TAG Mobi EAM vs IBM Maximo
A Practical Comparison for Maintenance Leaders
At a glance | When TAG Mobi wins, when IBM Maximo wins
Pick TAG Mobi if…
You’re a mid-to-large organization (facilities, manufacturing, food & beverage, renewables/energy, transportation) that needs fast field adoption with a technician-first UI (no ERP screens).
Runs on a Microsoft-native backbone. TAG core writes/reads Business Central tables and processes via APIs.
Includes mobiMentor AI: multi-agent, multimodal, embedded across pages to:
• Convert Smart Requests into work orders & instructions
• Generate Work Order Summaries
• Automate repetitive admin (POs, reporting, time capture)Adds industry essentials: Permit-to-Work(PTW)/Safe Work, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), contractor enablement, and Power BI on BC data.
Pick IBM Maximo if…
You’re a large enterprise that requires deep, enterprise-wide EAM capabilities with proven scalability.
Provides advanced analytics and AI: predictive modeling, visual inspection with computer vision, and AI-driven scheduling.
Enterprise ecosystem: designed for complex environments and broad asset portfolios across utilities, oil & gas, manufacturing, and transportation.
Works best if your team is comfortable with:
• AppPoints licensing and usage modeling
• Phased rollouts (core PM first, then expansion into Predict/VI/Optimizer)
• Integration to ERP/finance systems via IBM and partner servicesStrong in extreme customization: code-heavy options allow tailoring for highly specific requirements, but add complexity and cost.
With The Asset Guardian (TAG), our downtime has dropped more than 38% compared with prior to implementing CMMS, which adds to the return on investment or the revenue that we're making.
–Balan Vasant Kumar, Maintenance Lead at Amin Renewables
Quick EAM comparison
TAG Mobi vs IBM Maximo
| Category | TAG Mobi | IBM Maximo (MAS) |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | ✅ | ⚠️* |
| Advanced Asset Management | ✅ | ✅ |
| Tailored for Field Users (offline, camera, scan) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mid-size Enterprise Ready | ✅ | ⚠️* |
| Customizable Pricing (plans & seats) | ✅ | ❌* |
| Microsoft Integration (BC, Azure, Power Platform) | ✅ | ❌* |
| Advanced AI in the Flow (agentic/chat) | ✅ | ✅* |
| IoT & AI | ✅ | ✅ |
| Time-to-Value | ✅ | ⚠️* |
| Extreme Customization (code-heavy) | ❌ | ✅ |
* Notes: Asterisk marks conditional factors (e.g., configuration, modules, licensing, or integration effort).
EAM comparison by evaluation criteria
TAG Mobi vs IBM Maximo
Speed of Deployment
TAG Mobi can typically be deployed within weeks, thanks to AI-assisted onboarding and a technician-first UI that avoids ERP screen fatigue while still writing to Business Central. Maximo, on the other hand, usually involves phased enterprise rollouts. While MaaS can speed infrastructure setup, the breadth of configuration often results in multi-stage programs.
Mobile Support
TAG Mobi provides strong offline capabilities with barcode/QR scanning, photos, and guided inspections. Maximo Mobile offers offline/online auto-switching, media capture, scanning, and guided tasks, but is part of a larger, more complex ecosystem.
AI Support & Automation
TAG Mobi’s mobiMentor AI is embedded across pages and runs flows directly from chat or context, converting Smart Requests into work orders, generating summaries, and automating admin tasks such as POs, reporting, and time capture. Maximo includes AI as well, with Assistant for natural language Q&A, predictive models, computer vision for visual inspection, and AI scheduling, though less integrated in screen-driven workflows.
Integrated ERP Ecosystem
TAG Mobi offers a separate UX but a Microsoft-native backbone, with its core reading and writing directly to BC tables and processes via APIs. Maximo is a standalone EAM that integrates to ERP and finance systems through connectors and IBM’s partner ecosystem.
Cost-to-Ownership
TAG Mobi uses a seat-based, per-module model. In many deployments, full BC licenses aren’t required for TAG-only users, helping reduce cost. Maximo uses an AppPoints system—flexible, but requiring careful modeling of consumption by application, role, and usage.
Field User Adoption
TAG Mobi’s technician-first UI and in-flow guidance keep training minimal and adoption fast. Maximo’s modernized 9.x interface and Assistant improve usability, but enterprise depth often requires more structured training and role design.
Analytics & Dashboards
TAG Mobi leverages Power BI and BC reporting, with governance through Microsoft security and SSO. Within the TAG Mobi client, users can easily build personalized dashboards. Maximo provides embedded analytics and IBM/partner accelerators, enabling deeper KPI and reliability insights across MAS applications.
Industry Fit
TAG Mobi is tailored for mid-market to enterprise industries, including facilities, manufacturing, food & beverage, renewables, and transportation. Maximo is strongest in asset-intensive sectors such as utilities, manufacturing, transportation, and oil & gas, supported by a broad application family.
Customization Flexibility
TAG Mobi is configuration-first, favoring workflows and forms that keep projects light, with extensions possible via APIs and the Power Platform. Maximo offers deep customization options across MAS applications, but heavy coding often increases complexity and lead time.
Scalability & Future-Proofing
TAG Mobi scales with the Microsoft stack, benefiting from SaaS cadence and alignment with Business Central upgrades. Maximo delivers proven enterprise scale, with containerized MAS deployable on-prem or cloud, and frequent AI/UX updates from IBM.
“The Asset Guardian (TAG) helps us ensure that the machines are running well, that we have parts on hand, and that downtime is significantly reduced.”
Kendrick Horkley
Project Lead at Ready Foods
Frequently Asked Questions | TAG Mobi vs IBM Maximo
Maximo has decades of depth — why pick TAG Mobi?
IBM Maximo is a powerhouse, but TAG has been around for 13 years. Pick TAG Mobi when you want that depth with faster adoption in a Microsoft‑native estate: techs work in a simple UI (no ERP screens) while data/processes land in BC; mobiMentor AI (Pro) runs flows from chat and automates admin.
How do the AIs actually differ?
Maximo Assistant gives answers and summaries and MAS adds Predict/VI/Optimizer. mobiMentor AI is embedded across pages and orchestrates work from Smart Request to WOs/instructions/summary and admin (POs/time/reporting).
Which is faster to implement?
TAG Mobi. If you’re Microsoft‑centric, TAG Mobi is typically weeks with AI‑assisted onboarding. IBM Maximo projects are often phased (start with core PM + mobile, then expand to Predict/VI).
Total cost differences?
TAG Mobi: transparent per‑user/per‑module pricing; common patterns where no full BC license is required for TAG‑only Full Access/Contractor users. Maximo: AppPoints pool for apps/users; flexible but requires consumption modeling to forecast spend.
Head-to-Head Summary | TAG Mobi vs IBM Maximo
TAG Mobi provides a streamlined UI that shields technicians from ERP complexity, while its core integrates with Microsoft Business Central via APIs. Maximo is a unified IBM suite (Manage, Monitor, Health, Predict, Visual Inspection, Optimizer) with a modern 9.x UX, but as an enterprise platform, it benefits from structured training and role-based design.
mobiMentor AI, TAG’s embedded AI, enables chat-based AI workflows like Smart Request to Work Order, with guided steps, summaries, and automated follow-ups (e.g., POs, vendor alerts). Maximo leverages watsonx Assistant for natural language queries and pairs it with advanced AI modules for prediction, computer vision, and scheduling.
TAG is optimized for Microsoft-based environments (BC, Azure, Power BI, Teams), while Maximo is a standalone EAM that integrates with ERPs via services. TAG uses per-user/per-module licensing; Maximo relies on AppPoints, requiring consumption planning. TAG typically deploys in weeks via AI-assisted onboarding, whereas Maximo follows a phased rollout, starting with core PM, then extending to Predict, Visual Inspection, and Optimizer.
Both platforms support offline access, scanning, photos, and checklists. For IoT and analytics, TAG enables condition-based work orders and visualizes data in Power BI. Maximo offers robust analytics through Predict, Monitor, Health, Visual Inspection, and Optimizer for AI-driven diagnostics and scheduling.
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