Kentik Reviews

Many users find Kentik beneficial in reducing transit costs by utilizing direct peering, improving latency, and enhancing operational efficiency. It simplifies automation, provides valuable data for planning, and assists in security matters. The tool's impact outweighs costs, offering a central view of traffic and aiding in quicker issue resolution. Although quantifying ROI is challenging, organizations consistently renew, reflecting perceived value in preventing costly errors and managing user spending effectively.

Kentik charges based on devices and flow with discounts for education sectors. Pricing varies significantly between BGP and normal nodes, which can benefit both parties. Contracts are typically annual, with options for multi-year agreements. Customers can opt for burstable licenses, paying for usage only. Costs resemble cross-connect fees per device monthly, and pricing is competitive yet demanding budgeting, depending on organizational size. Pricing aligns well with market expectations, though not considered inexpensive.

• "The tool is cheaply priced."
• "We have an annual contract with Kentik that we renew each year for a set number of licenses. We also have some burstable licenses which we can spin up and spin down, and those are paid as they are used."

Kentik is used primarily for traffic management, network visualization, and flow data analysis. Users employ it for peering management, interconnection research, and capacity management. Kentik assists with DDoS detection, traffic visibility, and alerting and reporting. It is utilized in sales prospecting and the development of internal tools. Users choose between on-prem and cloud deployments based on cost-effectiveness and hardware needs. The SaaS version is used for multi-vendor environments and data center troubleshooting.

Kentik's customer service is highly regarded for its proactive and prompt support. Users appreciate the expert-level knowledge and quick response times, often receiving solutions within minutes. They commend Kentik for its effective problem resolution and communication. Despite occasional issues with updates, Kentik's team swiftly addresses concerns and maintains strong communication, ensuring clients remain informed. Users value the hosted service's stability and the team's dedication to addressing inquiries and providing customized solutions.

Kentik's initial setup is often straightforward and completed with minimal assistance. Many found it simple and quick, whether deployed on-premises or in the cloud. Automated processes and clear instructions eased the process. Some users managed the setup independently, while others required collaboration with IT departments. Variability in network configurations impacted complexity, but standardized networks experienced smoother deployments. Setup duration ranged from a day to a few weeks, depending on scale and environment.

Many users experience no issues with Kentik’s scalability, even with global expansion and large networks. Its scalability is appreciated, allowing seamless scaling without hitting limits. Some mention effective integration with platforms like Kubernetes and emphasize the need for credits and packs for expansion. Users value the capability to run queries independently, finding it beneficial for small, medium, and large enterprises. It handles high data flow rates efficiently and is planning to expand further.

Users report great stability with Kentik, rarely experiencing issues. Minor bugs, like an occasional auto-refresh glitch, are swiftly addressed. Planned maintenance is communicated, and disruptions are uncommon. Hardware issues like fan or drive failures don't impact functionality. Stable in both lab and production environments, users typically don’t encounter stability problems. Maintenance windows are normal, and downtime is rare. The only significant issue was mitigated efficiently without affecting critical operations.