What is our primary use case?
My usual use case for IBM InfoSphere Information Server is ETL, where we take data from one source to another data warehouse solution.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of IBM InfoSphere Information Server that I have found over the years include it being a good, solid ETL tool. We have started working on the cloud with Cloud Pak for Data from IBM, which is now in acceleration mode, so we will move slowly from this to Cloud Pak for Data.
With the ability to handle structured and unstructured data sources, we are mostly working on structured data, but unstructured data is also in our scope, so we will explore that if the organization needs it.
What needs improvement?
As for utilizing the platform's metadata management feature, I have not worked on that feature yet, but personally, I have done that.
To evaluate the effectiveness of IBM InfoSphere Information Server's data integration capabilities, if IBM is providing all the solutions we are using, then it is definitely a helpful thing. Mostly, the other thing is that it is a big area including data governance, data lineage, data management, and metadata, but every customer is not putting that much effort and money on that. They mostly migrate the data, use it, and forget it, but slowly things are changing. I am working in Saudi Arabia, so here also data governance, data management, and those kinds of things are getting attention.
Regarding how scalable IBM InfoSphere Information Server is, I need to learn how to tune performance and scalability on the cloud. I am familiar with localized hardware, but on the cloud, I still have to do the work around it. In the beginning, we estimate the load and based on that, we put the hardware, but if there is continuous increase, I believe IBM also faces problems. Scalability needs to be improved because once the demand comes, you should be able to improve it, but for that, documentation on how to add hardware or resources to the software needs to be proper. I do not have much hands-on experience with that.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for more than 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM InfoSphere Information Server is generally stable, and I find it stable. The product is generally stable, but support issues come into play, and that falls under customer management. If there is a problem, then the person should get support. Unlike other tools, IBM tools do not provide much help from the internet, so additional support should be available.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Regarding how scalable IBM InfoSphere Information Server is, I need to learn how to tune performance and scalability on the cloud. I am familiar with localized hardware, but on the cloud, I still have to do the work around it. In the beginning, we estimate the load and based on that, we put the hardware, but if there is continuous increase, I believe IBM also faces problems. Scalability needs to be improved because once the demand comes, you should be able to improve it, but for that, documentation on how to add hardware or resources to the software needs to be proper. I do not have much hands-on experience with that.
How are customer service and support?
IBM InfoSphere Information Server is generally stable, and I find it stable. The product is generally stable, but support issues come into play, and that falls under customer management. If there is a problem, then the person should get support. Unlike other tools, IBM tools do not provide much help from the internet, so additional support should be available.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before using IBM InfoSphere Information Server, I have seen Informatica ETL, which is a big contender, and I have seen Talend and open sources too. People sometimes think why they should put that much money because many customers say there are open sources available, so why should they not use that. The time and technology are changing with AI and those kinds of things coming into the picture, so technology has to take shape towards that, allowing to handle both. I am even doing my MSc in AI and ML. I know IBM is a good vendor, but if we merge things correctly with the time and technology, definitely your market share will be there.
How was the initial setup?
I have participated in the initial setup and deployment of IBM InfoSphere Information Server. I have done the deployment and installation previously and currently I have to migrate ETL jobs from DB2 to Informix, so I need to find out how I can do that easily. Those kinds of challenges are all the time there once you are in the jobs.
Regarding the initial setup of IBM InfoSphere Information Server, I see that the guidelines for the installation and all in the topology to select are fair enough. The only thing is that I am not finding much on the internet for IBM products outside of IBM. I am not getting that much help, but IBM itself is providing a good knowledge base. If it is on the public network, finding the solution is easier when facing problems. There should be some help available from the community for those who face problems.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Regarding the pricing of IBM InfoSphere Information Server, I cannot comment on that much because I am not directly dealing with the price side. I know the licensing is costly, but I will not be in a right position to give you something on that.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Frankly speaking, I see a good prospect in Cloud Pak if that is one solution because it will be really great to see the data lineage, data governance, and everything in one without having to import things separately. However, I see that due to the lack of customer management and interest, I think the other partners are also getting affected. They understand that IBM is a very strong tool, but due to the local management and relationship management, I believe they are losing some customers. This is my view, so I would say you should focus on that.
What other advice do I have?
Currently, IBM InfoSphere Information Server is deployed on-premises in my organization. Mostly it is on-premises only, but slowly things are changing towards pro-cloud. It will not be a public cloud, it will be an intranet kind of thing, but slowly things are changing towards that.
Over the years of working with IBM InfoSphere Information Server, I see basically the strength of the tool, capability, and load balancing, which I see is really good. I believe that the IBM team produces a reliable product. We are using even DB2 also here currently, and we are using database solution DB2, alongside Cognos. In the current organization, we have Cognos, IBM InfoSphere, and DB2 as a database, but now they are going towards Informix or something, so I see that customer management is important.
Of course, I use the data lineage feature in this solution.
Basically, regarding how data lineage has helped in understanding my data ecosystem, if you see the data lineage wise, currently, the IBM tool was not used for the data lineage. In one bank, I used another tool, I mean, there is the Informatica tool, but here Cloud Pak for Data, I still have to see that one. I understand what data lineage is, but currently, I have not worked on the complete solution.
This review reflects a customer service rating of 3 out of 5.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
IBM
