Sales Director at Jordan Business Systems
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Simple, user-friendly, secure, and easy to integrate with other tools and the administration is excellent and doesn't take much time
Pros and Cons
  • "What's best about IBM API Connect is the excellent administration. The development tool that builds the API is also very simple, and user-friendly, and it doesn't consume too much time. Another valuable feature in IBM API Connect is its good reporting feature, particularly for operations, but the most valuable feature of the solution for the customer is security. IBM API Connect provides a DMZ and a security gateway between the external and internal environment, so you can publish your API safely. IBM API Connect can also integrate with any tool or middleware that works on open standards without the need for development or coding, so integration with the solution is easier."
  • "The implementation of IBM API Connect is complex, as it's an enterprise solution with many components that require more than one person. It's not a single product that you work on, and this is an area for improvement, but normally, it's good. Having a more structured model for IBM API Connect support is also room for improvement that would help customers better."

What is our primary use case?

Our use cases for IBM API Connect include the banking sector, where they use the solution to integrate with third parties, so all of the third-party connectivity for the banks happen through IBM API Connect.

We also built the government service website, for example, e-Government services, and the government published all services between the government entities and the businesses, so there are two connections: government to government and government to business. All the services and entities were published and consumed through the IBM API Connect gateway.

What is most valuable?

What's best about IBM API Connect is the excellent administration. The development tool that builds the API is also very simple, and user-friendly, and it doesn't consume too much time.

Another valuable feature in IBM API Connect is its good reporting feature, particularly for operations, but the most valuable feature of the solution for the customer is security. IBM API Connect provides a DMZ and a security gateway between the external and internal environment, so you can publish your API safely.

IBM API Connect can also integrate with any tool or middleware that works on open standards without the need for development or coding, so integration with the solution is easier.

What needs improvement?

Technically, I haven't faced any issues or areas for improvement in IBM API Connect. There wasn't any concern that the customer asked that we couldn't resolve or achieve. I'll need to check with the technical team if there was any issue with the solution, but from the top of my head, I haven't faced anything that the customer requested or anything that needs enhancement in IBM API Connect.

The implementation of IBM API Connect is complex, as it's an enterprise solution with many components that require more than one person. It's not a single product that you work on, and this is an area for improvement, but normally, it's good.

Having a more structured model for IBM API Connect support is also room for improvement that would help customers better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with IBM API Connect for the last five years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

IBM API Connect is a stable solution. It's used in government services, and my team barely receives calls about the solution. IBM API Connect is also used in major banks here in Jordan, and it's stable. There are no complaints about it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

IBM API Connect is a scalable solution. It's deployed based on the Hybrid Entitlement model in IBM which gives the customers five million API calls per month, and if the customers need more, it's just a matter of buying an additional license to make it ten million API calls per month, so customers can build any environment that meets requirements and do production HADR tests without paying a lot more for the license.

As IBM API Connect is subscription-based, it's good, and it allows customers to scale as much as needed without exceeding the number of API calls. Most of the customers do not reach that limit anyway. If a customer needs to go beyond the limit, he can get a CPU-based license, but at the moment, I haven't had any customer who needs a CPU-based implementation of IBM API Connect.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support for IBM, in general, isn't the best. You'll need to understand the internal setup of IBM or you need to have a partner who understands the IBM setup to get the best support from IBM. There's a program that IBM offers, the AVP, where a consultant is set aside for you or the customer, and that consultant will provide support to you.

For the technical support focused specifically on IBM API Connect, the team is good. The team of engineers is responsive and knowledgeable.

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

We haven't worked with other solutions similar to IBM API Connect, but we're considering another alternative from Open Source, though we haven't decided which product we want to work with.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for IBM API Connect wasn't complex, but for the new model or the containerized model, the setup for the three nodes or containerization wasn't as easy as the normal on-premise setup or the traditional way of implementation, so the first time my company implemented the new model, it was complex. The complexity wasn't because of IBM API Connect, but it was because of the RedHat OpenShift platform beneath it, though after my team did it once, the next implementation became easier and simpler.

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

The price for IBM API Connect is reasonable. It's $20,000 to $30,000 yearly for a subscription, and the pricing could vary around $40,000 per year, per subscription. Its price is reasonable for customers who have around sixty million API calls yearly for unlimited environments.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I haven't evaluated other options, but I've heard about Apigee and that it's a good solution. I've heard that Apigee is technically better than IBM API Connect, but I don't have the facts on why it's better. What I heard from the customer is that Apigee is more costly than IBM, and that customer paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in Jordan. The customer contacted my company for a POC for IBM API Connect, so it seems that the customer didn't get value from Apigee based on the money he paid.

There's also MuleSoft, but I didn't see a real implementation in Jordan where there's anything extra or different from what IBM API Connect provides, and I have no idea about MuleSoft pricing.

The Jordan government accepted IBM API Connect because of the security and stability of the solution, and in terms of project implementation, it was the best project implemented that's based on DataPower and API Connect.

What other advice do I have?

I'm still working with IBM API Connect.

I'm an implementer, system integrator, and reseller of the solution.

Mostly I have mid-size and enterprise customers for IBM API Connect, though I also have small-sized customers. My customers use the solution.

Most of the customers here in Jordan prefer an on-premise deployment for IBM API Connect, but my company also has cloud implementation, one public and one private, then the rest is on-premises.

My advice to people who want to start implementing IBM API Connect is to always start small. You need to understand the value you want to gain from implementing the solution, focus on business values and achieve those, then start to grow bigger later. Don't start with a big environment when implementing IBM API Connect that wouldn't result in any business value. Starting small with real business values that will touch on business needs is good advice for anyone who wants to implement IBM API Connect.

My rating for IBM API Connect is nine out of ten because it's a good IBM product. It's one of the products you can easily sell.

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: Reseller
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Group CEO at Mmusi Group
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Stable and scalable solution for API management, but it needs more versatility and integration with different platforms
Pros and Cons
  • "Scalable and stable API platform for creating and managing APIs."
  • "Support for this platform could still be improved. It also needs to have more levels of versatility. Its compatibility and integration with different platforms also need improvement."

What needs improvement?

Having more integration and compatibility with different platforms is what I'm expecting in the next release of IBM API Connect.

The issues with this solution are mainly around support. Recently, people were discovering that WSO2 is commercializing it, because initially it was just open source. Right now, because they are commercializing it, the intro licenses are as costly as IBM. People say: "IBM is tried and tested", so it's people who know this who'll go the IBM API Connect route. Other people who just want to try out a more scalable solution, on the other hand, will go the open source route. Others will either just do the cloud version, because everything is less maintenance, while other people prefer doing everything themselves, e.g. in-house, from scratch.

IBM API Connect should offer more versatility to its users, because they only give you a specific level of the versatility, and this is something IBM should heavily invest on.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using IBM API Connect since 2015.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I find the stability of IBM API Connect to be fine.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

IBM API Connect is scalable, but scaling it is expensive, depending on what kind of hybrid or software you want to use with it. Every client has a different policy and deployment need.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support for IBM API Connect is standard.

The issue with IBM that many people have realized is that there are times when the person logging those complaints actually needs to know the product. With other products or with competitors, you just need to tell them about the issues, and they'll guide you on what the problem might be. Support for IBM API Connect varies spec to spec, depending on your support level and the questions you have with whoever sold you the software.

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

I use different API management solutions because I'm a consultant. A customer might have IBM API Connect, while another customer might have Apigee. It also depends on what the customer has. All I do is strategy and implementation, while other people just want a consultant to deliver on specific vendors. It ranges from customer spec.

What about the implementation team?

I've implemented this solution through a vendor team. I've always used consultants, partners, or integrators for implementing products.

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

Pricing for IBM API Connect varies. If they are offering me the platform, in particular what they used to call Bluemix and what's now called IBM Cloud, it will be subscription-based pricing. They'll charge you based on how many APIs are called off your specific portion of the Cloud.

If you're doing your own private cloud, on the other hand, it's a special grade. You have to own most of that software licensing so that you can put it on your own private cloud.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I've evaluated X-Ray, WSO2, Software AG, Oracle, DataPower, and Apigee.

What other advice do I have?

I do integration and I do API management. I do a lot of other things. I don't just use one product. I use various products depending on what the client asks.

For API management, I've used X-Ray, WSO2, Software AG, Oracle, DataPower, and Apigee. It all depends on what the customer has. I also have a personal experience with IBM API Connect.

How this solution is deployed depends on you. What matters the most are the gateways and the portals. The portals are mainly for onboarding. Whether you'll deploy it on-premises or on cloud is up to you. You can also do hybrid deployment in some instances, because there are people who do hybrid deployment, but the key component for aligning a deployment is mainly the portal and the gateway, because the gateway is the policy enforcement, while the portal is mainly for presentation and onboarding purposes.

Other people are running IBM API Connect, but others are not. They just prefer using their hybrid appliances, e.g. the DataPower, so it also depends. There are cases where you can just simply deploy this solution, but it still depends on the policies that you need to enforce. That's why I was saying the key components are the portals and the gateways, because the gateways are doing most of the work. The gateway handles the transactions. It does all the heavy lifting. The portal is mainly for presentation purposes.

I've used WSO2 and Software AG, and when you compare them with IBM API Connect, the principles are more or less the same. It's more on how you want to deliver the solution and what the true need of the customer is. You get people who are using it proactively, and that puts the products on the market and drives innovation, but you also get people who are really less integrated people and just build APIs on the portal. It all depends on the use cases and what the customers are offering.

The products are all different in a way, e.g. comparable to cars. A Mercedes Benz is really not that different from a BMW. It's just more of the driving dynamics, the comfort levels, and what the brands represent. A BMW will always be sportier than a Mercedes Benz, while an Audi will always be sportier than a Mercedes Benz. This is unless you're going for the real topnotch specs: the AMGs, then it becomes a different conversation. At the end of the day, it depends on the appetite and what their initial use cases are.

The number of users of IBM API Connect all depends on the deployment plan of the customer. You get fintechs, e.g. these are mainly coalitions with banks and financial institutions where they try and drive innovation through these tech companies. By giving them access to their assets through portals and APIs, they get to see most of their IPEs realized and used by other parties. These are the people that they couldn't even reach initially. It all depends on the specs and on the range.

As for technical people, I've seen that they don't have a preference in terms of tools, but it's a matter of where the product goes that gives them an inclination to stay with those, because that stack gives that effect. It's also a matter of how they can easily integrate with other components, e.g. how they can be incorporated in your two clouds, or your other CMS, to in-house. The user experience is the same as others.

The number of users of IBM API Connect can be increased. I've seen a portal that has 4,000 to 5,000 users, and these users are people who create products, e.g. applications. A lot of those apps utilize existing portals and their APIs. What's common on my standard is more payment gateways. Every institution will offer their own payment gateway, and offer a specific sense of liability they are comfortable with.

I'm not really recommending IBM API Connect to others. It depends on the investment. For people who are heavily invested in IBM, IBM API Connect is an easy solution, because you already have the underlying infrastructure, e.g. DataPower, which is the most important or expensive component of this solution. For other people, if they don't have it at all, it makes no sense to go the IBM API Connect route if they're using a different stack. As long as the product is working, and it's compliant to specific patterns, it doesn't really matter what you use. What really matters is your budget, what do you have in your storage, and use case levels.

If people just want to have something that they can try quickly and dirt cheap, anything else will do, but then, a lot of people are also struggling with adversity, because they feel like the universities or employers are not that heavily invested, and this means they're failing the present capabilities. You just need to show them how the platform works, so it still varies from customer to customer. It's also budget based.

From a ranking of one to ten in terms of features, I can rank IBM API Connect as number six. WSO2 is a five. I'd give X-Ray a four. Software AG is a number two. Apigee ranks number one for me.

In terms of flexibility, all these platforms are the same. They are the same, but they can be different in terms of target limits.

I'm rating IBM API Connect a seven out of ten. I can't give them a ten out of ten, because I feel that they have lost their touch with it.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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IBM API Connect
March 2024
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Manager at Doudle
Real User
A stable solution that is very easy to use and configure
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that it is very easy to use and is something that is easily configurable."
  • "The product's setup phase and its setup for the users in different environments, along with DevOps integration, are areas of concern where there is a need for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

I use IBM API Connect to configure and manage the APIs. I also used the product for transformations. I used the product for some of its functionalities, like caching and rate limiting, especially for the backend system. Configuring the backend APIs and API proxies and opening them to external services were some of the activities I did with the product.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that it is very easy to use and is something that is easily configurable. The product actually provides a complete suite, consisting of the developer portal and management of the APIs, while giving access to a different set of users. The product also allows users to use API sandbox. Configuring the APIs with the backend systems is a valuable feature of the product. With IBM API Connect, I found everything to be very user-friendly, easy to use, and able to be developed quickly as well.

What needs improvement?

Regarding IBM API Connect, I have to think about what needs improvement in the future because there are a lot of products that have recently come into the market. The analytics part of the solution is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required.

The product's setup phase and its setup for the users in different environments, along with DevOps integration, are areas of concern where there is a need for improvement.

The product should be made available on a hybrid cloud.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM API Connect for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution.

There are around 20,000 users of the solution for the project we are currently working on in our company.

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

I have experience with IBM API Connect.

How was the initial setup?

Though I wasn't involved in the setup phase of the product, as it was taken care of by another team in our company, I feel that the product's setup process needs to be simplified.

The product's deployment has two parts. The first part of the deployment is about how you set it up, and the other part is to deploy your API for availability. If I talk about the part where the APIs are to be made available, then the deployment process doesn't take much time, and it is easy to make them available.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

A team of 20 people who were on the API management side were required to take care of the deployment and maintenance of the product. Initially, a team of 20 people was required to take care of the product's deployment and maintenance, but it was brought down to 15 people later.

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

There was a need to purchase an upfront license or a one-time license or upfront license, but I cannot remember the details about it clearly.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend the product to others, considering that IBM API Connect is one of the leading products in the market, but the concern is that it should reach the level of other products in the market, like Apigee and MuleSoft. The competition of IBM API Connect is with the leaders in the market, and to compete with them, API Connect should be a hybrid cloud-enabled product, and it has to offer a single pack to its users. If I talk about IBM API Connect, I should not be forced to purchase IBM App Connect or the other suites offered by IBM. I should be able to purchase the API Connect license easily.

I rate the overall solution an eight 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.
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Elisângela Bumba - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technician at Banco Millennium Atlântico
Real User
Top 20
High performance, user friendly, but stability could improve
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of IBM API Connect are its performance and user-friendliness."
  • "Improving the documentation would be beneficial as it currently presents navigation challenges. Incorporating a step-by-step guide could facilitate the integration or migration of various systems, including databases. The existing documentation only comprises plain text, hence incorporating more interactive instructions could enhance its usefulness."

What is our primary use case?

I use IBM API Connect to make migrations with different systems. 

We have used the cloud and on-premise deployments of the solution.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of IBM API Connect are its performance and user-friendliness. 

What needs improvement?

Improving the documentation would be beneficial as it currently presents navigation challenges. Incorporating a step-by-step guide could facilitate the integration or migration of various systems, including databases. The existing documentation only comprises plain text, hence incorporating more interactive instructions could enhance its usefulness.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used IBM API Connect within the last 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We are having some issues with the stability of the solution.

I rate the stability of IBM API Connect a seven out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately four people who use this solution in my organization.

I rate the scalability of IBM API Connect an eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The support from IBM API Connect is good.

I rate the support from IBM API Connect an eight out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I have no prior experience using a solution similar to IBM API Connect.

How was the initial setup?

The initial installation was not simple. We had some issues with the deployment but we managed step by step. It took approximately two months to complete the implementation.

What about the implementation team?

We use a team from IBM that assisted us with the implementation.

What other advice do I have?

I rate IBM API Connect a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

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

IBM
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Alexis Aguiluz - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technological Architect at Banco de Chile
Real User
Top 20
An easy-to-use web interface, but room for improvement in customer support
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the most valuable features is the easy-to-use web interface."
  • "Documentation for the CLI is not very complete. Also, the support could be improved, and we have had several problems with backing up and restoring the product."

What is our primary use case?

We deploy APIs to expose the BFFs of mobile apps, and this is mainly in the cloud. All mobile apps consume the APIs of your BFF. On-premise, we have APIs that expose services and mainly functionalities, such as the balance of the client or the customers or the products.

What is most valuable?

One of the most valuable features is the easy-to-use web interface.

What needs improvement?

Documentation for the CLI is not very complete. Also, the support could be improved, and we have had several problems with backing up and restoring the product.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for two or three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is good.

How are customer service and support?

IBM support is not available in Chile, so we must go through other countries to get a response from customer support.

How was the initial setup?

I would rate the setup as a medium in difficulty. 

What about the implementation team?

The solution was first set up with the help of IBM, but when we moved to another environment, we followed the initial instructions given by IBM and implemented it ourselves. 

We used Bamboo as a pipeline for automatic deployment of the API. The deployment took four hours.

What other advice do I have?

The product is easy to use, but the installation is not easy. We have a team of three architects who maintain the product. I would rate this solution as an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
ICT Advisor at TCS Toolbox
Real User
Top 20
A very robust tool that needs to improve its user interface
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a very scalable solution."
  • "The administration of the user interface and the technical documentation are areas of concern in the solution where improvements are required."

What is our primary use case?

My company used to work with IBM API Connect for a customer in Greece to run a public sector company from whom we developed a new architecture based on API management last year for the logistics or transportation domains. For the aforementioned project, my company designed a solution based on IBM API Management for the logistics sector of a company all over Greece.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from its ability in the area of message transformation, meaning it is very easy when you have to transform a message to XML or transfer it automatically from JSON and vice versa. The solution is very scalable. The solution works very well even if you have a small number of users. Our company also tested its use with a large number of users, consisting of more than 2,000 users, and it was very nice to use. The tool is very robust.

What needs improvement?

The administration of the user interface and the technical documentation are areas of concern in the solution where improvements are required. The solution's technical documentation should be a little bit easier to understand, and it is a traditional problem with all IBM products. The technical documentation is a bit too difficult to understand, and it is also not easy to read.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM API Connect for three years. I operate as an independent consultant.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a very scalable solution.

The meaning of the size of the companies in Greece is very different from what it is in other parts of the world, like the UK or Germany. The tool has around 2,000 users. I don't know if 2,000 users are found in small, medium, or large enterprises, but in the UK, it is a number to describe a small business, while in Greece, it is considered a large-sized company.

How are customer service and support?

I rate the technical support a six out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

I rate the product's initial setup phase a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is a difficult process, and ten is an easy phase.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model. The client with whom I work operates only on an on-premises infrastructure. My client is very demanding when it comes to operating on an on-premises infrastructure. My client is adamant on having on-premises infrastructure owing to security concerns.

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

I rate the product price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the overall tool a seven 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.
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Manager Integration Platform Engineering at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Offers a good SLA, with technical support available to help, but lacks documentation
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution offers a pretty good SLA."
  • "We've had some issues upgrading to the latest version of the solution."

What is our primary use case?

Right now, our use cases are all internal. It's all API socialization internally. With version 10, we'd like to go externally with an actual API marketplace, however, we haven't gone there yet. 

I don't publish; I manage infrastructure. My role is to implement the infrastructure, maintain it, and enable the developers to leverage the technology.

What is most valuable?

The older versions of the solution were fairly straightforward to install.

The solution offers a pretty good SLA.

We deal a lot with technical support and typically they do help. We need them as we often can't find the documentation that would help us circumvent their services.

What needs improvement?

We've had some issues upgrading to the latest version of the solution.

The documentation could be improved. When we download a fix that was expected to be seamless to install, it wasn't. In the past, it was easy just to go to any product and download the documentation. If you had the license, you download the product, install it, look at the documentation. Only for specific cases would you have to reach out to support. Now it is like we know that, for these products, we're going to have to call or engage at some point with support. It's painful right now. It's not a smooth installation.

A hybrid cloud enablement would be very useful. We tried to stand up a gateway in IKS and we were told by support that that was not possible. Yet, the technical people, the designers of the solution, started saying, no, you can actually do it. However, they never said is supported, so I was never sure where the solution stands on hybrid clouds. 

The answers that sometimes are provided are not very comforting. If it isn't a full commitment it isn't going to work.

They need to make it a product that can be downloadable and installable and workable without having to engage with them directly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution extensively for at least the last 12 months. We've been working with it since at least 2017. It's been a few years at this point.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Since we're mostly talking about Version 5, which is a very old version, I would have to say that it is not scalable. The memory gets too high and it affects operations. We had to request another server and it cost us money, even when we were doing a migration. Even if we wanted to go to Version 10 we have to still apply what is called a Fix Pack to the old version to have a separate infrastructure.

We have about 100 developers that use the solution currently.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have to go through the levels of support. We open a ticket and then we try to engage. I have contacts that I can go directly to. However, if the documentation was better, we would need to interact with them less.

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

We are currently looking to change over to another vendor.

How was the initial setup?

I actually did the initial setup for Version 5.0 which took a long time to install. It was easier, I think, as we're moving to newer versions. It is due to the fact that we've included Kubernetes and this style of installation that we're doing today which is a little bit more complex. 

The original was not nearly as complex as it is today. 

We're having some issues. If I go from Version 5.0 and I want to upgrade to 2018, I have to request new servers and then migrate all of the APIs. This is the same for Version 10 which wasn't a commitment, however, there was a communication that they would have an upgrade in place by the end of the second quarter and it didn't happen. We spent all 2018 to 2020 installing Version 2018. Now, we're told if we want to go to Version 10, we have to set up new infrastructure.

We tried to do the 2018 installation in three or four weeks and we handled it all in-house.

What was our ROI?

I cannot speak to an ROI.

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

We have an SLA we can draw from. I need to keep within certain numbers, however, I don't have a problem doing so. I can't speak to exact costs.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I haven't had a chance to compare the solution to other products yet, however, the plan is to move away from this product. We still need to do the research.

What other advice do I have?

We are a direct customer and end-user. We aren't a partner of IBM.

We're not using the latest version of the solution right now. We have in production the original version - which I believe is Version 5.0. It was the original version. We worked all those years since 2018 and we're having some challenges to go to Version 10 which is the latest version.

Overall, I would rate the solution at a seven 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
it_user634788 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Manager at PNC
Real User
It combines IBM DataPower being a security gateway with some of the features that are in IIB and IBM App Connect. I think that a subscriber should being able to subscribe to a plan.

What is most valuable?

I think the most valuable feature is the fact that it sort of combines IBM DataPower being a security gateway with some of the features that are in IIB and IBM App Connect, to kind of build a complete integration. Also, IBM API Connect being the API gateway is extremely valuable both for internal and external consumers of APIs. Off the top of my mind, those are the big points that I would add.

How has it helped my organization?

For full transparency, at this point, we brought the solution in and we've used it for a couple of internal hackathons, but we haven't actually used it for any production work yet. Like any bank, it's really forcing a transformation in the sense of the whole industry related to cloud and related to connections to the outside. We're really trying to figure out, internally, how we want to define that.

Some of the other growing pains we've had is, how do we operationalize the technology in the sense of ownership internally; to say, which different groups should actually own which component and how we control the security across that. Personally, my side of the house, which is being responsible for delivering solutions on behalf of the businesses, I'm ready and anxious to get going on it. I'm very excited about the possibilities that the technology brings.

What needs improvement?

I think that some features that would be kind of cool are around the whole idea of a subscriber being able to subscribe to a plan. Not only should that plan include the number of calls per month or per week or whatever but also, I want to subscribe to a plan with an SLA, which gets into response time of an API call. If the response time in the plan that you subscribe is like 200 milliseconds with a 99.9% guaranteed delivery, then I should be able to subscribe to that plan and then be able to go into it and actually see how close I am to adhering to that.

Internally, this makes for some very interesting conversations right around going from application to application, issuing a connection and they're saying, "Hey, well, we're going to make this many calls a month and this is what we need the response time to be." You could literally say, "Well, we're hitting the SLA." Or, "We're not hitting the SLA." Externally, I think you have the same sort of commitments and when you're negotiating contracts, especially on the larger business partner connection, with the business-to-business connection conversation as well.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Given the fact that it's not operationalized, I cannot really comment too well on the stability because we haven't really had to worry about the stability yet. I'm not really in a place to know. I've heard rumors that there are occasionally some issues related to how it maintains connections with its other pair, but I don't know enough to know.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Based on the architecture, from what I've heard, it's quite scalable. It's just, bring in more nodes and away you go. My understanding is it’s very scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

Personally, I have not used technical support.

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

We did not previously use a different solution. Let's face it: This is a relatively new space and we’re a bank. Of course, we knew that the solution was going on.

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved in the initial setup.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I do believe that there was an RFP process that we went through as part of the selection for this tool. I do not know which other vendors were on the short list.
Usually, our vendor selection process is quite rigid around that. Everything comes into play. Of course, there's cost but then there's, how well it's going to be supported. What does the product roadmap look like? How well does it conform to our internal technology standards? How well will it play within our environment? There's a lot of stuff there.

What other advice do I have?

I think if you're working with IBM and you're looking at possibly using Bluemix now or in the future, the other thing is, if you're using IIB or you're looking at Salesforce, there are a lot of synergies related to these platforms and this tool set, so it sort of makes sense to head down this road.

Personally, if you're a small startup, you might need to evaluate the entire landscape a little bit differently, but if you're a large enterprise and you already have a pretty big relationship with IBM, I think that it makes a lot of sense.

My rating reflects the fact that it's not operationalized at this point, and that's not entirely the product’s fault. I see a lot of potential, but there are still some things that need to be there.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user801987 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user801987Software Trainee at Miracle Software Systems, Inc at a tech services company
Real User

well explained.Thank you

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Updated: March 2024
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