IBM Tivoli NetCool vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager comparison

"The Netcool solution is great, and it's very easy to use."

"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."

"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."

"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 tool had many built-in automation capabilities."

"Anything is possible with Tivoli. It's quite a robust system."

"The solution has very good integration capabilities."

"Support is one of the best aspects of this solution; NetCool is a good product that has good flexibility, and there are a lot of documents available online which is one of the best features of IBM Tivoli Suite."

"It is pretty straightforward to set up."

"We push all our configurations to the servers with ease and the logs capture almost all the transactions needed for an internal audit."

"NCM also helps with vulnerability assessment and remediation."

"It's perfect for network configuration management, and it's easy to use."

"The tool is useful for security purposes."

"SolarWinds NCM provides updates on the status of your network infrastructure. If any issues arise, such as a link failure or a device going offline, you will receive notifications and alerts. Additionally, if someone unplugs a cable, SolarWinds NCM will detect it. It also features a Topology Mapper that displays the connectivity of your network devices, giving you a visual representation of the network's structure. With SolarWinds NCM, you have a clear understanding of what's happening within your network and can generate comprehensive reports."

"We push all our configurations to the servers with ease and the logs capture almost all the transactions needed for an internal audit."

"NCM pays for itself within the first 3 years of use as you do need less dedicated Cisco certified engineers fully on site once it is implemented"

"The solution is too expensive."

"In terms of improvement, I would like to see more AIOps, Artificial Intelligent Operations in the next release. IBM develops new features for Power BI or Cognos Analytics, which is good. As of now, we use Cognos Analytics, we are not using Power BI. They have the Insight concept but we don't like that."

"The solution is not user-friendly."

"The product is pretty costly. It's definitely not the least expensive option."

"This is another one of those suites glued together from a myriad of acquisitions and it shows once you get under the hood."

"From a customer perspective, it is quite an expensive solution to initially implement and then support."

"It was a bit expensive to purchase but the benefits outweigh all the cons by far."

"UI is outdated, very old legacy."

"We had issues with the FailOver Engine module installation, due to the resources of each SolarWinds server."

"The solution could improve by being more secure."

"When we run the SolarWinds NCM jobs at the cellular line, it runs in the morning. They're just not finishing. We're getting false processing."

"The Network Configuration Manager needs to improve the access control list compliance."

"We do health checkups for the network devices. However, compared to NetBrain, the NCM health checkup is getting very bad."

"I would like to see more integration tools. Something like dialysis, for example."

"The integration with the network performance monitor wasn't complete as at the last time I used it."

"Further improvements in automation are needed. Currently, there are limitations in performing tasks without logging into routers directly, and we expect more comprehensive device control."

"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."

"In Africa, the cost is a major factor in decision-making for many companies. As a result, some companies may choose cheaper solutions, even if they are open-source, over more expensive ones, such as SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. However, as an engineer, I believe that the functionalities and services offered by SolarWinds justify the cost. Nonetheless, many companies in Africa may still view the prices as unaffordable."

"With a minimal bundle, we pay about $3000 a year in licensing costs. If you have multiple devices in your network, you must buy the bundle, which is 100% identical for your infrastructure. If you have 15 devices, you need 15 licenses, for example. That's one bundle. You don't pay for anything over and above that."

"There is a license for the use of this solution and it is priced well, there is a lot of value for the money."

"I have a yearly subscription."

"There is a license needed to use SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager."

"The price of the solution is high compared to other solutions."

"Additional costs beyond the standard licensing fee are inevitable."

"You have a base license for 50 devices, and then you can add more licenses as you go."