What is our primary use case?
We use it to route traffic and monitor through multiple interfaces. We have a management tool for management reports that we can customize and give to a manager if they are interested in the structure. But this tool is more designed for network engineers.
What is most valuable?
We don't have any complaints about the software. According to my team, it's a very good tool that's very intuitive. They really love it. The most valuable feature for us is how you can get reports about offenders on the network and which IP TCP ports utilize the most bandwidth in any link you're monitoring. In a matter of seconds, you can find it on the network and resolve the problem, and return to normality. You don't waste time troubleshooting,
What needs improvement?
The only downside to this software is the price. It's a very pricey solution. It's very expensive. It requires a good amount of resources in terms of server memory. We have a global company that has multiple data centers. If we try to use a data center that is not exactly here in Canada or the United States to reduce our costs, it isn't possible because the tool's performance degrades very quickly with the latency. The functionality of the web interfaces can also be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using LiveAction LiveNX for a little over two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable. In two years, we didn't have any issues with the tool. No problems at all.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability depends on the resources the tool uses. The more nodes you need to monitor, the more resources you'll need, and that, in the end, comes down to costs.
How are customer service and support?
Their tech support is awesome.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used homemade tools before. They weren't very primitive. We did a proof of concept with NetBrain. We went with LiveNX because we're a Cisco shop, and practically 100% of our routers are from Cisco. We also saw an opportunity to integrate Cisco Gears in LiveNX, and the partnership was very good.
How was the initial setup?
I wasn't technically involved, but I got the impression that the tool was easy to set up and put in place very quickly. The deployment itself was easy, but the hardest part was to put together all the resources the tool needed to be implemented.
What about the implementation team?
Our vendor at the time installed and deployed the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's very expensive. We pay around six figures a year in maintenance costs for around 1000 licensed nodes. But the good thing about the tool is that they don't charge on a per user basis. I can have my whole team use the tool to access the database using one router with one license. The more nodes we manage, the better it's for us. We have hundreds of sites, which means that to reduce the price tag, we need to choose which device we're going to use to monitor the site. We complement the functionalities with other tools, open-source tools, like PRTG.
What other advice do I have?
I would tell potential customers that it's a solution worth having, especially if you have deep pockets. If you're looking for a tool that will solve your problems in a short period of time more effectively, LiveNX is the right tool. But it would be best if you were prepared to pay for it as it's the Ferrari of network management. On a scale from one to ten, I would give LiveAction LiveNX a nine.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
