IBM Business Automation Workflow vs IBM Case Foundation comparison

IBM Business Automation Workflow and IBM Case Foundation are both solutions in the Business Process Management (BPM) category. IBM Business Automation Workflow is ranked #13 with an average rating of 7.8, while IBM Case Foundation is ranked #32 with an average rating of 8.0. IBM Business Automation Workflow holds a 2.1% mindshare in BPM, compared to IBM Case Foundation’s 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 84% of IBM Business Automation Workflow users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of IBM Case Foundation users who would recommend it.

IBM Business Automation Wor...

Read 25 IBM Business Automation Workflow reviews

1,938 Views
1,919 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

IBM Case Foundation

Read 14 IBM Case Foundation reviews

344 Views
344 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

IBM Business Automation Wor...

IBM Case Foundation

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

IBM Case Foundation and IBM Business Automation Workflow compete in the enterprise content and workflow management market. IBM Business Automation Workflow appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set and process automation capabilities.

Features: IBM Case Foundation offers excellent integration with existing systems, effective management of unstructured data, and supports content-driven processes. IBM Business Automation Workflow excels in seamless workflow and case management integration, advanced orchestration capabilities, and a wide array of tools for end-to-end process automation.

Room for Improvement: IBM Case Foundation could enhance its user interface and reporting capabilities and expand its feature set to better compete with modern workflow solutions. IBM Business Automation Workflow could improve its learning curve, simplify user experience, and enhance customer feedback mechanisms for better usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Business Automation Workflow offers a cloud-based deployment model simplifying installation and scaling but has a steeper learning curve. IBM Case Foundation is more straightforward in implementation and receives higher ratings for tailored and responsive customer support.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Case Foundation has a lower initial setup cost and is economical for document-centric workflows, offering solid ROI. IBM Business Automation Workflow requires a higher investment but provides superior long-term value through enhanced process automation potential, justifying its cost with higher ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. IBM Case Foundation Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. IBM Case Foundation

July 2025

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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 Business Automation Wor...

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

13th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Case Foundation

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

32nd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Business Process Management (BPM) category, the mindshare of IBM Business Automation Workflow is 2.1%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Case Foundation is 0.5%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Process Management (BPM)

Featured Reviews

Ateeq Rehman

Unit Head System Implementor at Allied Bank Limited

Customizable features empower seamless workflow automation

The system is fully customizable, very resilient, and fault-tolerant. We have first-line support from IBM, so there are no issues. We have integrations with different banks, ERP systems, and other human resource management systems by integrating through different systems. It provides many ways to integrate, and we are utilizing it effectively.

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Nouman Nawaz

Deputy Director - IT(Plans) at DHA Lahore

Mature product in terms of security and stable product

The architecture is a bit difficult, but in BAW, they introduced the Business Automation Workflow. It's a bit easier compared to Case Manager. Currently, we use Case Manager, so it's a bit difficult to upgrade and handle, but BAW is comparatively much better and easier to handle. The limitation is only for customization because IBM doesn't support it. In some scenarios, if you want some business processes to be customized, we have already spoken two or three times with IBM representatives that we have to customize some of the features in this business process. They would say that if you want to do this automation at your own end, then okay, fine, go ahead, but we are not supporting all this customization. The only thing is the customization because it's a complete standard application.

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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

"The solution reduces the time to the resolution which is essential for businesses."

"The tool streamlines operations, especially from an operational perspective, by facilitating decision-making and ensuring timely approvals. This helps prevent delays in the approval process, where business process management adds significant value for us."

"The product is suitable for knowledge management processes."

"The most important aspect is that it helped us focus on the business process perspective."

"IBM provides long-term support and maintains a traditionally good customer-vendor relationship."

"The dashboards are helpful because you can display reports directly on your screen."

"It gives us the ability to create toolkits and use them across many different applications. It allows us to write things one time, instead of having to write a diary for every single different application. We can write at once and reuse it."

"IBM Business Automation Workflow provides a seamless streamlined collaboration within the organizations."

More IBM Business Automation Workflow pros

"It's very easy."

"The most valuable feature is the content manager part of the file as it is very stable, robust, and reliable."

"The only thing is that we can easily track where the application is in the process, from manual to automation."

"The most valuable feature is its stability, which is why we are using it."

"The most valuable features are those involving decision making, analysis, and anything related to event documents because those processes are related to content as well."

"It is easy to set up workflows that notify the user depending on certain events."

"The solution is scalable."

"The client and the IBM content navigation are the solution's most valuable features."

More IBM Case Foundation pros

Cons

"If the issue needs escalation to level two or level three, it can take time on a case-by-case basis."

"IBM Business Automation Workflow could be more intuitive, with more advanced low-code features and services definition."

"The SCADA Systems are very sophisticated and have a hard time integrating with our older scales. The technical support in regards to the partner side needs some improvement."

"I feel that the features are not user-friendly."

"Integrating the solution with existing systems can be complicated and it needs careful planning and execution."

"In terms of improvement, it could be less complex."

"IBM Business Automation Workflow can improve UI flexibility and integration. Additionally, the solutions from IBM have to provide a paperless solution, allowing for digital versions of documents."

More IBM Business Automation Workflow cons

"90% of the feedback we receive states that the UI is not very user-friendly."

"The cloud version could use more stability."

"The solution can be quite expensive."

"The place of improvement is merging or combining all of the workflow functionality into one seamless tool. Now, there are multiple installations that are different. Case Foundation, before you can put Case Manager and you've got IBM BPM, and the roadmap is there to merge them altogether. But that's the struggle at the moment, it's having multiple installations and disparate workflow applications."

"There is a need for more open and flexible integration capabilities, allowing seamless collaboration with a broader spectrum of business process management solutions, beyond the confines of IBM's document management offerings."

"IBM needs to update the user interfaces of all its products to make them more intuitive and accessible to beginners. Compared to Microsoft products, IBM solutions are less user-friendly. IBM programs are hard to master. It's a problem in my region because it's hard to find IT staff who can work with IBM."

"We are now using microservices but there are some areas where the coordination with FileNet is problematic."

"Once a workflow is launched then it stays static forever, which is a problem because if there is a change in the business then you cannot change the workflow."

More IBM Case Foundation cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"When you compare with Laserfiche and M-Files, IBM is expensive."

"Our license is on a three-year term."

"Licensing varies by use-case."

"Nowadays, clients are looking at pricing as one of the major factors. For IBM products, they always think it is expensive for them. We are still educating our clients on the IBM FlexPoints licensing."

"It is on the expensive side, but it provides excellent supportability and an ecosystem that is proven to be a great fit for our organization."

"There is still a relatively high total cost of ownership to actually implement, support, and stand up solutions."

"IBM Business Automation Workflow has a flexible pricing mode, but the price is expensive. The price of the solution reflects the quality of the solution which is very high. The technical support is an additional cost."

"The product is expensive."

More IBM Business Automation Workflow pricing and cost advice

"IBM Case Foundation is a little expensive."

"This is not an expensive solution and we are using the standard license."

"The price falls in the middle range—not overly expensive but not extremely affordable either."

"Pricing is in the mid-range, it is not cheap, but it's not expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

33%

Computer Software Company

Government

Manufacturing Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which is better, IBM BPM or IBM Business Automation Workflow?

We researched both IBM solutions and in the end, we chose Business Automation Workflow. IBM BPM has a good user interface and the BPM coach is a helpful tool. The API is very useful in providing en...

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What do you like most about IBM Business Automation Workflow?

It performs the basic tasks that are required for the BBM solution as part of the overall integration with ECM or enterprise contact management.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Business Automation Workflow?

The price of IBM Business Automation Workflow is on the higher side compared to the features it offers.

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Case Foundation?

A valuable feature includes seamless integration with the document management system, along with robust capabilities in analytics and reporting.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Case Foundation?

The tool is expensive for my customers; it is very expensive, more than other solutions. Some customers say it is more expensive. The license cost for Cloud Pak is per user and increases with the n...

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What needs improvement with IBM Case Foundation?

We face some challenges with IBM Case Foundation from our customers, particularly with administration and configuration. We face many issues and open tickets with IBM regarding that, especially som...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Business Automation Workflow

August 2025

Download IBM Business Automation Workflow product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Case Foundation

August 2025

Download IBM Case Foundation product report

Also Known As

Business Automation Workflow

Case Foundation, FileNet Business Process Manager

Overview

IBM Business Automation Workflow combines business process management and case management capabilities in one workflow solution. It integrates the capabilities of business process and case management into a single workflow offering. It unites information, process, and users to provide a 360-degree view of work to drive more successful optimized business outcomes. IBM Business Automation Workflow on Cloud provides the same capabilities that are offered in the IBM Business Automation Workflow offering, all within a ready-to-use, cloud-based environment that is hosted in IBM Cloud data centers and managed by IBM.

IBM

IBM Case Foundation is for organizations that need to harness unstructured information and integrate it with business processes to drive critical business decisions. It enables organizations to create, manage and optimize case-based processes and is designed to decrease development costs while significantly improving process performance. Case Foundation links specific pieces of content with a structured workflow. It's an on ramp for organizations that choose to move from document-centric workflow solutions to the advanced capabilities of IBM Case Manager.

IBM

Sample Customers

Key Bank, Barclays, Control€xpert, MIR Insurance Brokers, Conqord Oil

Suncorp Group Limited

Buyer's Guide

IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. IBM Case Foundation

July 2025

Free Report: IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. IBM Case Foundation

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