Azure CDN vs. IBM Video Streaming

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Azure CDN
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft offers a content delivery network, Azure CDN.N/A
IBM Video Streaming
Score 10.0 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
IBM Video Streaming solutions are used to stream virtual events, executive town halls, video marketing product launches, and OTT streaming. According to IBM, the solution is built for privacy, reliability and scale, to optimize video quality, and powered by IBM Watson AI for video search and automated closed captioning. IBM Enterprise Video Streaming can power security-rich video communications ranging from employee town halls, to trainings and…N/A
Pricing
Azure CDNIBM Video Streaming
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Azure CDNIBM Video Streaming
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsVideo Streaming edition is available for purchase via credit card online (or via IBM salesperson if needs exceed those outlined in the online plans). Enterprise Video Streaming edition must be purchased from an IBM salesperson.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Azure CDNIBM Video Streaming
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Azure CDNIBM Video Streaming
Video Marketing
Comparison of Video Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Azure CDN
-
Ratings
IBM Video Streaming
6.1
70 Ratings
16% below category average
Lead generation00 Ratings6.936 Ratings
Video personalization00 Ratings10.066 Ratings
eCommerce00 Ratings1.731 Ratings
Support for advertisements00 Ratings6.925 Ratings
Video SEO00 Ratings5.128 Ratings
Integration to Marketing Automation00 Ratings6.37 Ratings
Video Platform Integrations
Comparison of Video Platform Integrations features of Product A and Product B
Azure CDN
-
Ratings
IBM Video Streaming
7.6
4 Ratings
18% above category average
Integration to Salesforce.com00 Ratings6.42 Ratings
Integration to LMS00 Ratings8.72 Ratings
Video Security
Comparison of Video Security features of Product A and Product B
Azure CDN
-
Ratings
IBM Video Streaming
9.0
96 Ratings
3% above category average
Video access controls00 Ratings9.083 Ratings
User management00 Ratings9.079 Ratings
Video link sharing00 Ratings10.093 Ratings
Internal video00 Ratings9.076 Ratings
External video00 Ratings8.081 Ratings
Video Player
Comparison of Video Player features of Product A and Product B
Azure CDN
-
Ratings
IBM Video Streaming
7.8
95 Ratings
7% below category average
Player customization00 Ratings6.179 Ratings
Embedded videos00 Ratings7.082 Ratings
Video quality / Bandwidth controls00 Ratings9.092 Ratings
Mobile compatibility00 Ratings9.087 Ratings
Video Analytics
Comparison of Video Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Azure CDN
-
Ratings
IBM Video Streaming
8.2
87 Ratings
9% above category average
A/B testing00 Ratings5.812 Ratings
Streaming quality reports00 Ratings8.070 Ratings
Per viewer tracking00 Ratings9.078 Ratings
Per video tracking00 Ratings9.077 Ratings
Video analytics dashboard00 Ratings9.081 Ratings
Video Hosting, Management & Storage
Comparison of Video Hosting, Management & Storage features of Product A and Product B
Azure CDN
-
Ratings
IBM Video Streaming
9.0
96 Ratings
6% above category average
On-Demand video00 Ratings9.067 Ratings
Live streaming00 Ratings9.095 Ratings
Impact of streaming on network00 Ratings9.079 Ratings
Video upload & format support00 Ratings9.081 Ratings
Video library / File management00 Ratings9.084 Ratings
Video portal00 Ratings9.065 Ratings
Video Engagement
Comparison of Video Engagement features of Product A and Product B
Azure CDN
-
Ratings
IBM Video Streaming
9.0
64 Ratings
11% above category average
Audience polling00 Ratings9.037 Ratings
Audience Q&A / Live chat00 Ratings9.061 Ratings
Video comments00 Ratings9.050 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Azure CDNIBM Video Streaming
Small Businesses
Cloudflare
Cloudflare
Score 8.8 out of 10
Wistia
Wistia
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cloudflare
Cloudflare
Score 8.8 out of 10
Flipgrid
Flipgrid
Score 1.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Amazon CloudFront
Amazon CloudFront
Score 8.6 out of 10
Panopto
Panopto
Score 7.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Azure CDNIBM Video Streaming
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(7 ratings)
10.0
(126 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(8 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(62 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(3 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(3 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(9 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(60 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
6.0
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(3 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.6
(3 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.6
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
Azure CDNIBM Video Streaming
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Azure CDN has at hand an infinity of applications and tools to implement in your system and have better control of your data in a clean and secure platform on the web, we recommend this program since the percentage of solutions provided by this program is very high and find a way to make each user's job easier.
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IBM
The teacher uses IBM Video Streaming to record and upload instructional videos on various subjects, such as math problem-solving techniques or grammar lessons. Students watch these videos at home as homework and then apply what they've learned in class through collaborative projects and hands-on activities. This approach allows the teacher to spend more time providing individual support where needed.
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Pros
Microsoft
  • I found the CDN very easy to setup and configure within the Azure Portal.
  • Being Azure, there are plenty of free tools that allow you to manage the CDN from a UI that is not the portal. This was especially handy when I trained end users how to manage content within their specific realm.
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IBM
  • It allows us to stream without special equipment. We mainly use our phones.
  • The quality of the videos is amazing and I love the fact that videos auto-save and you can download and edit them for later.
  • The program allows you to create playlists so that we can stream on our online channel 24/7
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • Tough learning curve--you have to be comfortable with the Azure Cloud logic and UI to use it easily
  • Special or uncommon use cases' pricing can be hard to forecast/follow
  • Can be expensive for simple use cases
Read full review
IBM
  • Occasionally, we experience a form of static that lasts for about 1 to 2 minutes. It appears in the live stream and in the auto-recorded file, but not in the live worship assembly. It occurs roughly 1 in every 4 hours of webcast time. I wish there was a way to trace the source of that recurring static. The diagnostic tools could be more robust.
  • It would be nice if the chat room allowed a user photo/avatar for each user to personalize that a little more.
  • I have wished for a way that an admin could use a “laser pointer” on the video window to point out something on the feed that other live viewers could see.
  • It would be wonderful to have a mini-tutorial for viewers who are not technically savvy that would inform them of how to get to the site and explain how they can use the software. For example, how they can see and type in the chat room, how to maximize the screen and make it smaller. Some of our viewers are in nursing homes or otherwise limited in capability to learn to use this on their own.
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
IBM
Our organization depends heavily on this streaming service. Now that we have the option of allowing our clients to attend meetings virtually, we can never retract that option as so many of our clients love the flexibility. Also, we have no complaints with the service itself. It is reliable and dependable and any issues we have encountered have never been to blame on the service but rather our lack of knowledge of it or needing to update our embed code
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Usability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
IBM
The user interface is pretty straightforward, but simply needs optimization. (Please hire a seasoned UX person to fix it.) However, all of the key features are there and understandable. It's a great platform overall, a bit expensive, and could use some more options for its viewing experience, and a better "smart" embedding window for mobile applications.
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Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
IBM
Absolutely. We have never had an outage problem or any application errors that I have been privy to. We are duly notified generally in advance of outages or updates
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Performance
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
IBM
As we use it now, we are satisfied with the streaming performance. I cannot speak to integration yet as we have yet to engage in that but have plans to in the future
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Support Rating
Microsoft
Great support from the team whenever we're stuck. Very proactive in resolving issues and also making changes as per the requirements of the organization.
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IBM
We funded 'white glove' service as our timelines were tight and our needs were well-defined. Tier 1 and Tier 2 support were able to help us get up and running in shorter order than we would have on our own. Documentation on the eCDN product had gaps, increasing the time to resolve and created concerns about success.
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Implementation Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
IBM
Ustream is easy to implement. It takes any stream we have thrown its way and distributed it quickly and with quality. When talking to others that are pursuing live stream implementations, I often remind them that the technology used to distribute your live stream is less important than the quality of the content you are distributing. Taking care to use the right camera equipment, the proper encoder, and quality sound gear will result in a high-quality stream that will allow the strength of the Ustream CDN to shine.
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
More user friendly and it’s so easy to learn, the prices may be close to each other, but the service is excellent.
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IBM
Vimeo offers better tools for on-demand like chapters and marketing tools. But their live options are limited to event durations. YouTube can stream for longer durations but IBM 24/7 stream has been much more reliable and easy to use.
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Scalability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
IBM
IBM global network.
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Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • Azure CDN reduced origin instance load by removing the need to constantly serve large numbers of static files, meaning applications can be deployed with smaller/fewer instances.
  • Azure CDN reduces apparent load times to customers by serving cached files out of POPs in the local region of those clients, instead of requiring those clients to make multiple, lengthy requests through to the origin servers.
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IBM
  • Our ROI is measured by the provision of ministry and satisfaction of our congregation. We are extremely pleased with our USTREAM and feel that it is a valuable asset to our church.
Read full review
ScreenShots

IBM Video Streaming Screenshots

Screenshot of the viewer's portal experience (channel page).Screenshot of how the automatically generated closed captions can be edited if necessary.Screenshot of the Analytics Console.Screenshot of the Watson Media CMSScreenshot of the viewer's portal experience (channel page).