Works at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Stable with good features and a responsive technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is stable."
  • "IBM MQ is not very user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

We're a service provider. My company provides services to different clients that include financial institutions in the banking sector.

IBM MQ is used for queue messaging. I have to install and configure, the MQ features of listener channels, remote queues, and some transmit queues. We enable these as per customer requirements.

What is most valuable?

The solution offers very good features, including listener channels, remote queues, and transmit queues.

The solution is stable.

The initial setup isn't overly complex. It's pretty straightforward. 

Technical support is very good.

What needs improvement?

IBM MQ is not very user-friendly. MQ needs to redesign or add some sort of user-friendly interface in order to offer better performance.

This is a very old solution. Nowadays, some other products are designed to be much more user-friendly as compared to IBM MQ. 

The product needs better administration.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with the solution for three years. 

Buyer's Guide
IBM MQ
March 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

How are customer service and support?

We've found the technical support to be very good. they tend to match the severity level of the situation. We're quite happy with the way they respond.

How was the initial setup?

While the initial setup is not overly difficult, the user interface is not very user-friendly. 

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

I cannot speak to the pricing of the product. I can't say if it's overly expensive or reasonably priced as I don't deal directly with licensing. 

What other advice do I have?

We are an IBM partner. 

I'd rate the soluton at an eight out of ten. For the most part, I've been pretty happy with its capabilities. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
it_user632715 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist at a wellness & fitness company
Vendor
We are using it for the APIs in order to integrate data into the source systems.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the integration services in the company.

How has it helped my organization?

We are using it for the APIs, beepers, and beeper processes in order to integrate data into the source systems.

What needs improvement?

Actually, I am looking to move to the cloud. We need to integrate the databases that are in the company and provide API integration services in the cloud. Thus, we would like to see more cloud integration.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This product has very strong stability. We don't have interruption problems.

How is customer service and technical support?

The technical support is very good. We have a partner in Puerto Rico. They have people with extensive experience, and they help us.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at the Microsoft solutions, as well. However, IBM was most important.

What other advice do I have?

We look at all the tools and then we compare them to WebSphere. We can then understand which tool we need.

IBM is a leader, but there is always room for improvement.

The most important criteria for me when selecting a vendor include:

  • The support that they provide
  • The knowledge they have of the tools that we need to purchase
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
IBM MQ
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about IBM MQ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
768,886 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Principal Solution Specialist at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
The on-premise installation is very valuable to us.
Pros and Cons
    • "I believe there is too much code to be done in order to handle the elements that you develop."
    • "I believe the stability of the product has decreased since we began using it initially."

    What is our primary use case?

    Originally, we were doing this in-house, and it was a huge effort. Now, with IBM MQ, we have increased our performance, and it performs really well. The queuing system, given the size of information, is helpful.

    How has it helped my organization?

    The on-premise installation is very valuable to us, since we are working with a lot of companies which have a very high degree of compliance.

    What is most valuable?

    I will say that, okay, we are coming from a long history as an IT company, and we have almost done queuing systems with other solutions. Moving from that implementation to something that is out-of-the-box, and the rave reviews, it was a great asset already. We didn’t have to worry about all the specific configuration, or installation of our own queue, and queuing system, and the brokers, and so on. It was some things a little bit out-of-the-box, that's why we like it.

    What needs improvement?

    I believe there is too much code to be done in order to handle the elements that you develop. We choose a new feature, we would choose something that is a little more … even more out-of-the-box, and gives me the possibility to configure directly where the messages should go, instead.

    Also, the IBM MQ, it doesn’t really have a connector.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I believe the stability of the product has decreased since we began using it initially.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    We had some load tests, and actually it was quite straightforward to make a scale actually. I believe we are satisfied with it. We are talking about 100,000 users, and it was performing well. So I don't know if it scales well when we talk about millions. But, for our needs, it scales nicely.

    How is customer service and technical support?

    We do not have a direct contact with them. We have a desk line with them, and we have some sort of agreement. They treat us very well.

    How was the initial setup?

    I do not get involved with the setup of the solutions. But, my team member was very happy with it, and said it was quite easy to install. 

    What was our ROI?

    We always must consider:

    • Reliability is a key requirement
    • There should be a roadmap
    • Support
    • Development

    What other advice do I have?

    We also considered Apache Kafka as a solution. The main difference is that Kafka is an open-source platform. 

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    it_user631677 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Analyst at Erie Insurance
    Real User
    It helps us with speed to market.

    What is most valuable?

    Helping us with speed to market; that's really what IBM's solutions are helping us do.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Again, we're trying to streamline factory-based speed to market. So, it's improved that.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is very stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Scalability is there, as well.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We always rely on technical support; it is very good.

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

    We were previously using a different solution.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    There were other vendors that were on our shortlist. We work with other vendors as well, but IBM is one of our premier vendors. The reason why we chose IBM was because of its stability and they've got the products that we are looking for. They partner with most of the partners that we're dealing with.

    When selecting a vendor, the most important criteria are it's stability, helping us to grow forward and how can they help us get to the market faster.

    What other advice do I have?

    Looking at this is important for any company that's looking for a solution. So, this needs to be one of your primary players.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    it_user487374 - PeerSpot reviewer
    it_user487374VP Product Management at PeerSpot
    Consultant

    What were other products on your shortlist?

    Sr. Middleware/Data Specialist at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    Top 20
    Assists greatly with our applications and has great message processing
    Pros and Cons
    • "Assists with our apps and has great message processing."
    • "Customer support response times could be improved."

    What is our primary use case?

    Our use case for MQ is for unlimited processing. I'm a solutions architect. 

    What is most valuable?

    This is a good and stable product, It assists with our applications and has great message processing with zero loss of messages.

    What needs improvement?

    Customer support response times could be improved. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using this solution for seven years. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is stable. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is scalable. 

    How are customer service and support?

    Customer service is good although they ask for a lot of information that is time-consuming and slows down the process. I'd like to see some improvements in that area. 

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is very easy. Deployment took a few hours and required a three-person team to implement. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I recommend this solution and rate it eight out of 10. 

    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
    PeerSpot user
    Sr. System Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Consultant
    IBM Websphere MQ is a great messaging product

    What is most valuable?

    Its ability to transfer large volumes of data reliably.

    How has it helped my organization?

    I have seen in many organizations it has helped in designing great architectural solutions by helping transfer messages between different systems.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    5 Years

    What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

    No

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    No

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    No

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Customer Service:

    Did not use.

    Technical Support:

    Did not use.

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

    N/A

    How was the initial setup?

    N/A

    What about the implementation team?

    Through Vendor Team. Excellent.

    What was our ROI?

    Very good.

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

    N/A

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    N/A

    What other advice do I have?

    It is an excellent solution.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Project Manager/System Architect/Senior Mainframe System Engineer/Integration Specialist at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
    Reseller
    Highly scalable; provides different ways to establish high availability and workloads
    Pros and Cons
    • "It's highly scalable. It provides various ways to establish high availability and workloads. E.g., you can spread workloads inside of your clusters."
    • "They could integrate monitoring into the solution, a bit more than they do now. Currently, they have opened the REST API so you can get statistic and accounting information and details from MQ and build your own monitoring, if you want. IBM can improve the solution in this direction."

    What is our primary use case?

    We mainly use it for exchanging messages between application servers, back applications (e.g., databases), etc.

    What is most valuable?

    The message is delivered. This is the most important thing.

    Overall, I have been satisfied with the solution's stability and scalability.

    What needs improvement?

    They could integrate monitoring into the solution, a bit more than they do now. Currently, they have opened the REST API so you can get statistic and accounting information and details from MQ and build your own monitoring, if you want. IBM can improve the solution in this direction.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    15 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is very stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It's highly scalable. It provides various ways to establish high availability and workloads. E.g., you can spread workloads inside of your clusters.

    We have 20 engineers, admins, and integrators using this solution in our company. 

    How are customer service and technical support?

    I would rate IBM technical support as a four (out of five) because they are a big company. If you want to get through all the technical support levels, then you need to spend some time. However, this is normal for such a big company.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is straightforward, but you need to take the platform into consideration. If you are talking about Linux, AIX, and Windows, then the setup is really straightforward. However, z/OS or iSeries from IBM are not so straightforward so you need to be familiar with those platforms.

    It takes half a day to fully configure MQ on Windows and Linux, and a bit longer on AIX. For z/OS and iSeries, it takes about five days to fully configure their environments.

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

    There is a different platform price between Windows, z/OS, and iSeries.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would definitely recommend IBM MQ to other people who are looking to implement this solution. They are going in the right direction. Everything is really in place and can be fully obtained. For me, the solution is a perfect product.

    I would rate this solution overall as a nine (out of 10).

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner and reseller.
    PeerSpot user
    Administrator at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Stable, reliable, and scalable, and helps keep our data safe
    Pros and Cons
    • "It is stable, reliable, and scalable."
    • "If they could come up with monitoring dashboards that would be good. We are using external monitoring tools, apart from our IBM MQ, to monitor IBM MQ. If we could get monitoring tools or dashboards to keep everything simple for the user to understand, that would be good."

    What is most valuable?

    Everything looks fine. It is 

    • stable
    • reliable 
    • scalable.

    What needs improvement?

    I am not involved with it at the architect level. I am providing entry-level support for the product. But perhaps if they could come up with monitoring dashboards that would be good. We are using external monitoring tools, apart from our IBM MQ, to monitor IBM MQ. If we could get monitoring tools or dashboards to keep everything simple for the user to understand, that would be good.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability looks good.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability is good. I don't have any issues with it.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is not complex. It's very simple. I didn't find any difficulty with it.

    What other advice do I have?

    Apart from IBM MQ, we are using IBM Integration processor. We are pretty satisfied with the product.

    I would strongly recommend the solution, depending on the elements and architecture you're using. If you want to keep your data safe, I would definitely recommend using IBM MQ. We are satisfied with the service provided by IBM MQ. We don't have any issues.

    I would rate it at 10 out 10. It's the best.

    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
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free IBM MQ Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: March 2024
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free IBM MQ Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.