What is our primary use case?
Icinga is used for monitoring infrastructure devices like network devices, firewalls, and lots of servers. Linux, Windows, and many services are running on them using plugins, which are being distributed together with Icinga. We have developed some software in-house, so we use that as well.
The solution is deployed on-premises. I'm using version 2.9.
There are about 40 people using this solution.
The installations we have done were pretty complete, but we're always looking for other opportunities to install Icinga in our customers' networks. We're actively promoting Icinga to our customers.
What is most valuable?
There's a module called Icinga Director, which helps us configure the product using an intuitive interface through clicks instead of creating a text configuration. It's very helpful for us.
Regarding the experience, we are pretty excited about Icinga.
What needs improvement?
We have found some problems with Nagios, and support isn't very responsive. When they are responsive, they tell us that they don't know how to solve the problem. I understand that can happen when you're using an open source product and not paying for support, so you can't get an SLA.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Icinga for 18 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's rock stable. We haven't had any crashes.
I would rate the stability as 10 out of 10.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability was one of the advantages that we were really excited about. Using the satellite node is a big help. It's a well-thought-out feature. The scalability is one of the greatest advantages of Icinga.
I would rate the scalability as eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is welcoming, and they are trying to help, but it's apparent that there aren't many resources available. There aren't enough people to solve problems, which is understandable. Perhaps if we paid for premium support, the situation might be better. Right now, we aren't thinking about buying any support. We feel that we are technically savvy enough to use the product with our own support people.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Nagios. Icinga has many advantages in comparison.
We switched because Nagios is pretty old and the user interface is substandard from today's point of view. The most important reason was that you have to configure Nagios using text configuration files, which our customers aren't able to do.
With Icinga Director, this task is much easier. The configuration is easier with Icinga, once you get the hang of it. The learning curve is pretty steep, but it's much better than Nagios.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup was overwhelming. It was complex, and the learning curve was steep. During the first couple of weeks, it was hard to configure the basics. After following some instructions, you end up with an empty solution. It's basically a lot of software that's doing nothing. For us, it was pretty difficult, despite that we've already had a lot of experience with other monitoring solutions.
It took eight to ten weeks to set up everything correctly in the first installation. We migrated a pretty large installation, so we had to convert lots of configurations from Nagios to Icinga.
Before deployment, there was some analysis of the current situation because the old monitoring solution was pretty customized. We quickly learned that we would have to write some additional software, which we started doing around the time that we installed the solution. It was pretty straightforward.
Two people were involved in deployment.
For the first couple of months, we had to provide some support and maintenance to customers, but we taught them how to use the product effectively. In about six months, they were able to use the product on their own with minimal support from us.
Compared to other solutions, I would rate the setup as eight out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
We were the integrator, so everything was done in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We're using the free version of Icinga.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution as seven out of ten.
I would like to see documentation written in English. There are some books that are written in German, but I don't read German. I would advise people to be prepared to allocate a lot of time for research during the initial configuration. Once they've managed to configure everything, then the day-to-day operations are pretty easy. The initial installation and configuration are pretty complex and difficult.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.