Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
Bjorn Struebing - PeerSpot reviewer
Solutions Architect at TRUE NORTH ITG, INC.
MSP
Top 20
Provides full network visibility and allows us to remote into network devices through the dashboard
Pros and Cons
  • "I love the ability to remote into network gear such as switches and firewalls directly from the Auvik dashboard. We do not have to get into a jump box or VPN to a client. We can get a nice, secure terminal session straight to any network that we are monitoring and managing through Auvik. I can access that directly from the Auvik dashboard."
  • "They can maybe provide some more best practices or guidance around how large a network should be. They can provide some cutoff points, such as, if you have 30 network devices, you might want to chunk that into a smaller subset or site. They can help you better plan and design how to create your Auvik sites, especially if you have a large environment."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use it to monitor our clients' networks. We are also using it as a monitoring tool for some of the clients for whom we manage VMware clusters. We are utilizing Auvik log gathering and alerting. It is like a poor man's VMware monitoring tool.

How has it helped my organization?

Auvik's network map along with its dashboard gives us a real-time picture of our network. It is nice. I like how it changes. Based on how big your screen is, it expands to fill in the free space, and as it understands the environment better, it gives you a nice topology. You can see that this device is connected to that device through this port and everything else. It gives you a lot of information in a very clean, concise manner.

The network map does get cluttered if you have a very large environment and you are not tearing it down to smaller sites or smaller chunks. I know early on when we started using it, we would have clients who had MPLS connections, so we were scanning all seven sites in one Auvik site. It was definitely unwieldy because of the number of devices there. Once you get an idea of how you can search and filter, it gets a little bit easier. In our experience, it was better to start creating multiple sites and breaking out each of our clients' sites into a sub-site. Even then, some sites were quite large, so we had to delve into it. It can get messy, but it is something that we worked through.

It gives you full network visibility assuming that you are setting up your devices correctly because, with the bad data in, you are going to get bad data out. You need to get into all your switches, firewalls, and everything else and make sure that SNMP is configured correctly. You need to ensure that your logging is pointing to the right IP and that creds and other things are correct so that Auvik is able to ingest the data correctly. Auvik can then provide a good map of what it is seeing and where all your devices are. It is definitely not a quick and easy setup if you have a fairly large environment. If you have an environment where maybe you have never set up SNMP, there is a little bit of heavy onboarding, but once it is in and Auvik is collecting the data, it is a good product.

We could see its benefits within days of having all the environments configured correctly, sending logging data, and having SNMP configured correctly. Within days, Auvik was able to collect the data, connect to all the devices, and see how switches were connected back to the core and how the traffic flowed. We started getting good data and performance metrics on port speeds and things like that fairly quickly. It was pretty quick.

We are still rolling out access to the solution for different levels of our support team. Those who do have access to it have found it beneficial to be able to see the data that they would not normally have access to.

Auvik has helped to decrease our mean time to resolution. We are not tracking that per se, but for the few issues that came up, we went to Auvik to review performance metrics. That minimized the amount of time it took to resolve whatever we were looking at because we had the data given by Auvik. We were not blindly trying to figure out what was going on by using a device's features.

Auvik allows us to spend less time on the setup and maintenance of the solution and less time on issue resolution. For some of the clients that we have brought on and utilized Auvik with, there has been a little bit of onboarding. We had to go and change SNMP settings or just enable SNMP, community strings, etc. We had to repoint the syslog so that it is pointing to the Auvik collector. There has been onboarding time there, but in the long run, because of the data that we get out of Auvik, it reduces the amount of time it takes to look into issues. So, there is a wash and probably a net positive, where we take less time to deal with issues because of Auvik than the time it took us to get it set up.

What is most valuable?

I love the ability to remote into network gear such as switches and firewalls directly from the Auvik dashboard. We do not have to get into a jump box or VPN to a client. We can get a nice, secure terminal session straight to any network that we are monitoring and managing through Auvik. I can access that directly from the Auvik dashboard. That is probably one of the biggest benefits since we got it. It saves time. We do not have to look up passwords for a random jump box in a client's environment.

What needs improvement?

Most of the past frustrations have either been resolved or were more about how I was trying to figure things out. They were not necessarily an Auvik problem. I have been pretty happy with the usage. I have not come across a pain point that was a deal breaker.

They can maybe provide some more best practices or guidance around how large a network should be. They can provide some cutoff points, such as, if you have 30 network devices, you might want to chunk that into a smaller subset or site. They can help you better plan and design how to create your Auvik sites, especially if you have a large environment. Most of our client environments are less than a dozen devices, but we have come across a few where they have had 60 switches. It has been interesting dealing with so many devices and seeing all the data that Auvik can provide with so many devices in one single pane.

Buyer's Guide
Auvik Network Management (ANM)
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Auvik Network Management (ANM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

It has been about a year since I have been exposed to it, or maybe a little bit longer.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have never experienced any lagging or crashing with the product. With the amount of updates and the communication that they have about when they are doing updates or when they are having issues, it has been easy. Everything is well communicated. They do a good job with it. I have not experienced the product crashing on me or something like that.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is pretty good because right now, we have maybe 40 or 50 base sites in our environment. A lot of those base sites are multisite sites. We probably have 60 to 70 total sites that we are managing through Auvik. There have been no slowdowns or hiccups. Everything has been good.

How are customer service and support?

I have contacted their support. There was a problem trying to get a device recognized in the dashboard or send data to the dashboard. It might have been a networking issue, not necessarily an Auvik issue, but they were helpful from what I remember.

The quality of their support was good. It was not necessarily a system-down type of scenario. It was not a high-priority ticket that I put in, but from memory, they responded in an adequate amount of time to the question I was posing. For the scenario, their support was good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have not used any similar solution. The closest thing I have used would be Meraki, but that is Meraki-centric. It is not something that you can use with anything. That would probably be the closest thing to the single pane of glass and seeing how everything is interconnected. It is a hard comparison because the Meraki dashboard is made for Meraki software. I like Auvik a little bit better just because it does not necessarily matter which network equipment is there. With Auvik, we are utilizing clients that have multiple kinds of network hardware such as Aruba, FortiGate, Cisco, etc. They have anything and everything. Auvik has been very good at giving us that guidance into what is going on in the environment.

How was the initial setup?

It is cloud-based with on-prem collectors at all of the different client sites. There is usually a service installed on a virtual machine somewhere unless we have a physical management device in their environment, and then we put the collector on that. Aside from the collectors in the actual environment, the service is cloud-based.

Its initial deployment was easy. There is obviously a learning curve when you get new software. It took us a while to understand all the features and abilities that Auvik provides, but the initial standing up of the site, getting the collector spun up, and adding network devices was pretty quick. It probably took thirty minutes.

The implementation took a couple of days the first time. Now, when we bring on new clients, the time depends on how large an environment is, how many switches and other devices are there, and whether they have already configured SNMP across the LAN. On average, a normal new client takes 8 to 16 hours to stand up, set up the Auvik sites, get collectors posted, and start ingesting data after setting up all the settings on the switches to point to the collector. It is a decent amount of time. It is not too much, but it is not necessarily super quick.

What about the implementation team?

We did it all in-house. A few technical people from Auvik assisted us, but I do not believe we pulled a third party in on it.

For a new client that we bring on, it is usually a one-person job. We assign a tech, and they get it going. It is simple enough that a single engineer can handle it unless you are organized a little differently, and then I could potentially see multiple people being required. Generally, a single person who understands Auvik management and dashboard has basic networking skills, can go in and change SNMP settings, and set up logging can easily handle it on his or her own.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

For us, it has been good. I do not get too much into the pricing side. We are an MSP, so we have a number of clients, and we are utilizing Auvik as a way for us to be able to better manage and support our clients. The more clients we bring into Auvik, the better the pricing, so we have been happy with how it is.

There are critical devices in our network that are monitored by Auvik at no charge. That is why we have been using Auvik for some of our VMware cluster management clients. We can add VMware servers to the Auvik dashboard and get basic monitoring and up/down alerting by utilizing Auvik, but we do not pay for them because they are not network devices. That has been a nice additional feature. We have way more network devices that we are monitoring, but being able to add those in and not having to worry about additional costs has been nice.

What other advice do I have?

The data you get out of Auvik is only as good as the data you put into it. So, you need to make sure that you are scanning the subnets that you need to scan. Ensure that you are scanning everything in your environment, you have all your devices configured for SNMP, and you have syslog set correctly out the gate. That will set you up for the best usage of the product and get the best data out of it.

It is pretty good in terms of ease of use. Over the last year or so that we have used it, it has improved here and there, not drastically, but in terms of little annoyances that I cannot even think of right now. It is definitely easy to understand once you go through basic training for how the dashboard is laid out.

I would rate Auvik Network Management a solid nine out of ten.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Solutions Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Top 20
Gives us the ability to see the network's layout, which gives us a better understanding of how it works
Pros and Cons
  • "I love that Auvik can automatically back up the configuration of switches and firewalls."
  • "I wish there was a way to reduce the cost somehow."

What is our primary use case?

We use Auvik to discover devices on the network, to get a good layout of the network, and to have the solution back up the configuration of certain network devices. We have it deployed to each individual client so that we can map out each of their networks. When a device breaks, we get an alert from Auvik, and then we deal with it. We have the alerts set up for high-value tasks or high-importance devices, such as a network switch going down. We use something else for remote management, but Auvik does all the other work.

How has it helped my organization?

Auvik provides a single integrated platform for our organization which is super helpful.

Before Auvik, our network was a little bit of a mess. Sometimes we would use an application, and other times we wouldn't use anything. We wouldn't know anything about the network. As a result, it was all over the board.

The solution gave us the ability to see the network's layout, which gave us a better understanding of how it worked. Auvik can help identify where a device is plugged in and how it is accessing the network. This can help troubleshoot any issues with devices not working properly.

Auvik's mapping is great. It is one of the better-looking mappings that I have seen. Having the mapping available visually is great. It is super helpful for the techs to be able to pop open Auvik and see where everything is plugged in.

Auvik has affected our team's visibility into our remote and distribution networks globally in a positive way, making the network easier to manage.

It helps keep our device inventories up to date. When a device breaks, we get an alert from Auvik, and then we deal with it. We have the alerts set up for high-value tasks or high-importance devices, such as a network switch going down. We don't use Auvik for low-priority tasks at all.

What is most valuable?

I love that Auvik can automatically back up the configuration of switches and firewalls.

It's not difficult to use the monitoring and management functions of Auvik, but it's not entirely intuitive either. Once we get the hang of it, it's simple enough.

We have other solutions that keep our inventory up to date, therefore using Auvik to keep inventory up to date for us is redundant. However, I see how other people would use the solution because it scans the network constantly and keeps the inventory up to date. Auvik can save time. 

Auvik requires almost zero maintenance.

What needs improvement?

I would recommend fixing the visual layout of the screen. I dislike not being able to zoom in and out with the mouse wheel. To zoom in and out, we have to use the plus and minus buttons on the side of the screen. I also recommend not having the device constantly refresh while we're looking at it. At times, we'll be trying to figure out where things are and devices will suddenly start moving back and forth. Sometimes we want the information to pause so we can check the layout.

I wish there was a way to reduce the cost somehow.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Auvik for a few years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Auvik is very reliable. I've seen the solution break a couple of times, but it's rare.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is great. It can handle small networks and humongous networks.

How are customer service and support?

I had a question that was answered by technical support quickly.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. It was very simple, we installed the agent and let it scan out of the box.

It takes under ten minutes for Auvik to start network mapping once the collector is implemented.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house using just me.

What was our ROI?

Auvik helped speed up network troubleshooting. And having the layout can help us figure out where devices are when somebody's unsure, remotely. The solution definitely improved our time.

Depending on the situation we occasionally see a reduction in our MTTR. If there's a network issue, Auvik can help with troubleshooting, significantly reducing our time.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Auvik is expensive but worth the cost for a network management solution.

It can get expensive quickly if we monitor a lot of devices, which is unfortunate because we have a lot of devices to monitor.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Auvik is definitely the leader in the visual layout field. We looked at SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor, but it didn't have the feature set or reliability that Auvik offers.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution a nine out of ten.

Auvik is deployed across multiple locations. We're an MSP, and we have multiple clients, each with separate networks. We installed an Auvik agent for each of those clients.

Before using Auvik we must have all the credentials in our hands. It makes the deployment easier.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Auvik Network Management (ANM)
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Auvik Network Management (ANM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Elixir Francisco - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Systems Support Analyst at PetroChina International (Canada) Trading Ltd.
Real User
Reduced time to resolve with real-time alerts, provides excellent visibility over the network and is straightforward to use
Pros and Cons
  • "The alerting is fantastic; if something goes offline, we're notified right away. It gives us a lot of peace of mind knowing the solution will alert us to issues automatically 24/7."
  • "The ability to subcategorize our inventories, between physical and VM servers, for example, would be a welcome addition."

What is our primary use case?

Auvik is an excellent tool for monitoring all our infrastructure devices, particularly network switches, servers, etc. We also use it to manage assets such as printers and workstations.

We use multiple products in our system, and Auvik is one of the top tools when it comes to monitoring; it does its job well, and we're pleased with it.

How has it helped my organization?

The product significantly helps us; the real-time updates and alerts, and the rapid response time those facilitate, are beneficial. It gives us a lot of confidence knowing that if something goes down and needs to be fixed, Auvik will notify us immediately, and we can start working on a solution right away.

The solution's automation had a significant effect on our IT team's availability, especially when it comes to issues that may arise on the network. Automation provides us with real-time information, which allows us to resolve quickly.  

We've seen a massive reduction in our meantime to resolution (MTTR) with Auvik; having real-time problem alerts is a game-changer for us. 

What is most valuable?

The alerting is fantastic; if something goes offline, we're notified right away. It gives us a lot of peace of mind knowing the solution will alert us to issues automatically 24/7.

Once the solution is set up, the monitoring and management functions are straightforward to use. This is important because we want our systems to be as easy to use as possible for our daily operations. 

Overall, Auvik's network visualization provides us with a lot of information. The interface, icons, and mapping showing the icons and labels for particular devices are intuitive; the solution does a good job of providing us with the information we need in this respect.  

The product helped reduce repetitive, low-priority tasks through automation, which is a game-changer for us. Automation benefits our team and department, as well as other departments and business units because we can integrate their systems into our Auvik system. 

Auvik provides good visibility into our remote and distributed networks, although most of our infrastructure is local. We have data centers in different locations, and all our network devices are visible on the Auvik interface, including VMs, servers, and workstations. Everything can be integrated into our system.  

Comparing Auvik's cloud-based solution versus on-prem network monitoring solutions, being in the cloud is another game-changer. There can be some advantages with on-prem, but we prefer cloud-based, so it's great that we have that option. The cloud is the future, and everyone is moving in that direction, so that's a big plus for Auvik.  

What needs improvement?

The ability to subcategorize our inventories, between physical and VM servers, for example, would be a welcome addition. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for six to seven years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Auvik is very stable; we've experienced 99.99% uptime. It always provides us with the accurate information we need.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The stability could be better. Auvik can cater for many units and devices, but adding subcategories would make scaling easier.

How are customer service and support?

The product has been steady since implementation, so we never needed to contact technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I arrived after the solution was implemented, and before the implementation, I assume everything was done manually.

How was the initial setup?

I wasn't at the company when Auvik was implemented, but as with all systems, the implementation can be tricky.

Auvik sometimes announces maintenance on their end, which is all done in the cloud, so the solution doesn't require any maintenance on our end. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is fair; it's just the right price for what the solution provides.

To someone comparing network monitoring solutions but concerned about pricing, with the features and automation Auvik provides, it's on top of the game. There are some cheaper options, but Auvik is one of the top tools, and I recommend it to anyone with the budget.  

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. Auvik could be better, but overall, I highly recommend the tool.

We don't currently use the solution for managing device inventories. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Mark Guillen - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at New Mexico State Capitol
Real User
Keeps track of contracts for network devices and indicates what updates are needed
Pros and Cons
  • "Auvik's cloud SaaS model saves money because we don't need to maintain devices or pay for overhead on our end."
  • "The discovery of devices in your inventory could be more automated. It doesn't find anything without an SNMP string. If you have an SNMP string, it'll find it for you and keep it in the inventory."

What is our primary use case?

We originally purchased Auvik to map our network because I didn't have any kind of network diagram. I thought this would provide a better view of our network. 

How has it helped my organization?

In the past, we had several solutions for monitoring our network. Switching to Auvik saved quite a lot of time. We have a small team with limited resources, and we saved a lot of time trying to do all this. It has increased our IT team's availability by about 40 percent. When we implemented Auvik, we didn't have a network admin, so Auvik helped fill that void. Auvik provides a general idea of the network layout and our infrastructure, allowing me to work with third-party and in-house engineers.

Auvik has helped us automate repetitive tasks and streamline processes. For example, it's easy to recognize when we need to upgrade our firmware or patch something. It has reduced our resolution time because it can take time to resolve issues if we don't have a network diagram. Auvik's cloud SaaS model saves money because we don't need to maintain devices or pay for overhead on our end. 

What is most valuable?

I like that Auvik keeps track of our contracts for the network devices and tells us what updates are needed. Using Auvik is pretty straightforward. We've gone through onboarding a few times there with the representative. It's easy to use if you have a good grasp of network administration.

It has a nice dashboard that rolls a few solutions into one. That integrated platform is crucial because we don't need to navigate multiple dashboards. It's a single pane of glass. Auvik's interface is intuitive and gives you an understanding of what to look for.

What needs improvement?

The discovery of devices in your inventory could be more automated. It doesn't find anything without an SNMP string. If you have an SNMP string, it'll find it for you and keep it in the inventory. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Auvik for about six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Auvik 10 out of 10 for stability because we haven't seen any issues.

How are customer service and support?

I rate Auvik support 10 out of 10. We have had ongoing contact with Auvik support. They check in with us periodically to make sure we're doing good. That's pretty consistent.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We started with Auvik.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Auvik is straightforward. I implemented it by myself with some guidance from the vendor. It was a matter of running a wizard and ensuring we had the right credentials. We used the out-of-the-box configuration. After deploying the collector, our network map started populating instantly, but we allowed 24 hours to ensure the collector had run its full course.

We gave it about 24 hours just to make sure. It started populating almost instantly, but we wanted to make sure that we had everything there and that the collector ran its full course.

What about the implementation team?

We had support from a vendor consultant who helped with the setup and followed up with routine maintenance. The service has been great. 

What was our ROI?

Looking up every device to see if it's on contract or renewal takes time. Auvik provides a single pane of glass with all your devices, which saves considerable time. I estimate it's an 80 percent reduction. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Auvik is a good product for the price. The license is reasonable. We took a chance on it and figured it would work for us. It did even more than we expected. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

The closest network mapping solution was SolarWinds, but it couldn't offer the same visibility into firmware updates, contract renewals, etc. SolarWinds was a lot more expensive, too. Price was the deciding factor.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Auvik 10 out of 10. I would recommend it for companies looking for an easy way to get their network mapped and features like device contract management and inventory. Auvik's ease of use and price are the most important factors, especially for small teams. 

You should do a proof of concept before you deploy it.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2509260 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr Infrastructure Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
The traffic insights feature helps us better explain our network traffic
Pros and Cons
  • "The main selling point was the traffic insights feature, which better explains our network traffic. Auvik has many different features, but we primarily want it for traffic insights. It has monitoring and network discovery. Network discovery is useful, but we already have a monitoring solution. The network map is easy to use."
  • "The onboarding could be a bit better for Auvik. We've had a few issues out of the gate because we already had an existing Auvik setup that was invalidated. Given that we're a new customer, it's taken a while to get support for these issues. It's taken a couple of days, but I would have thought that as new customers, we'd get priority support until we've got the solution running."

What is our primary use case?

We have a medium-sized business. We have two data centers and two small physical offices. Our main goal is to monitor the traffic between the data centers to get an idea of the traffic, and our current firewalls don't offer that as a solution.

What is most valuable?

The main selling point was the traffic insights feature, which better explains our network traffic. Auvik has many different features, but we primarily want it for traffic insights. It has monitoring and network discovery. Network discovery is useful, but we already have a monitoring solution. The network map is easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The onboarding could be a bit better for Auvik. We've had a few issues out of the gate because we already had an existing Auvik setup that was invalidated. Given that we're a new customer, it's taken a while to get support for these issues. It's taken a couple of days, but I would have thought that as new customers, we'd get priority support until the solution is running. 

I would like it if you could filter out workstations. We've got Windows workstations and servers, but we only care about the servers. It would be nice if we could filter out devices based on the operating systems, so we don't have to see the workstations, but you can't. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We used the Auvik trial for about three weeks and then purchased the full product after a couple of months. We're now a week into using it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Auvik nine out of 10 for stability. I haven't had any downtime. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate Auvik nine out of 10 for scalability. It has the potential to scale because you can add collectors or create new sites as needed. 

How are customer service and support?

I rate Auvik support seven out of 10. The people I've spoken to have been pleasant, but it's taking a while to deal with our outstanding issues. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We also use PRTG for our network monitoring. We invested a lot of money in PRTG, so we can't replace it all yet. We adopted Auvik for its traffic insights. 

How was the initial setup?

It should be straightforward, but some things don't work, and the guides aren't necessarily correct either. We've used it for a week now and don't have much in there because there are a few teething issues that I've opened tickets for. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price is what I expect for a product like Auvik. It's reasonably priced. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Auvik eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
IT intern at a university with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 20
It can integrate your firewall systems and incorporate devices from different locations
Pros and Cons
  • "Auvik's reporting is pretty useful. It helps us conduct traffic analysis. I like how you can integrate your firewall systems and incorporate devices in different parts of the country."
  • "The menu bar and display could be more colorful."

What is our primary use case?

I work at a university, and we use Auvik to check the school's network and ensure it works properly. Auvik covers all of our network devices, such as firewalls and servers. It doesn't generate many tickets daily—about three to five. Our schools have about 12,000 students and 10 members on our IT team spread through Melbourne and Sydney.

What is most valuable?

Auvik's reporting is pretty useful. It helps us conduct traffic analysis. I like how you can integrate your firewall systems and incorporate devices in different parts of the country. You can access all the devices under your licenses in your domain. Auvik's GUI has an intuitive design. It's pretty easy to use. The network map and dashboards offer a real-time picture of our network.

When we face network issues, Auvik creates an alert in our ticketing system. We log into our account, and it shows where the error or threat is happening. We can run an antivirus or react to the threat however we want.

What needs improvement?

The menu bar and display could be more colorful.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used Auvik for two or three months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Auvik eight out of 10 for stability. We get some bugs and errors, but they aren't serious. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate Auvik eight out of 10 for scalability. Auvik appears to be pretty scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I rate Auvik support eight out of 10.


How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't know precisely what Auvik charges the college, but it's probably reasonable because they have used Auvik for a long time. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Auvik Network Management eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Pascal Idedia - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Specialist at The ITeam
MSP
Top 20
The configuration backups save a lot of time, but the alerts should be less noisy
Pros and Cons
  • "I like Auvik's configuration backups. When a configuration change occurs, it automatically updates the configuration in Auvik. If something stops working, we can roll back to the previous configuration. That's very helpful."
  • "We have a firewall with devices behind it. When that firewall goes offline, we get alerts for it and the 10 devices behind it. There should be a way to set up a dependency so that when the firewall goes down, Auvik bundles it up and sends it at the same time. That would reduce the noise in our email. We don't want to get 11 alerts because one firewall went down. We just want one alert saying that all the devices under the firewall are also offline."

What is our primary use case?

I work for an MSP and manage networks for a couple of clients. We use Auvik to monitor their network devices and make configuration changes as needed. When a network device goes offline, we get an alert and we can respond to it accordingly.

How has it helped my organization?

Auvik improves our visibility and enables us to monitor more proactively. We can identify if devices or links are approaching their configured capacity. For example, we can set alerts if bandwidth utilization is over 90 percent or if CPU is extremely high, allowing us to take action before the users notice a drop in performance.

We started seeing benefits the moment Auvik was deployed on a customer's network. You immediately start seeing devices, including some devices you didn't know were there. Auvik helps our NOC see issues and resolve them. They know what's connected to what. It helps them and reduces the number of cases escalated to senior network resources. Due to this, we can focus on bigger projects because the NOC technicians can see the issues in many cases.

Auvik has reduced our resolution time because it has the maps and the configuration backups. Some issues that would typically take hours to resolve could be resolved in 15 minutes or less. We can revert to the old configuration, and everything starts working again. It saves a lot of time. 

What is most valuable?

I like Auvik's configuration backups. When a configuration change occurs, it automatically updates the configuration in Auvik. If something stops working, we can roll back to the previous configuration. That's very helpful.

Auvik's interface is pretty easy to use. You should be good to go after playing around with it for a few hours. You can find what you need easily. It isn't rocket science. Auvik's ease of use makes troubleshooting faster because we can easily see what we need to see. All the alerts are in one place. I don't find it difficult to achieve real-time visibility with Auvik because I am familiar with the solution. Also, I took an Auvik course about five or six months ago, so I know how it works.

The network map offers a real-time picture of your network if you include the correct credentials. It's pretty smart and can draw a decent map of the network. However, it doesn't work as well for more complex clients. The network map is a little messy. 

Having this visibility is critical for a network specialist. When we're troubleshooting, the first thing we need to know is how it's all connected. If you don't know how it's connected, you won't be able to solve the problem. 

What needs improvement?

We have a firewall with devices behind it. When that firewall goes offline, we get alerts for it and the 10 devices behind it. There should be a way to set up a dependency so that when the firewall goes down, Auvik bundles it up and sends it at the same time. That would reduce the noise in our email. We don't want to get 11 alerts because one firewall went down. We just want one alert saying that all the devices under the firewall are also offline.

I'd like to see device response times and packet losses. Auvik monitors these metrics for internet links, but I would also like to see this for devices within the network. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used Auvik for 14 to 16 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have some devices that Auvik has gotten configurations from previously, but it stops working for some reason. Auvik stops receiving SysLog messages from devices. We still haven't fixed this issue because we haven't had time to drill down and figure out why it's happening.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Auvik should have about 1,500 devices, and you will see performance impacts after around 15,000. The performance will be very slow, and it takes time to load.

How are customer service and support?

I rate Auvik support nine out of 10. Their support team is pretty responsive and quick to help. You can click on a chat button inside Auvik to open a ticket. That's pretty convenient.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've used a couple of solutions, including SolarWinds and PRTG. SolarWinds has some nice features. You can push configurations to all devices in your network simultaneously. I don't think I've seen that in Auvik.

How was the initial setup?

The setup went smoothly. Once you install the collector, it discovers everything in the network. Deploying Auvik can take up to a month. We installed Auvik on a data server accessible everywhere on the network. You need a server that can reach all the subnets. We gave it some time to discover the network and manually added any devices that it didn't find.  After deployment, we need to do some maintenance on the server where Auvik is installed, but there's nothing specific to Auvik. 

What was our ROI?

Some of our clients who weren't interested in Auvik changed their minds after talking to other clients and seeing the benefits they've received. It saves a lot of time, giving us more time to focus on critical issues and not worry about the product. It's very solid once it's set up.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Auvik seven out of 10. I recommend simplifying your network as much as possible. The map can be messy when a network is unnecessarily complex. Auvik struggles to bring the connections up correctly. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: MSP
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Jason Pitcher - PeerSpot reviewer
Interim Project Manager at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
MSP
I like how the solution automatically backs up device configurations
Pros and Cons
  • "I like how Auvik automatically backs up some device configurations. For example, we had a Cisco switch connected. Each time we change the switch, Auvik will automatically back up the configuration so it can be restored when needed."
  • "The alerts are still a bit noisy. I know they are working on that. They're testing some changes to the data to dial down the noise. Sometimes, we'll get multiple alerts for the same issue until it's fixed. Since it's tied to our ticketing system, it's also generating tickets each time, so we had to turn off the ticketing until we got a better grasp on that."

What is our primary use case?

We use Auvik to monitor our network and troubleshoot when things go wrong. It also helps us automate and discover network components 

How has it helped my organization?

Without Auvik, the onboarding process involved an extraordinary amount of effort and labor because we needed to identify and document all of the client's networking components manually. We had to remote into the servers or physically inspect the issues on site. It was an overwhelming task, especially for large clients. The ability to automate that work made things much quicker for everyone. 

Our engineers have said that they've saved a lot of time because they can immediately identify the root cause of the issue and address it without having to poke around and troubleshoot to find exactly what the issue is. The engineers are resolving tickets faster, making the clients happier.

We realized the benefits almost immediately once it was fully deployed. It was a staged rollout for the clients. Within the first couple of weeks, we identified a failed disk on a virtual server host. VMware didn't report that to use, but Auvik caught the problem before it caused any issues.

What is most valuable?

I like how Auvik automatically backs up some device configurations. For example, we had a Cisco switch connected. Each time we change the switch, Auvik will automatically back up the configuration so it can be restored when needed.  

Auvik creates a visual map so you can see where things are connected in real time. It will alert you when a device goes down.

What needs improvement?

Auvik's interface could be more intuitive. It can be daunting if you don't know what you're looking for. I've been using Auvik for a year, so it's no big deal, but a new user may struggle a bit. There's so much in there, so it could be more streamlined. 

Overall, it's pretty easy to figure out what's connected to what and to see the network topology on the map. However, sometimes we're working with more complicated networks with many interconnecting parts. In those cases, we run into trouble identifying where things are connected and putting it into a visual representation that makes sense. It's gotten better, but it's still a little quirky.

The alerts are still a bit noisy. I know they are working on that. They're testing some changes to the data to dial down the noise. Sometimes, we'll get multiple alerts for the same issue until it's fixed. Since it's tied to our ticketing system, it's also generating tickets each time, so we had to turn off the ticketing until we got a better grasp on that.

For how long have I used the solution?

We started using Auvik last May.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We've never had a problem with Auvik crashing. The dashboard sometimes takes a while to load, and there are a few minor outages, but it isn't unstable. We've been told they're addressing the slow load times in an upcoming update.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Auvik's scalability is only limited by the number of licenses you can afford. The rest is a matter of deploying the collectors and adding the credentials. I don't see why it could be deployed on a massive scale.

How are customer service and support?

I rate Auvik support nine out of 10. They're fantastic. If the first-level support can't give you an adequate answer, they will escalate it rapidly, and they're quick to respond. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The deployment wasn't that difficult, but it was somewhat time-consuming. Once you install the collector, you must manually input all the credentials to get the devices to talk to Auvik. Depending on the size of the network, this process may take several hours. Fully configuring the solution to the client's specifications may take up to three months. Sometimes, it may take longer to track down all the credentials.

After deployment, Auvik doesn't require much maintenance on our end. The collectors must be updated from the cloud, but that happens behind the scenes, and we never need to touch it. Once it's deployed, it's pretty hands-off unless we need to change the device credentials.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Auvik isn't cheap. There are two tiers: Essentials and Performance. We're still on the Essentials plan, but we may upgrade to Performance, which is double the price. They bill based on firewalls, controllers, switches, and routers. Every client has wireless access points, routers, printers, etc. Those are monitored for free. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We also looked at Liongard. One feature we wanted was the ability to automatically document things in our IT documentation systems. Auvik and Liongard had this capability, but Auvik documented more and had more network troubleshooting features. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Auvik Network Management eight out of 10. Once you get Auvik deployed, I recommend having your subject matter expert provide all the employees who will use it with detailed training on how it works and where to find things to ensure you get the most out of the solution.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Auvik Network Management (ANM) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: November 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Auvik Network Management (ANM) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.