IT Manager at Celebration Church
Real User
It helps us get ahead of the curve, so we can see many potential issues before they become problems
Pros and Cons
  • "I like Auvik's mapping. Your home dashboard has a map view where you can see potential issues on the endpoints. If an AP or switch has a problem, you can drill down into those to see how it's affecting the endpoints."
  • "I would like a Power BI-style dashboard that you could show to a non-technical person with metrics like the number of devices accessing wireless, the amount of internet, total issues resolved each month, etc."

What is our primary use case?

We use Auvik to monitor net flow within our primary core switch and firewall. We look at the health and traffic flow alerts from our wireless access points or switches.

We don't use any of the automation features. Our company uses Auvik strictly for managing alerts. Auvik acts as a dashboard to give us oversight and a sense of the overall network health. We don't do a lot of troubleshooting within Auvik. It's more of a documentation and dashboard tool that lets me see all the problems and drill down.

We only have one location where we're using Auvik, but we're expanding to a second location under construction and being rebuilt. We'll eventually have two more locations. We want to monitor multiple sites and how they interact because we use SD-WAN between the sites.

How has it helped my organization?

We previously had multiple solutions, and implementing Auvik has saved me a lot of time because I'm solely responsible for the infrastructure. I probably save an hour or two daily on my morning run-throughs, so it has saved the company the equivalent of a part-time employee each month. 

In addition to saving time, we get better traffic insights. We can look at the entire inventory from a networking standpoint. It lets us see all our pieces and what's online, like a network topography. If somebody submits a ticket about internet issues in one of the areas, I can check that area to see how many other things are affected. It makes troubleshooting smoother. You can more effectively triage a problem because you have more information in front of you.

Auvik keeps our device inventories updated. We pair it with our asset management platform to double-check if things are discovered that haven't been asset-tagged. We want to see if the things that are live on the network match what we have in our asset management platform.

Auvik also helps me delegate. I can see alerts on the endpoints that are not necessarily licensed, but it gives us traffic insights. I can message the person at the help desk, "Hey, I noticed we're having Wi-Fi issues in this area. Can you check the staff computers on Ninja and see if anybody is having any issues?" They can go in remotely and communicate with the staff to see if they have noticeable issues. Is it an advisory thing we're seeing or something deeper that must be solved on the network side? Maybe it's on the endpoint side?

Keeping our devices updated helps me take the pulse of each device. We use a remote management platform like an MDM, but then we also use ScalePad as a cost and inventory platform. Auvik tells us if all these things are up and running. There are three of us on the team, and each tracks inventory differently. Whenever we do annual inventory, we pull MAC addresses and devices to see what's in use and the usage rate. It helps a lot at the end of the year. Inventory takes an hour instead of a week.

Auvik helps us get ahead of the curve, so we can see many potential issues before they become problems. We'll get alerts for particular items before getting a ticket. In those cases, we can say, "I noticed you've been having some issues with Wi-Fi and sporadic connectivity. Is your computer okay? Are you having issues?" 

It depends on the person, but most people don't like to complain and don't want to go into the trouble of sending in a ticket or anything like that. When you can get ahead of that and reach out to them, it's a great value.

What is most valuable?

I like Auvik's mapping. Your home dashboard has a map view where you can see potential issues on the endpoints. If an AP or switch has a problem, you can drill down into those to see how it's affecting the endpoints.

The monitoring and management features are straightforward. Getting everything configured is a little tricky, but it's easy once everything is set up. The management is highly intuitive. It has tons of little tools you can use for your hardware. You can monitor network traffic, device health, and lifecycle management within an easy-to-use dashboard.

Auvik provides a single integrated platform that covers everything. We are considering adding our primary servers to get utilization stats and different telemetry from our primary hosts for our on-site VMs. Having all the features on a single platform is crucial. We use many services and platforms, and it's convenient to log into one dashboard and see everything from a bird's eye view.

It's super easy to use. Everything is easily mapped out. If you've navigated any website, it should all be intuitive. It's easy to lift a pane and see all the general areas. As you click into each site, you can drill down into each area you want to see.

People who don't dive as deep into the infrastructure as I do can go onto the site to see the dashboard and get a sense of the network's overall health. I don't need to push out reports and share alerts constantly. I'm the only one getting those, and the other team members can see from a bird's eye view whenever they're looking into things or trying to troubleshoot.

What needs improvement?

I would like a Power BI-style dashboard that you could show to a non-technical person with metrics like the number of devices accessing wireless, the amount of internet, total issues resolved each month, etc. 

Those kinds of features would be nice, but that's more of a feature for executives. Many platforms are adding these features because they understand in-house IT staff need to deliver those reports to management.

Buyer's Guide
Auvik Network Management (ANM)
July 2024
Learn what your peers think about Auvik Network Management (ANM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2024.
793,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

We used Auvik with our MSP for a time. It was an account through somebody else. This month, we started using it as the primary account. In total, we've been using it for a year and a half.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't had any issues. I've been able to load the website from any location without any lag or delays.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

One reason we chose Auvik was its ability to scale for multiple locations. It's effortless to scale by adding different locations. We have it at our headquarters and plan to add our Central Austin location, then go from there. Within the organization, it's easy to build out and add.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used Meraki's built-in monitoring platform because we have a full Meraki stack. We used the topography and alert systems there, but it lacked many features because you're only seeing the network side. You don't see any of the devices. You could see some insights, but Auvik provides much more clarity.

I like Auvik's secure cloud-based solution and the ability to check the dashboard no matter where I am. If I'm remote and looking at multiple sites, I don't have to worry about VPN connections. I don't need to worry about opening the ports. It's huge for us to see everything from multiple sites.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Auvik was straightforward, but sometimes you forget the passwords when setting up SNMP or Syslog. We had to go back and look for passwords, but that wasn't Auvik's problem. 

It was simple to deploy Auvik right out of the box. All we needed to do was get our SNMP credentials and input the subnets I wanted to scan. I deployed it by myself, and it took less than one day. I probably spent about four hours on it.

After deployment, Auvik hasn't required any maintenance. The only thing that I've had to do is change the password for an SNMP credential if I got it wrong, but that's about it.

What was our ROI?

We saw immediate value from Auvik. I think it's brand and device agnostic, which is incredible. The time to value was almost instant because we could see everything. We didn't have to go onto a Netgear portal, a Meraki portal, Azure AD, Intune, RMM, etc. We can see everything on one dashboard. The time to value was the time it took to implement: less than a day.

Auvik is much simpler to set up and maintain than my previous solution. It's night and day. Dealing with multiple platforms and solutions was unwieldy. Time is money. Having everything combined is a value-add and saves a lot of money. We no longer need to outsource this and have somebody monitor it. Bringing all the monitoring in-house saves us $2,000 a month, easily on top of all the other support hours we've saved.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Auvik's pricing is spot-on. It's one of the better values I've seen. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I tried Netskope and SolarWinds, but they were both somewhat clunky. At times, things can get over-engineered. It's like a lousy buffet where all the food is mixed in. That's what I feel with some platforms.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Auvik nine out of 10. If you're thinking about implementing Auvik, I recommend watching videos online before deployment. Watch the videos for ideas and attend demos so you can ask questions ahead of time. 

We deployed so easily because all the questions were answered before we started. We did our research and watched videos when we were checking out Auvik. Auvik was at the top of our list, but we looked at other solutions and didn't find anything that came close. 

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Donald Szewczyk - PeerSpot reviewer
Dir. of I.S. at PHCA Administration, LLC
Real User
Provides real-time granular analysis, significantly reduces response time, and is easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the notification that alerts us to an offline server, whether the server is rebooting, resetting, or if we have network issues with the internet service provider."
  • "The dashboard needs to be more intuitive."

What is our primary use case?

The solution helps us get a granular understanding of our environment, all the way down to the endpoints, to Azure, the networking, and all of the networking equipment, whether it's the access points, the firewall, or the switch. We can identify any latency or drops by keeping an eye on the network.

How has it helped my organization?

Auvik offers a single integrated platform for our organization simplifying our network monitoring.

Before Auvik we had to log into FortiGate followed by the internet service provider before we could log into Azure. We would then use an RMM for the endpoints, whether it was a Mac device or a Windows device.

Auvik has saved us approximately 20 hours per week of work that was previously completed by our support personnel.

Auvik allowed us to pinpoint root causes quicker, which saved us time investigating different environments. We can now focus on projects and progress further along. Additionally, we've been able to hold the ISP accountable.

Auvik helps us visualize the network mapping/topology for our organization which is required for our security audits regarding HIPPA.

It is pretty intuitive. I give the solution an eight out of ten for intuitiveness but the dashboard requires some getting used to.

The solution has affected our IT team's visibility into our remote and distributed networks by allowing us to pull up a single window pane and get a quick snapshot of all our locations, including our data center, which is in Azure.

Keeping the network up is critical for us. We have a voiceover IP phone solution that rides on this network, as well as our electronic medical records. Without visibility to help our IT teams focus on our network, we would have a lot of trouble finding needles in haystacks.

Auvik keeps our device inventories up to date. I ran a comparative analysis against our RMM and other RMMs, and then against our vulnerability assessment tool, and Auvik is spot on.

Its ability to keep our device inventories up to date has helped save us time. Deploying devices to users takes up a lot of our time. We have around 400 devices in use, and we have to replace broken devices often. Auvik saves us around five hours per week when it comes to documentation and keeping our inventory up to date.

Auvik helps our team focus on high-value tasks and delegate low-level tasks to junior staff by allowing us to focus on resolving network issues reported by end users and get a clear understanding of what's going on. This allows us to focus on our projects at hand.

We are able to identify issues on the server and address them quicker, rather than having to conduct an additional investigation and eliminate possibilities. We can identify issues within 15 minutes, as opposed to the two hours it used to take. On average, we now save 45 to 90 minutes per issue per day.

Auvik is a cloud-based solution, versus on-prem network monitoring solutions that require less maintenance. There is no on-prem server or license to worry about. The cloud solution is more convenient and efficient. We pride ourselves on being a leader in cloud adoption.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the notification that alerts us to an offline server, whether the server is rebooting, resetting, or if we have network issues with the internet service provider. We were running into problems trying to hold our ISP accountable because they were telling us it was not an issue on their end. We've done a lot of research and wasted man-hours investigating the Azure environment and the local network, which is set up as a hub and spoke-type configuration. Auvik has really given us granular information that we needed to address issues within the ISP environment.

The monitoring and management function of Auvik is fine once we get the hang of it.

The solution's ease of use for our operations is good once we adapt to the visual side.

Auvik does not require any maintenance.

What needs improvement?

The dashboard needs to be more intuitive.

I would like more training information on the dashboard and the different functionalities under the various modules.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for over one month.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution's stability is great and we have not had any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is good.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is great. I was out of town and missed a couple of the calls, and Auvik's tech support reached out to reschedule. We haven't had a problem with them whatsoever. The technical support team has been right on target.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

Deploying the agent was easy and there were no issues. I oversaw the deployment with our IT director. I'm the director of IS, and familiar with how Auvik was set up. The probes were placed at each location to get the information we needed for our IT scheme. 

We deployed the solution out of the box.

Auvik started to collect data in real time and map the network without any issues.

Compared to the numerous other agents we have deployed, whether it's 2R, JAM for Ninja, Addigy, or CyberCNS; Auvik is very easy. The most time-consuming piece is setting up the probe.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house with a team of three people consisting of two system admins to set up the probes on the server, and a network admin for the network side.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated FortiGate, and we considered consolidating one of the RMMs that we're using. However, we required a solution that would allow us to remote into an end user's device to address the issue on the ticket. Auvik is a lot easier to use, and it costs less for us. Auvik also has more bells and whistles than the FortiGate solution.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution a ten out of ten.

We are a healthcare company with 16 locations, including our central billing office. We also have a data center in Azure that hosts 400 endpoints and around 300 users.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Auvik Network Management (ANM)
July 2024
Learn what your peers think about Auvik Network Management (ANM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2024.
793,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.
TimKing - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
MSP
Revolutionized how we do business because now we can achieve much more remotely than before
Pros and Cons
  • "Auvik seamlessly integrates with our ticketing system ConnectWise, which provides a basic alert via email. I also like how it automatically draws the network map and how you can easily filter by the alerts. If you click on the type of alert, it'll show you all the other alerts of that same type."
  • "I want to be able to customize the layout more in terms of showing the alert timeframes. For example, I would like to customize it to show all the alerts in the last three hours, six hours, etc. You should be able to customize it so that it shows you the most critical information. We don't need to see CPU usage. We only want to see the up and down time. It would be nice to filter out many of those metrics we don't use."

What is our primary use case?

We needed SNMP monitoring for several clients and network devices. Auvik is for availability monitoring of network devices, like switches and routers. We also use it for monitoring CPU and a few other functions, but it's mainly just for the availability of our high-priority clients that require 24/7 alerts.

Our entire company uses Auvik, and it's deployed to customers willing to pay for it or customers of a certain size. The environments vary. Some of our clients are in education, government, and the private sector. Some clients have one massive site, but it's also used in companies with multiple branches around Australia. They range in size from 20 network devices to 2,000. We deploy it to any client who will buy it. Otherwise, we can't guarantee that we can monitor the network. Nearly 75 percent of our large customers have adopted it. Internally, about 90 staff members have access to Auvik. 

How has it helped my organization?

Auvik has enabled us to stay competitive with similarly sized managed service providers by allowing us to sell the latest products and services. Some customers have asked for Auvik by name, so it's great to be able to offer that. 

It has centralized and standardized our monitoring, making it much easier to deploy. Because of the cloud-based nature of the solution, we're more confident that we can receive alerts for critical network infrastructure 24/7 without constantly checking that systems are running. We're monitoring about 800 different points, so we need to have the ability to manage all our customers from one portal. The deployment method is consistent too, which is also vital.

Some of our customers had their own systems when they started doing business with us. SolarWinds was heavily used, but they weren't integrated into one management console before Auvik. It's hard to measure, but it reduced the time we spend on monitoring tasks by about 50 percent. It cuts down on network monitoring, setup, and adding devices. Overall, it has reduced that time by at least half. 

Auvik reduces a lot of repetitive, low-priority tasks. We can filter out alerts we don't want to see or customers who don't require 24/7 monitoring. It has made management much more straightforward. We have one team who manages the whole environment and people who receive the alerts at the end of that process and take action on the issue. It has dramatically reduced the workload of our 24/7 NOC team that manages network monitoring. It's almost like a set-and-forget solution where you have to do very little work once it's deployed.

I work remotely, so Auvik has been a game-changer. When combined with, say, a photograph of a rack, that network diagram makes it feel like we're there, and we have a much better understanding of how everything is laid out. It has helped us and integrates perfectly with our ticketing system; the alerting itself is just fantastic. Auvik has revolutionized how we do business because we can achieve much more remotely than before. In the past, we had to do site visits more often. It has dramatically reduced our on-site requirements.

Visibility is everything. We need to see what's up and down. It's critical for our business. It reduced the amount of time employees have to spend on tasks, so it allowed them to focus on other areas to improve the business or the customer's environment. It's made a considerable improvement in our availability. 

Auvik keeps our device inventories up to date automatically, and the reporting is excellent. You can rely on Auvik as your asset management tool for the network. It can grab serial numbers, IP addresses, model numbers, and firmware. Auvik functions as an asset management tool for any equipment that can be managed by an SNMP.

Instead of doing a physical audit and collating multiple systems from various clients or one client across numerous sites, it's an instant automatic system that provides a device inventory 24/7. You don't need to gather all the data and create a report. You click a button, and it's there. Auvik has reduced our asset management tasks by at least 70 percent. It might be closer to 90 percent. Auvik has sped up our resolution time by reducing the time it takes for the ticket to get into the system and delivering all the details the engineer needs to resolve it. It has decreased the resolution time by at least 50 percent.

Auvik's cloud-based solution and past on-prem solutions we've used are almost incomparable. After you put the credentials into Auvik, it practically does the job for you. You're only dealing with a few network nodes, whereas you would have to consider VLAN, various network subnets, and several other factors when deploying an on-premise solution. You also required a server to run it and a server to do the reporting, so you save a lot of money from not having to deploy all those physical components.

What is most valuable?

Auvik seamlessly integrates with our ticketing system ConnectWise, which provides a basic alert via email. I also like how it automatically draws the network map and how you can easily filter by the alerts. If you click on the type of alert, it'll show you all the other alerts of that same type. 

I love the visualization. It makes it so much easier to feel like you're there on-site. Everything is remote these days, and I'm 100 percent remote, so I'm never on-site at the national clients. It's nice to see everything; I like how you can drill down. For example, if a switch or a router is down, you can see what other items are going to be affected. They change color to tell you if they're up or down, so I spend a lot of my time inside the map and searching for items. 

I rate Auvik 10 out of 10 for ease of monitoring and management. The interface is highly intuitive. I've seen a few other network mapping tools, and they never seem to work out well. It's miles ahead of its competitors.

What needs improvement?

I want to be able to customize the layout more in terms of showing the alert timeframes. For example, I would like to customize it to show all the alerts in the last three hours, six hours, etc. You should be able to customize it so that it shows you the most critical information. We don't need to see CPU usage. We only want to see the up and down time. It would be nice to filter out many of those metrics we don't use. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Auvik for about 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Auvik's availability is as close to a hundred percent as you can get. I don't think I've seen an outage in 12 months.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Auvik is highly scalable. Our clients vary in size, ranging from small to medium-sized companies. 

How are customer service and support?

I rate Auvik support 10 out of 10. I rarely contact support, but they're excellent when I need them. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

SolarWinds is another solution we've used. Switching to Auvik was about centralizing everything into one cloud-based tool. It wasn't a cost issue. Instead, it was more about getting a cloud-based solution. We try to use only cloud-based tools to work anywhere without a bunch of tools installed on a particular device. 

How was the initial setup?

I wasn't involved in the deployment. The network operations center is responsible for Auvik. I'm not on that team. I'm on the proactive team who receives the alerts. 

As far as I know, Auvik requires practically no maintenance. The NOC team cross-references a customer's infrastructure with Auvik's reporting, and they periodically extract a report on devices that are uptime or devices that are used. I'm not involved with any daily maintenance apart from using it to investigate network issues.

What was our ROI?

The return is almost immeasurable. The most significant benefit is probably the reduction in the time it takes to deploy for a new customer versus installing another product or trying to use a customer's existing solution. One engineer dedicated to monitoring in a month is 160 hours, so you could probably say it's equivalent to saving the cost of one full-time engineer per month. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

You get what you pay for, and it's worth paying a little bit more for quality, a robust feature set, and high availability.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Auvik 10 out of 10. Once you compare it to other products you've used in the past, it's an easy decision. If you want to simplify, centralize, and automate your monitoring alerts, Auvik is definitely worth the investment.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: MSP
PeerSpot user
Larry Chisholm - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at Solvonex
Reseller
A single integrated platform that is quick and easy to use
Pros and Cons
  • "The stability is rock solid."
  • "The only area that I dislike about the solution is the lack of exportability."

What is our primary use case?

We're an MSP. We use this solution for all of our clients. For anyone that has a network more extensive than a switch or two, we install Auvik. We do this to make sure that we're getting the right connectivity and that everything is working as it should. I get alerts whenever something goes wrong, and I can jump in and say for example, "That's there. This is why." And I can tell what is happening. If I'm not on site, I can say, "Plug this port in because whoever was there, just plugged it back into the same switch." 

How has it helped my organization?

Having a single integrated platform has helped improve our organization. Ease of use and speed are the most important. I always know that I can go back. I've got a solid monitoring solution within Auvik. I know I can access the solution and get the right information that is updated in real-time.

The solution helps us get ahead of issues. If I see something going on, I can start getting ahead of it before my client notices. I can at least get a heads-up right away as something's going on. It's always better to alert my customer that I found a problem rather than have them call me. There's also a perception of being proactive versus reactive.

Depending on the issue, I have seen a reduction in our MTTR.

I have absolutely seen a TTV with Auvik. The solution allows us to hit the ground running. When we get to a client, it takes me 30 minutes to an hour to absorb what that network looks like and I can start rocking and rolling immediately.

What is most valuable?

The solution's ease of use for our operations is fairly important. It's wonderful for when I'm going into a new client and I don't want to do discovery. The solution plots out a network map for me. The solution tells me where I've got congestion and additional information that would normally require me to do discovery. Auvik is not as in-depth as for example, ExtraHop but this gives me enough of an overview that I can look at a network and say, "Okay, I know where they're at. Now I know where they need to be," and gives me the first stepping stones to get acclimated to the network. 

An example of Auvik's ease of use for our operations for an existing customer is if I receive an event that needs to be worked on, whether I'm onsite or not, I can call my client and say, "Hey, if you're seeing network issues, we just caught a couple of alerts." These alerts may or may not be an issue but it's good to have that in our back pocket to say, "Okay, something else is seeing this. " It's another set of eyes. We're a small firm and we can only be in so many places at one time.

The solution provides a single integrated platform. Although the solution doesn't do everything that I would want network-wise it is good enough. For what we pay, Auvik does the job we need it to do.

Auvik keeps our device inventories up to date.

This is the first solution we deploy at every location. We bring out a machine we call a data collector, and we put it in their network, get on DHCP, and it starts to scan immediately. The solution is absolutely fantastic.

Auvik is a fantastic network monitoring solution. When I look just for something that's really focused on network, for the price, Auvik can't be beaten.

What needs improvement?

The one aspect that I dislike about the solution is that there is no current way to export diagrams. If I want to take this and say, "Okay, here's my network map," I cannot export that network map to Visio and make edits or add notes if I need to on the diagram. Those are the aspects that are really missing for me. Not every product has everything I want. But what Auvik's support has told me, is that it's in the pipeline.

The only area that I dislike about the solution is the lack of exportability. That would be a wonderful feature to have.

The exportability of the information is really where I see the big value, and the other area is when network changes occur. One thing I would like to see is the option of an automated backup shortly after a configuration has changed because Auvik monitors the configs. When it sees a new config or I move five ports from one network to another, Auvik picks up that there was a change. The solution knows that it happened, but it won't back up at that time. The ability to do rollback would be wonderful. If something breaks I will have options, "Okay, here's your latest config. Here's the previous config, do you want to roll back?"  Juniper offers that in their OS automatically and it is beautiful. This would be a wonderful update.

I would like a little bit more of a deep dive because Auvik uses flow data to update what type of traffic I'm seeing which is pretty good but it's not a hundred percent. What I'd really love to see as well, is an offering of a small appliance to do this type of work, to wash packets. 

The exportability of data and network maps can also be improved. One thing that Auvik does well is tell me how long a switch is under maintenance for. For example, if I have a switch, and everything gets pulled up into my portal for the client, I take the serial number, it goes out to Cisco or HP or whomever, and it will tell me how long that switch is under maintenance for. That's invaluable. I know that I have one source of truth I can go and look at and say, "Yeah. Hey, that switch is still good for another two years."

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for around two and a half to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is rock solid. I haven't had any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution has done everything that we have needed it to do so far. I can't complain about the scalability. 

How are customer service and support?

Any problems I've had were resolved by the technical support team. Auvik's technical support is email support first, which I'm not happy about, but I understand that that's the way they work. I haven't had an issue that was so critical that I needed the situation resolved immediately.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, we used Symantec RMM. We used a couple of other items for a while, and finally, once we got onto Auvik and I showed my business partner the power of Auvik, he said, "Yeah, this is what we're going with." Literally within an hour, he said, "You just made up my mind."

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was not bad. We installed an agent on our data collector, gave it the name of the client, and told it what networks to start looking at.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

What is good about Auvik is that it is a monthly spend versus a CapEx. That tends to be a bigger driver, especially for a small environment. Using a product like Auvik and having the same visibility that any tech can walk into and, assuming they've got a decent networking background, can look at it and go, "Oh, yeah. Here's what it is." With this, my client that has 15 switches doesn't need to worry if something happens to the main infrastructure person. 

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution a nine out of ten.

There are certain aspects that I've had little issues with, but nothing that couldn't be resolved by support. I can't be an expert on every product. I've got ten different switching vendors I work with and have to learn the syntax. As long as I've got SNMP and I can get Telnet, who supports most of the major vendors out there, Cisco, Juniper, and Brocade. I am very much in favor of the product and the discovery capabilities therein.

Depending on the vendor, the solution reduces repetitive, low-priority tasks through automation. Cisco, Juniper, or Brocade, have CLIs that Auvik can get into and do backups automatically for me, which is a need but is repetitive. Auvik does configuration backups but overall, that's the big area the solution automates for me. 

We're a regional player, we definitely have visibility to our environments.

The visibility that helps our IT team focus on our networks is fairly important. Visibility is the first building block that we have for every single client.

Auvik's automation has not necessarily affected our IT team's availability. The solution does configure backups for me, but if I wasn't using Auvik, I would be using something else to do that. For what I am using automation for, the solution is pretty freaking awesome.

We're a smaller firm, and all of our guys are in senior positions. As we move along, Auvik is going to be watched and managed by lower-caliber staff who can raise the flag and run it up to somebody as needed.

If I need to get a listing to my vendor, say, "Here are the serial numbers that I need to renew maintenance on for next year," I can't just take that and export it out of Auvik. But overall, the solution does make my life easy because I can just copy the serial numbers and give them to my vendor, whomever that may happen to be. 

Auvik as a cloud-based solution covers enough compared to an on-prem network monitoring solution. It does a good enough job, without being on-premise. The solution is fairly lightweight and it's fairly innocuous. Auvik doesn't cause any problems on the network, it sits there and receives. Auvik is a very good passive solution.

I recommend the solution. This is a good product, it's easy to set up, and just give it the once over. I think that it's one of these solutions that can really add value. Depending on the size of your network, it might be small enough and it might be the right size to help you get your hands wrapped around it. I haven't seen the solution in an environment of more than 500 users. That is my scale limit on Auvik, but I know that the solution goes further. The smallest environment in which I have seen the solution used was in a doctor's office that had three switches.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: MSP
PeerSpot user
Chief Engineer at Red1
Real User
Is easy to deploy, consolidates data into one platform, and saves time
Pros and Cons
  • "Auvik stands out for its ability to combine network and per-port traffic inspection with log aggregation and data flow analysis in a single platform."
  • "I've had some trouble using Auvik's device proxy, which allows technicians to connect to network devices through Auvik's platform."

What is our primary use case?

Our network infrastructure is monitored by Auvik Network Management. This includes firewalls and network traffic. By using Auvik, we gain data and analytics that fuel our diagnostics, alarm systems, and overall network environment insights.

We decided to implement Auvik after struggling to find a network monitoring solution that ticked all the boxes. We needed a cost-effective option with a user-friendly interface, backed by a responsive company committed to ongoing product updates. Unfortunately, the market seemed to offer outdated, once-great products or solutions prohibitively expensive for small businesses and MSPs like us. Thankfully, our experience with Auvik has been good. Both our dedicated sales representative and the onboarding technical support team have been phenomenal.

How has it helped my organization?

Despite the usual setup time – an hour or two for getting things connected and entering credentials – the platform started pulling data from our devices almost immediately. It was practically instantaneous, aside from the standard management deployment time. Interestingly, the network map took a bit longer to figure itself out compared to the platform itself. The platform started showing me interface details, traffic information, and even automatically identified our WAN connections. We did have to set credentials later, and thankfully, we had backups of our devices ready beforehand, since it seemed like the platform wanted that information before the network map fully visualized everything. Overall, the deployment process was remarkably quick and easy.

Last Sunday, I encountered an issue that the dashboard interface helped resolve quickly. I could easily locate the specific device on the map and clicking on it brought up all relevant information. This allowed us to directly investigate the problematic port, view its traffic status up or down, without the need for a more cumbersome process. Traditionally, we would have had to VPN into the network, log in to the switch using its credentials, and then identify the specific port involved. The dashboard streamlines this process, saving time frequently. While it may not be a massive improvement, it offers a noticeable efficiency gain in our mean time to resolution.

Our company is still in the early stages of adopting Auvik, a monitoring platform that can be used for all of our customers. This means that we will eventually have one platform for all our alerts and for our technicians to access. This will simplify things internally for our company by reducing the number of platforms our technicians need to be familiar with to support our clients. It will also reduce the amount of documentation we need to maintain. With Auvik, our technicians will spend less time on maintenance and troubleshooting because they will only need to learn and use one platform. Currently, our technicians haven't started using Auvik yet, but the plan is to move away from all the various monitoring solutions we've been using for different customers and consolidate everything onto this one platform. Once our technicians are using Auvik, it will make our jobs significantly easier and faster.

What is most valuable?

Auvik stands out for its ability to combine network and per-port traffic inspection with log aggregation and data flow analysis in a single platform. This comprehensive approach is rare in network monitoring solutions. Even more impressive is that Auvik offers these high-end enterprise features at a cost-effective price. Traditionally, such capabilities are only found in expensive products. The combination of powerful features and affordability made Auvik a very attractive choice for us.

What needs improvement?

The Auvik interface has a modern look and feel in terms of its color scheme and layout. However, some elements are arranged in a way that I find counterintuitive. As a company with a web and application development team, we have a strong focus on user interface and user experience. For some features in Auvik, the placement of buttons and functionalities doesn't feel optimal. We've had to consult our representative several times on how to find specific options. For example, editing a device requires navigating through the sidebar to a specific category and tab, then selecting the device, line item, and checking a box before finally reaching the edit button. Additionally, the placement of buttons seems inconsistent across different sections, making the overall workflow less intuitive and requiring more training to become proficient.

My ideal real-time network monitoring would involve seeing all my data at once, including connection speeds and throughput. While Auvik's automated network map is visually appealing and generally accurate compared to competitors, it lacks some key features. For example, unlike a competitor's recent feature that shows traffic between trunk connections, Auvik only displays a single color for connection links, indicating wired or wireless status. This doesn't provide vital information like link speed or potential problems. Additionally, connections with momentary issues simply disappear from the map, which is frustrating. Auvik could integrate valuable alerts and insights from other parts of the platform directly onto the map. This would highlight potential issues with specific devices and their connections. While I acknowledge ongoing development efforts, there's still a significant gap in desired features. Another limitation is the lack of manual map editing. For instance, our server has multiple Ethernet connections entering a single switch, but the map erroneously shows them spread throughout the building. With no way to manually adjust this, the map's accuracy suffers. While Auvik's map is aesthetically pleasing, I wouldn't rely on it for complete accuracy.

I've had some trouble using Auvik's device proxy, which allows technicians to connect to network devices through Auvik's platform. The Mac software I need isn't fully functional yet, so I might be doing something wrong, but other products like Domotz work flawlessly. One of the main reasons we chose Auvik was to eliminate the need for VPNs, on-site PCs, or network tunnels for technicians to access devices. This would reduce our equipment costs. While the pricing is fair overall, the jump between plans is significant. For instance, their higher plan offers features like NetFlow statistics and analytics for firewalls, which require more data and rightfully cost more. However, the entire client site is included in that plan, and there's no option to pay extra for specific devices. I'd be happy to pay more for those features on select devices, but the current pricing structure prevents me from getting them. This seems like a missed opportunity for both Auvik and us. Not all my devices need the extensive logging and data collection offered in the higher plan. Network switches and access points, for example, have their own controllers that handle SysLogging, so I wouldn't need Auvik for that. However, I would like to pay extra for those features on our firewalls and routers. In the current situation, neither side benefits. If we pay for the higher plan, our costs increases, which will eventually impact our customers' prices. However, convincing customers to pay for this one additional feature within the entire monitoring platform is difficult.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Auvik Network Management for one year.

How are customer service and support?

Throughout this process, I've primarily relied on my representative for assistance. While I haven't directly contacted their technical support line, my representative has involved them on my behalf. This may be a slight deviation from the usual procedure, but it has still allowed me to reach the appropriate people.

The technical support team has been very responsive in identifying and resolving any technical issues I've encountered. They were able to quickly understand the situation with minimal questions. Additionally, I appreciate the granular control I have over their access to client data. I can grant them temporary or read-only access, which allows for collaborative troubleshooting without compromising security or hindering our learning experience.

Overall, I've been very impressed with the technical support team's knowledge. We understand they aren't responsible for diagnosing internal network issues; their focus is on supporting their platform and ensuring our connection to network devices. So far, their responsiveness has been excellent.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Prior to implementing Auvik, we experimented with a number of network management solutions. These included PRTG, Domotz, LibreNMS, and the built-in NinjaOne option. We also evaluated SolarWinds. We've explored a wide range of options. Our goal is to find a standardized solution, and we believe Auvik fits the bill. PRTG was expensive so we could only use the free version that only allowed for 1,000 sensors, proving too restrictive for our needs. LibreNMS required a high level of technical expertise for deployment and maintenance, which wasn't feasible for all our technicians. SolarWinds simply didn't meet all our requirements. While NinjaOne is still in active development. We may revisit it in the future. Overall, Auvik strikes the perfect balance between functionality, ease of use, and scalability.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment of Auvik requires installing an agent and some information. The deployment took around one hour. 

Although Auvik is a cloud-based solution, it requires software installation on a computer or server within our network. This initial process can be cumbersome. In our experience, the provided API key wasn't functional, and creating separate API keys isn't an option. Instead, we need to create full user accounts, which feels unnecessarily complex.

Once the connector is installed, the user interface presents challenges. Management credentials and network scanning configurations are located in separate areas. While the deployment section attempts to consolidate these settings, it becomes irrelevant after the initial setup. Ideally, the interface should streamline the initial configuration process, instead of requiring users to navigate through various menus.

Another concern is the requirement for generic credentials. Instead of specifying credentials for each device, we must provide generic ones that are simply tested for functionality. This raises security concerns. These generic credentials are tested against various devices in our environment, even those for which they are not intended. While we trust our security measures, a compromised device could potentially allow the Auvik connector to expose these credentials to unauthorized devices. Ideally, the system should allow for specifying credentials on a per-device basis, eliminating the need for generic credentials and the associated security risks.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I came to a surprising realization about Auvik's pricing. It turns out they only charge for routers and switches! This means all our access points, security cameras, camera servers, and other infrastructure are monitored for free. While the client understandably wanted the server on-site, most other devices are a bonus. This is a huge advantage – with a typical network, we might have one firewall, three switches, and 60-70 access points. With Auvik, we only pay for the four core devices, bringing the cost down significantly. In my opinion, Auvik could advertise this benefit more clearly. Many other platforms charge for every device, so Auvik's free monitoring for a large portion of the network is a game-changer. It not only helped us make the decision but also benefits non-profits we support. The fact that they're confident enough in their platform to offer this makes Auvik a truly valuable and supportive solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

In the end, we were deciding between Domotz and Auvik. Auvik's initial pricing structure was a concern. Their tiered system required a minimum number of devices per tier to get a reasonable price. While their desire to be profitable is understandable, this presented a hurdle for us. However, Auvik impressed us with their willingness to work with us. They emphasized that they wouldn't lose a customer solely on price, as long as open communication existed. This flexibility in finding a solution was a major factor in our decision. Another reason we chose Auvik was the user interface and user experience. We found Auvik's interface to be superior to Domotz's. Additionally, Auvik's pricing based on individual devices, rather than NetFlow, was a significant advantage. This meant we wouldn't be penalized for devices with minimal traffic or high port counts. From a business standpoint, this eliminated the need to constantly monitor billing for small variations in device usage. With Auvik, we pay a fixed cost per device and receive all the necessary features, regardless of its size or complexity. Consistent and predictable billing was another key consideration in our choice.

What other advice do I have?

Auvik Network Management gets a solid eight out of ten from me. While the network maps and user interface could be improved, the software delivers exactly what we need out of the box. It connected to our devices seamlessly and provided valuable analytics data and information logging. The setup process was straightforward, and the learning curve wasn't steep.

We're currently in the early stages of implementing Auvik, which means our existing software is still operational. To ensure a smooth transition, we typically allow a three-to-four-month overlap period for new software before fully integrating it into production. While I've been the primary user so far and can provide initial insights, our help desk technicians haven't yet been granted access to Auvik.

There is a minimal amount of maintenance required, primarily for alerts. The default settings include alerts for all devices, but not all of them are relevant to our needs. We simply need to adjust these defaults. Aside from that, the system is truly "set it and forget it." It will notify us of any problems, and as an IT company, we have internal procedures to log in and investigate any alerts. However, there is no ongoing maintenance required after the initial installation.

Setting up Auvik is smoothest when your network devices are already configured for SNMP. If you're unsure about your equipment's SNMP settings or lack a configuration altogether, take some time to familiarize yourself with your devices before proceeding. Having your device credentials readily available will also expedite the process. As long as both SNMP logging and credentials are prepared, Auvik deployment becomes a breeze. However, investing a few minutes to learn the Auvik interface beforehand will pay off in the long run. A grasp of the interface will make Auvik exceptionally user-friendly and position it as a powerful and functional solution for your needs.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
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PeerSpot user
Dan Salazar - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Systems Manager at Chelten House Products, Inc.
Real User
Top 10
The network map and dashboard offer a real-time overview of our network
Pros and Cons
  • "The cloud monitoring portion of Auvik that provides visibility into each piece of my infrastructure is the most valuable feature."
  • "The use of a mobile app would be very beneficial because sometimes I cannot access a computer."

What is our primary use case?

I use Auvik to create a network topology map for my business, which also serves as a monitoring tool for any downtime or issues within our company's network infrastructure. As a production company, we require continuous operation, so a tool like Auvik provides valuable visual insight even when I'm not physically present.

We previously had a basic alerting system in place, but it was not sufficient when we experienced networking issues within one of our two buildings. Often, it was unclear which cables were connected to which devices and where the connections led. Auvik, unlike other tools I've used, excels at visualizing these connections, making it easier for me to identify the source of the problem.

How has it helped my organization?

Auvik's interface is one of the most intuitive interfaces I've used.

The ease of use makes troubleshooting network issues easier and faster.

Auvik's network map and dashboard offer a real-time overview of our network. I rely on it daily, starting my workday by checking it for any potential issues and then adjusting my priorities accordingly.

I found the dashboard very easy to understand and easy to manipulate and customize.

The network map dashboard typically provides me with full network visibility. I haven't encountered any instances where something wasn't displayed within the network from Auvik's perspective. Even for devices where I haven't explicitly provided credentials, Auvik still manages to identify and display them, ensuring comprehensive network visibility.

I am the only technician that uses Auvik in my organization and it has empowered me to come up with better solutions to solving our tickets.

Auvik has helped decrease our mean time to resolution.

Auvik's value became immediately apparent when we needed to investigate an issue causing a server cluster to intermittently shut down. Auvik accurately detected and reported the problem, pinpointing the exact location and nature of the fault, including the specific port experiencing instability. This information was invaluable in resolving the issue quickly. We have encountered other scenarios where Auvik's responsiveness surpasses even our power distribution units. For example, in an instance of power loss within a specific room, Auvik alerted us significantly faster than the PDU itself. This enhanced speed significantly improves our ability to react to critical situations.

Auvik allows me to spend less time on setup, maintenance, and issue resolution. 

What is most valuable?

The cloud monitoring portion of Auvik that provides visibility into each piece of my infrastructure is the most valuable feature.

What needs improvement?

The use of a mobile app would be very beneficial because sometimes I cannot access a computer. Additionally, I believe that more monitoring could be done on certain devices, especially since we have credentials for them. Ideally, there should be more comprehensive monitoring for endpoints, such as switches, firewalls, workstations, and even servers. Support for other hypervisors would also be valuable.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Auvik for just over one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The Auvik website experiences occasional stability issues, which may coincide with their frequent maintenance windows. Although they perform maintenance at least once a week, my monitoring has not identified any significant delays in reporting.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Auvik is highly scalable. While the price does increase as it scales up, it is remarkably easy to deploy, even to new sites. I have done this myself. I have also restructured the network topology twice since I started using Auvik, simply to improve organization, and it remains very easy to scale or adapt the configuration.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, I used PRTG. The main differences between PRTG and Auvik are the user interface being much easier to navigate, and Auvik being much more intuitive in indicating what it can and cannot scan, as well as what it is currently scanning. With PRTG, we had to manually select and choose what we wanted to be monitored, which required a significant amount of setup time. In contrast, I found Auvik to be much easier to set up and get running quickly.

The previous solution lacked many features that Auvik provides. For instance, it didn't offer bandwidth or power consumption monitoring. We needed to go into specific devices and enable reporting for each one individually, like for power devices such as rack-mounted APCs or PDUs. Usually, configuring these devices requires manual intervention. Auvik automatically discovers and monitors them, allowing me to access reports directly through its interface. This information, combined with other reports like server power-down events, helps me map the order of events during a system crash. I can analyze which devices failed first and work my way back using the network map and alerts. No other tool offers such ease of use and diagnostic capabilities as Auvik's built-in features once a device is connected.

Furthermore, Auvik provides extensive functionality for firewalls and network switches. The configuration backup feature, which was a key factor in our decision to purchase the software, is unparalleled. It securely stores configurations in the cloud, enabling quick redeployment and comparison between backup points to identify changes. Additionally, it allows for easy reversion to previous configurations if necessary.

We encountered a scenario where an older switch in our server room lost power. Auvik notified me of this event, and the switch automatically reverted to an older firmware version. Recovering the lost firmware required redeploying a configuration file, which was readily available through Auvik. Restoring the configuration was a simple click away. This incident highlighted how Auvik goes beyond mere monitoring by actively facilitating troubleshooting.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was incredibly simple. I was brought into an onboarding meeting with just two or three others, and within a couple of weeks, I had a firm grasp of the platform. I also took advantage of the excellent training offered. 

The integrator would answer any questions I had, but for the most part, I was directed to their knowledge base. This prompted me to take the courses they offered, including a certification for the tool. Completing these courses on my own proved to be much more efficient than waiting to schedule meetings with the integrator. Consequently, I was able to learn the tool independently.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is very good. It's extremely competitive and I've shopped around on Auvik to see if there were cheaper solutions like Traverse, and there's no comparing the pricing. No one can beat their pricing right now.

Auvik monitors my core switches free of charge. I only pay for my firewalls.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated SolarWinds and another solution, but neither met my needs because they required extensive setup. Auvik, on the other hand, simplifies the process significantly. As a single person in my department responsible for the entire infrastructure, networking, cybersecurity, and other tasks, I rely on efficient tools. Auvik allowed me to seamlessly integrate into my new workplace and gain immediate visibility into the entire environment. Implementing the other tools would have been a much more time-consuming process. Auvik offered a smoother, faster, and easier implementation within my company.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Auvik a nine out of ten.

Maintenance on Auvik is only performed when we are aware of downtime. The only reason I have ever needed to perform maintenance on Auvik is to unmanage devices that are looping alerts. While troubleshooting, I may occasionally need to make changes to Auvik, but there are very few day-to-day tasks required. Once configured, Auvik requires minimal maintenance.

For anyone evaluating Auvik, my advice is this: understand that while this tool won't fix problems on its own, it will help you diagnose and solve issues more efficiently and logically. It provides a visual representation of your network that you wouldn't normally see unless you were physically present in the server room. But with Auvik, you have this vital visibility from anywhere you have a computer. That's a major benefit in itself. Additionally, Auvik is very quick to set up and easy to deploy. You can be up and running in as little as a week, which is a significant advantage over other network monitoring solutions.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
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Cybersecurity Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Gives our customers a clearer view of their infrastructure and critical network points
Pros and Cons
  • "Auvik's features for monitoring device availability and bandwidth utilization have greatly helped us. From a cybersecurity perspective, bandwidth utilization tells us if we have a potential data exfiltration incident. It also helps us decide whether to increase the bandwidth for one of the links or if the current bandwidth is sufficient."
  • "We're having difficulties with Auvik's regular maintenance windows. They do the maintenance on the cloud side, which affects the on-prem collectors that gather the logs from the different network assets."

What is our primary use case?

We use Auvik to monitor our client's infrastructure. It gives us real-time visibility into the devices, their status, and their availability at the device and interface level. Auvik monitors bandwidth utilization, TPU utilization, RAM, memory utilization, etc.

Auvik is deployed in a mesh environment consisting of five locations and the data center. We'll be moving toward Azure, but I'm not sure how well Auvik could cover us in that space.

How has it helped my organization?

It gives our customers a clearer view of their infrastructure and critical network points, which is visualized in a nice diagram on the website. The visualization part is really cool. It gives you an overview of the entire network at a glance. 

It's a crucial tool for helping our IT team to monitor remote and distributed networks. We couldn't visualize what's out there without it. We have data centers here and there and a couple of branches. We could see they are all connected and working, but we would not have a clue about the infrastructure underneath. Visualizing this helps us to understand what we have today. We know where to look or troubleshoot.

Auvik has an excellent scanning tool for our device inventories. It helps to have everything in one place. It saves time. Otherwise, we would need to ask around or check spreadsheets. Monitoring tools, in general, decrease the time of the resolution. Auvik performs about as well as other monitoring tools. They all do the same thing.

What is most valuable?

Auvik's features for monitoring device availability and bandwidth utilization have greatly helped us. From a cybersecurity perspective, bandwidth utilization tells us if we have a potential data exfiltration incident. It also helps us decide whether to increase the bandwidth for one of the links or if the current bandwidth is sufficient.

The interface is simple and efficient. You can quickly figure out where the icons and patterns you need to click to find information from Auvik. The ease of use is crucial because we log into Auvik four times a week. Having a single integrated platform simplifies the solution big time.

What needs improvement?

We're having difficulties with Auvik's regular maintenance windows. They do the maintenance on the cloud side, which affects the on-prem collectors that gather the logs from the different network assets. 

When they have the maintenance window on the cloud, we do not have visibility of the network assets on-prem. I've read a support ticket regarding this, but there hasn't been a solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Auvik for more than three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. We haven't seen an issue at all, except for the maintenance windows they have every couple of weeks.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I believe Auvik is capable of scaling up. I haven't tried it but I think it is ready because they have the scanning tool. Once we add a new device or a new subnet to be monitored, it would definitely scan it and add the discovered devices on the spot.

How are customer service and support?

I rate Auvik support 10 out of 10. They responded exceptionally well when I needed them.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

SolarWinds has an umbrella solution where you need to subscribe or purchase modules to get different features. However, we bring all of these under Auvik once we subscribe to the service. It wasn't a SaaS platform like Auvik. The company decided to switch for business reasons. 

What was our ROI?

We've definitely seen a return. Keeping your infrastructure monitored increases the uptime of the network. It tells you if you will have a problem up ahead. We used it to manage an issue in the past where one of the devices had high memory utilization. Auvik helped us identify the moment that memory utilization started to increase. That increased the ROI from a customer perspective.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Auvik has a reasonable subscription model.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Auvik nine out of 10. It's a tool that's accessible to techies and businesspeople alike. It grabs the information out of the network, visualizes it, and keeps the history of everything that goes on, which is beneficial for real-time and forensic monitoring. 

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: MSP
PeerSpot user
TAM and VCIO at CR-T | Calculated Research & Technology
MSP
Provides excellent network mapping, configuration backups and robust alerting
Pros and Cons
  • "The automated network topology map is excellent; it shows connected networks, where they're going, and what they're visible on."
  • "I want to see improvements to the interface, as it's data-heavy and challenging to navigate. This makes it harder to delegate and have junior staff look around and figure out the solution. A more straightforward interface would be a welcome improvement, whether by making it cleaner or more intuitive."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use cases are network management and configuration backups. The solution is deployed across 1,500 to 2,000 devices, and we have multiple clients as an MSP. The tool is multi-tenant within our environment and deployed across VPNs and numerous sites. Our clients range from small family-owned businesses to enterprises.

How has it helped my organization?

We previously used multiple applications to manage our networks, and switching to Auvik saved us a lot of time; we can troubleshoot two to three times faster than before. 

The most significant benefit of using Auvik is being able to pinpoint where an issue is. With the monitoring we had before, it wasn't proactive or reactive when something went down. It would inform us that something isn't working, but Auvik can tell us there's an issue on a specific subnet, and we can trace through and pinpoint a particular switch that went offline, for example.  

The solution helped reduce repetitive, low-priority tasks through automation, which is another area that's two or three times faster now, if not more.

The product positively affected our IT team's visibility into our remote and globally distributed networks, which is essential for us. We previously had separate tools for different locations, so it wasn't cohesive. With Auvik, we can tell at a glance that there are three devices offline at a site, including why they aren't working from a network perspective. It helps us figure out what's happening quicker, which helps us resolve faster and get back online. That insight is invaluable.

The solution's automation significantly affected our IT team's availability, as it frees up a lot of time for tasks we didn't have time for before. The rapidity and ease of resolution give us time to focus on other areas.  

We have seen a reduction in our mean time to resolve (MTTR) in the area of 50-60%.  

What is most valuable?

One of the solution's best features is how it helps us visualize our network mapping/topology. It builds the map out automatically as it discovers devices, networks within our network, or different subnets. We can see exactly where devices are in the environment and all their connections. Nobody likes to build out Visio diagrams, but with Auvik, we can take a snapshot of the network map and show it to a client. The network visualization is straightforward, intuitive, and makes sense.  

The automated network topology map is excellent; it shows connected networks, where they're going, and what they're visible on.

The configuration backup is a great feature, as it allows us to compare to previous iterations after changes and roll back if necessary.

Auvik allows us to get into devices through remote tunnels rather than going to the actual sites.

The alerting is another helpful feature, as Auvik gives more timely alerts than other tools. This makes it easier to pinpoint when and what network component goes down.

Auvik provides a single integrated platform for network management, which is essential for us; the fewer platforms we have to jump between, the better.   

Auvik helps keep device inventories up-to-date and find devices we didn't know were there in some cases. This functionality is excellent for helping our teams focus on high-value tasks, though not so much for delegation, as the solution is relatively challenging to learn and understand. 

The solution keeping device inventories up-to-date saves a lot of time because we can find devices we didn't know were there, figure out the network quicker, and identify potential issues.  

To someone comparing network monitoring solutions but concerned about price, you get what you pay for. We've used cheaper and free products, and we use Auvik now. It depends on how much time and energy you have to put into it versus a tool that's ready to use immediately. Our time is valuable, and we don't have enough to fiddle with a solution all day to get it to work or do what we want it to do.  

What needs improvement?

I want to see improvements to the interface, as it's data-heavy and challenging to navigate. This makes it harder to delegate and have junior staff look around and figure out the solution. A more straightforward interface would be a welcome improvement, whether by making it cleaner or more intuitive.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Auvik for about five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is highly stable; I can't think of a time when I tried to access it and it was unavailable. I've seen maintenance alerts and notifications, but we never had an issue.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is very flexible and scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

We contacted technical support on a few occasions, and they're familiar enough with the product to answer our questions and solve our issues. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used a kind of piecemeal solution; we tried to do SNMP reporting through our RMM tool. We also used a free Linux distro called LibreNMS, Nagios, and SolarWinds.

Libre was too convoluted; it was challenging to set up and obnoxious to deal with. Nagios gave us a lot of false alerts and irrelevant data and required tedious maintenance. Lastly, the company didn't like SolarWinds, so Auvik was our best solution, even though it was more expensive. Auvik does a better job of alerting and presenting relevant data, and I don't know if the other solutions featured automatic backup configuration or remote tunnel access. Most of the competitors didn't have the network topology mapping, or they didn't do a good job of it, but Auvik does that very well, and it's dynamic. Auvik seems like the more complete, refined tool, despite being a bit more expensive or on par with the competition.

How was the initial setup?

I was involved in the initial setup, and it's not as straightforward as some but not as complex as others, such as LibreNMS or SolarWinds. Auvik is somewhere in the middle in terms of setup difficulty. Two or three of us carried out the deployment, as we were the most familiar with the different environments, and the product is lightweight in terms of maintenance. 

The solution was quickly available out of the box; we created the tenant and deployed the collector, which were straightforward tasks. Following the collector deployment, the network mapping began to populate right away. 

To compare Auvik's cloud-based solution versus on-prem network monitoring solutions, we don't have to worry about the backend setup and config issues as much. Other than making sure the Auvik collector is up and running, we don't have to do anything else, which means less maintenance and an easier time for us. 

Comparing the time and cost it took to set up and maintain Auvik versus previous solutions, Auvik took less time to set up, deploy, and fulfill the job we wanted it to. In terms of difficulty, it's on par with other solutions though better than most, and it provides more data, better information, and better results. Auvik also makes troubleshooting straightforward and helpful; LibreNMS was too granular and complicated to operate for troubleshooting.

What about the implementation team?

We deployed via an in-house team, though Auvik Networks Inc. helped us with a few issues. As we tested the solution and played with it beforehand, we were familiar with it when we decided to go with Auvik and didn't feel like we needed outside help.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price is a little high, and the product could be more cost-friendly. We work with many small and medium-sized businesses, so the cost can be hard to justify. We try to work around that, but it would be nice if Auvik were more cost-effective. Most enterprise-level businesses we work with have their own internal monitoring solutions, whether Nagios or SolarWinds.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the product eight out of ten. If the interface was cleaned up and it was more cost-effective, I'd give it a ten.

It is moderately challenging to use Auvik's monitoring and management functions. It isn't the most accessible tool to learn; there's a bit of a learning curve, but it was fine once we got the hang of it. There are more intuitive solutions, which is why it takes a while to adapt, but it has excellent capabilities.

The solution didn't particularly help us delegate low-level tasks to junior staff because learning the platform isn't as intuitive as it could be. Therefore, it's harder for our junior techs to figure out what's going on, what's relevant and what isn't, so we haven't had our juniors in there much.

From a technical perspective, we have seen time to value with Auvik, though it can be challenging to demonstrate that to the higher-ups with tech solutions. The network topology is an excellent way of showing that value, and so is the remote management backup. It can be impactful when people don't have such bells and whistles to see.   

My advice to those considering the solution is that it may be more expensive than some, but it does a better job than just about anything else on the market. Auvik is more reliable, does an excellent job, and makes life easier once it's up and running. Be prepared to spend some time finding out what is and isn't relevant to your requirements and configure accordingly, which will make your life easier.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Auvik Network Management (ANM) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: July 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Auvik Network Management (ANM) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.