How customer voice
drives business

Vidyard and Vimeo are both video platforms for business. Vidyard is a specialized video marketing platform built to deliver video marketing campaigns while Vimeo is a video platform built to host high-quality videos for marketing or internal training purposes. While the tools have slightly different purposes, they are both used by many businesses for video hosting. Both Vimeo and Vidyard are used by businesses of all sizes, and both are slightly more popular with mid-sized businesses. Features Both Vimeo and Vidyard offer video hosting and analytics features, but since they are were designed with slightly different purposes in mind they each have several features that set them apart. Vidyard includes marketing tools to help businesses create and schedule video marketing campaigns. Using Vidyard, marketing teams can create branded videos and embed them in emails or websites so users can view them without clicking a link or downloading a file. Additionally, Vidyard provides analytics tools that track user behavior so marketing teams know who to follow up with. Vidyard also has integrations with email applications and provides a Google Chrome extension for creating marketing videos on the fly. Vimeo provides a large amount of storage with each of their plans, allowing […]

Loom and Vidyard are both Video platforms that provide marketing teams with tools to engage clients with video content. Loom is most popular with small businesses though it is also used by mid-sized companies. Loom is marketed as a screen and video capture software designed to create high-quality videos. Vidyard is used by businesses of all sizes, though it is most popular with mid-sized organizations. Vidyard is marketed as a video marketing software and includes analytics and video campaign management features. Features Loom and Vidyard both include essential video creation features, they have several features that set them apart from each other. Loom is focused on providing the tools businesses need to create video content easily and for free. Users of Loom are able to create videos through a Google Chrome extension and immediately upload it to Loom for editing and publishing. This efficient process can save businesses time as they don’t need to go through multiple applications to produce and publish their content. Additionally, Loom is very user friendly, to the point that new users with some technical experience may not need training at all. Vidyard provides businesses with video marketing tools that help them to run video marketing […]

Docker and Kubernetes are both container management software but offer different features that make them difficult to compare. Notably, while Docker and Kubernetes can run separately, many businesses also use both, as they have many unique features. Docker is designed to create containers, while Kubernetes focuses on controlling and managing containers. Kubernetes is most popular with large enterprises, while Docker is popular with businesses of all sizes. Features and Limitations Docker is an open-source file type and software that allows users to create and destroy containers. Containers are isolated packages of software and their dependencies, making them entirely self-sufficient. This is important as many technologies have large amounts of dependencies. Isolating software with its dependencies allows for quick and simple communication. Additionally, Docker containers allow businesses to use fewer virtual machines. Docker containers are easy for developers to work with. One challenge with Docker containers is that it can be difficult to get containers to share data or communicate with each other. Additionally, it can be challenging to scale with many container instances. Kubernetes is an open-source orchestration software that helps businesses manage their containers, whether they are created via Docker or another software. Kubernetes reduces complexity when deploying containers […]

EZ Texting and Simple Texting are both mobile marketing Software options that allow users to create marketing campaigns using SMS messaging and push notifications. SimpleTexting is most popular with small businesses. EZ Texting is also used most often by small businesses, though some mid-sized businesses and larger enterprises also use it. Features EZ Texting and Simple Texting both include essential mobile marketing features such as scheduled texts and auto-responses, but they also have a few standout features that set them apart from each other. EZ Texting includes a text-to-landline feature that allows SMS marketing campaigns to reach landline phones. This can be important depending on the demographic of a campaign, as access to landlines opens up certain groups to marketing they may not receive otherwise. EZ Texting also includes native integrations with popular marketing software like MailChimp and Constant Contact. Users of those services will be able to easily pass data from one software to another. SimpleTexting includes an API that allows skilled developers to create custom integrations with SimpleTexting and existing systems. For businesses with many technical resources to devote to mobile marketing, the API makes SimpleTexting a very flexible option. Additionally, SimpleTexting allows users to send texts with […]

EZ Texting and Twilio Programmable SMS are both software designed to help businesses create and manage text marketing campaigns. EZ Texting is a mobile marketing software specialized for SMS marketing, whereas Twilio Programmable SMS is a communications platform built for highly customizable automated SMS messaging. Both software options are more popular with small businesses, though EZ Texting is used by mid-sized and larger enterprises as well. Features EZ Texting and Twilio Programmable SMS each include SMS messaging features, but they also have a few standout features that set them apart from each other. EZ Texting specializes in marketing features, including a text-to-landline feature that allows SMS marketing campaigns to reach landline phones. This can be important depending on the demographic of a campaign, as access to landlines opens up certain groups to marketing they may not receive otherwise. EZ Texting also includes native integrations with popular marketing software like MailChimp and Constant Contact, as well as analytics tools that help track user engagement. A wide variety of integrations allows businesses to easily pass data from one software to another. Twilio Programmable SMS includes a flexible API designed to help developers integrate Twilio into their system with no issue. Twilio boasts […]

EZ Texting and TextMagic are both software designed to help businesses create and manage text marketing campaigns. EZ Texting is a mobile marketing software specialized for SMS marketing, whereas TextMagic is a communications platform built for highly customizable automated SMS messaging. Both software options are more popular with small businesses, though EZ Texting is used by mid-sized and larger enterprises as well. Features EZ Texting and TextMagic both include SMS marketing features, but they also have a few standout features that set them apart from each other. EZ Texting specializes in marketing features, including a text-to-landline feature that allows SMS marketing campaigns to reach landline phones. This can be important depending on the demographic of a campaign, as access to landlines opens up certain groups to marketing they may not receive otherwise. EZ Texting also includes native integrations with popular marketing software like MailChimp and Constant Contact, as well as analytics tools that help track user engagement. A wide variety of integrations allows businesses to easily pass data from one software to another. TextMagic allows users to send texts online using many operating systems and includes an API to help businesses integrate TextMagic with existing systems. TextMagic also converts emails […]

QuickBooks Online and Sage Business Cloud Accounting are both online accounting software. Both subscription-based products are primarily designed for small businesses, with QuickBooks offering additional capabilities for larger companies as well.  Features Both QuickBooks Online and Sage Business Cloud Accounting include core accounting functions that small businesses need, such as invoicing, income and expense tracking, and reporting. There are also some key features that set them apart.  QuickBooks Online emphasizes its support for tax preparation, management, and filing, including forecasting taxes ahead of time and streamlining the filing process. It also allows users to automate some routine tasks, reminders, and triggers to improve accuracy and save businesses time.  Sage Business Cloud Accounting offers features tailored to small businesses primarily needing accessible tools for cash flow management. These features include a mobile app for income, expense, and invoice management. It also provides robust connectivity with your banks to automatically match your transactions and save time on reconciliation and live financial reporting.  Limitations While both accounting products offer valuable services for small businesses, there are limitations to each software. QuickBooks Online’s reporting capabilities scale up with each pricing tier, but some users have struggled to achieve the level of insight they are […]

QuickBooks Self-Employed and Wave Accounting are both accounting software designed for very small businesses. QuickBooks Self-Employed focuses on expense tracking, mileage tracking, and tax management for individuals who run their own business, particularly single-person businesses. In contrast, Wave offers a wider range of features necessary for small businesses with multiple employees.  Features Both QuickBooks Self-Employed and Wave offer accounting features and pricing structures tailored for very small businesses, but there are some key features that set them apart.  QuickBooks Self-Employed stands out for its extensive and robust tax management and preparation capabilities. Its native integrations with the rest of Intuit’s tax preparation services, such as TurboTax, as well as its support for quarterly tax filings, help simplify time-intensive tax processes. It also provides other mechanisms, such as mileage tracking, to help self-employed individuals maximize their tax savings.  Wave offers a wider range of accounting capabilities that multi-employee businesses in particular will utilize. For instance, Wave offers payment processing features, including credit card processing and bank payments. Wave also provides payroll capabilities, with accompanying tax services in a selection of U.S. states.  Limitations While both Wave and QuickBooks Self-Employed offer strong features for very small businesses, they also have some relevant […]

AB Tasty and Google Optimize are both A/B testing tools designed to help businesses test the performance of different versions of web content. Both A/B testing tools are used by businesses of all sizes, though AB Tasty is a little more popular with mid-sized businesses, and enterprises. At the same time, Google Optimize is more popular with smaller businesses. This may be due to Google Optimizes free offering that is usable for small businesses on a budget. Features Google Optimize and AB Tasty both offer essential A/B Testing features such as split testing, but they also have a few standout features that set them apart from each other. AB Tasty provides robust customization features for pages, including custom CSS and JavaScript. These features allowed skilled developers to make complex changes within the AB Tasty page editor. AB Tasty also provides scenario testing features that let users visualize and step through different page designs before publishing them. Lastly, it is possible to run many tests at once using AB Tasty, so it is a great choice for organizations with many pages that need to be tested at once. Google Optimize provides a clean, easy to use interface and essential A/B testing […]

Dynatrace and New Relic are both Application Performance Monitoring and Management tools. Dynatrace is predominantly used by enterprises, likely because they can more easily afford the pricier product with greater capabilities. New Relic is more evenly used across enterprises and SMBs due to its lower price point and more limited root cause analysis functionality. Features Both Dynatrace and New Relic offer application performance monitoring capabilities, but at different levels of granularity to serve distinct goals. Dynatrace excels at troubleshooting performance issues and bugs within applications. It provides a more granular view of transactions, and enables very rapid root cause analysis. The deeper level of granularity helps users understand the why of an issue once it’s been identified. This allows users to more quickly fix the issue at hand. New Relic provides an aggregated view of a wide range of performance metrics. The range of measurements available allow users to more holistically track the performance of their application and traffic. New Relic focuses on showing users how well their applications are running, and what effects any performance issues are having. New Relic is also cheaper than other APM products of similar capabilities. Limitations While Dynatrace and New Relic are leaders in […]

On the surface, Google Hangouts and Google Voice are quite similar as both applications allow users to make calls using wi-fi and without owning a phone. However, the major difference between the two products lie in Google Hangouts having support for chat and online video conferences, whereas Google Voice does not. However, instead of online chat, Google Voice supports text messaging. When comparing these two products, consider whether you are looking for a web conferencing tool or a VoIP tool. While Google Hangouts can make outgoing calls, it does not provide users with a phone number to give out to others for incoming calls. Google Voice allows users to not only make calls, but receive them, and provides users with a free phone number to use. Features Google Hangouts is a great business tool if used on an individual basis by employees for casual online meetings and chat, as it does not have a business-focused offering. Google’s web conferencing and collaboration tools for business are now under the Google Hangouts Meet and Google Hangouts Chat tools. In addition to hosting online meetings, Google Hangouts is useful for making ad-hoc outgoing calls, so employees can protect their personal numbers. Google Voice […]

SOLIDWORKS and Fusion 360 are both computer-aided design (CAD) software built to help users create or optimize technical designs in 2d or 3d. Both CAD options are popular with small and mid-sized businesses, while larger enterprises are less likely to use either. Features SOLIDWORKS and Fusion 360 both offer essential CAD features, including 2d/3d design, data management, and simulation. In addition to these features, SOLIDWORKS and Fusion 360 also have a few standout features that set them apart from each other. SOLIDWORKS includes advanced features that make it an excellent choice for technical designs such as parts for mechanical engineering projects. Additionally, SOLIDWORKS allows for the referencing of many separate files at once, which is useful for large projects. Lastly, SOLIDWORKS includes robust analysis tools that can handle things like linear and non-linear responses. Fusion 360 includes applications for both Windows and Macs, both of which provide all of Fusion 360’s advanced features. Additionally, Fusion 360 allows for easy creation of 3d models, even for inexperienced users who can use a library of pre-generated shapes. Ease of modeling makes Fusion 360 a great choice for designing consumer products. Fusion 360 also provides cloud collaboration tools that allow multiple users in […]

Ansible and Puppet Enterprise are both open source configuration management tools designed to ensure consistency among physical and logical assets. Both products are used by businesses of all sizes, though mid-sized organizations and large enterprises are most likely to use them. Features Ansible and Puppet Enterprise both offer essential configuration management features, including task execution and asset management. Both configuration management tools also have some standout features that set them apart from each other. Ansible offers simple installation and implementation compared to Puppet Enterprise because it is agentless and written in Python, which makes it quick to install on Linux systems. Additionally, Ansible commands can be written in most programming languages, making Ansible a flexible choice that works for many organizations. Similarly, Ansible also offers easy scalability, which can be important to organizations that anticipate future growth. Puppet Enterprise provides a complete GUI for simple tasks and management, while a Ruby-based command-line interface handles complex tasks. Additionally, Puppet Enterprise performs scheduled checks every 30 minutes to ensure that all configured nodes are in proper condition. Ansible offers a similar feature, but only in its premium packages, while Puppet Enterprise includes it in all pricing packages. Puppet also enjoys a broader […]

Parallels Desktop and VMware Workstation are both server virtualization software designed to allow users to run different operating systems on their workstations. For example, Mac users use these technologies to run Windows applications. Both Parallels Desktop and VMware Workstation are used by businesses of all sizes, though mid-sized organizations use them most often. Features Both Parallels Desktop and VMware Workstation allow users to run applications of different operating systems, but they also have some standout features that set them apart from each other. Parallels Desktop provides a setup wizard that walks users through the process of installing Parallels Desktop on their system and launching apps. These features make Parallels Desktop best in class in terms of usability. Parallels Desktop also allows the use of some mac features, like Quick Look, while using Windows. Lastly, Parallels Desktop also allows for the installation of Linux distributions like Ubuntu and Mint in a single click. VMware Workstation has greater support for mac hardware, including native support for 5k monitors. Additionally, VMware Workstation offers high performance. In particular, VMware Workstation excels in graphics benchmarks. High speed and CPU efficiency make VMware Workstation an excellent choice for a business that needs to get the best […]

Coursera for Business and Udemy for Business are both eLearning Content providers. Both websites have versions available for individual users. Their “for Business” offerings specialize in group or team learning plans. Coursera has solutions tailored to general enterprises as well as governmental organizations and educational institutions. Udemy for Business is similar, having a plan tailored to a specific team within an organization, enterprises, non-profits, and government agencies. Features A key component of Coursera for Business that makes it easier to use administratively for managers is that it comes with curated collections based on department focus and roles. Through Coursera’s partnerships with higher education institutions, employees can take classes approved by actual professors and researchers in their fields. In many cases, courses are facilitated and led by actual college professors. Udemy is known for not only having a catalog of academic-focused classes, but non-academic online classes. Udemy for Business will provide users to both focus on professional development in addition to their passions outside work. It also provides support to administrators in the form of events, webinars, and literature on how to use online course work to one’s best advantage. It also supports another important component of corporate eLearning: analysis. Udemy […]

Cisco Webex Meetings and Zoom are among the most popular web conferencing platforms currently available. Both products specialize in web conferences, but they’re also part of larger software suites that help users manage web conferencing, webinar, VoIP, and other communication software all through one system. Cisco Webex Meetings and Zoom also offer video conferencing equipment for use with their web conferencing software. Cisco Webex Meetings is primarily used by enterprise-level organizations, likely because companies at that level are more likely to use the broader Cisco suite of business software. By contrast, Zoom’s user base is fairly evenly spread across small businesses, mid-size companies, and enterprises. Features Although Cisco Webex Meetings and Zoom have many similarities, they each have standout features that are important to consider when choosing a video conferencing solution. Cisco Webex Meetings is often best suited for larger companies that host plenty of external meetings. The software is designed to be used with Cisco’s other Webex communications tools, making it a solid choice for companies that want to consolidate web conferencing, webinar, and cloud-based telephony tools. Recently, Cisco has updated Webex Meetings with features designed to enhance its video conferencing capabilities. The software now includes features such as […]

Apache Kafka and Amazon Kinesis are both streaming analytics software solutions that perform real-time reporting and create visualizations on streaming data collected from multiple sources. Businesses of all sizes use both software options, but larger organizations are more likely to use Apache Kafka, while Amazon Kinesis users are evenly spread across businesses of all sizes. Features Apache Kafka and Amazon Kinesis both offer essential streaming analytics features, including reporting and visualization creation, but they also have a few features that set them apart from each other. Apache Kafka is an open-source technology. Being open-source means that Apache Kafka’s code is available for free, and an active community of developers is continuously contributing to it, resulting in quick bug fixes and feature updates. Apache Kafka can be deployed on-premises, on the cloud, or with a hybrid approach. In addition to flexible deployments, Apache Kafka is also very scalable and allows for the analysis of huge amounts of data. Amazon Kinesis is built to run on AWS and integrate with other AWS technologies, making it a great choice for organizations that need to analyze data from AWS software. Additionally, Amazon Kinesis requires minimal configuration for features like data replication. The usability of […]

Apache Solr and Elasticsearch are both open-source enterprise search software solutions that allow users to search and retrieve data within an organization. Both software options integrate with tools like databases or intranets where information can be collected or displayed. Businesses of all sizes use both Apache Solr and Elasticsearch. Features Apache Solr and Elasticsearch both provide essential enterprise search features, including data retrieval and display. Despite this, both software options have a few standout features that set them apart from each other. Apache Solr offers robust text search features that allow users to search for materials by their content. Apache Solr has many contributors to its open-source code. Developers and code committers for Apache Solr are selected from that community of contributors. This approach to development means bugfixes and updates are frequent, and features can be developed quickly. Lastly, Apache Solr provides detailed documentation for developers, including multiple examples. Elasticsearch is lightweight to the extent that a business can install and run the Elasticsearch in a matter of minutes. Similarly, Elasticsearch configuration is based on JSON, which makes file configuration simple, if a little inflexible in terms of documentation. JSON compatibility also makes Elasticsearch a great choice when working with […]

Amazon DynamoDB is a NoSQL database powered by Amazon Web Services, while MongoDB Atlas is a database-as-a-service used to maintain and administer MongoDB instances. Though they fall into different categories, both Amazon DynamoDB and MongoDB Atlas in combination with MongoDB instances, allow for the storing, management and querying of data. Businesses of various sizes use both database solutions. Features Amazon DynamoDB and MongoDB Atlas both have strong data management features, but have some significant differences that set them apart from each other. Both software options also specialize in slightly different areas, since MongoDB Atlas manages instances of MongoDB while Amazon DynamoDB is a NoSQL database. Amazon DynamoDB provides an easy to use interface and automates many maintenance features. These usability features make Amazon DynamoDB an excellent choice for businesses with fewer technical staff that need to use database services. Additionally, since Amazon DynamoDB performs all operations through HTTPs endpoints, it is very scalable. Scalability can be important for small businesses that plan to increase their data needs over time. MongoDB Atlas is highly optimized for work with MongoDB instances. High optimization means users can expect high performance and reliability when working with their databases. Additionally, MongoDB offers continuous backups, meaning […]

Amazon Redshift and Snowflake are both data warehouse software designed to store data for querying, analysis, and extraction. Mid-sized businesses are the most frequent users of both data warehouse solutions. Large enterprises are more likely to use Snowball, likely due to its ability to work with many types of data. Smaller businesses tend to use Amazon Redshift due to its usability and affordable pricing. Features Amazon Redshift and Snowflake both offer essential data warehouse features, including storage and querying data, but they also have some standout features that set them apart. Amazon Redshift provides end-to-end encryption and highly customizable security features at all price points. Additionally, Amazon Redshift offers many integrations with other technologies, particularly with technologies on the AWS platform. Lastly, Amazon Redshift requires less technical expertise to use as it has a usable interface and secure backup features. Snowflake provides native support for JSON documents, allowing for built-in functions and querying for JSON data. Additionally, Snowflake includes robust automation tools for data vacuuming and compression, which can save time for users. Lastly, Snowflake can handle complex data types like arrays and objects, making it a great choice for businesses with a lot of complex data. Limitations Though Amazon […]