identity Manager might focus on improving scalability for large deployments and reducing initial setup complexity. Further enhancements in user interface design could make it more intuitive, and expanding integration with more third-party applications would increase its versatility.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Tivoli Access Manager often involves a complex setup process, relying heavily on manual configuration methods. This can be a deterrent for businesses looking for a straightforward deployment. OpenText Identity Manager emphasizes automation and flexibility, offering an easier setup process. Its customer service is proactive and provides responsive support, offering a more dynamic service experience compared to the challenges faced with IBM Tivoli's service due to its end-of-life status.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Tivoli Access Manager may offer lower initial costs due to its end-of-life pricing but potentially faces increased long-term maintenance expenses. Its outdated systems might not justify the ROI over time. OpenText Identity Manager might involve higher upfront costs, yet it is perceived to offer a better ROI through its comprehensive features and automation capabilities fitting modern identity management requirements, providing sustained value despite a higher price point.

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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 Tivoli Access Manager [...

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

3.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

OpenText Identity Manager

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

User Provisioning Software (9th), Identity Management (IM) (15th), Identity Governance Administration (IGA) (7th)

Featured Reviews

it_user711612

Senior Consultant at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Reverse proxy provides central control over authentication and authorization.

It is a single product that caters for all the business needs throughout the organization. It provides a seamless integration that in turn encourages most of the applications to use the SSO features Reverse proxy is the most valuable feature as it provides central control over authentication and…

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reviewer2401464

Architect at a consultancy with 51-200 employees

Updates systems quickly and does not have a limit on the number of users

NetIQ does not have a limit on the number of users. The tool is secure by nature. It can have more than one billion users. Event-based systems know what has to be changed. SQL-based systems can only change using time and date. Event-based systems provide immediate results, while SQL-based systems need time to sync. It is totally different from a security perspective. Event-based systems can update all the systems in seconds or minutes. Other systems do it within 24 hours. The basic event-based system is AI-driven. It has some kind of robotics and programming. Other tools need programming. I like systems that have prebuilt ideas of security. NetIQ has been in the market for a long period. It has all the systems and connectors. There is not much coding. We just need to configure the products. We need not do any programming. I haven't seen any other product that needs only configuration to do the job. Most products in the market are SQL-based. They need programming. Some service providers who sell other products to customers do not sell NetIQ because they can make more money by selling solutions that need more consultancy and programming. More hours lead to more money.

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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

"It has helped them to improve and control web and mobile application security."

"I like the primary function of this product allowing the administration of user/network accounts with a fair amount of ease."

"Provided more secure computing."

"Some of the valuable features are: Reverse proxy Protected object space Ease of integration Multiple and robust AuthN and AuthZ mechanisms built-in No single point of failure (SPOF)"

"The Verify feature: A push method which customers are going for."

"It provided a secure and robust end to end security solution."

"The combination of TAM with IDM in IBM Tivoli Identity Manager helped us to realize robust and secure authentication infrastructure in accordance with industry regulations and laws."

"It is a simple-to-deploy solution, with many features that are supported out-of-the-box without complicated setup."

More IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL] pros

"It has reduced time and resource costs due to automation of previously hand-managed tasks like provisioning, granting access, distribution and access to different enterprise connected applications."

"The most valuable feature of NetIQ Identity Manager for identity synchronization is the ability to provide users with all necessary access on day one through automated provisioning, facilitated by approval workflows."

"Identity and access management processes have developed to become automatic and fast."

"To my knowledge it is the only event based IDM system."

"It's a solid product, it's a mature product."

"I would recommend this product, its quite flexible and quick to start with."

"NetIQ Identity Manager is by far the most flexible product available, and the pricing is incredibly good, even if you're not situated in the BeNeLux."

"The greater strength was to keep the identities synchronized without failures in both attributes and passwords."

More OpenText Identity Manager pros

Cons

"Looking at their roadmap, they have a broad grasp of the security features which the industry needs."

"What I don’t particularly like is the flow duration."

"Administration of the product can be improved a lot."

"The whole product could be made into one suite instead of multiple components which are essentially a part of the same infrastructure."

"There is only a single step-up authentication path, but I have sometimes seen the need for several steps or a divergent path."

"You must be skilled to use Tivoli Access Manager."

"Sometimes, there are long running support tickets (for 6-8 months) and that is unacceptable from the customer's point of view."

"Older TAM versions are not compatible for connecting to a DB."

More IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL] cons

"If it works, Designer is a charm, but it can be a pain to keep updated because of all the Java stuff that regularly goes wrong."

"The integrations must be made easier."

"We have another system that is using the SAML system, and we also integrate with Active Directory only. If NetIQ Identity Manager can integrate directly, we would not need to use the Active Directory directory."

"There are some limitations in the custom workflows, mainly in the GUI presentation, but the latest release improved."

"The solution architecture is somewhat complex. For some components, the necessary resilience is not inherent."

"The problem is the ecosystem. There's not a lot of people that know the product, so it's hard to find someone to work with the product."

"If it could be operated in such a way that anybody could use it, with just the user interface, and there's no need for programming, then that would be a great improvement."

"It needs some modern features. They should improve and modernize their management interface. It has been created over years and by different persons. You can see different applications, different management consoles for different things. There should be an integrated interface."

More OpenText Identity Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The IBM prices are, as ever, extortionate, even with a business partnership, and high levels of discounts."

"You just need to be aware that the more systems you connect, the more license fees you have to pay."

"Micro Focus is flexible when it comes to price. The cost varies from customer to customer. There are no additional costs, though. Everything is included."

"I would rate the pricing a two out of ten, with one being low price and ten being high price. It is significantly more cost-effective than the major players in the market."

"It would easily help them in getting more market and more customers if more consultants knew about their software. If they could keep it free for schools for teaching purposes, it would be good. I had to pay myself to get it and use it for training. Their competitors are giving it for free. I had to pay for it myself. They are losing market to their competitors."

"The price of the solution is a bit high and could be reduced."

"The solution is quite affordable."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Construction Company

14%

Marketing Services Firm

13%

Outsourcing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Outsourcing Company

Marketing Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	18

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	6

Questions from the Community

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetIQ Identity Manager?

The pricing depends on whether we buy the solution as a service or a license. The license is expensive. If we buy it as a service for a large number of users, it is the cheapest tool we can get. Th...

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What needs improvement with NetIQ Identity Manager?

The tool is used mostly in big systems to understand what is happening. There are not many technicians who know how to use the product. The vendor must provide an easier console for configuring thi...

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What is your primary use case for NetIQ Identity Manager?

NetIQ Directory is the main function of the product. As far as I know, it is the only event test directory that exists. It has all the potential for event-based testing. It has rules, connectors, a...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL]

June 2026

Download IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL] product report

Buyer's Guide

OpenText Identity Manager

June 2026

Download OpenText Identity Manager product report

Also Known As

Tivoli Access Manager, IBM Security Access Manager

Novell Identity Manager

Overview

IBM Tivoli Access Manager is a robust and secure centralized policy management solution for e-business and distributed applications. IBM Tivoli Access Manager WebSEAL is a high performance, multi-threaded Web server that applies fine-grained security policy to the Tivoli Access Manager protected Web object space. WebSEAL can provide single sign-on solutions and incorporate back-end Web application server resources into its security policy.

IBM

OpenText Identity Manager provides event-driven capabilities with real-time synchronization and integration across multiple systems. Known for its flexibility, it offers features like password sync, access management, and directory synchronization.

OpenText Identity Manager is a comprehensive identity management platform, designed to support role-based provisioning and seamless integration of external systems. Its notable features include the Designer and Analyzer tools and robust self-service password management, enhancing its usability. Organizations leverage its event-driven architecture for real-time synchronization and detailed tracing, facilitating efficient identity management across different data sources. However, enhancements in Windows OS compatibility, user interface modernization, and cloud support are needed. Training remains crucial, given the system's complexity and unique language.

What are the Key Features of OpenText Identity Manager?

Real-time Synchronization: Event-driven architecture enables instant updates across systems.
Role Based Provisioning: Streamlines managing roles and permissions within organizations.
Flexible Integration: Connects with multiple data sources, enhancing system interoperability.
Password Synchronization: Simplifies password management across platforms.
Access Management: Offers tools to manage permissions and security with ease.

Why Consider OpenText Identity Manager in Reviews?

Comprehensive Support: Offers identity lifecycle management, enhancing user experience.
Security Enhancements: Improves compliance management and access control.
Scalability: Efficiently supports large-scale enterprise environments.
Integration Capabilities: Connects seamlessly with existing infrastructure.

In industries ranging from large corporations to local banks, OpenText Identity Manager supports account provisioning and access management, primarily through Active Directory integration. By connecting with applications like Oracle, PeopleSoft, and Office 365, it facilitates lifecycle and compliance management. Its deployment aids training and real-world application with single sign-on options for internal applications, providing a comprehensive identity management solution for diverse environments.

OpenText

Sample Customers

Essex Technology Group Inc.

Sheetz

Buyer's Guide

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June 2026

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