SpareFoot Improves Website Performance with SmartBear AlertSite

Posted by MiniCo on May 1, 2012 12:00:00 AM

SpareFoot Improves Website Performance with SmartBear AlertSite

SmartBear Software today announced that SpareFoot, the online self-storage marketplace, has improved the mean time-to-recovery of its website by 75 percent using AlertSite web performance monitoring. Using AlertSite, SpareFoot has also expanded its monitoring to protect more of the website, while realizing approximately 50 percent in cost savings over its previous Web performance management vendor.

SpareFoot allows Web users to search by location, price, unit size and amenities to find the best deals that match their storage needs. As the country’s largest advertising network for self-storage, SpareFoot requires 24/7 Web monitoring to deliver superior site availability, speed and user experience. SpareFoot uses AlertSite to monitor the user experience on SpareFoot.com and its mobile site, its search functionality, and various internal applications. This provides SpareFoot complete insight into performance issues, including where and how the website can be better optimized.

Compared to its previous Web performance management vendor Compuware Gomez, SpareFoot found that SmartBear AlertSite was more cost-effective, provided more actionable alerts and diagnostic detail, and was easy to deploy, learn and use.

Andrew Deagman, SpareFoot system administrator, said, “SmartBear AlertSite was a hands-down no-brainer. It took a few short hours to deploy, and I’m able to troubleshoot issues 75 percent faster than with our previous Web performance vendor. And because we get better bang for our buck with AlertSite, we’ve been able to monitor more parts of our site at a higher frequency, which gives us a better sample rate. We can then quickly assess the nature of a performance issue and determine the appropriate response so we may continue to deliver the best experience for our users.”

Since the switch to AlertSite from Gomez, SpareFoot has had better insight into third-party objects and Domain Name Systems (DNS) issues, and has benefited from AlertSite’s benchmark data, which allows SpareFoot to compare its site speeds to those of top performing sites.

SpareFoot takes advantage of AlertSite’s easy-to-use transaction recorder, the industry’s first inside-the-browser performance monitoring technology for both Web and mobile sites. The recorder eliminates the need for complex scripting. AlertSite’s transaction recorder allows SpareFoot to simultaneously monitor both its Web and mobile sites from a real browser perspective across multiple global locations.

Ken Godskind, VP of Monitoring Solutions, SmartBear, said, “SpareFoot is the leading online self-storage aggregator because it prides itself on providing a superior user experience. We’re proud that AlertSite’s monitoring network supports a company that strives for Web performance perfection, and that makes finding convenient, affordable storage online a simple and fulfilling experience.”

SmartBear’s customer service for AlertSite was another reason SpareFoot made the change. Deagman continued, “The AlertSite support has been exemplary and like an extension of our team. They respond quickly and are very accommodating. It is obvious that their goal is to help us provide the best user experience, which makes it a great partnership.”

In the coming months, SpareFoot plans to extend its use of AlertSite to load testing and over-the-air mobile carrier monitoring locations as it increases focus on mobile Web performance.

For more information on AlertSite from SmartBear, please visit: https://smartbear.com/alertsite .

About SpareFoot

SpareFoot is the largest online marketplace for self-storage, making it easy for consumers nationwide to find, compare and reserve storage units online. The company also offers a suite of leading web marketing tools for facility operators. Across multiple properties including SelfStorage.com, Apartments.com and others, the SpareFoot Ad Network helps facility owners and managers find new tenants– all through an entirely pay-for-performance model. SpareFoot is backed by Silverton Partners, FLOODGATE and Capital Factory. For more information, please visit https://www.sparefoot.com .

About SmartBear Software

SmartBear Software provides tools for over one million software professionals to build, test, and monitor some of the best software applications and websites anywhere — on the desktop, mobile and in the cloud. Our users can be found worldwide, in small businesses, Fortune 100 companies, and government agencies. Learn more about the SmartBear Quality Anywhere Platform, our award-winning tools, or join our active user community at www.smartbear.com , on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter @smartbear.

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