What You Need to Know
IBM has made a key licensing update that brings greater value and flexibility to users of Business Automation Workflow (BAW). This change reflects a growing recognition of how essential Business Automation Insight (BAI) has become to BAW’s core reporting and monitoring capabilities.
Why This Matters
Previously, BAI was available only as a limited use Supporting Program, capped at 6 Virtual Processor Cores (VPCs). Any usage beyond that limit required a separate purchase, creating added complexity and cost for organizations that needed robust operational insights. However, given the foundational role of BAI in providing real-time visibility into BAW workflows and events, customers have been requesting for BAI to be included as a part of the BAW base offering.
What’s Changing?
With the release of BAW version 25.0.0.0, IBM has updated the licensing model to better reflect how BAI is used:
- BAI is now officially included as a Supporting Program with BAW—no longer tied to a 6 VPC cap and there will no restriction to using the BAI features in full.
- Existing customers continue to receive 6 VPCs of BAI at no cost.
- After the initial 6 VPCs, customers can allocate additional usage from their BAW VPC entitlement at a 1:1 ratio, aligning with the model used in IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation (CP4BA).
If you are not familiar with the concepts of how licensing works for IBM software, see the Licensing Basics, Essential Elements, and Licensing & Compliance pages.
The Cloud Paks Licensing guide is another resource that gives you a better understanding of concepts that are related to all IBM Cloud Paks.
Example Scenario : If you have 20 VPCs licensed for Business Automation Workflow (BAW), you can allocate 15 VPCs to BAW and the remaining 5 VPCs to Business Automation Insights (BAI) — without needing separate BAI licenses.
Should your BAI usage grow, you can simply purchase additional BAW entitlements and allocate more VPCs to BAI as needed.
This flexible entitlement model allows you to scale BAI usage dynamically based on your business needs, all within a unified licensing framework.
Summary of Licensing Changes
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BAW 24.0.1.0 License
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BAW 25.0.0.0 License
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Supporting Program
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IBM Cloud Pak for Automation
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IBM Business Automation Insights
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Permitted Components
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Business Automation Insight (of CP4BA)
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Business Automation Insights (Standalone)
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Not Used for Entitlements
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BAI (of CP4BA)
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BAI (when used in Non-Production environments)
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Usage Restrictions
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Limited to collecting events from BAW and FileNet; Restricted to using Task Manager of BAI only and limited to 6 VPCs or BAW VPCs, whichever is smaller
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Same event collection limits apply, but no hard cap on VPCs used BAI features.
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What This Means for You
This change significantly simplifies the deployment and scaling of BAI within your BAW environment. Organizations now have:
- More flexibility to scale reporting as needed without facing unexpected licensing barriers.
- Improved cost-efficiency by leveraging existing BAW VPC entitlements.
- Simplified licensing terms, making it easier for teams to understand and manage their automation environments.
IBM’s decision to include BAI as an integral part of BAW reflects its commitment to delivering enterprise automation solutions that are both powerful and practical. As reporting and operational visibility continue to be vital for digital transformation, this move ensures that organizations can fully leverage their automation investments without additional licensing friction.
For more details, check the official IBM documentation or reach out to your IBM representative.
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