

Find out in this report how the two API Management solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
I can provide some examples of return on investment by saying that we are running different APIs which we are using, and we are charging customers.
Time saved is a relevant metric; it used to take us a week, but now it takes us only a day.
I have seen a return on investment with Kong Konnect, as it helps manage security very well, allows for faster API deployments saving developer time, and reduces salary costs with better uptime and minimal downtime, thus preventing potential business loss.
Our debugging time during regression cycles reduced roughly by 25% to 30%, mainly because the gateway layer helped us quickly identify whether issues were coming from authentication policies, rate limiting, throttling, or the backend services.
In terms of OEM support, it is poor.
I would rate the technical support of IBM as an eight on a scale from one to ten.
I would evaluate customer service and technical support as a little bit weak, so I give it a seven out of ten.
Technical support from Proofpoint was absolutely excellent.
When I raise an incident or a support ticket, it gets answered in four hours.
They offer twenty-four-hour support with SLA-based response times.
Once you install the product, we can't scale the resources on the IBM DataPower Gateway.
It supports auto-scaling of gateway nodes, especially in cloud setups, which helps it adjust dynamically based on traffic spikes without manual intervention.
The platform is fully scalable, providing various ways to manage data planes or runtimes.
Kong Konnect's scalability is very high, handles growth well, and since it is a stateless gateway, it scales easily in Kubernetes using horizontal scaling.
IBM DataPower Gateway does not handle all the traffic on a single node.
Most of the time, the gateway handled routing and policies reliably, even during heavy regression cycles and heavy customer throughput.
It was very fast, and we did not experience any interruptions.
Kong Konnect is very stable with no issues regarding reliability in my experience.
Whenever I am writing code, it should give recommendations automatically by incorporating AI so I can write the code in a few minutes or seconds.
However, from the development perspective, it has limitations because it only supports the XSLT language.
My experience with the pricing of this product is that pricing is too high and should be reduced.
A bit more granular and easily accessible logs would make troubleshooting faster.
The licensing model could be simplified, especially in how they charge and track usage.
When comparing documentation, Kong's documentation is not on par with Google, Amazon, or other cloud providers.
I think it costs around 5 Crore in Indian Rupees.
Pricing was the issue as it becomes very expensive due to the nature of local circumstances.
While the pricing model isn't very clear on how usage is tracked, the initial cost and setup for using Kong Konnect are reasonable.
I purchase it from Kong vendors, not from the cloud marketplace because the cloud marketplace has a limitation on the number of API services it supports.
No other Gateway offers this as part of the integration offering.
As per the development perspective, there are some limitations with IBM DataPower Gateway because it only supports XML and XSLT language, but it does not support the Java language.
IBM DataPower Gateway's multi-protocol transformation is important for my integration needs because all the API traffic is coming from this API data gateway.
The documentation is excellent, and it includes a developer portal, which helps create a common distribution channel for APIs within and outside the enterprise.
When I mention scalability, it means that when we experience peak traffic, Kong made it easy for us to scale and spawn new machines.
The security features of Kong Konnect have helped my team mainly by allowing us to use auth and JWT for applications needing external identity provider authentications, such as LDAP or other authentication providers that need to be connected to back-end applications.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| IBM DataPower Gateway | 3.1% |
| Kong Konnect | 1.0% |
| Other | 95.9% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 11 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 2 |
| Large Enterprise | 18 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 5 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 2 |
| Large Enterprise | 2 |
IBM DataPower Gateway provides advanced security, multi-protocol transformation, and API management, ensuring appliance-based stability and performance. It supports enterprise-level traffic, facilitating seamless integration and deployment, though it may pose challenges in terms of pricing and user complexity.
IBM DataPower Gateway integrates as an enterprise service bus and API management platform, effectively securing APIs and managing authentication and authorization. Serving large banks and enterprises, it supports B2B transactions with data security and compliance, especially for sectors requiring GDPR adherence. Users benefit from high performance and stability, despite its premium cost and complex configuration needs. Cloud integration, user-friendliness enhancements, and improved documentation are areas where it can advance. It meets the demands of sectors like BFSI by protecting against security threats and supporting significant traffic volumes.
What are key features of IBM DataPower Gateway?IBM DataPower Gateway is prominent in industries requiring rigorous data security and efficient integration, such as BFSI. Large enterprises leverage it for B2B transactions, ensuring regulatory compliance and high-performance standards. It's also implemented in environments demanding robust API security and management.
Kong Konnect facilitates efficient management and integration of APIs, providing a streamlined experience for developers to manage their services with high scalability.
Kong Konnect is a comprehensive platform tailored for API development and management. It offers an intuitive interface that simplifies the process of connecting, managing, and securing APIs. Organizations benefit from its scalable architecture, ensuring it meets diverse operational demands and optimizes service delivery, supporting a robust API ecosystem that aligns with modern development practices.
What are the key features of Kong Konnect?In tech industries, Kong Konnect is often implemented to advance cloud-native applications by enhancing API connectivity and security. Financial services utilize it to ensure compliance and secure data sharing. Telecommunications deploy it to handle high data throughput efficiently.
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