IBM Tivoli NetCool vs NetScaler comparison

Read 107 NetScaler reviews

179 Views
134 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

IBM Tivoli NetCool

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

IBM Tivoli NetCool and NetScaler compete in network management and optimization. NetScaler appears to have the upper hand due to its advanced traffic management and application delivery features, despite higher costs.

Features: IBM Tivoli NetCool offers customizable alerts, real-time monitoring, and a robust event management system with a focus on adaptability and scalability. NetScaler provides traffic management, load balancing, and security features such as SSL offload and application firewalls, aiming to enhance network performance.

Room for Improvement: IBM Tivoli NetCool could improve its integration capabilities and reduce setup complexity to better fit diverse environments. Additionally, enhancing user interface intuitiveness and simplifying deployment could offer significant improvements. For NetScaler, refining documentation and support responses, enhancing the GUI for more intuitive navigation, and addressing issues with specific Citrix integrations could be beneficial.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Tivoli NetCool utilizes a traditional deployment model with comprehensive support, though setup can be complex. NetScaler allows for quick system integration with a user-friendly approach, streamlined processes, and reliable customer service that simplifies deployment and integration.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Tivoli NetCool involves higher initial costs but offers scalability and long-term ROI for larger infrastructures. NetScaler may have more competitive initial pricing and delivers value through efficiency and performance. The investment is justified by its robust capabilities, offering a compelling option for businesses prioritizing performance optimization.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Tivoli NetCool vs. NetScaler Report (Updated: April 2025).

IBM Tivoli NetCool vs. NetScaler

Download the complete report

Helped 850,028 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM Tivoli NetCool

Ranking in Network Management Applications

16th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetScaler

Ranking in Network Management Applications

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

107

Ranking in other categories

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (1st), Web Application Firewall (WAF) (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of IBM Tivoli NetCool is 2.0%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetScaler is 1.6%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications

Featured Reviews

Petar Ganev

Senior Enterprise Monitoring Engineer at Commerzbank

Reliable for enterprise monitoring but no longer actively developed

There are problems with the latest security requirements because many things have changed in recent years, and now the security audits are very strict. And we need to switch to something else. We need to patch it constantly. Moreover, it is a very old tool and a little bit difficult to support. Otherwise, they work okay.

Read full review

DEMİRHAN ÇAVUŞOĞLU

Cloud Consultant at Migros Ticaret A.Ş.

A tool for centralized management including inventory and sales tracking

Citrix ADM has the ability to implement policies to tighten security. For instance, you can restrict access to your network from outsiders or lack necessary security measures such as antivirus programs. Additionally, there's the Delivery Controller, which allows for comprehensive monitoring and management tasks such as remote restarts, maintenance, and registration. Another essential component is the Director, which provides detailed insights into sessions, including identifying session failures, connection issues, user lockouts, etc. It presents a list of problems to address, enabling you to click on them and resolve them efficiently.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"NetCool has a huge database that can collect and process about one million alarms a day."

"Tivoli NetCool allows us to grasp a lot of data that can be applied toward predictive analytics and auto-remediation."

"The solution has very good integration capabilities."

"It's very easy to use."

"The scalability of monitoring, the breadth of supported network components, the scale of the number of monitoring events, and the flexibility in customization make this a well-rounded product."

"The feature I have found most valuable with NetCool is how it collaborates all the alarms, and then it does a predictive analysis, providing a consolidated alarm view and management."

"The tool is much easier to manage than running scripts and figuring out how many endpoints have been exceeded."

"Support is one of the best aspects of this solution. NetCool is a good product that has good flexibility. There are a lot of documents available online which is one of the best features of IBM Tivoli Suite. Whenever an issue happens, rather than going to technical support, if you find the exact issue in Google, you can get tech notes for that particular issue."

More IBM Tivoli NetCool pros

"Available on any device and can be accessed on a wide area network."

"SSL Offload"

"The best feature of Citrix is its track record of stability in its features."

"Global load balancing between data centers."

"The solution is extremely stable."

"It's very easy to configure."

"The web application firewalling component is a powerful feature."

"Compared to other solutions, Citrix ADC is much more robust in terms of the native integration to cloud platforms. It is far more robust from an operational point of view as well."

More NetScaler pros

Cons

"The solution is not user-friendly."

"The solution is too expensive."

"Tivoli NetCool's has medium scalability - there are some problems with its replications not being mature."

"The solution does not have any AI capabilities."

"Tivoli NetCool is based on a Linux platform, it would be beneficial if they moved it to Windows because not everyone is acquainted with Linux."

"The installation could be simplified, and technical support could be faster."

"Customization and integration that you need to do to make the product fit your needs is very complex. It is not a product that somebody could easily pick up without any prior training or experience."

"UI is outdated, very old legacy."

More IBM Tivoli NetCool cons

"The configuration for its web application firewall is complicated."

"In every release - and it doesn't matter if it's a minor release or a major release - they keep moving things around and they keep changing the mechanism. So certain things can work in one version one way, and everything works really well, then when you upgrade it to the next version, it breaks everything because they have a new way of doing it."

"It does not have a sandbox cloud service and antivirus. It should have on-prem or cloud sandboxing and antivirus."

"Currently, it is not easy to use the configuration capabilities of the product."

"Citrix ADC can be really complex. It isn't very simple like some other appliances that I've worked with. You need a lot of skill and experience to manage it. I'm not talking about a year or two. You need at least four years to understand it very well. It is not that easy to learn. They should make it a lot simpler for users to understand the management of it. They can also provide some additional training. The material they have on the site is not sufficient enough for you to understand how to manage it. Their training is expensive, and not everyone has the funds and experience for it. Citrix isn't very popular around these parts of the world. So, it can use some more marketing, sales, enlightenment, and advertisement. These could bring more market for them. Basically, there are just a few companies that really go for Citrix. Most of the companies go for VMware because they marketed themselves more than Citrix. There isn't much difference between Citrix and VMware. VMware is a little more robust than Citrix. Citrix has focused more on desktops rather than server virtualization, and that's the advantage VMware has over Citrix. Citrix also needs to educate and inform users about the infrastructure that is supported with a version. Currently, if the customers don't look at the datasheet, they might miss this important information."

"The solution's pricing is a big concern and should be improved."

"The tool needs to add a feature where we can access the network policy access manager."

"The main areas for improvement would be around documentation and support. If a feature can be used in two or three ways, show that feature being used in all of those ways. Documentation seems to only cover the primary use case and leaves you to either run through trial and error or consult the user community. In terms of support, I have never actually had them solve any of my issues. I have always solved them myself and then provided the resolution to support."

More NetScaler cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Customers are required to pay a licensing fee."

"The price of the product is too expensive."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"It costs around 100k for every ten servers, which is lower than similar products from other vendors."

"Its price is comparable to others and affordable."

"The license for Citrix NetScaler is on an annual basis and it is reasonably priced."

"NetScaler does the same thing as an F5 and it's cheaper."

"The licensing costs for this solution vary depending on which model is being used."

"The pricing could be lower."

"Its licensing cost is much higher than other products, but it is acceptable because it is a one-time investment, and we are getting our requirements fulfilled when we buy this product. So, there is no issue with the pricing."

"The firewall license is included by default, with no additional costs."

"We are quite happy with price. It's not too high."

More NetScaler pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Management Applications solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

32%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

I have worked from 1973 with all kind of systems in large enterprises across the world. And have experience with all kind of software in monitoring from infra to end to end, it depends on the funct...

What do you like most about IBM Tivoli NetCool?

The tool had many built-in automation capabilities.

What needs improvement with IBM Tivoli NetCool?

The main challenge is its licensing model, which is very complicated.

What do you like most about Citrix ADC?

The most valuable feature for us is the application firewalling in Citrix NetScaler, ensuring only valid traffic enters our environment.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix ADC?

After deployment, Citrix Netscaler shifted to a subscription-based license scheme for support, which is slightly more expensive.

What needs improvement with Citrix ADC?

Citrix NetScaler is a robust product, but mastering it requires significant learning and training due to its complexity. While it could be easier to manage, it is like transitioning from driving a ...

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs IBM Tivoli NetCool

Comparisons

Compared 41% of the time

HPE Intelligent Management Center vs IBM Tivoli NetCool

Compared 22% of the time

OpenText Network Node Manager i vs IBM Tivoli NetCool

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco DNA Center vs IBM Tivoli NetCool

Compared 17% of the time

More IBM Tivoli NetCool Competitors

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs NetScaler

Compared 11% of the time

HAProxy vs NetScaler

Compared 11% of the time

Fortinet FortiADC vs NetScaler

Compared 9% of the time

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs NetScaler

Compared 8% of the time

VMWare Avi Load Balancer vs NetScaler

Compared 8% of the time

More NetScaler Competitors

Product Reports

IBM Tivoli NetCool

Download IBM Tivoli NetCool product report

Download NetScaler product report

Also Known As

Tivoli NetCool

Citrix ADC, Citrix NetScaler VPX, NetScaler Console, NetScaler Web Application Firewall

Overview

IBM Tivoli Netcool delivers near real-time, consolidated event management across business infrastructure, data centers, complex networks and IT domains. The software provides full management and automation to help you deliver continuous uptime of business services and applications.

IBM

One platform for a consistent application delivery and security experience because nobody has time to learn multiple systems to manage ADC deployments. NetScaler is built with a single code base using a software-based architecture, so no matter which ADC form factor you choose — hardware, virtual machine, bare metal, or container — the behavior will be the same.

Sample Customers

Claranet, Consolidated Communications, Telus, €sterreichische Bundesbahnen (€BB), Telekom Srbija, Bendigo Community Telco, Capgemini, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB)

ABB Schweiz, Aer Lingus, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Amnet Technology Solutions, Aramex International, Ascenty, Atos, Autodesk

IBM Tivoli NetCool vs. NetScaler