We're thrilled to introduce a major release for IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation (CP4BA) that elevates how teams design, run, and scale automation. This release brings MCP-compliant local servers, AI assistants across BAW and Content, native watsonx Orchestrate agent invocation, and breakthrough advances in security, observability, and operational excellence.
Whether you're modernizing workflows, accelerating case handling, or building toward autonomous operations, this release helps you move faster, safer, and with confidence.
Why This Matters
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Accelerate time-to-value with AI-assisted design and workplace productivity tools
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Strengthen security and compliance with namespace-scoped RBAC, Vault integration, and FIPS support
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Increase reliability and control via rolling updates, integrated performance testing, and end-to-end observability
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Prepare for the future with agent-based automation foundations and native watsonx Orchestrate integration
What's New
1) MCP‑Compliant Local Servers for BA Capabilities (BAW, Content, Decision)
Run MCP-compliant servers for each Business Automation capability as local MCP servers-bringing consistent governance and lifecycle management across your automation stack.
Benefits:
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Establishes a standardized control plane across BAW, Content, and Decision
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Lays the foundation for agent-based automation
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Prepares CP4BA for autonomous enterprise use cases
2) Client Managed Content Assistant on CP4BA
Bring AI to your content operations-without a separate purchase-and keep sensitive data fully under your control.
Highlights:
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Included for all existing FileNet customers
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Designed for regulated industries-facilitates responsible AI adoption
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Enhances content discovery, summarization, and automation out of the box
3) AI Workflow Authoring Assistant (Tech Preview) on BAW/CP4BA
Design workflows faster with AI-assisted authoring that helps propose steps, validate logic, and streamline solution iterations.
Value:
4) AI Workplace Assistant for Summarization & Multi‑Step Actions (BAW/CP4BA)
Boost productivity for designers and case workers with contextual summaries and automated follow-ups that reduce manual effort.
Outcomes:
5) Native Invocation of watsonx Orchestrate Agents from Workflows
Trigger watsonx Orchestrate agents natively within BAW/CP4BA workflows to enable true end-to-end intelligent automation.
Use cases:
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Intelligent case triage and resolution
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Automated data gathering, validation, and enrichment
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Human-in-the-loop approvals with AI recommendations
6) Add/Remove of Capabilities in Deployment Scripts
You can now add or remove capabilities in an existing deployment by simply updating the Custom Resource (CR)-no need to reinstall the platform. An update to the CR automatically overwrites deployed resources.
Outcomes:
7) Stronger Security: Namespace‑Scoped RBAC for Operators
We've removed clusterRoles from operators across the platform-moving to namespace-scoped permissions only.
Impact:
8) Improved Authentication & Authorisation Documentation
We've enhanced CP4BA security guidance to cover supported login methods, RBAC, Zen's role, customisation options, and cross-capability authorization.
Outcomes:
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Simplifies identity and access setup across multiple CP4BA capabilities
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Reduces security misconfigurations for faster, safer deployments
9) Built‑In Storage & Performance Testing in Deployment
Validate storage and performance as part of your deployment script-before go-live.
Benefits:
10) Vault Integration – Phase I (HashiCorp) for Content
Simplify secrets management with enterprise-grade Vault integration (Phase I) for Content.
Why it's important:
11) Support for Fusion HCI on Hosted Control Planes (HCP)
Adopt modern hybrid cloud architectures-pair agility with operational control.
12) FIPS Support for CP4BA on IBM Power
Run CP4BA with FIPS support on IBM Power to meet stringent regulatory requirements.
Value:
13) End‑to‑End Observability with Instana
Gain comprehensive monitoring and diagnostics across CP4BA capabilities with Instana integration.
Benefits:
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Real-time visibility across the platform
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Faster issue detection and root cause analysis
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Improved reliability and uptime
14) Rolling Updates Across All Capabilities
Perform zero‑downtime upgrades with rolling updates-minimizing business disruption and simplifying operations for IT teams.
Who Benefits
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Business Leaders: Faster outcomes with AI-powered assistants and agent orchestration
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Operations & IT: Stronger security, observability, and zero-downtime upgrades
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Designers & Case Workers: Productivity gains from workflow authoring and workplace assistants
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Architects: Modular adoption, hybrid cloud support, and future-proof foundations for autonomy
Customer Outcomes We're Hearing
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Weeks to days: Solution design cycles shrink with AI Workflow Authoring Assistant
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Higher throughput: Case teams move faster with AI summaries and multi-step actions
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Lower risk: Built-in performance testing and namespace-scoped RBAC reduce operational risk
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Greater confidence: Instana observability and rolling updates raise reliability across environments
Getting Started
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Explore the AI Assistants
Enable the Client Managed Content Assistant and AI Workplace Assistant in CP4BA.
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Turn on Native Agent Orchestration
Connect BAW/CP4BA workflows to watsonx Orchestrate agents.
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Adopt Modularly
Use dynamic capability toggles to add/remove services as your needs grow.
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Harden Security Early
Follow the updated CPfs AuthN/AuthZ guidance; enable Vault (Phase I) for Content secrets.
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Validate Performance Pre‑Prod
Run the storage & performance testing suite during deployment.
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Instrument for Reliability
Set up Instana observability and plan rolling updates for zero-downtime upgrades.
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Marcel Osterwald
Business Automation Technical Sales Specialist
IBM
marcel.osterwald@nl.ibm.com------------------------------