SolarWinds NPM Reviews

Regarding the automated network topology and mapping feature in SolarWinds NPM, I am not satisfied with it. For static monitoring, it is acceptable. However, if it is possible, I would need a feature in SolarWinds in the future for some kind of malfunctioning detection, such as malware attacks or that type of environment. We did not have any facility to detect that in SolarWinds. I think it would be better to incorporate those types of features.

Regarding customization options in SolarWinds, the ability to customize the dashboard has room for improvement. The dashboard is quite old, and we need some improvement in it. Nowadays, we have multiple tools with AI-based monitoring and web-based dashboards. SolarWinds also has a web-based dashboard, but I think there is scope for improvement in the UI.

There may be other areas I would like to improve in SolarWinds NPM.

Positive

Regarding the ability to work with multi-vendor devices for monitoring through SolarWinds NPM, we do not have any issues to date, because we are using SNMP for monitoring the devices. SNMP is a proven protocol to access or monitor network devices or servers. Specifically for monitoring, we did not face any challenges with SolarWinds NPM. However, nowadays there are multiple tools based on AI. In the future, either SolarWinds NPM will need to improve their functionality, or we will need to change it for some other tools.

In my experience with SolarWinds NPM Quality of Experience dashboard, it fulfilled all of our requirements. The reason we procured this tool was to monitor all devices across multiple locations and multiple types of devices through a single location, and it did exactly that. It met my expectations. SolarWinds NPM was definitely a quality product for that time. However, nowadays we need to consider other types of devices or other types of tools on the market. We are also moving more into cloud systems. I have not checked SolarWinds NPM for cloud monitoring, as I have only been using SNMP. I do not know if it has the facility or not. It may be another testing or checking trial to verify the facility of SolarWinds NPM. I am satisfied with SolarWinds NPM to date.

I can recommend SolarWinds NPM to other users, but obviously, nowadays there are multiple tools available. We need to look for any other better options. I can recommend it at an initial level. I gave this review an overall rating of seven out of ten.

We have a client who is a global logistics company, and we use NPM to manage their devices globally. These devices are network and network security devices. 

We take configuration backups and have predefined templates that we push. We also use NPM for reporting purposes, network configuration comparisons, firmware upgrades, and more. There are many use cases.

The availability and reachability of the CIs are valuable. Since it works on SNMP, it collects a lot of data from the CIs, meaning the devices. 

It also confirms device availability uptime and provides information on errors, basic configurations, snapshots, CPU and memory utilization, and the overall health of your CI. 

It gives you a picture without needing to directly access the CI. It also maintains historical data, so you can go back and see the performance and health of the device over time.

The alerting system in SolarWinds NPM aids in proactive network management. Once you have the basic data available, you can tweak it based on your standard threshold. 

You can use the standard threshold defined by SolarWinds, which is globally accepted, or you can customize them. Based on these thresholds, you can configure alerts that are triggered when the threshold is hit. 

For example, CPU or memory utilization, or the bandwidth of a particular link. The alerting mechanism continuously monitors and samples data, and based on that, generates alerts for users who can proactively act on them and mitigate the problem.

AI-driven initiatives:

We are planning to switch to SolarWinds' new licensing model called the observability layer, where you only need to buy a single license. We are working on that and looking for stakeholder justification for the cost before implementing it. I am aware of the AI functionality that SolarWinds offers. Recently, we migrated our on-premises SolarWinds solution to the Azure cloud.

Challenges with migration:

It was challenging because it was a ten-year-old system. We had to figure out a different approach when I was onboarded. There was also no firmware upgrade done, so we couldn't just do a simple migration. We had to build a completely new setup and then migrate the database. 

However, it wasn't a big challenge because we planned it well and kept a close eye on the implementation. We completed it in three months with minimal downtime, which the client appreciated.

The resources required for the migration process depend on the approved timelines and workload. For my migration, the timelines were aggressive, and there were multiple modules, so we had to put two resources on each bundle of modules. If the workload is not as heavy and the timelines are flexible, it can also be done with two resources working continuously.

The most valuable part of NPM is monitoring your entire infrastructure using SNMP versions two and three. 

Since the basic module of SolarWinds is NPM (Network Performance Manager), it monitors network performance. It is also used by other tools for their functionality, like NCM (Network Configuration Manager) for configuration management and NTA (NetPath) for creating automatic topologies of remote sites. 

The basic data for these modules is derived from NPM. So, NPM is the basic tool for SolarWinds to support other modules.

SolarWinds is always up to date with the latest versions and firmware. The earlier challenge of increasing resources has been solved since moving to the cloud. We can now increase resources anytime and reduce downtime for monitoring services. 

With around 10,000 devices and 30,000+ elements, manual monitoring during downtime was a headache. But now there is no problem, as we can increase the underlying infrastructure resources in real-time, and performance is increased on the SolarWinds cloud.

We lack database monitoring. I have proposed that the DPA license be onboarded for database monitoring. In the current infrastructure, database monitoring is done manually. I have proposed this enhancement to the client, but there are some commercial constraints. It is in process, and maybe next year, they will budget for it.

The market is changing, and people are expecting automation. I think that's a disadvantage, but it's temporary because SolarWinds is continuously pushing clients to onboard the observability AI feature. They have already worked on it, and people only need to invest in it and onboard to meet the current market requirement, which is AI-driven automation for monitoring and decision-making.

I have been using it for six years now. 

I used to handle that for the first three years. Now, I have a team, but I support them whenever they need help. I encourage them to use technical blogs and training resources. 

Since I'm the product owner, I don't need to be involved in day-to-day troubleshooting, but I guide them effectively. They rarely get stuck, but I help them out when they do. 

I haven't had hands-on experience for the last two years, but I'm still on top of everything technically. I have a networking background and am well aware of SNMP and its role in monitoring. 

So, technically, I am sound enough to solve any problem related to SolarWinds and other infrastructure.

I'm the product owner for SolarWinds, which has almost all the modules, like NPM, NCM, NTA, SAM, and IPAM. 

I've also worked with the DNA Center solution and, previously, the Cisco Prime solution, which is developed and enhanced on the Cisco DNA and ISE platforms. I've also worked on the ISE platform for identity security management. 

Basically, I have experience with all network security tools, mainly on the Cisco side.

SolarWinds keeps improving. So, SolarWinds more optimally utilizes the resources of the underlying hardware used for monitoring and management. SolarWinds also has a very good user interface. Their processes are coupled together, utilizing each other's resources. 

The most important feature of NPM is its flexibility. If you're a growing organization, you can easily add additional polling engines (APEs) by buying a license and deploying an APE. You can also deploy these APEs based on your geographical locations. 

The management console can be centralized anywhere. They are also working on the observability layer now and enhancing many features.

The earlier model used a tool from Nimsoft, where they were paying high charges per CI for monitoring. Now that we are on the cloud, we are optimizing cloud resources as well as licenses. 

For example, you can purchase licenses from SolarWinds based on your needs. If you have 500 devices, you can purchase a 500-device license. If you have between 500 and 2000 devices, you can go for another license. This flexibility is directly proportional to the cost optimization. Now, since I'm in the cloud, we don't need to waste resources, so we can monitor and optimize them.

I find it reasonable. Most of the licenses are perpetual, and the annual maintenance charges are not high. My complete environment runs under 30k a year. And that is only the maintenance and licensing cost.

The main benefit of SolarWinds is that it provides all the modules bundled together. It's not just one tool; it's a bundle of many tools. For example, it has NPM for network performance monitoring, IPAM for IP management, NTM for network traffic analysis, and NTM for network topology building. 

It's not only for monitoring but also for managing your complete infrastructure. It's a one-tool solution for your entire infrastructure with very good pricing.

I always recommend SolarWinds because I have also worked with CA Spectrum and Nimsoft in the past, which I didn't like. So far, the tool I like the most is SolarWinds. Every company with a major network infrastructure prefers SolarWinds.

Instead of using the traditional way of using SolarWinds, they should go for the new feature, which is SolarWinds Hybrid Observability.

I would rate it a ten out of ten. 

We are using the SolarWinds NPM solutions for monitoring our network devices. We are monitoring switches, firewall, and routers. We are monitoring the interface utilizations and the CPU, RAM utilization of the devices. Through SolarWinds NPM, we discovered some interfaces were having issues, which we subsequently corrected. This has been very helpful for our operations.

All the features in SolarWinds NPM are good, without any specific standout feature. We are working with the advanced alerting system in SolarWinds NPM.

The SolarWinds NPM provides insights into unhealthy connectivities such as interfaces and cables, which can help improve performance degradation. We are able to identify these issues early.

The dashboards in SolarWinds NPM are helping us in categorizing issues related to different devices and different categories of devices. It has been quite helpful.

Features such as taking backup of the devices or configurations of the devices can be included in further versions of SolarWinds NPM.

I was not involved in the initial setup or deployment part of SolarWinds NPM. My teammate was involved in that process.

We don't have any issues with the stability and scalability aspects of SolarWinds NPM.

We don't have any issues with the stability and scalability aspects of SolarWinds NPM.

We have worked with the tech support of SolarWinds NPM, and it is good.

Positive

Regarding return on investment with SolarWinds NPM, it saves time in identifying issues. This is the primary benefit we are getting from an ROI perspective.

The pricing of SolarWinds NPM is comfortable from our perspective.

There is no specific advice that I would share with users who would to start working with it. I rate SolarWinds NPM 8 out of 10.

I have worked on the implementation and report generation for our customers with the SolarWinds NPM tool. As a partner for SolarWinds, our customers use NPM for monitoring device status, utilization of interfaces, and CPU memory.

SolarWinds is user-friendly with a manageable console. It provides a detailed overview of the network, which is valuable. Despite not having any special features beyond what a typical NMS offers, it still provides comprehensive network insights.

A need for improvement is in the technical support provided by SolarWinds. Customers have given feedback about the delayed response times from the technical team, especially during application-level issues. Better support would enhance customer satisfaction.

I have been using it for three to five years.

The NPM product is stable, particularly when used for simple network monitoring. It works well when not doing anything out of scope, and I haven't faced any stability issues in the last six months.

I rate the response time at three to four and the resolution time at six to seven out of ten. However, if there is no timely response, getting a resolution is more difficult.

Neutral

I have previously worked with WhatsUp Gold, ManageEngine, and PRTG for network monitoring.

The setup for NPM is straightforward. Basic configuration involves adding devices, creating reports, and setting alerts.

Our implementation strategy involves providing system requirements and a plan of action for customers. Once the system is ready, we verify all requirements and proceed with installation, adding devices, and configuring based on customer needs.

I have experience with WhatsUp Gold, PRTG, and ManageEngine.

I recommend SolarWinds because it satisfies up to 90% to 95% of customer requirements. Customers should be aware of their specific use cases as every product has its own capabilities. I would rate the solution eight out of ten.

I use SolarWinds for our end-user performance monitoring. We have integrated it within this infrastructure.

For end-user performance monitoring, we like features such as availability of our all devices and device/interface monitoring. We have also used NCM (Network Configuration Manager) for our network.

We use the alerting service to trigger alerts based on specific thresholds, like CPU or memory utilization exceeding a certain percentage.

There are AI network initiatives in SolarWinds NPM for some lengthy issues. For example, it shows availability reports. But for bandwidth monitoring, it's not very clear how much bandwidth is being consumed. SolarWinds provide real-time bandwidth monitoring.

It is not difficult to manage the network with SolarWinds. We have one customer with a satellite location. If we have a large network with, let's say, 43,000 elements, and our current SolarWinds license supports only 30,000, we would need to create another polling engine to accommodate the additional 13,000 elements. It's limited to the polling engine, so we can only support 30,000 elements per engine.

So it's only for 30,000, but we have at least 40,000 elements in our network.

The only potential limitation is that I need to create a new polling engine for each additional 30,000 elements.

It would be helpful if it also provided compliance support. For example, if we have a Cisco device, it could show the iOS version, the end-of-life date, and whether it's compliant with our policies. It could also integrate with configuration management tools and generate compliance reports.

I have been using it for five years. 

I have contacted SolarWinds technical support. There may be some issues with contacting them because there's no direct technical contact all the time, unlike Cisco or Dell. Their technical support is not always readily available.

So they could improve their availability. They should enhance their technical support team to ensure 24/7 availability. If we call from the Indian region, they should have at least 15 dedicated agents available around the clock.

If we can explain the issue clearly, they can solve the problem. But the problem is that we're not always able to communicate effectively with them.

It takes at least one week to solve any problem.

Another problem is that SolarWinds has no local distributor. If we want to purchase or get support from a local distributor, it's not available. They don't have a local support team. They might sell the product through someone, but the local support isn't good enough for deployment or any other issues.

If I consider reliability, it would be five out of ten. If I consider technical expertise, it would be eight out of ten.

So, on an average, I would give a combined rating of six out of ten. There is room for improvement.

Neutral

It is easy to manage.

The pricing is in the middle. It's not particularly cost-effective, but it's not overly expensive either.

Based on the main features, it's a fantastic solution. It has everything in a single platform. But SolarWinds has different modules for different purposes. If we want to monitor our applications, we have to buy another module like SolarWinds APM (Application Performance Monitor). This increases the overall cost. The price for NPM is okay, but if we need additional services, we have to buy more modules, and it becomes less cost-effective.

It is a good tool for end-user performance monitoring. I would rate it an eight out of ten. 

SolarWinds NPM is used for monitoring different solutions like database, infrastructure, and network performance. Each of these requires separate solutions, and SolarWinds provides modular options for monitoring.

Based on my experiences, SolarWinds NPM can handle large network infrastructures owing to its scalability offering despite its complexity.

SolarWinds NPM has specific modules for monitoring different network capabilities, which provides rich features for carrying out specific tasks. 

Despite being complex, it offers scalability for handling large network infrastructures, which might be particularly beneficial for companies with tailored monitoring needs.

SolarWinds needs to upscale on observability and add full-fledged observability features, including security features. Additionally, the complexity of installation and operation is a drawback.

I have been working with SolarWinds NPM for two years.

SolarWinds NPM is scalable and effective in handling large network infrastructures because they have separate modules for network, application performance, and infrastructure monitoring.

They have good technical support. I have not requested support myself because SolarWinds handles direct deployments.

Neutral

We have been using PRTG for eight years, which is an all-in-one app and easier to use than SolarWinds NPM. 

Currently, I am recommending Datadog since it offers everything in a SaaS module with more details and embedded observability features.

The initial setup of SolarWinds NPM is complex, and I find it challenging.

I have never deployed it on my own as the deployment is usually handled by SolarWinds.

Pricing-wise, SolarWinds NPM is more expensive than PRTG. Each module comes at an extra cost. PRTG's package offers all features in one bundle, which is cost-effective.

I would rate the overall solution nine out of ten due to its capabilities, however, its complexity is a major drawback.

SolarWinds NPM is a tool for monitoring our network, given our extensive network infrastructure with approximately 250 sites nationwide. It provides crucial visibility into each site's health, availability, and performance status. Without this solution, effectively monitoring and managing our network infrastructure would be challenging.

SolarWinds NPM reduces operational costs by providing visibility into network operations. Without such visibility, there's a risk of losing financial transactions or experiencing downtime, which end users can report as service outages. 

Deploying SolarWinds has enabled us to stay proactive; we can quickly identify issues and prevent service impacts. For instance, if a node goes down, we can shift services to another node, significantly reducing service outages. SolarWinds alerts us to network issues promptly, allowing us to manage and resolve them before they affect our services.

SolarWinds NPM offers limited customization options. Users and developers may find restrictions in modifying or customizing the dashboard and adjusting monitoring features such as polling intervals or SLAs for different nodes. These limitations can be seen as areas for improvement, particularly in providing more extensive customization capabilities for administrators.

I have been using SolarWinds NPM for ten years, but we purchased the current license almost six months ago.

The product is highly stable.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

This solution is being used by 20-25 users, including the network operation team, NOC team, level two engineers, and level three engineers.

I rate the solution’s scalability a seven out of ten, adding the cost factor.

Technical support is excellent.

Positive

I have also worked on opManager, PRTG, and Grafana, open-source tools.

The deployment process has evolved significantly compared to previous versions. In the past, It was complex when deploying one or two times. However, the deployment was quite straightforward with the recent version and the support of our local vendor's technical resources. 

A major challenge was creating a customized map, which was a requirement for us to have a dynamic representation of our sites spread geographically across the country. The technical resources from the local vendor did not initially have sufficient experience with this feature. Consequently, it took some time for him to learn it by consulting the documentation and senior resources. Eventually, he was able to implement it successfully.

The deployment and the integrations were completed within two to three days.

SolarWinds NPM is a very good management tool. It provides reports, email alerts, SMS alerts, and more.

I rate the product’s pricing a three out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.

We have set up alerts in SolarWinds NPM for critical issues, such as when a node goes down or an application exceeds a certain threshold. These alerts are crucial because our team cannot continuously monitor every application or infrastructure node. SolarWinds serves as our primary source of information, highlighting and indicating high-priority issues. This helps our team plan responses accordingly. Alerting forms the backbone of our solution, providing essential notifications for prompt action.

We use third-party services, and most of our maintenance tasks involve taking database backups and similar activities. Three to five members of our team, along with technical resources from the network side, were involved. We also engaged with a vendor through whom we secured the solution.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Our primary use case for SolarWinds is to monitor our server's status, determining if it is down or not, and examining each packet from server to server. 

We also use it for Application Performance Management and Network Performance Management to ensure everything is operating smoothly.

SolarWinds has greatly helped us, especially in tracing when the SoundCloud Software goes down without any apparent reason. 

The application performance management, network performance management, and database analyzer tools within SolarWinds are very helpful in preventive maintenance. It effectively reduces costs despite being expensive, and we believe it is worth the investment. 

Everything has been complete and stable for our needs over the past four years.

The most valuable feature for us is the database performance analyzer, which we use a lot. It is effective in monitoring network performance.

We have been using SolarWinds for four or five years.

There are no stability issues with SolarWinds. It is stable.

We had contact with SolarWinds regarding the implementation, and they were helpful.

Positive

We contacted SolarWinds about the implementation.

The return on investment is significant as the solution effectively reduces costs while being worth its expense.

The solution is considered expensive. It is deemed worth it for the benefits it provides.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

I work with multiple customers using NPM to monitor the performance and the vital status of network devices, making sure to take care of network security devices by monitoring them with NPM. NPM provides real-time data on the overall CPU and health of network boxes, which is helpful when needing to check specific devices. This includes the interface traffic and vital states of the devices.

NPM helps me by offering a comprehensive view of network device health, supporting the SMS gateway, which allows receiving SMS alerts on my mobile. It also supports Outlook for email alerts, API support, and meets several requirements for financial and ISP environments.

The most valuable feature is the vital states of the devices as it provides overall CPU and device health information. Interface traffic monitoring is also beneficial. NPM is user-friendly and supports the SMS gateway and Outlook for alerts, which are essential in financial and ISP environments.

It would be beneficial if NPM offered support for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), as currently, it does not support this and we are migrating our services there. Improving customer control for opening and escalating support tickets would also be advantageous.

I have been using NPM for almost seven to eight years.

Initially, there were some stability issues where SolarWinds NPM stopped working with the database, making it difficult to access the interface. However, it has improved and is now more stable.

Scalability is not an issue with NPM, and it is suitable for small, medium, and enterprise environments. It offers reliable scalability.

The current model requiring engagement through a local partner to escalate issues to SolarWinds takes time and could be improved. Customers should have direct access to open and prioritize tickets in the customer portal.

Positive

I have used OpManager and other solutions, but NPM provides accurate data and supports necessary integrations, making it a preferable choice.

The initial setup of NPM is simple and user-friendly, with presentable data and a user-friendly interface.

In Pakistan, the pricing for SolarWinds is high compared to other vendors. Despite this, customers are satisfied with the product because it meets their needs.

I evaluated competing products like Orion and OpManager, but choose NPM for its accuracy and features.

I recommend NPM if the customer has the budget for it, as it is a high-quality solution with comprehensive features.

I use SolarWinds NPM because no other tool has the capabilities that it does. The solution is user-friendly and has many options for customized monitoring that other tools don't have. SolarWinds NPM is an easy tool because it supports both servers and the network at the same time.

The solution's database performance could be improved. The data performance is a little slow and scattered for clients who use the solution for a bigger infrastructure. You can't keep a hold of one-year data if you want to because it doesn't give you the capacity to hold that much information at your end. You have to keep the retention period very minimal.

I have been using SolarWinds NPM for seven years.

SolarWinds NPM is a stable solution.

I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.

We currently use SolarWinds NPM for bigger clients, and I didn't see any problems with that. It totally depends on how many licenses you can purchase or afford. The solution has options for people with a small budget and enterprise businesses. It completely depends on the client's needs and budget.

Anyone can use the solution to monitor hundreds or thousands of servers in the network, as well as 10,000 to 30,000 servers. The number of servers it can monitor isn't limited.

I rate the solution’s scalability a seven out of ten.

The solution's technical support doesn't support any customization. If you want a customized script or a customized solution, they don't support that. Otherwise, the technical support team has really good and knowledgeable people.

Positive

The solution's initial setup is straightforward. You just need to know what you need and, accordingly, use the guide to set up proper hardware for your servers. It's a pretty straight installation, and it is not very complicated.

The solution's pricing is low compared to a lot of other tools in the market.

I rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten.

The solution's alerting system is fine. However, we face a few challenges that we can see in the alerting system that we cannot modify as per our needs. There are some restrictions, but SolarWinds is working on clarifying those challenges. Apart from that, it seems fine to me.

We are currently using the solution on-premises. However, you can also use it on the cloud as it has both options.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.