Taking AI-Powered Automation to the Next Level
We're excited to share that IBM Business Automation Manager Open Editions (IBM BAMOE) v9.3.1 is now available, and this release is packed with powerful enhancements that span from cutting-edge AI capabilities to enterprise-grade infrastructure improvements. If you've been looking for ways to infuse artificial intelligence into your business processes while maintaining the flexibility, control, and enterprise readiness you need, this release delivers on all fronts.
What's the Big Picture?
IBM BAMOE continues to deliver on providing an enterprise-ready, open, cloud-native platform for developing and deploying business automation applications. With v9.3.1, we're building on the foundation we laid with v9.3.0, taking the AI-powered automation capabilities and pushing them even further while also addressing critical enterprise needs around platform support, process migration, and global accessibility.
This release brings significant improvements across multiple dimensions: AI integration, platform modernization, enterprise scalability, process lifecycle management, and internationalization. Whether you're deploying in hybrid-cloud, traditional on-premises environments, or on IBM Z platforms, IBM BAMOE v9.3.1 has you covered(documentation here).
What's New and Updated in v9.3.1
AI Integration - Where the Real Magic Happens
Let's start with the headline features - significant advancements in AI integration, with a particular focus on MCP Server enhancements and introducing a completely new AI Agent Task workflow capability.
MCP Server Updates - More Flexible, More Secure
We've made several important improvements to the MCP Server (available as a Tech Preview) that will make integration simpler and more secure right out of the box, with easier deployment and better security controls.
We've implemented default port configuration (port 80 for HTTP, 443 for HTTPS), which means less time fiddling with settings and more time building solutions. The MCP Server now comes with smarter resource handling through richer descriptions that are automatically populated from Business Service model descriptions, making your endpoints more intuitive and self-documenting. Spring Boot based Business Services also are now supported.
We've also improved how the MCP Server handles complex data structures with nested objects and collections. In the real world, data is rarely flat and simple, and the improved handling means you can work with sophisticated data structures.
Security is always top of mind, and we've added new security layers for MCP endpoints (disabled by default to give you full control over your security posture).
Introducing AI Agent Task for BPMN
The new AI Agent Task functionality for BPMN (also Tech Preview) represents a major leap forward in how you can incorporate AI into your business processes. Powered by integration with Langflow, your workflows can now invoke autonomous AI agents directly. This means your business processes can make intelligent decisions and take actions based on AI reasoning.
Customers authenticate with their Langflow instance via the new Langflow Auth Provider, available in IBM BAMOE Canvas and VS Code Developer Tools. The property panel enables you to select flows or agents from your Langflow instance and test execution directly with user inputs. You can design AI flows in the Langflow visual editor and integrate them seamlessly into IBM BAMOE workflows.
What This Means for Your Business
Imagine a customer service workflow that understands sentiment, urgency, and complexity of customer messages, even with casual language and typos. The AI agent can determine whether a case needs immediate escalation or automated resolution, all while considering historical context. Or consider a procurement approval process where an AI agent evaluates requests in context, reviewing business justification, comparing to similar past purchases, and identifying cost savings opportunities - all automatically within your BPMN workflow.
IBM BAMOE on IBM Z - Enterprise Platform Expansion
For organizations running mission-critical workloads on IBM Z, we have significant news. IBM BAMOE 9.3.1 now supports developing and deploying Business Services on OpenShift running on Linux s390x on IBM z/OS.
This means you can now run IBM BAMOE Canvas, Maven repo, Quarkus Dev UI extension, MCP Server, Management Console, and Data Cleanup tool on your Z platform infrastructure. For enterprises with substantial investments in IBM Z, this enables you to modernize your automation capabilities while leveraging your existing, proven infrastructure. You get the same cloud-native development experience and AI-powered automation capabilities but running on the platform you trust for your most critical workloads.
Process Instance Migration Tool
Here's a capability that addresses a pain point many customers have faced - what happens when you need to update a process definition while instances of the old version are still running?
The new Process Instance Migration (PIM) Add-on integrated with IBM BAMOE Management Console enables you to plan and manage the migration of in-flight process instances to new process definitions. When process instances are running over days, weeks, or months with waiting states like timers or user tasks, you can now migrate them to updated process definitions without losing data or disrupting operations.
The tooling provides full visualization of process definitions, facilitates node mapping between old and new versions, and enables migration scheduling. For organizations managing long-running processes like - loan approvals, compliance workflows, or complex multi-stage business processes, this capability is a game-changer. No more leaving old process instances to complete on obsolete definitions or forcing disruptive restarts.
Modernized Technology Stack
We've upgraded foundational technologies to keep IBM BAMOE at the forefront of enterprise capabilities. IBM BAMOE 9.3.1 now supports PostgreSQL 18.0 (in addition to versions 16 and 17), ensuring you can leverage the latest database improvements in performance, security, and reliability.
Global Reach - Comprehensive Localization
IBM BAMOE v9.3.1 brings comprehensive internationalization support. All user interfaces and user messages are now available in nine languages beyond English: Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese.
Language is automatically set according to your machine locale and can be changed through your browser or VS Code settings. For global organizations, this means your teams around the world can work in their preferred language, reducing training time and increasing productivity.
Enhanced Process Modeling Capabilities
Sub-processes from Different Business Service Projects
IBM BAMOE 9.3.1 now provides a documented process using standard Maven procedures to implement sub-processes from different Business Service projects. This capability, which was supported in IBM BAMOE 8.0.x, is now available with clear, standardized implementation guidance for version 9.3.1, enabling better modularity and reuse across your automation portfolio.
User Task Lifecycle Options
IBM BAMOE now provides a new Human Task Lifecycle that adheres to the WS-HumanTask standard. You can select this lifecycle to replace the default Kogito-based User Task lifecycle. The Human Task lifecycle enables more precise management of human task behavior and state transitions, giving you greater control over how user tasks are handled in your processes. The Kogito-based lifecycle remains the default, ensuring backward compatibility.
DMN Editor Enhancements - Unified Documentation
The DMN Editor now includes a document generation feature that supports multiple Decision Requirements Diagrams (DRDs) and provides a rich documentation workflow to manage your DMN artifacts. This brings the 9.3.1 DMN editor to feature parity with the capabilities from IBM BAMOE v8's classic DMN editor.
The new Document Generation option is available in both IBM BAMOE Canvas and IBM BAMOE Developer Tools for VS Code. You can select DMN artifacts from your project to be included in comprehensive PDF documentation, making it easier to share decision logic with stakeholders, maintain compliance documentation, and support governance requirements.
Why This Matters for Your Organization
IBM BAMOE v9.3.1(documentation here) represents a comprehensive advancement in business automation capabilities. For business leaders, this means faster time-to-value for automation initiatives, support for global operations, and the ability to tackle complex automation challenges with AI. For developers, modern tooling, AI integration without becoming an AI expert, and the flexibility to build on preferred platforms. For IT operations, the enhanced security, platform support, and process migration capabilities mean easier deployment, better governance, and more confidence in production environments.
Ready to Get Started?
We're committed to continuing to push the boundaries of what's possible with business automation and AI integration in the open core space.
For more information, documentation, and getting started guides, visit the IBM Business Automation Manager Open Editions documentation site.
Happy automating!
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