What is our primary use case?
We use SolarWinds to comply with audit requirements because we must centralize all log collection. We don't use it on a day-to-day basis, but we employ it when we need to investigate, troubleshoot, monitor, or do anything else requiring a fixed-log or event management solution.
Initially, we had a five-person team, but we're still deploying it to other locations. The rest of the technical team will be using it, so ultimately, we will have around 50 users. I don't think there's a licensing limitation on the number of users who can access the system.
What is most valuable?
SolarWinds is effective for server, network, and log monitoring. It's also good for IP address management. We also have a patch manager, but we're still working on getting that operational.
What needs improvement?
The only issue is the pricetag. SolarWinds is a costly solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used SolarWinds SEM for around six months. The project is still ongoing.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In the beginning, it wasn't stable, but it's okay now that we have done some fine-tuning on the database. But now it is okay, now it's okay.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability depends on your hardware and the number of licenses you can purchase. SolarWinds has a license category called "Unlimited" that provides an unlimited number of probes for different locations. I think that's the one we purchased. However, the cost is way higher than our previous solution.
How are customer service and support?
We have worked with SolarWinds support intensively. It's a vast product, so one tech engineer can't be an expert on the entire solution. There are different teams. For example, if we have issues with the network monitoring tools, there's a different team from that. There's another team that specializes in the log management system.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used PRTG, but it cannot do patch management or IP address management. It can only do server and network monitoring. We switched to SolarWinds because it's more powerful than other competing solutions, and it has all the features needed to satisfy the requirements of our audits.
The driver behind our switch to SolarWinds was our internal audit department. When they performed the audit, they highlighted some gaps. For example, we need a patch manager to prevent vulnerabilities. We also needed a centralized log server for troubleshooting.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up SolarWinds is straightforward on a small network. It may be challenging for a larger, more complex network that extends to multiple remote locations, with firewalls between sites. During the deployment, we encountered some issues related to networks and firewalls, but SolarWinds support helped us make it work.
You can complete the initial installation in under a day, but configuring it to monitor all your devices will take time. You must adjust some settings on the server and all the network devices you want to monitor.
What about the implementation team?
We worked with a system integrator who is a local SolarWind partner. During project implementation, we also coordinated with SolarWinds technical support for assistance on the backend.
What was our ROI?
From a security perspective, we see a return because we need to eliminate vulnerabilities to comply with our internal audits.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I think we are paying the license on yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I rate SolarWinds Security Event Manager eight out of 10. I would recommend it if your company has the budget and a need for the solution because of strict auditing requirements.
If you are deploying it in a smaller environment, you won't have any issues, but you need to prepare the database and server to deploy in a large environment. You can't deploy out of the box. It requires some enhancements and improvements during the setup.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
