IBM OpenPages vs SAP BusinessObjects GRC comparison

IBM and SAP are both solutions in the GRC category. IBM is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.0, while SAP is ranked #12 with an average rating of 6.7. IBM holds a 3.0% mindshare in G, compared to SAP’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 71% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 66% of SAP users who would recommend it.

IBM OpenPages

Read 9 IBM OpenPages reviews

1,514 Views
1,408 Comparison Views

71% willing to recommend

SAP BusinessObjects GRC

Read 7 SAP BusinessObjects GRC reviews

721 Views
555 Comparison Views

66% willing to recommend

IBM OpenPages

SAP BusinessObjects GRC

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 4, 2025

SAP BusinessObjects GRC and IBM OpenPages are competing in the enterprise governance, risk, and compliance market. IBM OpenPages holds an edge with advanced features and flexibility, while SAP BusinessObjects GRC excels in pricing and support.

Features: SAP BusinessObjects GRC includes risk management and access controls, enabling effective compliance and risk assessment. IBM OpenPages offers comprehensive risk management and analytics, with customization and integration options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAP BusinessObjects GRC provides modular deployment and strong customer support for ease of setup and assistance. IBM OpenPages has a customizable deployment model with flexible modules, offering scalability and integration potential but requiring more initial configuration.

Pricing and ROI: SAP BusinessObjects GRC is known for competitive pricing and lower initial setup costs, offering good ROI through efficient risk management. IBM OpenPages demands higher upfront costs but offers superior long-term value with advanced features and integration capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM OpenPages vs. SAP BusinessObjects GRC Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM OpenPages vs. SAP BusinessObjects GRC

December 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 OpenPages

Ranking in GRC

6th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Governance (2nd)

SAP BusinessObjects GRC

Ranking in GRC

12th

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

4.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Continuous Controls Monitoring (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the GRC category, the mindshare of IBM OpenPages is 3.0%, down from 5.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP BusinessObjects GRC is 1.5%, down from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

GRC Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM OpenPages	3.0%
SAP BusinessObjects GRC	1.5%
Other	95.5%

GRC

Featured Reviews

Gabriele Meneguzzi

GRC Practice Leader at Stratos Analytics

Have improved operational control and simplified internal workflows through a clear user interface

The most useful features in IBM OpenPages are the workflow features and front-end. The workflow feature in IBM OpenPages is very flexible, easy to configure, and can help design every kind of process, while the front-end is very useful, clear, simple, and dynamic. The benefit of a centralized platform in risk management, such as IBM OpenPages, is that it allows sharing information and guarantees a central framework of risk and control. The dashboards in IBM OpenPages help with monitoring processes for different users and profiles, and we use the dashboard extensively to show the state of different processes to control them. IBM OpenPages integrates effectively with other tools and existing infrastructure for my customers as we integrate other tools, using APIs to match different information, though some other tools may better support integration. IBM offers Connect, an add-on for integration, but we do not use it, relying solely on API. The reporting tools in IBM OpenPages have very strong potential because they are linked with Cognos IBM, a business intelligence tool, allowing for very good and complex reports, though creating these reports requires skills in business intelligence to get the most out of IBM OpenPages.

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Vishal Guthula

Sr Advanced Analytics Analyst at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Experienced security and easy understanding with advanced customization enhances efficiency

Regarding automation, they could enhance features for checking real-time data when someone attempts to access data without proper permissions. Currently, we do not receive immediate alerts; we only discover issues after something goes wrong. Having prevention alerts immediately when someone triggers unauthorized actions would allow us to address these situations proactively.

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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 ability to keep a record of internal incidents in the company, and also the monitoring of Key Indicators."

"Everything about IBM OpenPages is valuable, particularly when compared to other solutions in the market like MetricStream, from which we switched due to its feasibility, user-friendliness, and performance."

"The most valuable features are the workflow engine, calculations, and security rules."

"The most useful features in IBM OpenPages are the workflow features and front-end, as noted by Ian Francis, an IBM expert lab, with the workflow feature being very flexible, easy to configure, and able to help design every kind of process, while the front-end is very useful, clear, simple, and dynamic."

"IBM OpenPages saves time in my work as a developer."

"The content, reporting, and workflow features stand out as the most valuable aspects."

"IBM OpenPages provides time savings in recording risk management components."

"It is wonderful from the control perspective. The GRC tools help you in knowing what are the risk controls, how to mitigate risks, and how to ensure that there are no conflicts between the roles. From the user perspective, you get to know what are the permission risks and access risks. You get a lot of useful information."

"Initial setup was straightforward. It took maybe one week."

"The customization options in the dashboards inside SAP BusinessObjects GRC are highly valuable, and the real-time monitoring feature performs effectively, allowing teams to maintain data security by restricting domain visibility."

"The tool helps create reports for projects, including the creation of any ad-hoc reports"

"The stability of SAP BusinessObjects GRC is acceptable."

"The best features are the scalability and flexibility to implement applications on top of the BW."

"We have enterprise clients for the product."

Cons

"I believe there's room for improvement in establishing connections with external information."

"IBM OpenPages needs improvement in its UI. Currently, it is difficult to see the relationships (associations/parents) between all items unless you click on the item itself."

"Some self-relationships are not available in OpenPages' relationship model."

"IBM needs to work on pricing for organizations with around 100 users, as the licensing model is not competitive enough for SMEs."

"IBM OpenPages could improve by adding more conditions to workflows, as some existing conditions might not work and can produce errors."

"The reporting tools in IBM OpenPages have very strong potential because they are linked with Cognos IBM, a business intelligence tool, allowing for very good and complex reports, though creating these reports requires skills in business intelligence to get the most out of IBM OpenPages."

"It would be useful to have more out-of-the-box functionality, especially triggers and calculations."

"We cannot actively log in to the system. It should also improve support."

"Currently, we do not receive immediate alerts; we only discover issues after something goes wrong."

"BusinessObjects is very dated. It is not that user-friendly. It should be made more user-friendly. In addition, if they could make predictive analytics an embedded part of it where people get to know what is there to offer, it would be great."

"An additional feature I would like to see is the option to add wait time and integrate sources in wait time."

"I am working on features that are not functioning as expected, which creates significant difficulties in management."

"Technical support could be better and faster."

"I think the old system is better than the new one. From an improvement perspective, the tool needs to ensure that the new technologies it offers are better than the old ones."

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"SAP BusinessObjects GRC is expensive."

"There is a yearly licensing cost. I would rate their pricing 4 out of 5."

"The product's licensing costs involve a one-time purchase. The tool also allows others to make annual payments towards the licensing charges of the product."

"The license is costly."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

25%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Retailer

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

15%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	1

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Large Enterprise	6

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with IBM OpenPages?

There is nothing in particular that needs improvement in IBM OpenPages, although reporting could be improved to make it easier to create reports.

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What is your primary use case for IBM OpenPages?

My customers' main use cases for IBM OpenPages include ICT risk, operational risk management, and regulatory and compliance management.

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What advice do you have for others considering IBM OpenPages?

For those planning to use IBM OpenPages, I recommend defining exactly what you want and understanding how IBM OpenPages can help you before starting to use it. I rate IBM OpenPages a nine out of ten.

See all answers

What do you like most about SAP BusinessObjects GRC?

The tool helps create reports for projects, including the creation of any ad-hoc reports

See all answers

What needs improvement with SAP BusinessObjects GRC?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SAP BusinessObjects GRC?

I work with SAP, and currently I am working with other domains such as Power BI, Microsoft, and in the AI sector. When working with Microsoft, I utilize solutions such as Intune, Configuration Mana...

See all answers

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Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

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Compared 9% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GRC

January 2026

Download IBM OpenPages product report

Buyer's Guide

SAP BusinessObjects GRC

January 2026

Download SAP BusinessObjects GRC product report

Also Known As

OpenPages

BusinessObjects GRC

Overview

Enables customers to manage risk and compliance initiatives across the enterprise, helping businesses to reduce loss, improve decision-making about resource allocation, and optimize business performance.

IBM

SAP GRC helps you automatically detect, remediate, and prevent access risk violations - no matter the industry or business size. Get real-time visibility into your current risk position, and confidently reduce unauthorized access, fraud, and the cost of compliance.

SAP

Sample Customers

Nationwide, Process Innovation AG, OSRAM Licht AG, Dep‹sito Central de Valores (DCV), Delta Lloyd Group, Unum

INEOS Melamines GmbH, Banco Galicia

Buyer's Guide

IBM OpenPages vs. SAP BusinessObjects GRC

December 2025

Free Report: IBM OpenPages vs. SAP BusinessObjects GRC

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