How customer voice
drives business

Akamai and Fastly are both content delivery networks. They are both leaders in the CDN space, with Akamai serving as the legacy giant and Fastly providing more recent competition at the leading edge of content delivery.  Akamai is an enterprise-focused service, which specializes in providing a high volume of bandwidth and content delivery for large enterprises or companies looking to scale up their content delivery rapidly. In contrast, Fastly is more accessible for midsizes companies. The newer competitor specializes in delivering a broader range of content, including dynamic content that was traditionally considered “uncacheable”.  Features Akamai and Fastly both offer similar feature sets, but with distinct areas of strength.  Akamai offers more capabilities and scale for enterprise users. Reviewers highlight the customizable caching configuration to allow engaged businesses to optimize their CDN deployment. It also offers an industry-leading number and range of edge servers for high-speed performance and extremely high uptimes. Akamai also offers a robust rang of security features that enterprise scope and volumes of content rely on.  Fastly, on the other hand, is a more accessible CDN option for non-enterprise users. It offers a much cheaper price point, as well as offering a better user and administrator experience. […]

FreeNAS and Ubuntu Linux are both operating systems that businesses can use to add functionality to hardware, whether that be creating servers, supporting network attached storage and more. FreeNAS is an operating systems and software provider that provides support for network attached storage, though it can also support server creation.  Ubuntu Linux is one of the most popular distributions of Linux, and can support a wide variety of business tasks.  Ubuntu Linux is most popular with small businesses, likely due to its free price point, while FreeNAS is more popular with larger businesses that are looking to set up network attached storage solutions.  Features Both FreeNAS and Ubuntu Linux can be used to create servers, but they also have several unique features that set them apart from each other.  The FreeNAS operating system is built to support network attached storage systems.  For businesses looking for a free way to turn their hardware into network attached storage devices, FreeNAS is a strong choice.  In addition, FreeNAS can also be used to create servers. The specificity of FreeNAS makes it easy to set up, and highly efficient at the tasks it excels at.   Ubuntu Linux is a popular, free to use distribution […]

Red Hat Ceph Storage and Red Hat Gluster Storage are both software defined storage solutions designed to decouple storage from physical hardware.  Red Hat Ceph Storage provides storage that scales quickly and supports short term storage needs.  In contrast, Red Hat Gluster Storage handles big data needs well and can support petabytes of data.  Both software options are used by businesses of all sizes, and it is possible for a business to make use of both storage solutions. Features Red Hat Ceph Storage and Red Hat Gluster Storage both help users address storage needs in a software defined way, but they take different approaches to storage problems and have some standout features that set them apart from each other. Red Hat Ceph Storage is designed around storing data as objects that can be easily shared across a network.  Any device on the network can easily access any data stored on the Red Hat Ceph Storage cluster.  Users will also have an easy time distributing and receiving data using Red Hat Ceph Storage due to it’s easy to use dashboards. This approach to storage makes it easy for businesses to store data that needs to be accessed frequently from multiple devices. […]

OutSystems and PowerApps are both low-code development platforms designed to allow developers to quickly build applications without writing lengthy sections of code. Outsystems provides a feature rich platform that includes one-step deployment and rapid application development.  OutSystems is most popular with mid-sized businesses and large enterprises, likely due to its advanced feature set and higher price point compared to competitors.  PowerApps is Microsoft’s low-code development tool and is built to integrate seamlessly with other Microsoft applications. PowerApps is most popular with businesses that make heavy use of Microsoft software in their infrastructure. Features OutSystems and PowerApps are both built to help developers create applications quickly and with minimal code, but they also have some limitations that are important to consider.  OutSystems provides an easy to use interface that developers will be able to become comfortable with quickly.  Businesses using OutSystems find that the ease of development provided by OutSystems speeds up development while still allowing for complex applications. In addition to speeding up development time, OutSystems also helps developers deploy their applications with a single click, so pushing applications to production is very quick. One of the biggest benefits of PowerApps is that it integrates easily with Microsoft technologies such […]

Mendix and OutSystems are both low-code development tools meant to help developers create applications quickly and with minimal code.  Mendix is built to provide a user-friendly, flexible development tool so that even inexperienced developers can create an application.  OutSystems provides a range of advanced features to help developers deploy and manage their applications after they’ve been developed.  Both tools are most popular with mid sized businesses and larger enterprises, though they are also used by smaller businesses. Features Mendix and OutSystems both allow users to create applications with minimal development experience, but they also have some standout features that set them apart from each other.  Mendix provides an easy to use process for creating applications.  Users will be walked through application creation step by step, with prebuilt models they can use or edit for their needs. Mendix also provides a developer mobile application so users can edit or create applications from any device. Businesses will have no problem with collaborating using Mendix, as the solution is entirely cloud based, making it easy to share work with other users.  OutSystems provides simple, one click deployment, making it easy to send out an application to the entire organization once it is completed.  […]

FreeNAS and Synology Diskstation are both Network-Attached Storage (NAS) solutions that provide a server specializing in storage and file sharing/serving.  FreeNAS is a free operating system that can be installed on most hardware to create a centralized location for data access.  In contrast, Synology DiskStation provides a complete hardware and software NAS device out of the box. Both NAS solutions are most popular with mid-sized and larger businesses, though they can also be used by smaller businesses. Features Both FreeNAS and Synology Diskstation are functional NAS solutions, but they also have some features that set them apart from each other. FreeNAS is a free to use software with flexible implementation options.  While it usually does not come with any hardware of its own, it can be used on almost any hardware platform to create a NAS solution, so businesses are enabled to create their own solutions. Since FreeNAS is installed on custom hardware, it is easier to upgrade compared to prebuilt hardware options. FreeNAS is a strong choice for businesses looking for an affordable, or highly customizable solution. Synology Diskstation provides software and hardware in a single, complete package. One major benefit of Synology Diskstation is simplicity.  If there is […]

Adobe Premiere Pro and PowerDirector are both video editing tools that businesses can use to create professional video content.  Adobe Premiere Pro is part of Adobe’s creative cloud suite and is designed to provide high level editing features at an affordable rate.  PowerDirector, in addition to editing features provides a library of visual effects that can be easily added to videos.  Both Adobe Premiere Pro and PowerDirector are used by businesses of all sizes, and are particularly popular with smaller businesses. Features Adobe Premiere Pro and PowerDirector both provide essential video editing features, but they also have some standout features that set them apart from each other. Adobe Premiere Pro provides an easy to use interface along with a library of resources beginners can use to learn the software.  Being one of the most common tools in the industry, businesses can also expect that most video editors will at least have some familiarity with Adobe Premiere Pro.  Adobe Premiere Pro also includes features such as facial recognition and haze removal that simplify the editing process.  All in all, Adobe Premiere Pro is a strong choice for new and experienced editors alike. PowerDirector includes a standalone audio editing tool that allows […]

Apache Hive and Presto are both analytics engines that businesses can use to generate insights and enable data analytics.  Apache Hive is a data warehousing tool designed to easily output analytics results to Hadoop.  In contrast, Presto is built to process SQL queries of any size at high speeds.  Both tools are most popular with mid sized businesses and larger enterprises that perform a large volume of SQL queries. Features Apache Hive and Presto both enable organizations to perform queries on business data, but they also have some standout features that set them apart from each other. Apache Hive is designed to facilitate analytics on large amounts of data, while also providing storage for the results in the form of tables.  Businesses using Hadoop will appreciate that Apache Hive is built on top of the Hadoop File System, making it easy to integrate Apache Hive into their existing infrastructure. Businesses will get the most out of Apache Hive if they are performing ad-hoc queries on large datasets. Presto is an open source sql query engine that can manage and run both simple, small queries, as well as large, complex queries.  Businesses will appreciate that Presto can run queries at high […]

Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series Switches and Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches are both LAN switches built by Cisco to support business networking.  Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series Switches are designed to support enterprise branches with simple implementation.  Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches are built to support large enterprises, while providing support for fiber connectivity.  Both LAN switches are used most often by larger enterprises. Features and Limitations Because Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series Switches and Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches are enterprise solutions provided by the same vendor they share many features and limitations.  Notably, though they are both built for enterprises, the 9200 series is designed to fit into smaller branch offices, while 9300 is fully featured for large enterprises.  Additionally, the 9200 series is simple to use compared to the 9300 series, which is more complex, but offers features like 1g fiber connectivity. Both LAN switches provide secure, and speedy connections for business devices, allowing businesses to feel less concerned about network attacks.  Additionally, the 9200 and 9300 series both allow business to manage connected users easily once the system has been implemented. Both are strong choices for businesses looking for enterprise ready LAN Switches, the key differentiator for most […]

Webex Meetings is Cisco’s web and video conferencing solution and is ideal for business use cases. Google Hangouts Classic provides users with online communication capabilities like video conferencing and VoIP calling. However, though the classic version of Google Hangouts still exists and is free to use, it has evolved into two newer products that are better suited for business use cases: Google Chat and Google Meet. Google Hangouts Classic is better suited for personal use and for making one-off business calls.  Features  Both Cisco Webex Meetings and Google Hangouts Classic allow users to make video calls, voice calls, and send chats to other users. However, Webex Meetings has more advanced features that make it better-suited for business users than Google Hangouts Classic. On the other hand, Google’s product is free with lightweight features, making it preferable for personal use.  Cisco Webex Meetings includes features like screen sharing, meeting recording and transcription, both one-on-one and group chats, dial-in options for video meetings, and visibility into the list of meeting participants. In contrast, Google Hangouts Classic allows screen sharing and messages to other contacts but does not offer meeting recording or dial-in options for video meetings.  Google Hangouts Classic also only allows […]

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure and VMware Exsi are both used to virtualize IT environments, though they take different approaches to doing so.  Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure is a hyper-converged infrastructure tool designed to optimize legacy IT infrastructure.  VMware Exsi is a server virtualization tool designed to allow a single machine to run multiple instances of guest operating systems.  Both tools are most popular with mid-sized businesses and large enterprises that have complex IT infrastructures in need of consolidation. Features Though Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure and VMware Exsi both allow for virtualization, they also have some standout features that set them apart from each other.  Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure is hardware and hypervisor agnostic, meaning it will work for businesses utilizing hypervisors like VMware Exsi, so businesses will have no trouble implementing Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure.  Nutanix is also a largely complete tool out of the box, allowing businesses to modernize datacenters out of the box.  Businesses will also have an easy time learning to use Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure, as the vendor provides documentation that explains the product in extensive detail. VMware Exsi is a type 1 hypervisor, meaning it specializes in deploying virtual machines on a host operating system.  Along with other products in the […]

Amazon SQS and RabbitMQ are both message queue software that allow for asynchronous communication between IT systems.  Amazon SQS is a pseudo queue that ensures messages are delivered from one system to another, though not necessarily in an ordered manner.  In contrast, RabbitMQ is a traditional message broker where messages are delivered in a first in, first out order, ensuring that messages are read in the same order they are sent. Both tools are popular with businesses of all sizes.  Features Amazon SQS and RabbitMQ both serve as message queues, but they also have some standout features that set them apart from each other.  One advantage of Amazon SQS is that it has built in compliance features, so businesses that need to comply with HIPAA, for example, will have little difficulty with Amazon SQS.  Scalability and availability are also generally nonissues with Amazon SQS since it is built into AWS.  Amazon SQS also boasts high reliability and security, so businesses using AWS can rely on Amazon SQS to secure and deliver messages with a high level of consistency.  All in all, Amazon SQS is a strong, low effort choice for businesses using AWS. RabbitMQ provides FIFO queues in all regions, […]

Rider and Visual Studio IDE are both tools used for .Net development.  Rider is a .Net Development service built specifically to enable developers to write programs on the .Net platform.  Visual Studio IDE is an integrated development environment originally built for development on Microsoft platforms, but now supports development for most popular languages.  Both development tools are popular with businesses of all sizes that work on the .Net platform. Features Rider and Visual Studio IDE both aid developers in creating .Net applications, but they also have some standout features that set them apart from each other.  Rider provides a highly customizable user interface, including custom keybindings, collapsable windows, and color schemes.  In addition to essential version control features included in most IDE’s, Rider also includes stashing and patching features, making it easy to track multiple pending changes. For code refactoring, Rider also includes advanced features such as condition inversion and method extraction.  Rider is an ideal tool for businesses looking for a feature rich .Net development tool. Visual Studio IDE was one of the first tools built for .net development, so it supports legacy .Net code and extensions.  Additionally, Visual Studio IDE has developed support for other coding languages such […]

Hyper-V and VMware Workstation Pro are both server virtualization tools used to run guest operating systems on a single host machine. Hyper-V is a type-1 hypervisor designed to allow multiple virtual machines and is popular with mid-sized businesses that make use of other Microsoft technologies.  In contrast, VMware Workstation Pro is a hypervisor that supports a wide variety of operating systems and is most popular with mid-sized businesses that aren’t heavily based on Microsoft technology.  Features Hyper-V and VMware Workstation Pro can both be used to create and manage virtualized machines, but they also have some standout features that set them apart from each other. In addition to being offered as a standalone tool, Hyper-V is built into Windows Server, making it easy to use and implement for network administrators that are familiar with Windows server.  Additionally, strong support features are provided for Hyper-V through Windows Active Directory, so businesses won’t have to worry as much about the security of their virtualized workloads. Hyper-V also offers good performance, with virtual servers being quick to create and maintenance not resulting in down time in most cases.  For businesses working with a primarily Windows environment, Hyper-V isw a strong choice. VMware Workstation […]

Both Amazon Chime and Zoom are unified communication solutions that offer audio and video conferencing, business calling, and other collaboration features like team messaging and screen sharing. Zoom and Amazon Chime are both available on most major platforms, including iOS, Android, Web, and Mac. On TrustRadius, both products are in the web and video conferencing software category.  Features  Both Amazon Chime and Zoom provide standard online communication features like video and audio conferencing, online meeting recording, business phone calling, screen sharing, personalized meeting links, and the ability to see meeting participants. However, each platform has a few unique features as well.  Amazon Chime allows users to join meetings by using Alexa and start meetings directly from Slack. Users can also utilize chatbots within Amazon Chime chat rooms and can select a ‘running late’ option that notifies other meeting attendees. All Amazon Chime meetings are also fully encrypted with AES 256-bit standards, which protect audio and video calls, chat messages, and shared files from data breaches.  Zoom is widely regarded as one of the most user-friendly video conferencing platforms, which can help increase adoption of the platform across your team or business. Zoom also offers features like the ability to set […]

Twilio WebRTC is a cloud-based communications-as-a-service solution that allows users to embed real-time communications via voice, video, or other data into web applications using a JavaScript library. Zoom is a unified communications platform best known for its video conferencing solution. However, it also offers business phone, webinar, and conference room solutions.  A key difference between these two products is that Twilio WebRTC is an API that can be used to build communication capabilities into other web applications, while Zoom is a software subscription that has built-in communication capabilities. In this sense, Zoom is ready to use out-of-the-box whereas Twilio WebRTC is ideal for end-users like developers that want to embed voice or video communication capabilities into other applications.   Features Even though both products allow organizations to utilize online voice and video communications, they have different use cases and sets of features.  Twilio WebRTC enables businesses to add online communication capabilities to other web-based applications. Users can set up communication functionality that allows them to make voice and video calls to other web-based applications, mobile client endpoints, SIP endpoints, or a PSTN phone. Call recording, video conferencing, and other specific call control features can also be set up.  Zoom is a […]

BlazeMeter and JMeter are both load testing tools designed to provide performance and load testing to businesses.  JMeter is an open source tool that businesses can use for free with complete access to the source code. BlazeMeter is a cloud based load testing tool built on Jmeter, but with some additional enterprise features.  Both tools are most popular with mid-sized businesses and larger enterprises, but BlazeMeter is particularly popular with large enterprises as it specialized in that arena.  Features and Limitations BlazeMeter is built using Jmeter’s source code, so their core features are very similar and users of one will easily be able to learn the other.  The primary difference between the two is that BlazeMeter is cloud based.  Both tools do have some standout features and limitations, despite their similarities. BlazeMeter and JMeter both use the same scripts, so they are both easy to learn, and skills learned with one of the tools can be easily transferred to the other.  BlazeMeter is a cloud based software and doesn’t require any on premise setup, making implementation very easy.  In addition, BlazeMeter provides a variety of options for creating performance tests.  Despite these benefits, BlazeMeter is also not as customizable as […]

MATLAB and Mathematica are both software businesses can use to handle complex calculations and computing.  MATLAB is a predictive analytics tool that helps businesses create insights and predictions from business data.  In contrast, Mathematica is a Data Discovery and Visualization tool, which helps glean useful information from existing business data.  Both MATLAB and Mathematica are most popular with mid-sized businesses and large enterprises that have large amounts of data to use for predictive analytics or data discovery. Features MATLAB and Mathematica can both be used to generate useful insights from business data, but they also have some standout features that set them apart from each other.  MATLAB is a data oriented product that specializes in predictive analytics.  Businesses can utilize MATLAB’s proprietary programming language to predict business outcomes based on data collected in other applications. Many developers will feel comfortable using MATLAB quicker than other options, as it can be edited using external editors like emacs that many users are already familiar with. MATLAB also provides many packages that extend its use at no additional charge to the user. Mathematica can be used to perform complex mathematical functions on data quickly and easily.  Syntax for Mathematica is simple enough that […]

AWS Elastic Beanstalk and AWS Lambda are both platform as a service products that enable businesses to utilize cloud computing. Both are AWS products, but they serve slightly different use cases.  AWS Elastic Beanstalk is ideal for deploying and managing fully functional applications. AWS Lambda is a serverless product that allows for the deployment of small applications or pieces of larger applications at a low cost.  Both products are popular with businesses of all sizes, depending on their use case.  It is possible to use both platforms, with AWS Lambda being used for the heaviest computing portions of an application. Features AWS Elastic Beanstalk and AWS Lambda both provide a platform for cloud computing, but they also have some standout features that are important to consider. AWS Elastic Beanstalk provides a complete platform for computing and application deployment.  Businesses using AWS Elastic Beanstalk benefit from the ability to control and manage the application environment in a granular manner.  Additionally, if businesses don’t want to worry about aspects such as provisioning and load balancing, AWS Elastic Beanstalk can manage those aspects of the environment automatically. AWS Lambda allows businesses to run code in a serverless environment, so management requirements are minimal.  […]

Docker and VMware Exsi are both virtualization tools that take different approaches to virtualization.  Docker is a container management software that helps businesses isolate processes at the operating system level.  In contrast, VMware Exsi is a virtualization software creates virtualized systems using a hypervisor.  Notably, many businesses use both containerization and virtual machinetools, as they specialize in different areas.  Features Docker and VMware Exsi can both be used for virtualization, but they have slightly different ideal use cases as well as some standout features that set them apart from each other. Docker is a containerization tool, meaning it emulates operating systems, all of which run from a single kernel.  One of the biggest advantages of Docker is that containers are lightweight, with minimal hardware demands.  Docker is designed to make software development as easy as possible, so it makes it easy for developers to create containers with all the necessary dependencies for both development and application use.  These features make Docker an ideal tool for devops. VMware Exsi provides a hypervisor that can be used to virtualize multiple operating systems on a single host. Virtual machines created with VMware Exsi can account for all system requirements, and hardware resources can […]