We’ve rounded up the best intrusion prevention systems to help make the selection process less daunting. Here are our top picks:

• Cisco Secure Next-Generation Intrusion Prevention System: Best for Comprehensive Network Security
• Fidelis Network: Best for Advanced Threat Detection Response
• Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention: Best for ZeroDay Exploits
• Trellix Intrusion Prevention System: Best for On-Prem and Virtual Networks

Top Intrusion Prevention System Comparison At-a-Glance

Here’s a look at how the top IPSs compared based on key features.

Jump to:

1. Key Intrusion Prevention System Features
2. How to Choose an IPS
3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Cisco Secure Next-Generation Intrusion Prevention System

Best for comprehensive network security

Cisco offers advanced threat protection solutions with Cisco Secure IPS. This cloud-native platform offers robust security with unified visibility and intuitive automation. It gathers and correlates global intelligence in a single view and can handle large traffic volumes without impacting the network performance.

This highly flexible solution can be easily deployed across different network environments as its open architecture supports Amazon Web Services (AWS), VMWare, Azure, and other hypervisors.

Features

• Enhanced visibility with Firepower Management Center
• Constantly updated early-warning system
• Flexible deployment options for inline inspection or passive detection
• Cisco Threat Intelligence Director for third-party data ingestion

Pros

• Real-time data inputs optimize data security
• Easy integration without major hardware changes
• High scalability with purpose-built solutions

Cons

• Expensive for small-scale organizations
• Initial integration challenges

Pricing

Cisco offers free trials for most products, including its IPS, but does not make its pricing readily available. For details, contact Sales Support.

Fidelis Network

Best for Advanced Threat Detection Response

Fidelis Network improves security efficiency by detecting advanced threats and behavioral anomalies, employing a proactive cyber-defense strategy to more quickly detect and respond to threats before they can affect a business. Fidelis Network can bolster data security with rich insights into bi-directional encrypted traffic.

This specific network defense solution helps prevent future breaches with both real-time and retrospective analysis.

Features

• Patented Deep Session Inspection for data exfiltration
• Improved response with the MITRE ATT&CK framework and intelligence feed from Fidelis Cybersecurity
• Unified network detection and response (NDR) solution for simplified network security
• Customizable real-time content analysis rules for proactive network security

Pros

• Faster threat analysis and improved security efficiency
• Deeper visibility and threat detection with more than 300 metadata attributes
• Single-view and consolidated network alerts with rich cyber terrain mapping

Cons

• Complex configuration and setup
• High-traffic environments cause network latency
• Tighter integration with other tools is required

Pricing

Fidelis Network offers a 15-day free trial, and will schedule a demo before it to show off the system’s capabilities and features.

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention 

Best for Zero-Day Exploits

Palo Alto Networks’ Advanced Threat Prevention is based on purpose-built, inline deep learning models that secure businesses from the most advanced and evasive threats. Powered by multi-pronged detection mechanisms that efficiently take care of unknown injection attacks and zero-day exploits, this infinitely scalable solution blocks command and control (C2) attacks in real time without compromising performance.

Features

• ML-Powered NGFWs for complete visibility
• Customized protection with Snort and Suricata signature support
• Real-time analysis with enhanced DNS Security Cloud Service
• Latest security updates from Advanced WildFire

Pros

• Ultra low-latency native cloud service
• Combined App-ID and User-ID identification technologies
• Customized vulnerability signatures
• Complete DNS threat coverage

Cons

• Overly complex implementation for simple configurations
• High upfront costs

Pricing 

Palo Alto Networks offers free trials, hands-on demos, and personalized tours for its products and solutions, but does not make its pricing models publicly available. Contact sales for details.

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

Best for On-Prem and Virtual Networks

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System offers comprehensive and effective security for business networks, offering two variants: Trellix Intrusion Prevention System and Trellix Virtual Intrusion Prevention System. The virtual variant takes care of the private and public cloud requirements, and secures virtualized environments using advanced inspection technologies.

Features

• Botnet intrusion detection across the network
• Enhanced threat correlation with network threat behavior analysis
• Inbound and outbound SSL decryption
• East-west network visibility

Pros

• Both signature-based and signature-less intrusion detection
• Unified physical and virtual security
• Maximum security and performance (scalability up to 100 Gbps)
• Shared licensing and throughput model

Cons

• Older variants and models still exist
• Confusion pricing options
• High rates of false positives

Pricing

Schedule a demo to learn whether Trellix meets specific requirements. The vendor does not make pricing models publicly available; contact sales.

Key IPS Features

When deciding on an intrusion prevention system, make sure the features and capabilities match specific needs. Key features include the following:

Real-time alerts

Proactive threat detection and prompt incident response require real-time visibility. Timely alerts help implement preventive measures before any significant damage to the security posture. Advanced IPSs have real-time monitoring capabilities to identify potential vulnerabilities and minimize the impact of security incidents.

Integration with other security systems

Intrusion prevention systems cannot operate in isolation. For the efficient protection of the entire business security infrastructure, they must integrate with other security solutions and platforms for a coordinated response. This also helps with the centralized management of security incidents.

Type of intrusion detection

There are mainly two types of intrusion detection: network-based and host-based. While network-based intrusion detection examines and analyzes the network traffic for vulnerabilities, host-based intrusion detection checks individual systems like servers, endpoints, or particular assets.

Automatic updates

Automatic updates can help ensure an IPS adapt to the continuously evolving threat landscape of new threats and newly discovered vulnerabilities. They can also help keep pace with changing compliance and regulatory requirements and implement the latest security patches.

Threat intelligence

Threat intelligence helps an IPS enhance detection capabilities and minimize vulnerabilities with efficient mitigation strategies. With threat intelligence capabilities, IPS solutions access timely and actionable information to develop effective response strategies.

How to Choose an IPS

Here are some factors to consider when choosing an IPS:

Configuration type

There are broadly four types of IPS configurations depending on the network environment, security policies, and requirements where they will be implemented: network-based, host-based, wireless, and network behavior analysis system. Multiple configurations can also support complex pathways.

Detection capabilities

Intrusion prevention systems use different detection techniques to identify malicious activities—primarily signature-based, anomaly-based, and protocol-based. Signature-based detection helps detect consistent cyber threat patterns from a static list of known signatures, while anomaly-based detection can detect abnormalities within normal activity patterns. Protocol-based systems offer the flexibility to set references for benign protocol activities.

Integration options

Intrusion prevention systems can be integrated using dedicated hardware and software, or incorporated within existing enterprise security controls. Businesses that don’t want to upgrade system architecture or invest in products or resources can rely on managed service providers for security, but an IPS purchased and installed on the network offers more control and authority.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the difference between intrusion detection systems and intrusion prevention systems?

Intrusion detection systems help detect security incidents and threats and send alerts to the Security Operations Center (SOC). Issues are investigated by security personnel and countermeasures executed accordingly. Essentially, they’re monitoring tools. While intrusion prevention systems also detect potential threats and malicious incidents, they automatically take appropriate actions, making them highly proactive, control-based cybersecurity solutions.

How do intrusion prevention systems help businesses?

Intrusion prevention systems are key to enterprise security as they help prevent serious and sophisticated attacks. Some of the key benefits of IPS for businesses are:

• Reduced strain on IT teams through automated response
• Customized security controls as per requirements
• Improved performance by filtering out malicious traffic

Do intrusion prevention systems affect network performance?

Intrusion prevention systems may slow down the network in the case of inadequate bandwidth and capacity, heavy traffic loads, or computational burdens.

Methodology

In order to provide an objective and comprehensive comparison of the various IPSs available in the market, we followed a structured research methodology. We defined evaluation criteria, conducted market research, collected data on each solution, evaluated and scored them, cross-verified our findings, and documented the results. Additionally, we considered user reviews and feedback to gain valuable insights into the real-world performance and customer satisfaction of each intrusion prevention solution.

Bottom Line: Top Intrusion Prevention Systems

The top intrusion prevention systems all work to protect enterprise networks from the ever-present, always evolving threat of cyberattack, but some stand out for different use cases. Selecting the right one will depend on the organization’s security needs, goals, and budget. Regular evaluation and updates are crucial to staying ahead of evolving threats and ensuring a robust security posture—the right IPS can enhance network security, protect sensitive data, and safeguard a business against potential cyber threats.

To help find the right tool, we’ve compared the top five data migration tools to move, transform, and optimize your organization’s data efficiently. Here are our top picks:

1. AWS Database Migration Service: Best for AWS Cloud Migration
2. IBM Informix: Best for Versatile Data Management
3. Matillion: Best for Data Productivity
4. Fivetran: Best for Automated Data Movement
5. Stitch: Best for Versatile Cloud Data Pipelines

Top 5 Data Migration Tools Comparison

Take a look at some of the top data migration tools and their features:

Jump to:

• Key Features of Data Migration Tools
• How to Choose the Best Data Migration Tools for Your Business
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Methodology
• Bottom Line: Choosing the Right Data Migration Tool

AWS Database Migration Service

Best for AWS Cloud Migration

The technology giant Amazon extends data migration services to customers through AWS Database Migration Service. It removes undifferentiated database management tasks to simplify the migration process. This high-performance tool offers the additional advantage of access to other AWS solutions and services. Thus, it is best suited for businesses looking for AWS cloud migration support and features.

Pricing

The AWS Free Tier plan helps users get started with the data migration service for free. See the AWS Pricing Calculator for detailed pricing plans and information.

Features

• Centralized access with AWS Management Console
• Multi-AZ and ongoing data replication and monitoring
• Homogeneous and heterogeneous migration support
• Automated migration planning with AWS DMS Fleet Advisor

Pros

• Simple and easy-to-use service
• Automatic schema assessment and conversion
• Supports migration among 20-plus databases and analytics engines

Cons

• Large-scale data migration can be costly
• Frequent changes in pricing

IBM Informix

Best for Versatile Data Management 

IBM offers data management and migration solutions through an embeddable database: IBM Informix. It is a highly versatile tool that simplifies administration and optimizes database performance. It relies on a hybrid cloud infrastructure. Informix is best for multi-tiered architectures that require device-level processing.

Pricing

IBM Informix Developer Edition is ideal for development, testing, and prototyping and can be downloaded for free. The Informix Innovator-C Edition supports small production workloads and is also freely available. Other editions are available that offer a complete suite of Informix features. Contact the team for their pricing details.

Features

• Real-time analytics for transactional workloads
• High availability data replication (HADR) for mission-critical environments
• Event-driven processing and smart triggers for automated data management
• Silent installation with a memory footprint of only 100 MB

Pros

• Robust processing and integration capabilities
• Minimal administrative requirements
• Native encryption for data protection
• Real-time analytics for fast insights

Cons

• Big data transfers can slow down the platform
• Complex pricing policies

Matillion

Best for Data Productivity

Matillion helps businesses with next-gen ETL (extract, transform, load) solutions for efficient data orchestration. It can automate and accelerate data migration with its universal data collectors and pipelines. With its advanced capabilities, it helps extract full value from a business’s existing infrastructure.

Pricing

Matillion follows a simple, predictable, and flexible pricing model along with free trial versions. It offers Free, Basic, Advanced, and Enterprise editions and pay-as-you-go options. The minimum price for paid plans is $2 per credit. Contact the vendor to speak to an expert for details.

Features

• Change data capture and batch data loading for simplified pipeline management
• Low-code/no-code GUI
• Reverse ETL and prebuilt connectors for easy data sync back
• Drag-and-drop functionality for easier usage

Pros

• Fast data ingestion and integration
• Enterprise assurance
• Post-load transformations
• Customizable configurations

Cons

• High-volume data load can cause crashes
• Support issues
• Needs better documentation

Fivetran

Best for Automated Data Movement

Fivetran offers an efficient platform for data migration. This cloud-based tool relies on a fully-managed ELT architecture that efficiently handles all data integration tasks. It has numerous database replication methods that can manage extremely large workloads.

Pricing

Fivetran offers a 14-day free trial option. It has Free, Starter, Standard, Enterprise, Business Critical, and Private Deployment plans with different features and pricing options. Contact the sales team for specific pricing details.

Features

• More than 300 prebuilt, no-code source connectors
• Quickstart data models for automated transformations
• End-to-end data monitoring with lineage graphs
• Fivetran API for programmatic scaling

Pros

• Flexible connection options for secure deployment
• Advanced role-based access control
• Data catalog integrations for metadata sharing

Cons

• Only cloud-based solutions
• Lacks support for data lakes
• Expensive option for large volumes of data

Stitch

Best for Versatile Cloud Data Pipelines

Stitch offers fully automated cloud data pipelines that can be used without any coding expertise. It helps consolidate data from a vast range of data sources. This enterprise-grade cloud ETL platform is highly trusted for extracting actionable insights.

Pricing

Stitch offers a free trial for two weeks. It follows a transparent and predictable pricing model with no hidden fees. There are three plans: Standard, Advanced, and Premium. The minimum price starts at $100 per month, if billed monthly, or $1,000 if billed annually. Contact the sales team for exact pricing details for each plan.

Features

• 140+ popular data sources
• External processing engines like MapReduce and Apache Spark
• In-app chat support

Pros

• No coding is required
• Centralized, fresh, and analysis-ready data
• Automatically updated pipelines

Cons

• Needs a more friendly user interface
• Customer support issues

Key Features of Data Migration Tools

The primary purpose of using data migration tools is to simplify data transfer across different systems, ensuring integrity and accuracy. Some of the key features they include to accomplish this goal are:

Data Transformation

Data migration tools need to consolidate data from multiple sources, which requires them to have data transformation capabilities. Having a standardized data structure or format across different environments is impossible, but data transformation features can help to make these disparate data sources more manageable and uniform. These tools must optimize data for the destination system, ensuring consistency and coherence. They must also be able to identify inconsistencies or issues and transform data as per target requirements.

Connectors

Data migration tools connect various data sources and targets. Thus, they require various connector modules to help them interact with different systems during a migration. With comprehensive connector coverage, data migration tools can establish a link between the source and targets using required protocols, APIs, or drivers. As a result, data can be efficiently extracted from the source and loaded into the target.

Real-time Analysis

Efficient data migration demands real-time insights for seamless data exchange. Real-time analysis helps in the early detection of errors and accurate data mapping between the source and target. This makes it an essential feature of data migration tools, as it helps with performance monitoring, error detection and prevention, data validation, synchronization, and consistency.

Security and Compliance

Data migrations involve substantial risks like information misuse, unauthorized access, data loss, and corruption. These incidents can lead to severe financial and reputational damages, and may also involve potential legal liabilities. Due to these risks, data migration tools must adhere to strict security and compliance standards to minimize security incidents and other risky outcomes.

Customization

Different businesses have different data requirements. To meet business expectations, data migration tools must offer customization features for changing business requirements. A strong data migration tool will also provide the flexibility and adaptability to help organizations with tailored migration processes.

How to Choose the Best Data Migration Tool for Your Business

Data migrations and similar operations are risky processes, as they involve moving your organization’s sensitive information. Thus, choosing a versatile and reliable tool that ensures a smooth and successful migration is essential.

Here are some key considerations to help select the best data migration tool for specific business needs:

Configuration Type

There are two distinct types of data tool configurations: cloud-based and on-premises. On-premises data tools do not rely on the cloud for data transfer. Instead, they migrate data within the organizational infrastructure, offering full-stack control. These are effective solutions when the business desires to restrict data within its own servers.

Cloud-based data migration tools transfer and store data using cloud platforms on cloud servers. The architecture can be expanded effectively due to the quick availability of resources. These tools also facilitate data migration from on-premises to cloud systems. In addition, they are highly secure and cost-effective.

Enterprise Cloud Migration Services

Choosing enterprise-focused cloud migration services can give you an additional edge. Data migration services that are specifically designed for enterprises can more effectively take care of industry standards and maintain top-notch IT infrastructure. Besides, they offer constant updates based on the latest advancements in technologies and methodologies. They can handle complex business projects with well-designed transformation processes.

Technical Support

When choosing a data migration tool, it is also essential to pay attention to technical support capabilities offered by the vendor. Businesses especially need post-migration support to address any issues. They must also help develop robust backup and recovery strategies to deal with system failures or other potential challenges.

Additional Considerations

There are many different types of data migration, like storage, database, cloud, application, data center, and business process migration. Therefore, you should select the most suitable migration tool based on your business goals and the types of migration you want to complete.

Apart from these aspects, it is also vital that the tool you select integrates efficiently with your current business infrastructure and supports data sources and target systems. This can reduce disruptions and compatibility issues.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How Do Data Migration Tools Benefit Businesses?

Data migration tools benefit businesses by streamlining data transfer, storage, and management processes, ensuring accuracy. Since they automate these processes, companies can focus on other essential operational aspects. Also, these tools offer the necessary flexibility and scalability to cater to specific demands.

What Types of Data Can Data Migration Tools Handle?

Data migration tools handle enormous volumes of data in different formats and structures within different systems. They deal with both structured and unstructured data and need to work with databases, enterprise applications, data warehouses, spreadsheets, JSON, XML, CSV, and other file formats.

What Are Open-source Data Migration Tools?

Open-source data migration tools are publicly accessible, typically free-to-use solutions. The source code is available on a central repository and can be customized too. Although they require technically skilled employees for proper implementation and use, community-driven support is a major plus with open-source technology, as you can get assistance from technical experts whenever it’s needed. Therefore, these are ideal options for small-scale projects involving lesser complexities.

Methodology

We implemented a structured research methodology to analyze different data migration tools available in the current marketplace. The research was based on specified evaluation criteria and essential feature requirements.

We evaluated each tool’s real-world performance based on user reviews and performance, as customer satisfaction is crucial. After in-depth analysis with several other criteria, we finally documented the top results for the best data migration tools.

Bottom Line: Choosing the Right Data Migration Tool

Choosing the right data migration tool is crucial for aligning specific business goals. Throughout this article, we explored the top five tools, each with unique strengths. When selecting a data migration solution for your business, consider factors like data complexity, scale, real-time vs. batch processing, security, and compatibility.

Remember, the key to successful data migration lies in aligning your specific business goals with the capabilities offered by your chosen tool. Take the time to evaluate and understand your requirements, consult with stakeholders, and make an informed decision that sets your organization on the path to achieving its desired outcomes.

Also See

Also See Data Migration Trends

With the Internet of Things (IoT) and the integration of advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), there is a remarkable opportunity for enterprises to harness real-time data and extract valuable insights.

Even among such transformative technologies, Digital Twin stands out.

Digital Twin enables businesses to embrace automation and virtualization, revolutionizing industries across the board. From manufacturing and healthcare to telecom, automotive and aerospace, the applications of Digital Twin solutions are far-reaching.

By seamlessly replicating physical assets, processes, and systems into virtual models, digital twins empower enterprises to optimize production processes, streamline product design, exercise precise process control, monitor risks and drive superior performance management.

Unsurprisingly, the global Digital Twin market, estimated at USD 11.12 billion in 2022, continues to expand rapidly.

In this comprehensive guide, we explore the concept of digital twins and compare some of the leading Digital Twin solutions available in the market today.

What is a Digital Twin?

Any object or environment can be virtually represented using its Digital Twin. It is a virtual model that can accurately replicate a physical system.

A Digital Twin is essentially a rich virtual environment that facilitates bi-directional information flow with great potential to improve products and processes.

For instance, a Digital Twin can be used for simulations, testing and monitoring without making any changes to its physical counterpart. As a result, instead of the conventional and time-consuming physical testing approach, it is possible to improve real-world systems rapidly and at a fraction of the cost.

Historical Background

In 1991, David Geelrnter first voiced the idea of Digital Twins in his book “Mirror Worlds,” and Dr. Michael Grieves applied the concept in 2002 when he proposed the idea at a conference under the name “Product Lifecycle Management.”

The term “digital twin” also appeared in the draft version of NASA’s 2010 Roadmap Report, but the research organization was using the idea as far back as the 1960s when it created complex simulations of spacecraft for its space exploration missions.

Benefits of Digital Twin Solutions

Digital Twin technology has made sizable progress in the last few years, introducing next-generation digital transformation opportunities for businesses. Some of the key benefits of digital twin solutions include:

Improved efficiency
Digital Twin solutions can improve operational efficiency with strategically planned production processes. They can identify process failures and associated risks and speed up the development lifecycle, thus increasing efficiency, productivity and overall performance.

Real-time monitoring
Digital twins facilitate remote monitoring and control of the system’s performance. With real-time data, all the central aspects of the production and design processes can be validated to make the right decisions at the right time.

Better decision-making
Effective research and design offer the needed product refinements and better insights with abundant data regarding performance outcomes. Thus, Digital Twin solutions can help businesses with better-informed decisions.

Applications

Digital Twin solutions are already being implemented in major applications. Some of these include the following:

Manufacturing and industrial processes
Digital Twins can simulate and optimize manufacturing processes, monitor equipment performance and improve overall operational efficiency. They enable real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and virtual testing of different scenarios.

Smart cities
These digital models are significantly valuable for creating virtual replicas of cities that enable urban planners to model and optimize infrastructure, transportation systems, energy consumption and other aspects of urban development.

Construction and building management
The construction industry can leverage Digital Twin technology to simulate and optimize building designs, construction processes and ongoing facility management. These models help owners and facility managers identify potential issues, optimize energy usage and improve building maintenance.

Retail and supply chain
With Digital Twins, it is possible to gain real-time visibility into the supply chain, which helps predict demand more accurately, optimize inventory levels and improve overall logistics efficiency. These models also enable retailers to create personalized shopping experiences and optimize store layouts based on insights generated through customer data.

Top Digital Twin Solutions

Some of the top Digital Twin solutions include the following:

Azure Digital Twins

Microsoft’s Azure Digital Twins helps create digital models of the physical environment using IoT spatial intelligence.

Overview
Azure Digital Twins is a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offering enterprise-grade IoT-connected solutions. It helps businesses create comprehensive digital models for places, business processes and real-world systems.

Features

• Custom domain models using Digital Twins Definition Language
• Live execution environment representation using live graphs
• Integration with Azure IoT Hubs and LogicApps, REST APIs for system input
• Actionable insights using Azure Data Analytics
• High-level security and scalability
• Simple and predictable pricing

Applications

• Creating data-driven workspaces
• Optimizing business costs and operations
• Improved product development process
• Model cities, factories, firms, buildings and similar environments

Pricing

A free account in Azure offers a $200 credit for 30 days. Azure has customized pricing plans. Check the pricing page for more details.

Ansys Twin Builder

Ansys designs multiphysics software solutions for business innovation. Ansys Twin Builder helps businesses in creating and deploying Digital Twin models.

Overview
This powerful digital platform helps develop simulation-based Digital Twin models. It is an open solution that uses Hybrid Analytics for integrated multi-domain system simulation. It can efficiently model real-world systems, mirroring their life and experience.

Features 

• Increased Digital Twin Prediction Accuracy
• Faster simulation using sophisticated solver synchronization
• Integrated with high-performance compute resources and extensive model libraries
• Reduced-Order-Model (ROM) interfaces for detailed simulations

Applications

• Industrial asset optimization and management
• Battery management systems
• Vehicle Powertrain Simulation
• Improving interoperability and simulation stability

Pricing
Ansys Twin Builder has a free trial option for 30 days. Request a trial here and contact their experts for pricing plans based on requirements.

Eclipse Ditto

Eclipse Foundation offers a global platform for open innovation and collaboration. This unique model has an open-source framework called Ditto for IoT and Digital Twin solutions.

Overview
Eclipse Ditto helps businesses build digital twins of assets with internet connectivity. It is an IoT middleware and can be merged into existing backend systems with supported protocols.

Features 

• Offers web APIs for simplified workload
• Microservices with the data store
• Static metadata management
• JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) based text protocol for communication

Applications

• Device-as-a-Service for synchronizing digital twin with the physical system
• State management for digital twins
• Access control enforcement with authorized API calls

Pricing
Eclipse is a free, open-source platform dedicated to development services. Contact the company through multiple channels here.

Aveva

The British multinational company AVEVA offers cutting-edge industrial software solutions. It helps businesses build digital twins for driving asset excellence with minimized risks.

Overview
AVEVA designs smart software solutions for leading industrial businesses. Its Digital Twin software solution spans the complete lifecycle of the asset. It is a cloud-based, open, vendor-agnostic platform that covers both engineering and IT operations.

Features 

• Whole-model visualization with touch-controls
• True digital thread with engineering and real-time data integration
• Wide range of engineering, structural and analytics models
• Historical and real-data collections with AVEVA PI System
• Integrated with high-end AVEVA software solutions for deeper contextualization

Applications

• Accelerated process design
• Reduced operational risks
• Production optimization
• Enterprise visualization

Pricing
AVEVA offers a flexible software subscription program with minimized upfront costs and fast Return on Investment (ROI). Learn more and talk to their experts to get the best plan here.

3DEXPERIENCE

The French multinational Dassault Systemes is famous for its creative and innovative sustainable software solutions. It has been listed in the Fortune 50 list by BCG. The company offers a 3D experience platform for virtual or Digital Twin solutions.

Overview
3D Experience is focused on converging the virtual and real worlds. This platform is an all-in-one solution with combined SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS offerings.

Features

• Easy-to-use interface for easy interaction
• Immediate access to enterprise-class technologies and apps like DELMIA, SIMULIA, CATIA and more
• Automatic updates with frequent new features
• Fully secured data encryption at all layers

Applications

• All-through production planning and lean operation
• Sustainable business initiatives
• Performance, reliability and safety assessment
• Improved business resilience with prior impact evaluation

Pricing
Find the entire portfolio of 3D Experience products here. Subscription plans are based on requirements.

Digital Twin Exchange

The leading technical giant IBM has been pioneering Digital Twin solutions for a long time, and offers an e-commerce platform called IBM Digital Twin Exchange that helps businesses buy and sell Digital Twin assets.

Overview
The Digital Twin Exchange platform by IBM is a rapidly growing partner ecosystem. It is a one-stop shop for Digital Twin solutions customers who can easily shop from a wide range of credible products based on requirements and budget.

Features

• IBM Support for any technical issues or assistance
• Faster integration with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) systems
• Increased level of safety
• Reduced risk of failure

Applications

• Smart operations
• Supply chain efficiency
• Designing predictive models
• Managing enterprise-wise digital assets

Pricing
The platform features a wide range of products—find the list and prices here.

Oracle IoT Digital Twin Framework

Oracle Corporation offers Digital Twin solutions integrated with its IoT platform. The Oracle IoT Digital Twin Framework helps businesses with device virtualization and implementation.

Overview
Oracle IoT implements the digital twin concept comprehensively. It helps in designing the digital proxy of any real-world asset or system. Oracle also offers a Digital Twin Simulator for developing ready-to-use simulation models.

Features

• Configurable alerts for simulated devices
• JSON-based model for visual representation
• Integrated ML techniques for robust analytical model
• Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)  tools for industrial twins

Applications

• Better visibility with interconnected systems
• Well-designed interfaces for What-if analysis
• Connection with back-end applications for real-time configuration
• Simulation models development without hardware setup

Pricing
Oracle offers a uniform pricing structure with committed use discounts and other rewards. Check estimated prices using the Oracle Cost Estimator.

Amazon IOT TwinMaker

Amazon has been extending intelligent software solutions through its AWS platform, and offers Digital twin solutions with AWS IoT TwinMaker.

Overview
AWS IoT TwinMaker helps businesses develop operational digital twins. This platform offers the tools to efficiently create a virtual representation of existing physical systems with real-world data integration for faster monitoring operations.

Features

• Built-in connectors for richer data access
• Advanced digital twin graphs for defined relationships
• Interactive 3D view with scenes, workspace and resources
• Plug-ins for Grafana for customized visualization panels

Applications

• Optimization of industrial operations
• Increasing production output
• Improved equipment performance
• Low-code web application building

Pricing
AWS IoT TwinMaker can be used for free with the AWS Free Tier. After free usage expires, purchase a pricing plan based on usage requirements. Find pricing details here.

GE Digital

General Electric offers innovative technology solutions for different industry verticals. In addition, GE Digital offers Digital Twin solutions integrated with cutting-edge technologies and services.

Overview
GE Digital is a rich platform that specifically designs digital twins for industrial applications. Being a co-founder of the Digital Twin Consortium, GE is focused on industrial optimization and currently has more than 330 Digital Twin blueprints.

Features

• Cost-effective design and maintenance solutions
• Reduced planning time
• Productivity improvements
• Advanced analytics with immersive visualization

Applications

• Network Digital Twin solutions for grid operations
• Performance Intelligence with greater speed and efficiency
• Process Digital Twin solutions
• Smarter manufacturing with AI and Analytics

Pricing
Request a free trial version and demo here.

How to Choose Digital Twin Solutions

Implementing Digital Twin solutions can be challenging. It requires an in-depth evaluation of the current systems and efficient strategic planning. Here are some tips to consider when evaluating different Digital Twin solutions.

Selecting the right model
Businesses need to exclusively analyze their requirements from the Digital twin solutions. If there are specific use cases or just enhanced feature requirements, opt for platforms capable of addressing these requirements.

Also, choose the right model that can cater to your business vision and generate the required value. The primary digital twin types are Physics-based Twins and Data-based Twins. Physics-based digital twins are built from CAD files and work best for simple objects. It is best suitable when immediate decisions are not necessary.

Data-based twins rely on Machine Learning algorithms that can produce more accurate and quicker results. Thus, they work best for complex products and processes.

There are also hybrid digital twins that combine both approaches and are more efficient. Therefore, it is crucial to explicitly define the challenges that you want to address and then finalize the model that will work best for you.

Agile implementation
Maturity tests can evaluate the business’s current digital product development capabilities. It addresses the system complexities and helps prioritize the investment areas to implement digital twin technology effectively.

The initial months must be invested in developing an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) with a cross-functional, agile team. It can maximize value gains from the beginning. Based on the learnings, the implementation plan can be calibrated.

Ready-to-use solutions
As industry leaders already offer ready-to-use solutions, businesses need not invest a hefty amount in developing the necessary infrastructure and capabilities for incorporating Digital Twin technology. Instead, they can save considerable time, effort and resources by exploring these vendors and facilitating the development process.

It is vital to purchase Digital Twin tools, elements and blueprints from a single vendor to avoid compatibility and integration challenges.

Bottom Line: Top Digital Twin Solutions

Digital twins combine real and digital words and seamlessly integrate the entire value chain to create the best-in-class products. They optimize both the product and the production.

More and more tech leaders are entering the arena to develop efficient Digital Twin solutions and foster new approaches to help businesses operate faster and smarter. The steady growth in the global Digital Twin market proves that more enterprises are willing to leverage these solutions.

With rapid IT modernization, businesses are eager to adopt effortless application-building processes. Low-Code/No-Code platforms are modular approaches to application development that help users develop custom solutions without writing code line by line. As a result, even non-technical users can build and deploy apps, regardless of their coding experience.

The Low-Code/No-Code market continues to grow exponentially as the platforms enable faster application development with minimum coding and investment. Gartner reports that 70% of new applications will be developed using Low-Code or No-Code technologies by 2025.

If you plan to integrate LC/NC platforms into your teams’ workflows, this guide will help you decide whether LC/NC is the right choice.

What are Low-Code/No-Code Platforms?

While the terms Low-Code and No-Code are often used interchangeably, there are a few key differences between the two.

Low-Code framework is based on Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) that can process simple logic and offer drag-and-drop features. It does not require extensive coding. As it eliminates this bottleneck, users with basic technical aptitude can also design and update apps, reducing the overall coding time, app development cycle, and costs.

No-Code platforms require zero coding experience or technical skills. Any business user can take on application projects using this framework. Using only visual tools, No-Code platforms help create a fully functional app by dragging and dropping software components.

Advantages of LC/NC Platforms

The primary aim of LC/NC platforms is to remove the complexities associated with coding. They effectively address evolving business needs and thus are in high demand. Here are the top benefits of LC/NC platforms:

Less Reliance on Core Development Team

LC/NC tools drastically reduce the dependency on core development teams. Organizations looking to implement digital workflows no longer have to wait for approvals from their developers. With LC/NC tools, business users can rapidly build apps to automate their processes. As a result, the core IT team can focus on larger, contextual business problems and create solutions around them.

Limited Specialized Experience

LC/NC platforms help democratize technology. These tools empower business users and can play a crucial role in overcoming the growing developer shortage. Even a user without coding experience can design applications using the Low-Code/No-Code framework. This is especially beneficial for small and medium-scale businesses looking to digitize their processes on a budget.

Bridge the Gap Between Business and IT

LC/NC platforms create an agile environment that promotes collaboration between business and IT teams. As a result, developers are better equipped to understand the business problem, while non-technical users become more aware of the functionalities they require in their business apps. This clarity allows both teams to ask the right questions and collaborate more effectively to achieve better business outcomes.

Increased Productivity and Efficiency

LC/NC platforms offer pre-configured modules and functionalities that significantly reduce the development effort. This approach also lowers IT infrastructure investments and accelerates the development and launch cycle.

Limitations of LC/NC Platforms

Despite the numerous advantages of LC/NC platforms, they do not necessarily replace core development. Here are a few of the downsides to using these platforms:

Suitable Only for Simple Applications/Proof of Concept

Low-Code or No-Code platforms have built-in templates and components. These can help develop simple applications or Minimum Viable Products (MVP). However, if you need advanced features in your applications or if you need to scale your solution, core development would be necessary.

Limited Functionality/Design Choices

Since LC/NC platforms come with pre-built functionalities and modules, you may not get enough flexibility to customize the application. Plus, depending on your chosen LC/NC platforms, you’ll likely need to settle with available design options.

Security Concerns

When businesses rely on LC/NC platform providers, they also expose their data and systems, raising security concerns. If any security flaws are encountered, non-technical users may be unable to fix the issue on their own.

Top 5 Low-Code/No-Code Platforms

The top five LC/NC platforms each offer strong capabilities for individuals and business users.

Microsoft Power Apps

Technical giant Microsoft offers the cloud-based platform Power Apps to help business users build and deploy applications quickly.

Type of Platform
Microsoft Power Apps is a Low-Code platform that accelerates the app-building process. Integrated with Microsoft Dataverse, it links all your data with Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure capabilities.

Applications
Microsoft Power Apps help with application modernization, streamlining migration projects, extending existing development capabilities, centralizing data, and automating manual processes.

Special Features
Microsoft Power Apps has a robust set of features that includes:

• AI copilot for rapid automation
• Process automation for simplified app building
• Drag-and-drop user interface
• Extensive integration with powerful connectors

Pricing
Microsoft Power Apps has pay-as-you-go plans that start at $0.30 per website per month for anonymous users. Subscription plans start at $75 for 500 anonymous users per website. For more details, check the pricing page at https://powerpages.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/

Appian

Appian is an industry-leading software company that helps businesses with process automation and digital innovation.

Type of Platform
Gartner has recognized Appian as a top choice for Low-Code application platforms. It combines intelligent automation and Low-Code development to help businesses in their application-building processes.

Applications
Appian delivers hyper-automation that enables businesses to build and launch smart applications faster. The platform can help in creating native mobile apps as well as enterprise-wide systems. It is suitable for businesses of all sizes.

Special Features
This Low-Code platform is equipped with many features:

• Integration with native deployment tools like Jenkins
• End-to-end process automation
• Faster data design with data fabric
• Appian guarantee to deliver the first project in eight weeks

Pricing
Appian offers free trial services with a guided learning experience. There are other fully featured plans like Application, Platform, and Unlimited. The Application plan starts at $2 per user per month. The standard usage plan starts at $75. Get the details of different plans at https://appian.com/products/platform/pricing.html

Caspio

The American software company Caspio helps businesses create sophisticated cloud-based applications through its No-Code platform.

Type of Platform
Caspio offers a platform for No-Code application development with proprietary workflows to address unique business requirements.

Applications
Caspio can accelerate business transformation with minimum efforts and investment. It can also set up app protection and help with online application deployment.

Special Features

• Extensive integration possibilities with AWS, Paypal, Google Drive, Box, and more
• Massive scalability with AWS infrastructure
• Intuitive tools for data visualization and analysis
• Enterprise-grade security and regulatory compliance

Pricing
Caspio offers free service for light usage. It has other plans, including Explore, Build, Grow, and Corporate. The minimum charge is about $128 per month. You can get pricing plans at https://www.caspio.com/pricing

Mendix

Siemens is the parent organization of Mendix, which offers a highly productive platform for designing mobile and web applications.

Type of Platform
Mendix is a Low-Code platform that accelerates enterprise app delivery with unmatched expertise. With an intuitive visual User Interface (UI) and drag-and-drop functionalities, it can accelerate the app development lifecycle and also automate the involved processes.

Applications
Mendix helps businesses with application lifecycle management, secure data integration, continuous delivery support, app features extension, and other functionalities.

Special Features
Some of the unique features of the Mendix platform include the following:

• Model-driven development for reduced human intervention
• Streamlined digital initiatives for workflow automation
• Robust version control to work on different app features
• Collaborative project management with Mendix Developer Portal

Pricing
Mendix pricing is based on the number of apps to be built: One, or Unlimited. It offers free trial versions for both. Basic, Standard, and Premium plans start at about $63 per month for one app. Check pricing details at https://www.mendix.com/pricing/

Zoho Creator

The multinational technology company Zoho Corporation offers an app-building platform, Zoho Creator. This full-stack product helps businesses create customized applications easily.

Type of Platform
Zoho Creator is a Low-Code application development platform that requires minimal coding. It is user-friendly and has many built-in features and functions.

Applications
Zoho Creator is an excellent choice for developing custom applications quickly from pre-built blocks. Zoho offers multi-platform access as it is also compatible with iOS and Android devices. It also helps create insightful reports to optimize business processes.

Special Features

• Abstracts 90% of complexities in the application development cycle
• Drag-and-drop elements for instant app-building
• Unified data service for centralized management
• Data-structure visualization with cross-functional analytics

Pricing
Zoho Creators offer a 15-day free trial service. It has monthly and yearly pricing plans that start at $11. It also offers flexible pricing options if you need a tailored plan. Learn more about the pricing here: https://www.zoho.com/creator/pricing.html

Choosing the Right LC/NC Platforms

While both Low-Code and No-Code platforms offer programmers and non-programmers the ability to rapidly build apps and deploy them as a service, choosing between them depends on several factors.

When evaluating the LC/NC platforms, consider the following:

• Objective: Low-Code platforms are typically preferable for complex use cases and business-critical requirements that demand on-premises or cloud integrations. On the other hand, No-Code platforms are ideal for a narrow set of use cases with limited scalability requirements.
• Integration Capabilities: LC/NC platforms should offer connectors to integrate external databases and other business applications.
• Automation: It is critical to evaluate the platforms based on automation capabilities. Look for tools that offer Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning-assisted development to automate repetitive tasks and enhance productivity.
• Hosting: Your LC/NC vendor must offer flexible hosting options to avoid costly lock-ins. It could be on-premises, on-cloud, or hybrid. Some vendors even allow hosting applications on your public/private cloud. Such an arrangement enables better control over your Continuous Improvement/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.
• Security: Choosing LC/NC platforms that offer robust security features is critical. When evaluating different platforms, look for vendor certifications such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ISO/IEC 27001, and more.
• Vendor support: Your vendor should offer comprehensive support to resolve queries quickly. Without good support services, your citizen developers will likely reach out to your core development teams and occupy them with easily avoidable tasks.
• Cost: When starting out, it is better to evaluate each LC/NC platform through the free tier. Some vendors also offer pay-as-you-go models that will allow you to control your costs based on the frequency of usage.

Low-Code/No-Code movement is accelerating rapidly, allowing organizations to design, build, and ship custom applications quickly and with minimal technical expertise. These platforms drastically reduce the dependency on core developers while empowering business users to innovate faster.

For organizations looking to achieve their digital transformation goals, it is a good time to embrace LC/NC platforms and bolster growth.

A survey from Appian shows that 82% of companies struggle to attract and retain the software engineers they need. Developers engaged by companies are also finding it challenging to meet deadlines. In one study, 47% of software engineers who responded said they lacked the tools to build apps and products quickly enough to meet their deadlines.

Low-Code and No-Code (LC/NC) development enables businesses to address these challenges more efficiently. These innovative application development approaches help generate automated code using Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) like drag-and-drop features and pull-down menu interfaces to make it possible for enterprises to speed up app development by a factor of 10.

Enterprises with no or limited technical resources can leverage LC/NC to create, modify, and deploy applications faster. While the terms Low-Code and No-Code are often used interchangeably, the two approaches have key differences. If you’re planning to integrate LC/NC in your development processes, it’s essential to understand these differences to identify the development approach that will best meet your specific project requirements.

What is Low-Code?

Low-Code is a middle path between manual coding and no coding. Low-Code developers can add their own code over automatically generated code, which helps them customize and integrate their applications.

Pros of Low-Code

• Helps businesses develop applications by depending less on Information Technology (IT) teams.
• Allows faster delivery of software solutions by reducing the time and effort of manual coding.
• Helps solve the market limitations of talented developers by facilitating development by people with little-to-no coding ability.
• Empowers digital transformation and innovation by allowing quick development, testing, and deployment of applications that leverage such next-generation technologies as cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), data analytics, and the Internet of Behaviors (IoB).

Cons of Low-Code

• Can promote “Shadow IT,” the unauthorized development and deployment of applications and IT services beyond those recognized by an enterprise.
• Can limit application customization due to the constraints of features and libraries.
• Proprietary Low-Code platforms, or those that are incompatible with other platforms, can lead to vendor lock-in and portability issues.
• Platforms require frequent updates and audits.
• Applications must be properly tested and verified to prevent security and compliance risks.

What is No-Code?

As the name implies, No-Code is a software development approach that requires zero coding skills to build applications quickly. In other words, it is a hands-off approach that depends solely on visual tools.

Pros of No-Code

• Cost-effective; it allows businesses to build applications without the need to hire developers or outsource software development projects.
• Eliminates the time and effort of manual coding and testing.
• Applications are easily customizable, as users can easily change and update using such simple visual tools as drag-and-drop.
• Easily accessible, regardless of a user’s coding skills or background.

Cons of No-Code

• Functionality is dependent on platform capabilities and, in most cases, offers limited functionality and doesn’t support specific IT requirements.
• May not comply with industry standards or regulations and may expose sensitive data, causing security issues.
• Lacks flexibility and is difficult to integrate with other platforms or systems.
• Restricts users from easily migrating or exporting applications.
• Can affect the reliability and speed of applications with code bloat, leading to poor performance.

Low-Code vs. No-Code: Differences and Similarities

Working Principle

• Low-Code: Platforms have easy-to-use GUIs that let users automate codes. Therefore, they can easily customize applications by adding their logic to auto-generated code.
• No-Code: Development approach solely depends on GUIs, which enables users to build applications without coding. It restricts the users from adding their own code over auto-generated code.

Target Users

• Low-Code: Suited for people with minimal coding skills who want to accelerate their application development process. It is also the best fit for enterprises that want to build customized applications without depending on highly skilled coders or developers.
• No-Code: Allows people with no coding skills to easily build simple, standalone applications. Businesses that want to build self-service applications and dashboards can also take this approach.

System (Open or Closed)

• Low-Code: Has an open system that allows users to access and modify the underlying code. Low-Code applications or platforms can be easily integrated with existing systems and external plugins.
• No-Code: Has a closed system that doesn’t allow users to access and modify the underlying code. No-Code applications or platforms can offer only limited integration with existing systems and external plugins.

When to Use Low Code vs. No Code

Here are the four major use cases for Low-Code development platforms:

UI Design

With minimal coding by using GUIs, people can use Low-Code methodology to create engaging User Interfaces (UIs) that go well with multiple devices, platforms, and Operating Systems.

API Generation

Low-Code platforms can help anyone create Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for both legacy and new applications by analyzing existing application code and auto-generating API code.

UX Design

Low-Code platforms help users create engaging User Experience (UX) through an enterprise’s products and services, such as web portals, mobile applications, or Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).

Containerization

Low-Code platforms let users speed up the development and deployment of containerized applications to multiple environments like the public cloud. Low-Code applications can easily integrate with open-source containerized application deployment and management systems like Kubernetes.

Here are the four major use cases for the No-Code development approach:

Business Intelligence (BI) Reporting

No-Code platforms help BI analysts and developers create reporting tools that transform raw data into meaningful insights by using GUIs and pre-built templates.

Process Automation

No-Code empowers developers to automate such repetitive tasks as data entry and invoice processing without the need for coding.

Interactive Web Portals

No-Code platforms let companies create interactive web portals that offer self-service solutions to customers, such as submitting claims, paying bills, or generating quotes by using interactive themes and layouts and integrating with other platforms.

The Future of Low-Code and No-Code

Three major trends and predictions that show the future is bright for LC/NC approaches: widespread adoption, the rise of amateur programmers, and convergence with other innovative technologies.

Gartner estimates that by 2026, developers outside of conventional IT teams will make up 80% of users of Low-Code tools, up from 60% in 2021. That means more non-technical people will start building applications using these technologies. These amateur programmers are also known as “citizen developers.”

Low-Code and No-Code technologies are already getting integrated with such innovative technologies as AI, blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR).

This convergence will lead to more innovation and interactive applications. For example, bringing Low-Code or No-Code together with AI can automate tasks, provide recommendations, generate code, and enhance UX.

However, the LC/NC movement also comes with a few challenges or limitations, such as security, scalability, customization, and integration. While these approaches may not solve every software development problem, they successfully demonstrate how several development phases can be simplified.

In the future, more enterprises and individuals will embrace Low-Code and No-Code tools as they become more widely available and their benefits become more apparent within the community of developers and IT leaders.

Some background: most businesses today choose to deploy their data and run applications on the cloud. But with cyberthreats increasing daily across the globe, it has become essential for these companies to take additional precautions and measures to safeguard their network. This is where ExtraHop and Darktrace play a key role.

Overall, these two solutions compare in the following ways:

• ExtraHop: ExtraHop is the best NDR solution for knowing where intruders are going and where they’ve been; it can be deployed with a more modest budget.
• Darktrace: Darktrace is best for providing effective solutions to prevent the most sophisticated cyberattacks, and can be more costly.

While these NDR solutions may be the best at what they offer, businesses must choose between the two. With this in mind, let’s shed some light on a few vital pointers to assist you with choosing the right NDR platform for your business.

ExtraHop vs. Darktrace Comparison Chart

ExtraHop vs. Darktrace: Portfolio

ExtraHop offers many solutions in terms of security, cloud, and IT ODS (operational data store). It enables users to leverage Dynamic Stream Processing along with data center migration services in a hassle-free manner. Businesses also use the platform’s Hybrid Cloud Monitoring feature and data exploration services.

Darktrace offers varied products like Darktrace PREVENT, Darktrace DETECT, and Darktrace RESPOND. The platform assists organizations in a multitude of aspects, including cloud, network, email, and applications.

ExtraHop vs. Darktrace: Partners

ExtraHop partners are an extension of the team, so to speak, working with government agencies to improve security and performance with high visibility, definitive insights, and immediate answers. The company partners with channel partners and technology partners.

Similarly, Darktrace collaborates with channel partners and technology partners to enhance their product reach and technologies. As is true throughout the tech industry, greater interoperability leads to greater adoption.

ExtraHop vs. Darktrace: Use Cases

ExtraHop

Asante Health: Asante Health is an Oregon-based health care provider, with 200,000 customers and 6,500 employees across six hospitals. Maintaining a strong security posture is a big challenge with such a wide range. ExtraHop Implemented continuous packet capture to log network data. The company offered solutions that seamlessly integrate with existing SOAR and SIEM products to gain increased visibility and higher fidelity of detection.

bet365 is one of the world’s leading online gambling groups with over ten million customers in 200 different countries. bet365 needs visibility to ensure the delivery of mission-critical applications and detect anomalous behavior in their environment. ExtraHop executed a correlation between changes made with improvements/degradations in application performance.

Darktrace

Duferco: Ruth Amui, Duferco’s IT Manager, oversees her organization’s IT and OT security needs with only a small team, meaning time constraints have long been a limiting factor. The team turned to Darktrace’s Self-Learning AI to protect their business. The technology learns ‘normal’ for every user and device from the ground up to spot and stop anomalous, threatening activity. Autonomous Response can be set up in human confirmation mode to only take action on the request. However, having seen it operate across the digital estate, Amui trusts AI decision-making.

Boardriders: Boardriders has a global footprint compromising over 700 retail locations across six continents, 20 e-commerce sites, and multiple warehouses worldwide. From a security perspective, the greatest challenge was protecting a truly global business with only a small team. The company turned to Darktrace’s Self-Learning AI and Autonomous Response to gain comprehensive visibility and protection over its network and cloud environments. The technology immediately began learning the normal ‘patterns of life’ for every user and device in the organization, revealing subtle deviations that indicate a potential threat.

Top 5 Alternatives to ExtraHop and Darktrace

In addition to ExtraHop and Darktrace, here are a few other alternative NDR platforms that offer similar solutions:

• IronDefense: A network detection and response software that leverages AI and ML technologies to identify, analyze, and respond to cybersecurity threats.
• Gigamon ThreatINSIGHT: Cloud-native NDR platform that helps security teams find potential network threats.
• Vectra Platform: An AI-driven cybersecurity platform that can detect attacks in real-time and help security teams perform incident investigations.
• Symantec Security Analytics: NDR solution with advanced network traffic analysis and a host of features that offer complete visibility into enterprise security.
• Plixer Scrutinizer: A security solution that helps manage network traffic and offers detailed network insights and security issues.

Bottom Line: ExtraHop vs. Darktrace Vulnerability Scans

While ExtraHop has a robust portfolio due to its varied use cases, and can integrate well with existing security applications like SOAR and SIEM, Darktrace offers a multitude of services with advanced technology, included targeted use of artificial intelligence. As noted above, ExtraHop can be more modestly priced.

Ultimately, whether Darktrace or ExtraHop is the best choice for a business is determined by that company’s unique cybersecurity needs and budget.

To safeguard one’s business and personal data from these cyber attackers, people rely on firewall security technologies from Amazon Web Services and Palo Alto Networks.

Amazon Web Services, of course, offers many services, including cloud computing and machine learning. Palo Alto, a leading security company, aims to cater to every security requirement by offering secure digital transformation.

With this in mind, here’s everything you should know about AWS and Palo Alto to choose which cybersecurity vendor is best for your business.

For more information, also see: Why Firewalls are Important for Network Security

AWS vs. Palo Alto at a Glance

AWS vs. Palo Alto Portfolio

Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services offer a range of technical and IT services to organizations seeking expertise in analytics and cloud financial management. The platform is known for cloud computing and providing database management as well as front-end expertise for websites and mobile phones.

A few well-known Amazon Web Services products include tools like AWS loT SiteWise, Amazon API Gateway, and AWS loT TwinMaker. Amazon Web Services also integrates Alexa for businesses to streamline in-house operations.

Palo Alto

Palo Alto is more focused on providing businesses with products and services to reduce and prevent cyberattacks. With services like global customer services and threat intel and incident response services, the platform has acquired quite a strong reputation among numerous businesses in the corporate world.

Palo Alto’s portfolio incorporates a variety of products for endpoint security, network security, and Cloud-Native Application Protection. The company deep focus means it’s a good fit for companies looking for a robust security solution.

	AWS	Palo Alto
Breadth
Depth
Specialization
Overall

For more information, also see: What is Big Data Security?

AWS vs. Palo Alto: Partners

Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services collaborates with high profile companies in several industries, including education, industrial software, and the government. The company further partners with well-known platforms in the financial services and healthcare sectors.

Palo Alto

Palo Alto has a NextWave Partner Community comprising NextWave Partners from many industries. These include cloud service providers, security service providers, and technology partners. You can find many global systems integrators, other solution providers, and a part of the NextWave Partner Community.

	AWS	Palo Alto
Breadth
Depth
Specialization
Overall

For more information, also see: What is Firewall as a Service?

AWS vs. Palo Alto: Use Cases

AWS

Yamato Logistics – Yamato Logistics (HK) developed a data pipeline using Amazon S3 and leveraged Amazon QuickSight to create serverless dashboards within minutes, increasing operational efficiency and generating insights to innovate faster.

SmartSearch – SmartSearch seamlessly moved its software-as-a-service-based staffing and recruiting solutions to AWS using Application Migration Service.

Chris O’Brien Lifehouse – Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, a dedicated cancer hospital, enhanced health benefits for its patients by migrating electronic health records to AWS. Using AWS, it can focus resources on putting patients first.

Palo Alto

Avrasya Tüneli is a connected security platform comprising best-in-class, integrated network, endpoint, and IoT security. The company was facing issues with implementing a forward-thinking, efficient IT security strategy to protect end-to-end IT infrastructure and ensure a fast, uninterrupted journey for 50,000+ drivers daily. This issue was resolved with the Palo Alto Networks platform that comprises Strata NextGeneration Firewall (NGFW) with Threat Protection, URL Filtering, DNS, WildFire, GlobalProtect, DLP, and IoT Services.

Globe Telecom offers the following services: Mobile telephony, fixed-line telephony, broadband services, and mobile payment and remittance service (via GCash). The challenge they faced involved managing multiple vendors and siloed security functions. The company struggled to keep pace with digital transformation as well. Palo Alto offered standardized security through an end-to-end security solution providers that enabled consolidation and simplification. It offers ease of integration with the company’s evolving digital infrastructure. The company also deployed best practices to gain the benefit of business agility (reduced time and cost savings).

For more information, also see: What is Big Data Security?

AWS vs. Palo Alto: Ratings

Both Amazon Web Services and Palo Alto possess pretty high ratings from well-known platforms like Capterra and G2.

	AWS	Palo Alto
Gartner Peer Reviews	4.5/5	4.6/5
Capterra	5/5	NA
Trust Radius	8.6/10	8.5/10
G2	4.5/5	4.5/5
Overall

Amazon Web Services and Palo Alto: Alternatives

If you’re seeking to discover more platforms that offer similar services to Amazon Web Services and Palo Alto, here are a few you could check out:

• Microsoft Azure
• Alibaba Cloud
• Google Cloud Platform
• Tenecent Cloud
• Oracle

Bottom Line: Amazon Web Services vs. Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto specializes in services that safeguard businesses from cyberattacks, while Amazon Web Services offers a range of cloud and data services in addition to security.

So Amazon Web Services provides a good choice for companies that want to bundle many services together, while Palo Alto is a good choice for firms who seek a dedicated cybersecurity provider.

Nessus is developed by Tenable and offers visibility into your internet-connected attack surface. Nmap, or Network Mapper, is also widely used for network discovery and security auditing.

The short take comparison: 

Nessus: Best for businesses looking for a complete vulnerability scanning tool, especially for professional security auditing.

Nmap: Best for organizations looking for a free scanning tool to identify open ports and services and specific vulnerabilities.   

Below we have explored – in-depth – both vulnerability scanning tools to help you decide which will suit your business requirements.

Also see: Best Vulnerability Scanning Tools

Nessus vs. Nmap at a Glance

Nessus vs. Nmap: Portfolio

Nessus is one of the industry’s most trusted vulnerability assessment solutions. It can scan for open ports and detect running services, offering information regarding any potential security vulnerabilities. This web-based application, developed by Tenable, uses different plugins that can work in different environments, be it Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Tenable has been working with the security community for a very long time. It consistently focuses on product innovation and continuously optimizes Nessus to refine the features based on feedback. There are informational alerts to help system administrators. Besides, for every vulnerability discovered, it features a detailed write-up that helps realize the severity and also offers mitigation tips.

Nmap or Network Mapper is an open-source network scanning tool that can rapidly scan networks and detect vulnerabilities. It was created by the American network security expert Gordon Lyon in 1997. It has improved over the years, and many versions of Nmap have been released since then.  

Nmap helps in network discovery and security auditing. Besides, systems and network administrators can also utilize it to monitor host or service uptime, manage service upgrade schedules, network inventory, etc. 

Nessus vs. Nmap: Use Cases

Nessus is considered the Global Gold Standard in vulnerability assessment and extends beyond traditional assets. It also works under secure cloud infrastructure. Broadly, Nessus offers two ranges of solutions, Nessus Expert and Nessus Professional. The Expert range serves well for Developers and SMBs, whereas the Professional range is ideal for Security Practitioners. Both of them offer unlimited IT assessments, configuration assessments, configurable reports, and community support. Nessus Expert also offers On-demand training, External attack surface scanning, and the ability to add domains, along with 500 prebuilt scanning policies. 

Besides, Nessus offers 72,000 CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) which is exceptional. It has better than six sigma scanning accuracy. New vulnerability checks are released frequently. There are pre-built scan templates designed for major vulnerabilities. For real-time visibility, Live Results use existing scan data and identify vulnerabilities. The Grouping feature presents a grouped view of similar vulnerabilities and ease of management. There are more than 700 compliance and configuration templates without any extra cost. 

The Nmap tool is extremely flexible and supports dozens of advanced techniques and port scanning mechanisms. It is powerful enough to scan huge networks with a large number of machines. It is portable and supports most operating systems like Solaris, Linux, Microsoft, Amiga, etc. It offers traditional command line and GUI versions. 

Nmap helps administrators explore their networks; importantly, it is free. Businesses can modify the full source code and redistribute too. It is well documented and available in the form of books, whitepapers, and tutorials that are available in multiple languages. There is also a strong community of developers and users that help in addressing most bug reports and questions.

Top 3 Nmap & Nessus Alternatives

Undoubtedly, Nessus and Nmap are great tools for vulnerability scans, but they may not be perfect for your business needs. Here are the top three alternatives you can explore:

• Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management: Best for businesses that need a secure and reliable business environment and security recommendations.
• Rapid7 Nexpose: Best for businesses looking for validating vulnerabilities and best practice security control.
• AWS Amazon Inspector: Best for businesses that need optimized solutions with limited resources and less time. 

Nessus vs. Nmap: Recognition

Tens of thousands of customers have been relying on Nessus for their business operations. More than a hundred plugins are released every week, and there are a vast array of plugins available. Besides, there are very few defects in scanning, mostly about 0.32 in 1 million scans. It offers the deepest and broadest vulnerability coverage, and its parent company, Tenable, is a 2021 Gartner Representative Vendor in Vulnerability Assessment.

Nmap is critically acclaimed worldwide and has won many awards. It has been featured in several movies, like The Bourne Ultimatum, Die Hard 4, the Matrix Reloaded, and more. It was named the Information Security Product of the Year by Linux Journal and Codetalker Digest.

Bottom Line: Nessus vs. Nmap Vulnerability Scans 

Nessus is built for security practitioners and has a wide range of features like pre-built templates, policies, and real-time updates, which makes vulnerability assessments easier. Nmap is also an amazing scanning tool that efficiently scans ports and identifies vulnerabilities. It can also run an internal security assessment that helps in determining the security posture.

Both Nessus and Nmap are extremely reliable options for vulnerability scanning. They have existed in the market for years and improved their features set as per the latest market requirements. Thus, you can choose any one of these top vulnerability scanning tools for your business.

A managed services provider is a third-party organization that provides different IT and business management services under a subscription model or on a contract basis. MSPs can handle complex business operations by implementing the latest technology and engaging expert resources. 

For many companies, outsourcing services to MSPs can lower budgetary expenditures as the number of directly employed resources decreases. Also, as the business needs change dynamically, you can scale up and down accordingly. 

Given their importance, it’s essential that companies have a full understanding of the managed services providers market. Below, Datamation has detailed the offerings in this rapidly growing sector.

For more information, also see: What is Cloud Computing 

Best Managed Services Providers 

• Accenture: Best Overall MSP
  
• Atos: Best Azure Experts MSP
  
• Capgemini: Best for Innovative MSP
  
• CDW Corporation: Best for Security Solutions
  
• Cognizant: Best Cloud Solutions MSP
  
• Deloitte: Best Finance Solutions MSP
  
• IBM: Best Reliable MSP
  
• Rocket Data Intelligence: Best for Automated Data Lineage
  
• HCL Technologies: Best Next-Gen MSP
  
• Infosys: Best MSP for Digital Agility
  
• LTI: Best for Advanced Cloud Solutions
  
• DXC Technologies: Best for End-to-End IT Services
  
• PwC: Best MSP for Outcome-Based Services
  
• TCS: Best MSP for Diverse Services
  
• Wipro: Best MSP for Cloud Migration
  
• NTT Data: Best Detail-Oriented MSP
  
• Rackspace: Best MSP for Data Services
  
• MSP Comparison Chart
  
• How to Choose a Managed Services Provider
  
• Advantages of MSPs
  
• Bottom Line: Top Managed Services Providers
  

For more information, also see: What is Big Data Security?

Top MSPs Compared

Accenture: Best Overall MSP

Accenture is a global IT leader with superior digital, cloud, and security capabilities. It helps businesses build their digital core with specialized technology solutions.

Accenture’s Managed Services include cloud infrastructure management, technology innovation, security service offerings, intelligent cloud operations, and more. It offers  comprehensive, fully managed cloud services that help businesses unlock new performance levels. 

Major Platforms Supported

Accenture services encompass intelligent platforms like SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Salesforce, Adobe, and Workday. These technologies help accelerate radical growth through interoperability.

Pros

• Cost-efficient services
• Well-architected practices
• Multiple-layered integrated security

Cons

• Some users have found issues with app deployment

Pricing

Accenture relies on a new pricing platform, Manage myPrice, that supports differentiated pricing approaches based on specific service attributes. Pricing details for different services can be obtained by contacting the support system on the official website. 

Atos: Best Azure Expert MSP

In terms of synchronizing digital transformation, Atos is a world leader. Besides being a pioneer in secure and carbon-neutral digital, Atos is also active in digital and cloud workspaces.

Atos’s managed services cover IoT security, digital transformation, Industry 4.0, digital workplace, cognitive computing and data analytics, cybersecurity, cloud solutions, hybrid cloud security, data protection, next-gen infrastructure, trusted digital identities, governance, and advanced detection and response. Microsoft has recognized Atos as an Azure Expert. 

Major Platforms Supported

Atos supports a wide range of platforms and has strong partners, including Dell EMC, Oracle, RSA, F5, HP, Microsoft, Google Cloud, VMware, SAP, IBM, Cisco, AWS, Citrix, Salesforce, F5, Networks, and Juniper. 

Pros

• Robust consulting 
• Excellent IT development and management approaches

Cons

• Some users feel there is a lack of focused security management.

Pricing

There’s no pricing information on the official website. However, for detailed pricing based on your requirements, you can contact through Atos’s official webpage directly. 

Capgemini: Best for strongly innovative MSP

Capgemini is a frontrunner when it comes to managed services, IT support and development, and global consulting. To serve the demands of organizations in design, strategy, operations, and other areas, Capgemini leverages its competence and technology in areas including AI, data, connectivity, cloud, software, and digital engineering. 

Capgemini’s Managed Services are designed to suit most of the chief industrial groups. Its services include deploying cloud applications, configuring cloud apps, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), self-service brokering and provisioning, and application services. 

Major Platforms Supported

Capgemini supports Google, Azure, SAP, Virtustream, AWS, SAS, Adobe, HPE, Oracle, SoftLayer (IBM), Cloudera, Dell EMC, Microsoft, Salesforce, and HP for managed services on public cloud platforms.  

Pros

• Unbeatable IT/cloud development and management services 
• Leader in global consulting 
• Excellent support for regulatory controls.

Cons

• A few users complain that the pricing is not competitive.

Pricing

You can contact the official website of Capgemini to understand the pricing details. 

CDW Corporation: Best MSP for Security Solutions 

Along with being well-known for reselling hardware and software, CDW also provides significant integration, consulting, professional services, and managed IT services for the government and enterprises. CDW assists enterprises in managing their infrastructure and sophisticated applications through reliable and integrated solutions. 

CDW provides managed and expert solutions in a lot of areas, including cybersecurity, digital transformation, cloud, etc. CDW’s managed services include IaaS, DRaaS, backup-as-a-service, managed hosting, software-a-solution (SaaS), and cloud integrations and subscriptions.

Major Platforms Supported

CDW Corporation supports several platforms in deploying and developing AI services and technologies in partnership with Google, Microsoft, Dell, Adobe, HP, and IBM. 

Pros

• Incredible IT integration, migration, and management
• End-to-end support in solving business challenges 

Cons

• Users feel that CDW can work on its interface and make it more user-friendly.

Pricing

Since CDW offers customized solutions based on your business requirements, you can contact them directly for pricing details. 

Cognizant: Best Cloud Solutions MSP

Cognizant has an “innovation with purpose” stance when it comes to providing consulting and enterprise IT services. The company’s mission is to create technological frameworks that equip enterprises for transformation in a digital economy that is undergoing a fast transition.

Cognizant’s managed services offer monitoring and notification, provisioning and orchestration, governance, security, application performance management, and a lot more in the field of the cloud management spectrum. It redesigns and reinvents business models and offers brilliant services to simplify complex tasks.

Major Platforms Supported

Cognizant holds a brilliant reputation in terms of loyalty. The organization supports several platforms and has a robust technology partnership with Microsoft, Google Cloud, SAP, AWS, Oracle, IBM, Salesforce, and VMware.

Pros

• Strong consulting expertise 
• Excellent IT services

Cons

• Some users have pointed out quality concerns. 

Pricing

For pricing details, you can contact them directly and discuss your requirements to get a quote.

Deloitte: Best Finance Solutions MSP

For thousands of businesses, Deloitte is a market leader in providing risk advice, consultancy, audit, tax, and assurance services. Through its application management experts, Deloitte assists businesses in managing the increasing complexity of the current technological landscape, thereby enhancing application performance and garnering improved business outcomes.

Deloitte’s Managed Services division supports a wide range of core business services and hybrid IT, including risk advisory and consulting. It offers integrated, end-to-end zero trust cybersecurity solutions to its customers and managed services over several (hybrid, multi, and private) cloud deployments. 

Major Platforms Supported

Holding an upside in managing vast enterprise clients, Deloitte supports a wide range of major platforms, including Google Cloud, Alibaba, Microsoft, AWS, IBM, and Oracle. 

Pros

• Expertise in handling compliance and regulatory challenges. 
• Supports hybrid IT

Cons

• Services can be pricey.  

Pricing

Deloitte offers flexible pricing. You can contact them directly with your query. 

IBM: Best Reliable MSP

IBM is a global IT service powerhouse that offers incredible managed services in the market. It also offers support for other MSPs via an MSP model or directly. IBM focuses on blockchain, IoT, AI, advanced analytics, cloud, and machine learning. 

IBM’ Managed security services include managed cybersecurity that further consists of threat management, cloud security and managed network security, MDR, Secure Access Service Edge, intrusion prevention and detection, and firewall services. 

Major Platforms Supported

Some of the major platforms supported by IBM include Red Hat, Box, Apple, Salesforce, Samsung, and many others.

Pros

• Ease of use system 
• Out of the box system 
• Easy implementation
• Can connect with any current IBM product smoothly. 

Cons

• Best suited for large firms

Pricing

You need to contact an IBM representative to understand the pricing policies for different managed services. 

HCL Technologies: Best Next-Gen MSP 

HCL Technologies offers next-gen MSP that helps organizations to reconceptualize their businesses and approaches in the digital era. The company mainly focuses on agile and lean approaches, intersecting heavily with a lot of technologies, including cloud, automation, digitalization, analytics, and IoT.

HCL Technologies offers global IT transformation, productive IT infrastructure, Intelligent operations, Cognitive Automation, Application Modernization and Integration services, and many more. 

Major Platforms Supported

HCL’s major platforms involve Oracle, SAP, Microsoft, and many others.

Pros

• Excellent IT service capabilities 
• Robust consulting 
• Comes with a proprietary Mode 1-2-3 framework to facilitate transformation

Cons

• Some users have complained of poor front-end experience. 

Pricing

For pricing options, you can contact HCL’s official website. 

Infosys: Best MSP for Digital Agility 

Infosys serves the market with a vast spectrum of IT services. The firm generally focuses on AI and digital agility to scale to help firms to adopt digital business ideas. 

Being a leader in offering IT, consulting, and professional services globally, Infosys’s managed services include exploring digital technologies like AI, IoT, experimental interfaces, machine learning, wearables, etc. 

Major Platforms Supported

The major platforms supported by Infosys are Adobe, Microsoft, SAP, HP VMware, Google, AWS, EMC, GE, IBM, NTT, Salesforce, and ServiceNow.

Pros

• Leader in IT consulting and services 
• Transparent services 

Cons

• Some customer reviews point out support issues.

Pricing

Infosys offers flexible pricing as per business variability. You can submit your service requirements or talk to experts to understand the pricing model. 

LTI: Best MSP for Advanced Cloud Solutions 

LTI is a technology solutions provider that assists enterprises in determining their business objectives by lowering their costs. The company mainly focuses on cloud, infrastructure management, cyber-resilience, and cloud automation. 

LTI’s extensive managed services include exclusive infrastructure management services, next-generation data center services, digital workplace services, cloud infrastructure, and intent-driven network services. 

Major Platforms Supported

LTI holds partnerships with several technology vendors like SAP, Maximo, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Oracle. 

Pros

• Operated globally in around 30 countries
• Can optimize the network of any size and complexity 

Cons

• Can improve pricing. 

Pricing

You can request a consultation on the official website to understand the pricing plans. 

DXC Technologies: Best MSP for End-to-End IT Services 

DXC Technologies equips multinational businesses to manage mission-critical systems as well as update their IT infrastructure, improve data architectures, and guarantee adaptability and security beyond cloud infrastructures.

The company heavily focuses on integrating the cloud, consulting, engineering, and mobility to bring change. It also focuses on all the emerging technologies like analytics, IoT, application service, blockchain, robotics, cloud and platform services, and autonomous vehicles. 

Major Platforms Supported

Some major platforms supported by DXC Technologies include Lenovo, Red Hat, AWS, Oracle, HP, PwC, IBM, SAP, Veritas, AWS, Citrix, ServiceNow, Dell EMC, NetApp, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, and many others. 

Pros

• Offers strong consulting
• Brings business transformation with innovation 

Cons

• Comparatively new in the market, not a common choice for businesses looking for established MSPs.

Pricing

As per your requirements, you can fill in the details and contact experts for pricing details. 

PwC: Best MSP for Outcome-Based Services

PwC has built a strong presence in emerging technologies like blockchain, augmented reality, and virtual reality, even though it is best recognized for its accounting and professional services.

PwC’s managed services focus on generating new services and products, fueling innovation, and developing new ideas of doing business via emerging technology, visioning and prototyping,  immersion and acceleration labs, rapid prototyping, and a few more IT and business development frameworks. The company’s key specialty involves offering its customers cybersecurity and privacy practice.

Major Platforms Supported

PwC boasts major partnerships with a lot of platforms. They include Adobe, HPE, Salesforce, AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft, GE Digital, Oracle, SAP, and many more. 

Pros

• Development of new products and services and methodologies 
• Rapid prototyping

Cons

• Some clients feel that the interface can be improved.

Pricing

You need to place your query through the official PwC website to know about the pricing details. 

TCS: Best MSP for Diverse Services 

Tata Consultancy Services is a consulting-led, AI and ML-powered corporation including an integrated portfolio of business, technology, and engineering services. TCS makes its services meet complicated criteria for various business and IT requirements across industries. This covers cybersecurity, cloud integration, and cutting-edge technology like blockchain.  

TCS’s managed services deals in offering cybersecurity, contact center, and unified communications. A few more of its managed services include cyber crisis management, cloud security, security device management, intelligence, and threat advisory. 

Major Platforms Supported

TCS has major partnerships with platforms like Adobe, SAP, AWS, Cisco, SAS, HPE, IBM, Informatica, Tableau, Oracle, Siemens, and VMware. 

Pros

• Excellent customer Intelligence & Insights (CI&I) software
• Helps in IoT integration 
• Offers advanced analytics 

Cons

• As per some clients, TCS needs to work on the visual appeal of the interface.

Pricing

As per your service requirements, you can submit details on the official website and get pricing plans.

Wipro: Best MSP for Cloud Migration 

In addition to providing IT integration and management skills across the majority of key industries, Wipro deals in providing consulting and business process engineering services. It also offers services in analytics, data, AI, infrastructure services, consulting, applications, and digital operations and platforms.

Wipro’s cloud-managed services include Wipro-Dell EMC Intelligent Edge (powered by the Azure stack), Cloud Studio (migration), and Enterprise Digital Operations Center. Each of Wipro’s Cloud Managed Services provides 24×7 cost tracking, ongoing management, automated processes and workflows, and optimization recommendations. 

Major Platforms Supported

Some of the major platforms supported by Wipro include Adobe, AWS, Cisco, Dell EMC, Google, HPE, IBM, Microsoft, Red Hat, SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Siemens, TIBC, VMWare, and others.

Pros

• Easy IT integration and management 
• Robust consulting and business processes 

Cons

• Some users have complained about implementation issues.

Pricing

You need to submit your business details and requirement through the official website page to get the pricing details. 

NTT Data: Best Detail-Oriented MSP

A few of NTT Data’s well-known offerings include consultancy, system development, and managed IT services. IT outsourcing, managed services, cloud architectures, and consulting. It mainly focuses on the social implications of technology.

NTT Data offers managed services for Microsoft Azure, digital transformation solutions, hybrid-infrastructure managed services, application development and modernization, Data and Intelligence solutions, Digital workspace services, and many more. 

Major Platforms Supported

Some major platforms supported by NTT Data include AWS, Microsoft, SAP, Google Cloud, and many others.

Pros

• Keeps the managed cloud services top tier and operational. 
• Offers 24*7 support

Cons

• Some clients have complained about the UI design. 

Pricing

For details about pricing plans, you can connect with the representatives through the official website by submitting your business requirements. 

Rackspace: Best MSP for Data Services

Rackspace has established itself as a leader in several sectors, including infrastructure, applications, and data. Holding experience across applications, clouds, security, and data, Rackspace offers businesses professional managed services in sectors like banking and healthcare that facilitate and expedite their digital transformation. 

Rackspace’s managed services deals in offering multi-cloud management, optimization, and migration for public and private clouds. Additionally, with Elastic Engineering, enterprises can collaborate with the cloud experts of Rackspace to develop a cloud-native infrastructure.

Major Platforms Supported

Rackspace has built key partnerships with many key technology vendors. Some of them include Google Cloud Platform, Alibaba Cloud, Oracle, AWS, Microsoft, Salesforce, and SAP.

Pros

• Excellent qualified team 
• Excellent for larger organizations 

Cons

• Some users complain about service issues.

Pricing

To get the current pricing, get in touch with experts through their official website.

Managed Services Provider: Vendor Comparison Chart

How to Choose a Managed Services Provider

There are a number of key variables that companies must consider as they select an MSP, including their skills, their level of scalability, and their SLAs.

• When choosing managed services providers, assessing your managed services needs is the first step. 
• After identifying your requirement, you can pick the top service providers who can best support your organization. 
• It is important to evaluate their skills, core competencies, and industry-level experience.
• The vendor should be able to serve scalable services per your business requirements. 
• Also, select MSPs that provide responsive Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Bottom Line: Top Managed Services Providers

Leading companies like Accenture, IBM, TCS, Capgemini, Wipro, and Deloitte have already established themselves in the market and are top choices for businesses looking for reliable services. Other companies like DXC Technologies, Rackspace, and Atos have also emerged in the global market. 

This guide offers a panoramic view of the top managed service providers and can help you select the best MSP for your business needs. 

What is MySQL?

MySQL is a relational database management system (RDBMS) that is free, open-source, and uses various proprietary licenses, including GNU General Public License (GPL). As an RDBMS, MySQL uses SQL to manage data inside a database. It organizes correlated data into one or more data tables, and this correlation helps structure the data.

It allows programmers to use SQL to create, modify, and extract data from the relational database. By normalizing data in the rows and columns of the tables, MySQL turns into a scalable yet flexible data storage system with a user-friendly interface that can manage lots of data.

MySQL also controls user access to the database as an added security measure, managing users and providing network access based on administrator rules. And it facilitates the testing of database integrity and the creation of backups.

While MySQL is normally accessed using SQL, it is often used with other programs as a component of various technology stacks, including LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and Perl/PHP/Python). As a result, several web applications that require relational database capabilities run on databases that use MySQL, including Drupal, Joomla, phpBB, and WordPress. Some popular websites even include Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube.

What Makes MySQL So Popular?

MySQL is one of many RDBMSs available in the market. Still, it is among the most popular ones — second only to Oracle Database when compared using critical parameters like search engine results, LinkedIn profiles, and frequency of mentions on online forums. In addition, the reliance of major tech giants on MySQL further solidifies its popularity.

Although the database management industry is dominated by technology behemoths like Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM, free and open-source database management systems (DBMSs) such as Apache Cassandra, PostgreSQL, and MySQL remain highly competitive.

Here are four primary reasons for the incredible popularity of MySQL.

Easy to Use

MySQL is an easy-to-use and flexible RDBMS. Within 30 minutes of starting MySQL’s simple installation process, you’re able to modify source code to meet your needs. And as a free, open-source system, you don’t need to spend money for this level of freedom, including upgrading to an advanced version.

Secure

While choosing the right RDBMS software, the security of your data must be your priority. Fortunately, MySQL always prioritizes data security with its access privilege system and user account management. MySQL also offers host-based verification and password encryption.

High Performance

A server cluster backs MySQL. Therefore, MySQL offers smooth assistance with optimum speed, whether you store massive amounts of big data or perform intensive business intelligence (BI) activities.

Industry Standard

MySQL has been in the field for many years, turning it into an industry standard. It also means there are abundant resources for skilled developers. In addition, rapid developments in MySQL are possible anytime, and users can get freelance software experts for a smaller fee.

Top 8 Advantages of MySQL

1. Open Source

MySQL is one of the most popular choices for organizations or businesses regarding software as a service. Its community edition is freely available for anyone to use and modify, offering superior speed, scale, and reliability. This can be extremely beneficial, especially when businesses want to avoid paying licensing fees.

Since the source code is available for anyone to view and modify, developers can make changes to their software to suit their specific needs. This flexibility can benefit businesses with unique requirements or if there is a need to integrate the software with other tools or systems.

2. Data Security

MySQL is the most secure database management system in the world. The recent version of MySQL offers data security and transactional processing support that can significantly benefit any business, especially e-commerce businesses that carry out frequent monetary transactions.

3. Scalability on Demand

Scalability on demand is the hallmark feature of MySQL. It manages deeply embedded applications using a shallow footprint, even in databases that store terabytes of data. Moreover, MySQL offers customized solutions to e-commerce enterprises with specific database requirements.

4. Higher Efficiency

MySQL has several unique features, including a distinct storage engine software. It allows system administrators to configure the MySQL database server for flawless performance. It doesn’t matter if it is an e-commerce web application receiving a million daily queries or a high-speed transactional processing system.

MySQL is created to meet the increasing demands of almost every application and to ensure full-text indexes, optimum speed, and distinct caches for improved performance.

5. 24×7 Server Uptime

MySQL guarantees 24/7 uptime. It also offers a wide array of high-availability database solutions, including master/slave replication configurations and specialized server clusters.

6. Complete Transactional Support

MySQL is the number-one transactional database engine in the world. Its features include full atomic, consistent, isolated, durable, and multi-version transaction support as well as unrestricted row-level locking. Owing to these unique features, MySQL is a one-stop solution for comprehensive data integrity that ensures instant deadlock identification through server-enforced referential integrity.

7. Comprehensive Workflow Control

MySQL has easy usability with an average download and installation time of fewer than 30 minutes. In addition, it doesn’t matter whether your platform is Microsoft, Macintosh, Linux, or UNIX; MySQL is a comprehensive solution with self-management features. These features automate everything from configuration and space expansion to data design and database administration.

8. Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

When enterprises migrate from current database applications to MySQL, they save a great deal on total cost of ownership. They can also save money on new projects. The reliability and ease of management of MySQL can save the money and time spent on troubleshooting that is otherwise spent in fixing downtimes and performance issues.

3 Tips on Enhancing MySQL Performance

Today, almost every open-source web application uses MySQL. It’s compatible with every hosting provider and is extremely easy to use. But, if your web application or e-commerce website is performing poorly, here are three performance hacks you should try.

1. Performance Fine-Tuning

You can improve your web application’s performance by fine-tuning your high-availability proxy or HAProxy instances. In addition, use updated load-balancing software to optimize your database and speed up your server. Database load-balancing software is designed to bring agility and scalability to expand capabilities if needed. It can meet unplanned performance demands in the future as well.

2. Security Audits

Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and spamming can wreak havoc on your database server. But, solid load-balancing software helps to easily prevent performance issues and increase uptime. It also ensures automatic failover and timely security updates.

3. Queries Optimization

Database optimization tools or techniques can only help fix the server load if websites and applications are coded well. But, SQL server load-balancing software can help in greater lengths. It is a one-stop solution for uptime maintenance, data consistency, performance enhancement, and reducing service costs.

Moreover, it ensures continuous availability for an enhanced customer experience. In short, MySQL does everything from running health checks to lowering the query wait time and evenly distributing the load across multiple servers.

Who Shouldn’t Use MySQL?

There are several sound reasons for not using MySQL; although, many are based on a misconception. So before implementing MySQL, go through these reasons and check whether they can apply to your enterprise. More than that, rejection of any database technology should be based on solid reasons rather than on the opinion of a database administrator (DBA).

Use of GPL

It is the biggest reason for not using MySQL. A GPL license is an advantage for many, but software with a GPL license may not suit specific environments. In these situations, a commercial license must be preferred if the Berkeley Source Distribution (BSD) license of PostgreSQL is still widely “open.”

In instances where MySQL is not free, GPL may not fit those situations well. For example, if you want to distribute the license for the database along with your project, the project must either be licensed under a similar compliant license, or you must get a commercial license for a fee.

A Proprietary Database Is Already Being Used

If an IT environment already has licensed Oracle and Sybase and several specific licenses for MS-SQL Server, then the MS-SQL instances are primarily the result of department staff’s ignorance of their paid licenses for other databases.

Adding any other database, including MySQL, is not wise in this situation, as DBAs already have to deal with many environments. Maintenance of a common database lessens the management burden. Further, if the company already paid for a proprietary database software license, a free, open-source database management system like MySQL is optional.

High-Volume Applications Need to Be Processed Quickly

MySQL needs to be optimized for high-volume applications and may not be suitable for fast data processing or streaming. For instance, users working on Internet of Things (IoT) systems require databases that can handle high-volume writes and reads as well as low latency.

For such cases, databases designed for IoT applications or real-time data processing work best. Although, it is important to note that MySQL can still be used for real-time data processing. However, it will require significant tweaks and optimizations to achieve the desired performance.

Complex Data Structures Require Advanced Querying

As a relational database management system, MySQL may not be suitable for applications with complex data structures that require advanced querying capabilities. For complex and high write-intensive workloads, NoSQL databases like MongoDB are more suited. Moreover, MySQL may not be suitable for applications with specialized needs, such as graph database capabilities or time series data.

There Is a Lack of Accessible Certification and Support

Certification is a favorite thing for some IT enterprises. Although MySQL has a certification training program, its availability is more challenging than Oracle or MS-SQL Server. In broader terms, even if IT professionals with MySQL skills are easy to find, certification or training programs are more difficult to reach out to with the availability of only a few third-party training sources. Larger IT businesses desire commercial database systems with enterprise experience, while some professionals with MySQL experience may have lesser depth.

Another related issue is the availability of qualified third-party support. The availability of support from the vendor mitigates the issue but only to some degree. The solution to the problem lies in solid third-party, on-site support.

Transparency

Microsoft, Oracle, and Sybase are publicly traded companies. On the other hand, MySQL is a private enterprise running on open-source technology. That means its financials or other business-related documents are optional by law to make it into the public record.

As a result, a listed company is relatively transparent, and this transparency provides certainty, stability, and security to some IT professionals or entrepreneurs. In other words, dealing with an immense reputed corporate entity helps some people sleep peacefully at night.

There Is a View That MySQL Doesn’t Scale Well

There is a widespread perception among many IT professionals that MySQL needs to scale better. However, it is a matter of debate, and most arguments discuss the difference between scaling up (vertical) and scaling out (horizontal) processes. Scalability is always one of the top reasons for using MySQL; although, it discusses scaling out more than scaling up.

It has been estimated (without much evidence) that most trained DBAs prefer a proprietary RDBMS such as Oracle to an open-source data management system. In a larger IT environment under the management of a full-time DBA, MySQL creates lesser interest.

In this situation, the criticism of MySQL’s scalability becomes irrelevant. When you have talents and monetary resources at your disposal, it is always better to equip them with the tools they are comfortable with. This approach always pays off in the long run.

Top 3 MySQL Alternatives

Of course, MySQL is a widely used database management system. On top of that, it can be easily installed and integrated with various applications. However, there are also other excellent alternative database management systems available in the market. Some of the well-known options include:

1. PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL, also known as Postgres, is an open-source yet powerful data management system that rivals any other paid RDBMS. It is compatible with Windows, Linux, Mac, and BSD.

Pros

• PostgreSQL has a holistic approach toward data integrity and robustness, and it is reflected by its comprehensive ACID compliance.
• The performance of PostgreSQL increases with each release. It is also proven by many benchmark tests.
• A strong open-source community backs PostgreSQL with tutorials, guides, and support.
• Updates, features, and fixes are released on time.
• PostgreSQL supports the JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data type, an open data interchange format readable to humans and machines.
• PostgreSQL supports popular programming languages such as Perl and Python, allowing programmers to quickly transform a database server into a reliable service with complex business logic.

Cons

• PostgreSQL is not suitable for small applications, as they can’t handle its full power and complex operations.

2. MariaDB

MariaDB is a rapidly growing, MySQL-compatible, open-source database. It has free and paid versions along with a variety of plug-ins to provide more functionalities. Moreover, it works under GPL.

Pros

• MariaDB has strong open-source community support in development, documentation, troubleshooting, and tutorials.
• It has cutting-edge features such as a geographic information system (GIS).
• It has dynamic column support that allows a few NoSQL functionalities.

Cons

• An expensive horizontal scaling process.
• A lesser performance potential with bulky databases.
• Poor load and cluster management.
• Lesser advanced features.

3. SQLite

SQLite is an RDMS that is not a client-server database. However, SQLite and PostgreSQL have similar syntax.

Pros

• It has bindings for various programming languages, including BASIC, C, C++, Java, JavaScript, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, and Visual Basic.
• It is a lightweight software.
• SQLite is self-contained and requires little or no support from external libraries or operating systems.
• It is portable across multiple applications with cross-platform support.
• SQLite is reliable with little complications.
• It is ideal for testing and initial development stages.
• No configuration is needed.

Cons

• No multi-user support.
• Missing SQL features, such as FOR EACH STATEMENT and RIGHT OUTER JOIN.

Bottom Line: Advantages of MySQL

MySQL is a versatile, mature, open-source, and extensible database management system. Moreover, if we weigh the advantages of MySQL discussed above, five of its key features and benefits stand out from the rest.

MySQL is a reliable, easy-to-use, and secure RDBMS that is enterprise-ready with support from GPL and can scale with businesses after some fine-tuning and optimization.

Reasons are plenty for MySQL’s popularity. It’s an accessible database management system with improved capability to deal with modern problems. If you need something beyond the core functionality of MySQL, MariaDB may be a better option.