AppDynamics and BMC's battle in the application performance management (APM) market has spilled onto social media. Indeed, key leaders like AppDynamics VP Jonah Kowall and BMC's Senior Technical Marketing Consultant Patrick T Campbell have been going back-and-forth across LinkedIn and blogs. And the chatter certainly is colorful.
The purring started when Campbell described BMC's tool for monitoring Docker containers -- a hot topic for service providers and application-centric customers. Kowall's very public reply: "Always good to wake up with a laugh" -- basically, a dismissal of BMC's efforts. Then, AppDynamics' Kowall swung again, calling BMC's documentation a "Comedy of the Day."
Campbell's Counter Point
Instead of taking the high road, BMC's Campbell replied in full force. He noted that Kowall (of AppDynamics) was once a Gartner analyst who tracked BMC's products two years ago. Campbell asserted that "a lot can change" in a two-year timeframe.
Next, Campbell hinted that Kowall's jump from Gartner to AppDynamics essentially boosted AppDynamics' standing in the APM Magic Quadrant research results. In a reply, Kowall essentially said Gartner's research metrics are fully documented. Hmmm...
For the blow-by-blow back and forth, check out the comment section under Campbell's blog on LinkedIn.
Application Performance Management for Partners
Whether you side with AppDynamics or BMC, one thing is certain: Application Performance Management (APM) is increasingly important for channel partners -- especially those that want to monitor and optimize customer workloads on-premises and in the cloud.
AppDynamics now has an enterprise partner program for VARs, MSPs, systems integrators and technology providers. Rival New Relic has also been expanding its partner program. For its part, BMC went private in 2013 and has been polishing its software portfolio. Key moves included acquiring app monitoring technology from Boundary -- a fledgling startup that didn't reach a critical mass.
In many ways, AppDynamics is the poster child for APM right now. But BMC is more than happy to claw its way into the conversation while defending its platform.
