Editorial policy

What we actually do

1. Define the buyer. Each guide identifies the relevant team size, technical capability and regulatory position so readers can judge whether a recommendation fits.
2. Read the primary sources. Research uses vendor documentation, published pricing, security whitepapers, trust centres, status-page history, sub-processor lists, DPAs and support SLAs.
3. Set the criteria before the shortlist. Criteria are defined before products are shortlisted so they do not simply justify a preferred option.
4. State strengths and poor fits. Each entry includes trade-offs rather than treating one product as the default choice.
5. List questions for the vendor. Quoted price, migration path and exit terms depend on the buyer’s circumstances and require direct confirmation.

What this method cannot tell you

• Restore reliability under pressure. Documentation cannot show whether a backup product will restore cleanly during an incident. Run a restore test before relying on it.
• Real support quality. Published SLAs describe the floor, not the experience. Ask for references from customers your size.
• Your negotiated price. List pricing is a starting position in this market. Mid-market and enterprise deals routinely land well below it.
• Detection efficacy. For security products, independent testing labs run controlled evaluations we cannot replicate. We point to them rather than pretending to substitute for them.

Rules we hold ourselves to

• No paid placement. Vendors cannot buy mentions, positions, links or favourable coverage. The site does not publish sponsored posts, guest posts or paid link insertions.
• No fabricated testing. The site does not publish invented benchmark scores, ratings from tests that were not run or unsupported claims about time spent with products.
• Advertising is separated from editorial. Ads are served programmatically by Google. We do not know which advertisers appear on a page, and advertisers have no input into content.
• Prices are dated. Pricing is stated with the date we last verified it and a note to confirm with the vendor, because it moves.
• Corrections are made in place. When we get something wrong we fix the page, update the date, and note material corrections rather than deleting quietly.

Affiliate links

At the time of writing, this site carries no affiliate links. Revenue comes from display advertising only. If that changes, affiliate relationships will be disclosed on every affected page and in the advertising disclosure before any affiliate link is published.

Corrections

Spotted an error? Email jackson@allwatermarinegroup.com with the URL and the specific claim. Corrections are prioritised over new work.