What CMP 2019- Call for updates and submissions!

Time for an Update & Report 2019

See the up-to-date comparison of the Top Rated CMPs here
It’s a truism that with technology, the only constant is change. And in the 3 years since we at WhatMatrix first introduced our comparison for cloud management platforms, the changes have been many. The products and players continue to evolve. As new technologies like containers and DevOps gain traction, the relative strengths and weaknesses of various vendors with respect to the new paradigm [you have to use words like ‘paradigm’ if you want to be a serious tech pundit] show themselves. As we pointed out in our CMP Landscape Report last year (free download), the “best” CMP depends on your use case.

What CMP features and use cases are most important to you?

This last point is particularly evident to me. You see, when I first joined WhatMatrix as category manager, I was working for a CMP company. This was a fact I made clear in our initial announcement. I felt we had a good product, and I wanted to test just how good it was. What I didn’t want was the seemingly ubiquitous comparison on vendor sites, with their product having all green check-marks and the competition having all red Xs. I also wanted to validate the usefulness of such a comparison with a broader community. Based on your interest and response we know that many have found the comparison useful and worked with us to evolve the taxonomy (“Thank You” to the contributing community consultants).

Will there be a Landscape Analysis Report 2019?

Yes, we will generate a new Landscape report this year and have already started to notify the relevant vendors. Vendors already evaluated on WhatMatrix are eligible for inclusion. There are no subscription or other monetary requirements (i.e. participation is free).

Vendors already accepted and listed on WhatMatrix should get in touch to ensure their listing is up-to-date

Vendors new to WhatMatrix can apply here to get evaluated and listed but publication on WhatMatrix is subject to the result of a successful technical evaluation through independent community consultants. Vendors already listed on WhatMatrix should get in touch to ensure their listing is up-to-date and any auxiliary information provided for the upcoming landscape report (but we will contact each vendor).

A change of perspective

Fast forward a few years, and I am no longer selling a cloud management platform. In fact, I’m now in the market to buy one. This shift in role has been very interesting for me. The features I was most interested in as a product producer are not always the ones that matter to me as a consumer. Again, best depends on your use case. Still, it feels like it’s time to update our rating criteria to better reflect the value users seek and receive from cloud management platforms. This isn’t the first time we’ve adjusted our ratings. We’d previously updated our CMP comparison criteria in October 2017. The fact that it’s time for another revamp seems to indicate that an update cycle of ~ 18 months is appropriate.

[block]5[/block]Users (and Vendors!) – here’s where you come in …

WhatMatrix is a comparison site by community members, for community members. As such, I’m looking for user – and provider – help in updating our CMP evaluation criteria (see current version here). To be clear, we at WhatMatrix are focused on providing information on specific product features and functionality. We are not like some analyst firms that attempt to assess more subjective aspects like vendor vision or quality of experience. So between now and the end of March 2019, I’m soliciting input from you, our community. Help us help you by making this comparison more relevant and useful. Send us your thoughts on: • What CMP features, capabilities, and use cases matter most to you? • What about the current comparison misses the mark or could be improved? • Does anything in the current comparison seem unfair or biased towards a particular vendor? • How much do changes in the vendor landscape (e.g., mergers and acquisitions) matter to you? • How are you using or planning to use a CMP? • What is your role? Are you a solutions consultant, or a team member in an organization, or a managed services provider, or …? • What vendors would you like to see added? • Do any of our current vendors seem out of place to you in a CMP comparison? • What else do you want us to know or consider?

So how can you help?

We look forward to hearing from you! Check out the current taxonomy (OneDrive) and submit comments and suggestions or make them in the comment box below … . Thank you! Ephraim Baron – Category Owner [Cloud Management Platforms]

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