Browse Definitions :

What’s the difference between a product and a solution?

Writing for Business

Which is correct?

Our anti-virus ____ is available as a separate download.

a. product
b. solution


Answer: a.

Explanation:

If this is a separate application, it’s a product. There’s really no justification for referring to a single software product as a solution. (Even if it’s a combination of software products — we just call that a product suite, kids.)

We’ve been hating the word solution ever since it started appearing in marketing material. Is there any excuse for calling something a solution? I don’t think there’s any justification if it’s a single product or service, even if it does claim to solve a problem — don’t most products and services? However, if it’s a combination of products and services designed to solve a specific problem, go ahead. We might not like it but we’ve had to learn to live with it.

We even defined solution, just to try to come to terms with its right to exist. What it came down to was the fact that you’ve got to have a word for a combination of software and services designed to deal with a particular problem. Sounds like a solution me.

See more discussion of product vs. solution in this LinkedIn Q&A.

 Follow me on Twitter @tao_of_grammar

Dig Deeper on Writing for Business

Networking
  • remote infrastructure management

    Remote infrastructure management, or RIM, is a comprehensive approach to handling and overseeing an organization's IT ...

  • port address translation (PAT)

    Port address translation (PAT) is a type of network address translation (NAT) that maps a network's private internal IPv4 ...

  • network fabric

    'Network fabric' is a general term used to describe underlying data network infrastructure as a whole.

Security
  • DNS over HTTPS (DoH)

    DNS over HTTPS (DoH) is a relatively new protocol that encrypts domain name system traffic by passing DNS queries through a ...

  • governance, risk and compliance (GRC)

    Governance, risk and compliance (GRC) refers to an organization's strategy for handling the interdependencies among the following...

  • total risk

    Total risk is an assessment that identifies all the risk factors associated with pursuing a specific course of action.

CIO
  • enterprise IT (enterprise-class IT)

    Enterprise-class IT (also known as enterprise-grade, or enterprise IT) is hardware, software and other IT services designed to ...

  • microtargeting

    Microtargeting (also called micro-niche targeting) is a marketing strategy that uses consumer data and demographics to identify ...

  • business process

    A business process is an activity or set of activities that accomplish a specific organizational goal. Business processes should ...

HRSoftware
  • employee onboarding and offboarding

    Employee onboarding involves all the steps needed to get a new employee successfully deployed and productive, while offboarding ...

  • skill-based learning

    Skill-based learning develops students through hands-on practice and real-world application.

  • gamification

    Gamification is a strategy that integrates entertaining and immersive gaming elements into nongame contexts to enhance engagement...

Customer Experience
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365

    Dynamics 365 is a cloud-based portfolio of business applications from Microsoft that are designed to help organizations improve ...

  • Salesforce Commerce Cloud

    Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a cloud-based suite of products that enable e-commerce businesses to set up e-commerce sites, drive ...

  • Salesforce DX

    Salesforce DX, or SFDX, is a set of software development tools that lets developers build, test and ship many kinds of ...

Close