Sentinel vs SolarWinds Security Event Manager comparison

OpenText and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category. OpenText is ranked #19 with an average rating of 7.7, while SolarWinds is ranked #24 with an average rating of 7.6. OpenText holds a 3.9% mindshare in SIEM, compared to SolarWinds’s 0.7% mindshare. Additionally, 82% of OpenText users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 82% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Sentinel

Read 17 Sentinel reviews

3,348 Views
3,281 Comparison Views

82% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Security Event M...

Read 27 SolarWinds Security Event Manager reviews

1,097 Views
1,031 Comparison Views

82% willing to recommend

Sentinel

SolarWinds Security Event M...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 2024

SolarWinds Security Event Manager and Sentinel both compete in the security solutions category. Based on user reviews, SolarWinds is noted for its cost-effectiveness and support, while Sentinel is preferred for its advanced features and comprehensive capabilities.

Features: SolarWinds Security Event Manager includes straightforward integration, real-time monitoring, and user-friendly implementation. Sentinel offers extensive reporting tools, advanced threat intelligence, and sophisticated features for complex requirements.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds Security Event Manager could enhance its scalability, alerting system, and up-to-date feature set. Sentinel needs more transparent documentation, streamlined configuration processes, and clarity in user guides.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds Security Event Manager is noted for its seamless deployment process and responsive customer service. Sentinel has comprehensive support but could simplify initial deployment for easier setup.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds Security Event Manager is valued for its affordability and quick return on investment. Sentinel, though higher in initial setup cost, is seen as worth the investment due to its extensive features and long-term benefits.

To learn more, read our detailed Sentinel vs. SolarWinds Security Event Manager Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Sentinel vs. SolarWinds Security Event Manager

September 2025

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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

Sentinel

Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

19th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SolarWinds Security Event M...

Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

24th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category, the mindshare of Sentinel is 3.9%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Security Event Manager is 0.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Sentinel	3.9%
SolarWinds Security Event Manager	0.7%
Other	95.4%

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Featured Reviews

Simon Johnston

Manager, Customer Success at Coltek Business Soltuions

Simple antivirus solution integrates well but could improve pricing and currency options

I don't really have experience working with these solutions. I promote them for our clients, but I don't work with them. I can't share my experience with these tools as I make assumptions about that. For both Adlumin and CrowdStrike, both confirm that they're scalable and enterprise-ready and all those kinds of things. We haven't had any specific problem with either of those. We just have a preference for which one we would prefer. If somebody says they want to use a different one from the one that we prefer, then we have to find reasons why they aren't. But scalability is not one of the reasons that one is better over the other. I don't really have advice for people that are looking into using Sentinel; just do your research across what is available. On a scale of one to ten, I rate Sentinel a seven.

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Yashokanth Partkunan

Managed Services Engineer at Loop1 Systems

Has supported client needs efficiently but requires deeper analysis features and faster support

The log analyzing capability of SolarWinds Security Event Manager should go into more depth than the current environment. More modification and enhancements are required on the dashboard side in order to make it closer to optimal performance. From observation and feedback from users, they need more functionality related to monitoring, and in-depth analyzing needs to be improved.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"In my opinion, Sentinel's best features include that it's a very easy product to use, it's very simple, and the after-sale service is very good."

"The tool is simple to use."

"We can do advanced hunting queries and modify SQL queries to get desired results based on the rules triggering over the console."

"The solution lets us get all the logs properly and regularly monitor customer infrastructure."

"The native integration with out-of-the box format is hassle free and allows data to be used advantageously."

"The stability is phenomenal and we never had any issues with downtime or even had to restart."

"It makes everything easier by automating some tasks and growing with our needs."

"Sentinel gave us logs to tell us what's going right and wrong in your environment so we could secure the network."

More Sentinel pros

"It has in-depth monitoring capabilities and an easy way for setting up dashboards. I can expand in various areas, or I can reduce areas. It supports different types of breakdowns, filters, and rules. It is very simple for an out-of-the-box type of product. It doesn't take a lot of time to figure it out, which is unlike some of the solutions that I have looked at. It meets all the aspects."

"It supports high availability, which is very helpful."

"SolarWinds is effective for server, network, and log monitoring. It's also good for IP address management. We also have a patch manager, but we're still working on getting that operational."

"The solution helps me to go back in time and search for different events. For example, if you wanted to know who activated an account; you could go back in time and find out."

"It performs network behavior monitoring, log monitoring, and disaster recovery monitoring."

"It's extremely easy to deploy."

"Some of the rules are most valuable because you can be notified about various things, such as spyware or things that are going on in the internal network."

"The most valuable feature is the reporting."

More SolarWinds Security Event Manager pros

Cons

"There is no integration in the web-side of the tool."

"It is an ancient product."

"The solution does not allow outsourced authorizations."

"You need a lot of Unix scripting knowledge in order to manage the tool, which is one of the main issues that we faced."

"I rate Sentinel a six out of ten for scalability."

"There is a need for more flexibility in customization, especially when working with different vendors and platforms."

"Creating a drag-and-drop dashboard or workbook in Sentinel is a little more complex compared to other tools like LogRhythm and IBM QRadar."

"This product's connection to certain types of cloud systems could be improved. We can do Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, but there are a lot of other things happening in the cloud that we do not connect well enough to. This product could be improved with better connection to cloud-based solutions."

More Sentinel cons

"There are no multiple dashboards which would allow you to see information side-by-side."

"It won't tell you when your backups are failing, but it will give you hints when your database is running on full recovery."

"There is no correlation made between log entries, so no threat information is presented."

"One of the drawbacks of being so flexible is that it is also a fairly complicated software application to install, configure, and maintain."

"We used the support from SolarWinds Security Event Manager and they are knowledgeable but challenging to get in contact with them."

"I would like to be able to dig deeper into the visibility of events or incidents to determine whether they are malicious, such as by doing behavior analysis."

"I think the customization area in the tool can be considered as an area of concern where improvements are required."

"I don't think SolarWinds is scalable enough. It is somewhat limited when I need to deploy it across multiple environments in a distributed architecture."

More SolarWinds Security Event Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Sentinel is a subscription-based solution."

"The solution’s pricing is aligned with its competitors."

"Sentinel is moderately priced."

"We inquired about getting support from the vendor, Micro Focus, but the cost was very high."

"Sentinel's slightly on the expensive side."

"We receive a pricing discount because of our ongoing partnership with Micro Focus."

"It is in the appropriate mid-range. It is not as expensive as some of the other solutions. It is also not cheap."

"The price of SolarWinds Security Event Manager is reasonable."

"Licensing is on devices, so if you have many, then this may be high."

"We do a yearly license renewal. For a year, the solution costs roughly $500,000 USD. There are no costs beyond this yearly fee."

"The tool is available at a good price for customers compared to other solutions in the market. I rate the product's price as an eight out of ten."

"Licenses can only be purchased in blocks of fifty at a time."

"The pricing model would benefit from having package deals with other SolarWinds products."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

University

14%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

10%

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about NetIQ Sentinel?

The solution lets us get all the logs properly and regularly monitor customer infrastructure.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetIQ Sentinel?

I don't have too many comments overall about pricing as we're in South Africa, so it makes more sense if it's billed in rand. They nearly always bill it in dollars, so if it can be billed in our cu...

See all answers

What needs improvement with NetIQ Sentinel?

I'm not sure what the room for improvement is for Sentinel. It needs to stay current, and it does, so I suppose that's fine. I don't have a high demand for what it should do. Price is always a cons...

See all answers

What do you like most about SolarWinds Security Event Manager ?

The solution helps you monitor database instances, application instances, other customer application things, Linux servers, IBM servers, and Oracle servers.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Security Event Manager ?

The tool is available at a good price for customers compared to other solutions in the market. I rate the product's price as an eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Security Event Manager ?

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 15% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs Sentinel

Compared 15% of the time

Wazuh vs Sentinel

Compared 13% of the time

Google Chronicle Suite vs Sentinel

Compared 9% of the time

Cortex XSIAM vs Sentinel

Compared 7% of the time

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Wazuh vs SolarWinds Security Event Manager

Compared 30% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs SolarWinds Security Event Manager

Compared 21% of the time

IBM Security QRadar vs SolarWinds Security Event Manager

Compared 14% of the time

LogRhythm SIEM vs SolarWinds Security Event Manager

Compared 9% of the time

Trellix ESM vs SolarWinds Security Event Manager

Compared 9% of the time

More SolarWinds Security Event Manager Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Sentinel

September 2025

Download Sentinel product report

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Security Event Manager

September 2025

SolarWinds Security Event Manager report

Download SolarWinds Security Event Manager product report

Also Known As

NetIQ Sentinel, Novell SIEM

SolarWinds LEM, Solarwinds SIEM, TriGeo, Log and Event Manager

Overview

Sentinel is a full-featured Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution that simplifies the deployment, management and day-to-day use of SIEM, readily adapts to dynamic enterprise environments and delivers the true "actionable intelligence" security professionals need to quickly understand their threat posture and prioritize response.

OpenText

When TriGeo was acquired by SolarWinds, TriGeo SIM became known as SolarWinds Log & Event Manager. This product is a leading Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) product and log management solution, which provides log collection, analysis, and real-time correlation.

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Faysal Bank, GaVI, Handelsbanken, ISC Mªnster, Lambeth Council, Swisscard, The Municipality of Siena, Tukes, University of Dayton, University of the Sunshine Coast

NetSuite, EasyStreet, Legacy Texas Bank, and Energy Federal Credit Union, to name a few.

Buyer's Guide

Sentinel vs. SolarWinds Security Event Manager

September 2025

Free Report: Sentinel vs. SolarWinds Security Event Manager

Find out what your peers are saying about Sentinel vs. SolarWinds Security Event Manager and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

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We monitor all Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.