Cloud workflows have accelerated integrations and now demand better debugging and DevOps support
What is our primary use case?
IBM App Connect serves as our integration platform, allowing us to connect application systems and data without heavy load or heavy coding. In my current organization, we use the AWS cloud, and IBM App Connect enables us to easily integrate with that AWS cloud. We also have Salesforce and Slack alerts, so we can handle Slack channels, pop-ups, and file uploads using the platform.
Everything is on the cloud right now, so we need cloud-to-cloud support. IBM App Connect makes it very easy to integrate from cloud to cloud. The platform also supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid integration. We are using the cloud integration for all our requirements.
Since everything is on the cloud, we have to integrate everything on the cloud for whatever we require. We use IBM App Connect for anything we need to build, any Slack-related work, and ServiceNow automation. We have ServiceNow trigger new incidents, and we have to alert those things via mail and Teams. This kind of automation is easily handled through the platform.
What is most valuable?
With minimal code, we can easily integrate with other systems. IBM App Connect offers a low-code, no-code approach. Sometimes we don't need any code, and sometimes we need a little bit of code. There are hundreds of connectors available, which reduces custom API work. The data mapping UI provides visual mapping, auto-suggest, and field mapping. Transmission between JSON, XML, and CSV formats is also possible. IBM App Connect provides hybrid integration support, which I really appreciate. Built-in error handling and security features are included, such as OAuth 2.0, TLS, secret management, and role-based access. One main feature is that IBM App Connect is Kubernetes-friendly, running well on the OpenShift container in my runtime environment.
The low-code approach significantly reduces the time of our resources. We can even reduce the number of resources because the integration doesn't require heavy coding. This saves both time and money.
I don't have an exact number, but for traditional coding that would take one day, IBM App Connect can finish the work in about four hours. Authorization and authentication API setup, which would typically require one to two days, can be finished within one to two hours maximum. Data mapping that would take around six to eight hours can be done within one hour using IBM App Connect. The same applies to error handling, testing, and fixing. Overall, 50 to 60% of the time is saved when using IBM App Connect.
IBM App Connect definitely saves a lot of time, approximately 50 to 60%. Based on the time savings, we can reduce the number of employees needed. For resource utilization, we can use fewer resources. With the time saved, we need fewer employees, and based on that, we save money on reduced resources.
What needs improvement?
IBM App Connect provides many features, but there are several areas for improvement. Better debugging and observability would help us track any single transaction end-to-end across steps and connectors. Features such as a step-by-step line view and one-click download for flow execution would be beneficial. Improved CI/CD pipeline and GitOps experience would be valuable. The team wants flows as code and predictable promotion across development, test, and production environments. Stronger native Git integration, export-import functionalities, and first-class pipeline templates like Jenkins, GitHub, and Azure DevOps would be beneficial. More cloud-native, lightweight runtime options would be very helpful. Connector reliability and consistency need improvement because some connectors feel more mature than others, and version changes can break mapping. Pricing and licensing clarity is important because the licensing is complex and can slow down adoption and planning.
Some improvement areas include handling very complex structures that the platform currently does not support. Improvements on the DevOps side, particularly providing templates, would be beneficial. The platform is somewhat expensive and hard to predict in terms of cost. Debugging features need to be provided. For CI/CD, the flows are not truly accurate and need improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used IBM App Connect since 2021, when I was at my previous company.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM App Connect is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
IBM App Connect is very scalable and a flexible tool. We can easily scale between any connector or anything.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support is available 24/7. Anytime we need any help, support is accessible.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before IBM App Connect, I used a few solutions, including custom point-to-point integration. There were problems with tight coupling, central bottlenecks everywhere, and long release cycles. IBM App Connect overcomes these issues.
How was the initial setup?
The pricing is somewhat high. The setup looks very simple, but the licensing takes more time to obtain.
What was our ROI?
IBM App Connect's low-code approach allows us to reduce the time required from our resources. We can even reduce the number of resources because integration doesn't require heavy coding, saving both time and money.
IBM App Connect definitely saves significant time, approximately 50 to 60%. Based on the time savings, we can reduce the number of employees needed. For resource utilization, we can use fewer resources. With the time saved, we need fewer employees, and based on that, we save money on reduced resources.
What other advice do I have?
We are using the private cloud deployment on AWS. My company purchased IBM App Connect through the AWS Marketplace. IBM App Connect is a very user-friendly tool, and we can very easily integrate with other applications. I would definitely recommend it. The overall review rating for IBM App Connect is 7.5 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Decade-Long Perspective: The evolution and modernization of IBM ACE
What do you like best about the product?
The ability to deploy integrations anywhere—on-premise, in a private cloud, or in a public cloud
Moving away from the heavy, centralized architecture of "brokers and execution groups," IBM completely re-architected the platform around lightweight, independent "integration servers." This fundamental shift is arguably the most significant upgrade for me.
What do you dislike about the product?
Documentation is not always as easy to understand is it could be
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Application integration, messaging, EDA and data streaming ,....
Review of IBM ACE
What do you like best about the product?
Best application for enterprises connection and sharing the data across verious on promises and cloud.
What do you dislike about the product?
One of big headache is testing the application when we developing it. Each time we have to create package or bar file and need to deploy it into server then only we can test the new service or changes in the service. Even single line changes also needed this. Not good in testing part for developers
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Provides various connection option to connect or making api calls. Able to transform the data even it is complex transformation.
Over the years ACE keeps getting better and more exciting to use!
What do you like best about the product?
I like that IBM App Connect makes it easier to connect different systems and application, whether they’re in the cloud or on-prem. Even though there is a learning curve, once you get a hang of the tool and gain some experience it is incredibly powerful and easy to use. Over the years the product is getting increasingly more stable and also a bunch of features are being added continuously. The discovery connectors are very nice addition that solve a lot of difficult tasks with ease. Very exciting to see what the future holds for this product.
What do you dislike about the product?
Still a learning Curve, which IBM tries to solve by adding the app connect designer tool for non technical users. I think the toolkit still can be improved a lot to help with the learning curve.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Given that I am a consultant it helped solve a lot of issues with different customers.
Streamlined our integrations with zero hassle - IBM App Connect is a true enabler
What do you like best about the product?
IBM App Connect excels at integrating applications across hybrid environments with minimal coding. The user-friendly interface, wide range of prebuilt connectors, and real-time data syncing capabilities make it extremely powerful for streamlining workflows and automating business processes.
What do you dislike about the product?
Although highly functional, the initial learning curve for new users can be slightly steep. The documentation could be more beginner-friendly, and in some complex integrations, troubleshooting logs lack enough granularity for root cause analysis.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
IBM App Connect is solving our problem of siloed systems and inefficient workflows. By enabling seamless integration between cloud and on-premise applications, it improves data flow, enhances team productivity, and ensures consistent and accurate business operations.
10+ years ACE experience and still enjoying the product
What do you like best about the product?
I really enjoy the all-in one solution. It's easy to connect a bunch of applications since everything is right there at your fingertips.
What do you dislike about the product?
The downsides of using ACE is that there is a bit of a learning curve. It's not the easiest to start with. Also the toolkit itself is a bit outdated.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Integration of different platforms with tried and tested connectors.
Easy to use and understand
What do you like best about the product?
Low-Code & No-Code Integration and AI-Driven Mapping & Automation.
What do you dislike about the product?
Pricing is bit expensive and has smaller community
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
helps to solve integration challenges by enabling businesses to connect applications
Ok, so far
What do you like best about the product?
Lots of connectors for integration with diferent products and vendors.
What do you dislike about the product?
Steep learning curve, is hard to get new developers started.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Systems integrations
