Share your experience using SolarWinds Pingdom

SolarWinds Pingdom and Cloudflare are third-party applications that we utilize through a browser without any additional setup. We simply rely on their services, which is why I lack familiarity with their inner workings.

SolarWinds Pingdom is a third-party software. If we are using the unpaid version, it can be considered open source. However, in our case, we are utilizing a paid version of SolarWinds Pingdom. The setup process does not fall under our responsibility. We simply input our website names and create a checklist. Wyndham then monitors our websites by sending regular pings to check if they are functioning properly. This allows us to receive real-time updates on the status of our data services, indicating whether they are consistently up or experiencing downtime. The pinging process occurs at regular intervals, such as every five seconds or every one minute, as per our configured settings. When a response is received, typically a 200 response, it confirms that the website is functioning correctly.

One notable feature of this software is its page speed setup, which is highly commendable. Additionally, the metrics it provides are also impressive.

Some of the functions could improve by making them easier.

There is room for improvement when it comes to the graphs provided by the software. Additionally, there seems to be an issue with the ping status, as it sometimes indicates that a website is down even when it is functioning properly. It appears that there are certain aspects related to cache management or other backend functionalities that are unclear. The time range graph and overall user interface could be more user-friendly. For example, when selecting a custom graph for a specific time period, clicking on it should open the corresponding website in a new tab, but instead, it displays the current graph. This lack of consistency can be frustrating when trying to navigate the interface. Furthermore, the reports shared on a weekly basis arrive one week late, reducing their usefulness. Overall, some extra efforts are required to make the user experience smoother and more efficient.

I have been using SolarWinds Pingdom for approximately one year.

Relying solely on SolarWinds Pingdom reports for monitoring your websites is not advisable. It's important to consider other parameters and factors in addition to Pingdom's reports. Depending solely on SolarWinds Pingdom may create a perception of instability in your websites or applications. Therefore, it's crucial to take into account a comprehensive set of parameters to ensure accurate and reliable monitoring.

We have a team of 30 that is using this solution.

Upon experiencing an issue where SolarWinds Pingdom indicated that my website was down despite it being live, I promptly reached out to their support team for help. The communication process was satisfactory, but unfortunately, the solutions they provided did not fully meet our requirements. Their suggested remedies lacked adequacy and failed to address the specific problem in various aspects.

I rate the support from SolarWinds Pingdom a six out of ten.

Neutral

To get started, simply log in to their website and add your website to the platform. Once you've completed this step, you're all set and ready to proceed. It then will monitor your graph.

While I wouldn't describe it as excessively expensive, if you require specific and reliable monitoring, SolarWinds can be a suitable option. The advantage is that SolarWinds offers a free version as well. If you don't heavily rely on its monitoring capabilities and are content with its basic features, the free version could suffice for your needs.

I recommend considering the free version of SolarWinds, but it's important not to rely solely on its metrics. There is a possibility that the metrics provided may be occasionally inaccurate or unreliable. Therefore, it's advisable to use it as a supplemental tool rather than relying on it completely.

I rate SolarWinds Pingdom a six out of ten.

I gave my low rating because of the lack of user-friendliness.

We deployed Pingdom to monitor and report on our website, which still has some issues with multiple malware integrated within it. 

Because the CRM is not working properly, we have adjusted the threshold indicated so that Pingdom alerts us when the CRM is not working. These are the multiple use cases that must be up and running 100 per cent on the website.

One valuable feature is real user monitoring. On-time pin-screen monitoring gives instant alerts, root cause analysis and reporting. I also value the reports integrating with our modules.

The user-friendly GUI and notifications are valuable features. Once you set the threshold on your environment, it feels very real-time. It is easy to use, create and maintain the windows. You can also take notes. It's difficult to take a website down if there's spam security in the Pingdom. 

Pingdom is always improving everything in its product. So, they should work on the GUI.

I've used the solution for one year.

The product is very stable. I would give it eight out of 10 for stability.

In my experience, the product has good scalability for what we need to monitor, our features, and modules in our environment. I would give it nine out of 10 for scalability. 

Two people worked with the solution in our organization, myself and my senior, who looks after the infrastructure level. The two of us also maintained the product.

Technical support for the product is good and they are responsive. 

Positive

The license was paid yearly and included technical support.