Microsoft System Center and PRTG Network Monitor are prominent players in IT management and monitoring, with each excelling in specific niches. Microsoft System Center has the upper hand when integrated into Microsoft environments, while PRTG Network Monitor stands out for its scalability and ease of deployment.
Features: Microsoft System Center integrates seamlessly with Microsoft products and offers comprehensive features like antivirus administration, endpoint management, and detailed reporting. It supports automation for patch management and deployment, with tight integration with Microsoft Intune. PRTG Network Monitor is known for rapid deployment, scalability, and robust monitoring for network devices without significant customization. Its out-of-the-box sensors and intuitive interface make it suitable for diverse network environments.
Room for Improvement: Microsoft System Center struggles with non-Microsoft integrations and can be resource-heavy, complicating installation. Users suggest enhancements in cloud monitoring and UI responsiveness. PRTG Network Monitor's pricing is seen as high, and it lacks flexibility in reporting and sensor configuration. Improvements in application monitoring and dashboard customization are recommended, along with better system integration.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft System Center is primarily deployed on-premises with some hybrid cloud usage. While users commend its integration capabilities, they note slow technical support responses. PRTG Network Monitor, deployed in similar environments, receives positive feedback for ease of deployment but faces challenges with licensing complexities and limited local support, relying on email for support.
Pricing and ROI: Microsoft System Center is considered expensive due to annual licensing fees but offers good ROI through in-house management and automation, saving costs over time. PRTG Network Monitor offers a cost-effective free version for smaller deployments but becomes costly at scale. It provides value through bundled packages, delivering positive ROI by minimizing additional software investments.
It provides accurate data for utilization, allowing us to monitor and optimize our investments in WAN connection capacity.
After introducing PRTG Network Monitor, we have saved time, and it's easy for everybody to monitor everything.
I have seen a return on investment with PRTG Network Monitor as it has saved a lot of time, and its monitoring has reduced manpower requirements, which has been helpful.
As a partner, I cannot create a ticket directly; I have to involve the end user's email to create one, so using the Software Assurance ID to create a ticket directly is not possible, making it very challenging for me.
They resolve our queries 24/7.
The setup process is well-documented, making it easy to deploy.
Tutorials are available so I can manage any issue with PRTG Network Monitor easily.
Microsoft System Center is scalable, allowing integration even if I have different sites.
On a scale of one to ten, scalability is rated as 9.5.
PRTG Network Monitor has the ability to scale and add new devices.
You can install them in each network, even if they are not connected, and it works.
We haven't needed vendor support for the last three years, which demonstrates the product's stability.
The disadvantage of Microsoft System Center is related to the many integrated services; if one service is failing, then all features will be affected.
They need to improve application performance monitoring, error tracing mechanisms, and log management.
PRTG Network Monitor should provide syslog monitoring since it is not available at this time.
PRTG Network Monitor can sometimes be too detailed and cluttered at the beginning, making it heavy to use.
The licensing part is a recurring license for every year, which is very affordable, making PRTG Network Monitor budget-friendly.
Pricing is by the number of devices, not by sensor.
The prices are very high for PRTG Network Monitor.
In Microsoft System Center, all the features are integrated already, whereas in ManageEngine, you have to license each feature individually to access those features.
PRTG Network Monitor already provided me with 100 free sensors, which is enough for my network monitoring.
PRTG Network Monitor has a good dashboard that shows each and every piece of information, so we can easily find out what is happening with the systems.
These reports help me in my day-to-day work, and I rely on them because they provide proof during escalation, with exact downtime logs and related information.
Product | Market Share (%) |
---|---|
PRTG Network Monitor | 5.0% |
Microsoft System Center | 0.4% |
Other | 94.6% |
Company Size | Count |
---|---|
Small Business | 7 |
Midsize Enterprise | 4 |
Large Enterprise | 10 |
Company Size | Count |
---|---|
Small Business | 56 |
Midsize Enterprise | 18 |
Large Enterprise | 41 |
PRTG Network Monitor runs on a Windows machine within your network, collecting various statistics from the machines, software, and devices which you designate. PRTG comes with an easy-to-use web interface with point-and-click configuration. You can easily share data from it with non-technical colleagues and customers, including via live graphs and custom reports. This will let you plan for network expansion, see what applications are using most of your connection, and make sure that no one is hogging the entire network just to torrent videos.
To monitor a large IT environment, it's important to be able to scale PRTG up. Paessler PRTG Enterprise Monitor includes all the proven capabilities of PRTG Network Monitor, which are enhanced by exclusive ITOps Board for a service-oriented, central overview of multiple PRTG servers.
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