Compare IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. SAP NetWeaver Enterprise Portal
IBM WebSphere Application Server is ranked 4th in Application Infrastructure with 3 reviews while SAP NetWeaver Enterprise Portal which is ranked 16th in Application Infrastructure with 1 review. IBM WebSphere Application Server is rated 8.4, while SAP NetWeaver Enterprise Portal is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of IBM WebSphere Application Server writes "Enables us to to integrate with IBM MQ and IBM Integration Bus, in a mixed Windows/AIX environment". On the other hand, the top reviewer of SAP NetWeaver Enterprise Portal writes "Workflow functionality and internal portal capabilities are the most important features". IBM WebSphere Application Server is most compared with JBoss, Oracle WebLogic Server and Tomcat, whereas SAP NetWeaver Enterprise Portal is most compared with IBM WebSphere Application Server, Apache Web Server and IBM WebSphere DataPower.
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Most Helpful Review | |
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Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros | |
High availability, alert management, and deployments are the most valuable features for us. We have the ND version so we can do deployments. Starting with version 8, WAS provides a special folder called monitor deployment. Once you put the .war or .ear file in there, it is deployed automatically without human intervention. This greatly helps us in our continuous integration server. Once the deployment binary is ready, we write a script to copy it to that folder and then, voila! The application is up and running and accessible from its context root. Ease of administration: It has an Integrated Solutions Console, what we call the administrative console, with very detailed configurations and Help pages for each configurable item. Security: It is compatible with the latest Java 8 security features, supports FIPS 140-2 and NIST SP 800-53 with strong ciphers and cryptography keys, and supports TLS 1.2 completely. Also, configuring client and server certificates is relatively easy. IBM WAS is the backbone for our enterprise content management suite which delivers the primary processes for our customers. Without a good application server, it would be hard to provide a secure layer of midddleware upon which the other applications run. IBM WAS improves the stability of the entire solution and provides a high quality platform for running web-based solutions. Without the Admin Console it would be very hard to configure JVM settings, JDBC datasources, mail session settings, and security providers. IBM WAS is extremely scalable. It is easy to add additional servers and to divide the load over servers in all kinds of ways. | Internal workflow approval around ESS and MSS leave days, capex approval as well as internal communication to the business have improved the way my organization functions. Workflow functionality and internal portal capabilities are the most important features. |
Cons | |
The footprint could be reduced so that we can use a smaller virtual machine to run the application. We could also use more scripts. I would like this solution to be more script oriented, rather than GUI oriented. IBM needs to pay attention to market changes more quickly. We now have Java 9 and very soon Java EE8. We do not want to wait for two or three years after their release until they are supported by the new version. Installing or configuring a WAS server instance as a Windows Service causes a lot of problems, especially when the server needs credentials to stop. Initial setup is very simple. Just use the IBM Installation Manager and add the packages. The install wizard takes care of the rest. The only thing that can be difficult is to find the right packages on the IBM website, because of all the changes that IBM does on its website(s). | External portal functionality with suppliers and customers needs improvement. Due to our business, some setups were very complex. We encountered stability issues, especially on external functionality around its RFP capabilities. |
Pricing and Cost Advice | |
I don't remember the price, but there are no additional costs. There is an Eclipse Plugin provided by IBM, so no need to buy IBM Rational Application Developer or Rational Software Architect tools. If your application is just a web app that does not need to scale big, you can obtain a single core license of WAS Express edition, which has almost the same features with limited processing cores. If you manage a very big application farm (i.e. need to run 10 or more WAS servers) it is better to get IBM WAS Hypervisor Edition. IBM WAS base is part of the deal when you purchase IBM FileNet P8 Content Engine. Room for improvement would only be in the licensing. As with all IBM products the licensing can be complex and expensive. Bargain well and try to get as much discount as possible. Discounts of 85% are possible. Without the discount, I think the product is overrated. | SAP is not for every business. It depends on what is required. SAP is always going to be expensive. |
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Ranking  | |
Views 8,880 Comparisons 4,860 Reviews 2 Average Words per Review 561 Avg. Rating 8.5 | Views 694 Comparisons 347 Reviews 1 Average Words per Review 232 Avg. Rating 8.0 |
Top Comparisons | |
 Compared 20% of the time.  Compared 18% of the time.  Compared 13% of the time. |  Compared 29% of the time. Compared 15% of the time. Compared 14% of the time. |
Also Known As | |
| WebSphere Application Server | NetWeaver Enterprise Portal, SAP Portal |
Learn | |
| IBM | SAP |
Overview | |
| IBM WebSphere Application Server provides a range of flexible, secure, Java EE 7 runtime environments available on premises or across any public, private or hybrid cloud. | SAP Enterprise Portal allows to create attractive corporate portals that leverage the responsive SAP Fiori launchpad experience. The portal is the Web front-end component for SAP NetWeaver, the comprehensive integration and application platform that facilitates the alignment of people, information, and business processes across organizational and technical boundaries. It's ideal for organizations who require access to many applications and services across system landscapes, especially across JAVA and ABAP-based landscapes. The portal offers a single point of access to SAP and non-SAP information sources, enterprise applications, information repositories, databases and services, in and outside your organization. The portal can be accessed from desktops and from mobile devices, it can provide with the tools to manage and analyze its information resources, and to share and collaborate. With its role-based content, and personalization features, the portal enables users - from employees and customers to partners and suppliers - to focus exclusively on data relevant to daily decision-making processes. The technology and architecture of the portal ensures it is built for the enterprise, providing a secure and scalable environment. |
Offer | |
Learn more about IBM WebSphere Application Server | Learn more about SAP NetWeaver Enterprise Portal |
Sample Customers | |
| TalkTalk, Property management group, E.SUN Bank, Ohio National Financial Services, Aviarc, Cincom Systems, FJA-US, D+H, Staples, Michigan Municipal League | Alliander N.V. |
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM, F5, Oracle and others in Application Infrastructure. Updated: August 2019.
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