The most valuable features of the IBM Integration Bus are the flexibility to easily integrate with other solutions, such as SAP or any other vendors.
CDO - Data & AI at BDC
Flexible integration, application scaling, and helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of the IBM Integration Bus are the flexibility to easily integrate with other solutions, such as SAP or any other vendors."
- "The cloud deployment of the IBM Integration Bus should be made easier."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
The cloud deployment of the IBM Integration Bus should be made easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IBM Integration Bus for approximately six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM Integration Bus is stable. We have a lot of infrastructure running on it, and it has worked well. We have many application integrations that we used it for, and we did not have that many issues.
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IBM Integration Bus
June 2025

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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the IBM Integration Bus is good because it can scale within the application. The whole application installation has some scalability, not only the server. It's easy to scale.
We have approximately 20 developers using this solution and we do not plan to increase the usage.
How are customer service and support?
I have used the support from IBM and they have a ticket priority system. For example, they assign priority to the ticket, such as P1, P2, and P3. P1 is the highest priority and P3 is the lowest. When we are assigned a P1 priority we have someone contact us directly from IBM.
I rate the support from IBM Integration Bus four out of five.
How was the initial setup?
IBM Integration Bus's initial setup is straightforward. They made it really simple to install everything. The process only took a few minutes.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation of the IBM Integration Bus in-house. We have two people for the maintenance and support of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
IBM Integration Bus solution is expensive and this is one of the reasons we are looking for an alternative, such as MuleSoft.
There are some additional pieces of software we need to purchase to do certain kinds of integrations, this should be included and we should not have to pay extra.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others is this is a great solution if you can afford it.
I rate IBM Integration Bus an eight out of ten.
We are currently looking at other vendors, such as MuleSoft, to see what their offerings are.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Director at Absys
Enhancing error handling and monitoring for daily operations
Pros and Cons
- "The error handling and monitoring functionalities of IBM Integration Bus are very good."
- "IBM Integration Bus can improve by implementing no-code or drag-and-drop adapters development, similar to what is available in Red Hat."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for IBM Integration Bus is that it is rigid, scalable, and offers high availability with minimal to no data loss. We have developed services that utilize IBM MQ to transfer data. Our service is running every day at the airport.
What is most valuable?
The error handling and monitoring functionalities of IBM Integration Bus are very good. However, Red Hat offers better monitoring tools.
What needs improvement?
IBM Integration Bus can improve by implementing no-code or drag-and-drop adapters development, similar to what is available in Red Hat. Additionally, the monitoring features could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have experience working with IBM ESB for almost ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the solution's stability at nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the solution's scalability at eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support can be rated as eight out of ten, and I find them to be good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before using IBM Integration Bus, we used various other solutions, including TIPCO. I don't remember all of them now.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of IBM Integration Bus was very difficult, especially during development. It was challenging to configure and install the solution on personal laptops or PCs when trying to download the free version for testing.
What about the implementation team?
We used a third party for the deployment. We used to develop on top of an Integration Bus, however, we did not do the startup installation or installation field ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of IBM Integration Bus is very high, which is the biggest negative for us. It is one of the reasons why we opted for a different solution now.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend IBM Integration Bus because of its scalability and high stability.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Oct 21, 2024
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IBM Integration Bus
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about IBM Integration Bus. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Sales Director at Jordan Business Systems
Developing the integration is simple and integrates well with other solutions
Pros and Cons
- "The system's stability is the most valuable feature."
- "Recently, there was a lot of instability when selecting the solution they needed for testing."
What is our primary use case?
We use external integration with other entities and solutions outside of the enterprise.
What is most valuable?
The system's stability is the most valuable feature. Developing the integration is simple.
What needs improvement?
Recently, there was a lot of instability when selecting the solution they needed for testing. They said that the last one was the one that they enrolled. It's good, and it has good features. Nevertheless, I haven't tried to get it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IBM Integration Bus for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution has been working since 2014.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is a ten out of ten. Other competitors need to fix their solutions.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The solution's stability is ready to meet any business requirements you need. You can scale downtime, and you can have a container license that you can use with the product for free. This provides an advantage because with competitors, you would need to buy a container license.
They used to have traditional deployment nodes. Now it should be considered, but the customer needs to pay for the platform's cluster. With IBM, you have the Veritas and OpenShift licenses for three Autologics Veritas.
How was the initial setup?
The setup depends on the environment because this solution can fail when being fused. So it depends on the implementation.
The containerization and the mobility of the setup for the personalization is implemented on top of the chip's head which comes for free with the product. Most of the middleware comes with a containerization option and deployment portal.
It needs more time to implement and set up the clusters for the data feature. When you implement it, it gives you host availability to expand and add more resources without the system interaction. There are two days of extra optimization for the cluster and it is very responsive. It gives you more scalability when the system is integrated.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is reasonable considering the features we receive.
IBM Bus can't compete with other competitors. For Bus, you are banking on an enterprise solution. This is a lot of small and open-source software.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Technical Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Reliable and feature-rich solution for seamless enterprise application integration with user-friendly graphical development environment, extensive connectivity options, and robust scalability
Pros and Cons
- "It can be implemented as an enterprise service bus to seamlessly connect all applications within your enterprise."
- "It would be beneficial for it to function more as an iPaaS, with the runtime available in the cloud, potentially on platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud."
What is our primary use case?
Typically, when engaging in application integration, especially when receiving data through an integration gateway, the common practice involves routing or transforming the message. This process aims to enrich the data before forwarding it to other downstream systems, and we utilize IBM Integration Bus for it.
How has it helped my organization?
It offers easy adaptability, allowing for seamless modifications. With versatile nodes, it facilitates effortless connections with other integration components. The platform supports diverse functionalities such as making web service calls, conducting file transfers, and interacting with databases. Additionally, it accommodates synchronous communication, addressing a variety of technical implementation needs. It effectively replaces the effort involved in such coding tasks.
What is most valuable?
It can be implemented as an enterprise service bus to seamlessly connect all applications within your enterprise. This tool serves as a bridge, ensuring a smooth flow of data across all applications, regardless of their formats or communication protocols. By leveraging its features, you can efficiently manage and facilitate communication between various applications in your enterprise ecosystem.
What needs improvement?
It would be beneficial for it to function more as an iPaaS, with the runtime available in the cloud, potentially on platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. This approach enables broader accessibility, allowing more users to leverage the service.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for more than nine years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It exhibits high stability, consistently performing well in the majority of environments. Any disruptions typically arise only when there are issues with the underlying infrastructure supporting the Integration Bus.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
While I can't provide specific user numbers, we have numerous clients across the globe who rely on IBM Integration Bus to meet their business needs. If you aim to enhance the scalability of your integration application developed in IBM Integration Bus, there are specific options and features you can utilize. This enables you to scale up your applications effectively, allowing them to handle a higher volume of requests from various sources.
How are customer service and support?
I am confident that we would receive a prompt response from IBM whenever we encounter any technical issues or require technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was relatively straightforward and not overly challenging. Establishing the required environment to run the IBM Integration Bus was a simple process. All that was needed was some server space to install and bring up the runtime environment.
What about the implementation team?
A common practice is the implementation of CI, CD, and DevOps tools. These tools automate the deployment process seamlessly. Whenever code changes are made and pushed, the configured DevOps tools take over, ensuring an automated deployment without the need for manual intervention. This streamlined approach enhances efficiency and minimizes manual efforts during the deployment phase. Maintenance for IBM Integration Bus is well-established. As part of routine maintenance, regular fixes are provided for the product, contributing to the overall stability. Daily monitoring of IBM Integration Bus objects is a crucial aspect of maintenance. We maintain a dedicated team that monitors these objects 24/7, both on-site and offshore. This continuous vigilance ensures that any potential issues are promptly identified and addressed, minimizing any impact on business operations.
What other advice do I have?
I find it to be a highly regarded solution. If you are considering the implementation of an Enterprise Service Bus, this product emerges as a robust and effective solution for your business needs. Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT architect at Primark
An integration solution with a useful real-time integration feature, but the price could be better
Pros and Cons
- "like the API lead integration, which is more focused, and I also like real-time integration."
- "The price could be better. It would also be better if they simplified the code."
What is our primary use case?
We work with multiple customers, and this is one of the tools we use to help them with integration.
What is most valuable?
I like the API lead integration, which is more focused, and I also like real-time integration.
What needs improvement?
The price could be better. It would also be better if they simplified the code.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IBM Integration Bus for more than 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM Integration Bus is a stable solution.
On a scale from one ten, I would give stability a nine.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
IBM Integration Bus is a scalable solution. We have about 1000 users and 30 applications.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give scalability an eight.
How are customer service and support?
IBM's technical support is pretty good. They are very quick to respond once we raise a PMR with them.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. We already have a CI/CD pipeline in place. We just have to create the images, and then automation takes over and deploys it quickly.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give the initial setup a nine.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed this solution. We have two to three people who do this.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
IBM Integration Bus is expensive. There are cheaper products in the marketplace.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give the pricing a two.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this product as it's an IBM product. However, it all depends on the use case. If it's heavy machine-based transactions, I recommend IBM Integration Bus. But if it's API-based, I would recommend another solution.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give IBM Integration Bus a six.
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
Developer at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees
Built-in nodes significantly simplified our integration tasks, easy to scale and setup
Pros and Cons
- "IBM Integration Bus has been effective in facilitating our messaging and service-oriented architecture (SOA) or bus architecture. So, we're already utilizing it to transform the data from the source it's sending. It converts the data from the format the source sends it into the format the destination system requires. So we are transforming the messages, which are required by the destination system; that's the one way."
- "Performance can be an issue sometimes. The tool occasionally crashes due to memory-related problems. We've reported these issues to IBM, and they are actively working on improving the tooling experience."
What is our primary use case?
We use IBM Integration Bus to communicate with existing systems like COBOL. We utilize COBOL copybooks, which we need to transform for downstream systems. We create schemas and leverage the COBOL capabilities to convert messages to the target systems. This is one example of our integration use case.
How has it helped my organization?
IBM Integration Bus integrates with various applications and systems.
We have many external customers who call our Integration Bus using the SOA WSDL. We expose WSDL to external systems, allowing them to share inputs with the Integration Bus.
In turn, the Integration Bus integrates with additional third-party and external systems. So, it acts as a middle layer between source and target systems.
IBM Integration Bus has been effective in facilitating our messaging and service-oriented architecture (SOA) or bus architecture.
So, we're already utilizing it to transform the data from the source it's sending. It converts the data from the format the source sends it into the format the destination system requires. So we are transforming the messages, which are required by the destination system; that's the one way.
Another way we are routing the messages to the different destinations is based on the source and the payloads they are giving. So we are reading that payload and, based on that, targeting the task. So, we are transforming the same message to the different destinations. That's another way.
IBM Integration Bus's built-in nodes significantly simplified our integration tasks. Almost all of our solutions have benefited from the built-in nodes. Each node has its own specific functions, making them incredibly valuable for various development tasks.
What is most valuable?
Transforming the messages is a valuable feature for me.
All the message transformations, conditional routing, and simple data movements are already built-in.
Additionally, there are some powerful conditional processing capabilities. These features, especially conditional routing and complex data mapping, are crucial for handling multiple complex integrations.
The graphical mapper makes transformations much easier. For simple one-to-one mappings, the source and target can be directly connected, saving developers time.
What needs improvement?
Performance can be an issue sometimes. The tool occasionally crashes due to memory-related problems. We've reported these issues to IBM, and they are actively working on improving the tooling experience.
It would be great to see better memory management to avoid these crashes.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for five years now. I use v10.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I had no issues with stability. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We haven't encountered any issues with volume or performance based on our testing. While we are still developing these applications, we are confident in the solution's ability to handle high volumes.
I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
I would rate my experience with the initial setup a nine out of ten, with ten being easy.
It's very easy to set up. It typically takes less than an hour.
What about the implementation team?
Two people were involved. One is the administrator, who has the necessary permissions and installs the product.
The other is the integration developer, who defines the integration flows, steps, and profiles.
One person could be from IBM support, while the other would be from the Windows or Linux administration team.
The product requires ongoing maintenance. However, the people required for the maintenance depend on the project. In my organization, we have five to ten based on our projects.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head of enterprise applications sector at Agricultural Bank of Egypt
Great integration but not particularly user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "IBM Integration Bus's best feature is integration."
- "IBM Integration Bus isn't particularly user-friendly and has a big learning curve."
What is our primary use case?
I primarily use IBM Integration Bus to integrate core banking and card management systems.
What is most valuable?
IBM Integration Bus's best feature is integration.
What needs improvement?
IBM Integration Bus isn't particularly user-friendly and has a big learning curve. In the next release, IBM Integration Bus should support microservice architecture.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM Integration Bus is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
IBM Integration Bus is scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used TIBCO and webMethods.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex; deployment took around a month, while implementation took around four months.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a decent ROI from IBM Integration Bus.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
IBM Integration Bus is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I wouldn't recommend IBM Integration Bus to other users because of its high learning curve, and I'd rate it seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IBM Integration Bus Developer at Telecom Egypt
Great stability, stream lined convergence of other products, and works well with critical projects, but the performance needs to be enhanced
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable thing is the loose coupling and making the change in only one stack of the ESB layer or the middleware layer."
- "The performance needs to be enhanced when working with the Toolkit."
What is our primary use case?
It is used for the banking domain and telco. We use it for integration between vendors from core banking and the other channels, for example, buyers, CRM and codes.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable thing is the loose coupling and making the change in only one stack of the ESB layer or the middleware layer. This helps in big projects and when we have multiple channels calling back at the same time.
What needs improvement?
The Toolkit itself is based on Eclipse and Java, and it does not respond sometimes. When we are working on the Toolkit using or working on our PCs or remote desktop the program has issues with performance. The performance needs to be enhanced. More labs for developers who want to learn about this technology for trial. They may provide a trial version of App Connect or Toolkit to try it for themselves.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IBM Integration Bus for the past five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable and used by very large companies and banking in EMEA, or in Egypt and the Middle East. It is used in very stable projects and critical ones that have payment transactions, like wallets or through transactions, and internet banking.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very scalable. We have twenty different developer and administrator teams working with it.
How are customer service and support?
If we have to fix an installation or other support needed, an administrator opens a ticket with IBM and they support it, especially if it is in the license agreement with them. But, I am a developer, not related to technical support. From the community side, I would rate technical support a seven out of ten because IBM documentation is available over the internet and on other websites.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and takes about one minute to deploy
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have the enterprise edition, and it is licensed yearly. I do not know what the cost is.
What other advice do I have?
They can converge other products, ESB, or SOAR architecture. I may recommend IBM as a solution tool for a business if they are looking for a stable environment. They will find support on the community forum. I would rate IBM Integration Bus a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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