Broadcom DX Application Performance Management Reviews

We are using it for application performance management (APM).

For example, before each upgrade of critical mission application, we have the APM set for prep, and all administrators can do a stretch test, and they see how applications are working under the load. It is great, because they see which part of the code, network, or any programs on the database are slow. We are using it, not for productions, for the testing in pre-production.

We are using the web view for the displaying the data and interpreting the dashboarding for the customer.

The product fits its functions. The presentation layer is nice for me. However, what I would like to improve is its integrations with the dashboarding of other CA products.

It is very stable. We have not experienced any crashes. If we have any performance issues, we just edit some manager and we can continue.

The scalability is really fast. Though maybe it should be faster. Maybe it is still some point for improvement for the APM if CA would provide some docker installation, this would make it even faster. 

Because the docker container is a coached service, and if it will have a some performance issue, we will automatically deploy the new docker installation and a new docker agent to the endpoint and do everything possible without installation. 

When I catch the right Level 2 engineer on the APM site, everything is fine, and I would give them an eight out of 10. They are great. 

If you will ask me about the general Level 1 support of the CA, and I would give them a two or three out of 10 because it takes a long time to get to them to focus on the program. Also, it takes a long time to redirect to the right Level 2 engineer. 

The setup is complex. It is a little bit difficult to explain to our customers what APM is because we have problems to find the right people on the customer site. CA could provide a simple explanation for the technical customers.

AppDynamics.

Anybody can work with the APM, because this solution is so flexible.

Right now, it is the standard product for the application performance management RAR. There a lot concurrent solutions from different vendors. It is a really good, stable, flexible product, but there are no special features when I compare it with with the other solutions from the other vendors. 

Application triage is the most valuable feature. It gives precise insights about problems and leads to the root cause very quickly. We use CA APM internally to monitor and diagnose Java-based systems.

CA APM helps to identify problems and make faster decisions so as to re-establish the service in a precise way.

It would be very helpful to have transaction insights with a more transparent configuration. If we could have user experience information without using a network tap, then the use of this feature would bring more value in more cases.

I have used this solution for four years.

I have not encountered any stability issues.

I have not encountered any scalability issues.

I would give the technical support 10/10 rating; they are very good. They have highly skilled staff and are available 24 hours a day.

We did not use any other solution.

The setup was straightforward; with the latest versions of CA APM, it is even more straightforward.

You need to think cost versus benefit. It is an investment and can address almost any application issues within many IT environments.

We did not evaluate other products before choosing this product.

You should consider using CA APM even in the cloud. CA is focusing to deliver full APM stack in the cloud and not just on-premise. It is a complete solution.

APM is a master in monitoring application performance. When we emphasize performance, it focuses on business transactions and helps provide a good amount of successful transactions. In order to enhance application availability, rigorous monitoring of its components’ performance is very important.

APM helps in monitoring performance of application with end-to-end application component visibility.

• Reduced troubleshooting time by identifying the exact point of failure
• Capacity planning of infra based on application performance

Out-of-the-box report templates need to be incorporated. Agent performance reports and transaction statistics report need to be incorporated. Agent performance reports will help us to monitor agent communication and availability. Transaction statistics will help us to monitor what are the transactions flowing into the system.

LDAP and EEM integration should be simplified like in other CA Solutions.

I have used it for one year.

Until now, I have not faced any stability issues.

Until now, I have not faced any scalability issues.

Technical support is mind-blowing. They are really a big helping hand with administrating the application.

This is the first time I am working with an APM solution.

Initial setup was very simple. We did our implementation in a day and were able to provide output to our management in a short amount of time.

Pricing and licensing are straightforward. It is very easy to plan the license requirement, as the license terms are clearly documented.

Before choosing this product, we did a proof of concept for Zenoss. We felt CA APM is agile and aptly engineered to meet our requirements.

It is the very best solution. It will surely enhance anyone’s application performance and resource utilization.

It helps you get to the root cause much faster when you have issues.

The visualization of the solution takes you to the problem areas much faster.

The GUI feels sort of archaic. It doesn't have a modern look and feel to it.

I'm looking forward to some of the stuff on the new version that automatically maps the topology. We're just getting started with the tool in my group, so we're not actually utilizing it yet.

It's very stable. We have had no incidents of crashing.

It does scale well, from what I understand. I'm not the person who does the deployments.

I'm not a person who gets to make the investment decisions. I basically get to use whatever the company provides or makes available.

Some of the previous versions were available, but they were much more difficult to implement. The newer version takes a lot of that complexity out of it.

I'm more of an end user of the product, and it's much easier. Some of it is automatically implemented. That's what I like about it.

I was involved similar to a customer. We have an internal team that does the deployments and they got it done. They don't really have issues with it. It's really a straightforward setup.

When selecting a vendor, accessibility is important. We've had issues in the past with some vendors who kind of disappear after they sell you a product. We like having a contact person who is readily available to guide you or refer you to somebody else who can help.

The most valuable feature for us with APM is the depth to which you can go into the actual instances that are occurring. So, whether it's SQL or the Java agent, you're able to get really deep information.

We're just now adopting APM, but we anticipate that it'll be very helpful with level-3 and level-4 triage.

I'd like to see more source code at the exceptions level. I'd like to be able to get down to the actual code-class file and know what the issues are there. With APM, we stop at just a hair above that, but to be able to get down to that specific level would be nice. I'd like to be able to get that granular.

We've had no issues with deployment.

We've had some challenges in the integration with the agent. It's had some conflicts from a Java-server perspective, but outside of that it's been very stable.

No scalability issues so far. That's been fine.

I don't use tech support for anything. We have our own internal team.

I wasn't involved in the setup.

Take a look at what you're using it for because it's not for every application.

This solution gives feedback exactly the way that we need it with data specific to tasks, timelines, and analyses. It ensures we are making the most of our production and QA stages.

They tried to streamline the organization, that was the initial point of using APM. It led to so many internal changes, but it didn’t affect the organization much at all in the end.

But the good thing about the solution is there is little overhead. It has a very small footprint on the system and it doesn’t affect the performance of the CPU.

We will move to version 10.1 when the time is right, but we're exploring our options for something that will in-fact streamline our organization.

We have no issues deploying it.

It’s very stable. We haven’t had a single problem with this product.

This solution is entirely scalable from our point of view.

I think it’s very good, you can talk to them and you get good support. We have never had an issue with the support from CA.

We used when it was still Wiley Interscope. Then they were then bought by CA, so it was a natural progression into the CA product.

The setup was quite complex initially. They came to us and worked with us in-house, which was great to learn from them.

We have had big discussions about changing, but we have recently decided not to. We are staying with them for now.

I recommend that they should look at their options deeply.

The monitoring features - transaction tractability and visibility.

Also, BRTM in v9.x and the differential analysis in v10 are valuable features that are very helpful in monitoring and maintaining the application performance.

In the market, the CA APM 10.x is already out and doing well. It is much improved and meeting customer’s expectations. Moreover, the implementation is bit complex for a distributed environment.

The tool has improved a lot and still updates are there on the way. It would be easier to understand if the components involved could be less about providing the same capabilities as it already does.

I have experience of approximately two-and-a-half years on CA APM.

The issue we faced was on sizing and implementing the APM architecture as it involves multiple components in a distributed environment.

The monitoring stats we get are only 70%-80% reliable. We cannot depend completely on the monitoring view provided.

I have experience in AppDynamics, BMC, and HP APM. It all depends upon the client’s requirements. I chose this product as it was fulfilling all the stated requirements.

We have implemented the clustered architecture of CA APM. Initially, there were less complexities but when it comes to distributed deployment, it was complex.

I have experience of implementation of in–house as well as through a vendor also. Both are equal, just experience and a clear understanding of all the tool components is a must.

Expected returns gained.

CA APM is a brand name. It is easy, proactive, intelligent and collaborative. All of these features leads every business transaction, it's a loyalty-building interaction.

The transition to APM Team Center as the primary console in APM 10 will definitely be the most valuable feature.

The ATC shows a lot of potential on how we view performance metrics on the front-end and back-end connections in a single view.

An APM tool should have the capability to provide a high-level view of the monitored application and APM 10 is heading in the right direction by just doing that. A single-window view of performance metrics, timeline, applications, alerts and heat maps (DA) throw a lot of data to an engineer in a quick glance.

Another new feature may just have to be Entry Point Discovery. The capability of the agent to detect the application entry point and create custom pbd for this. Interesting concept of automatic discovery and prescriptive change.

CA APM strength is the Custom Instrumentation - just having the capability to capture performance metrics for classes and methods in the application makes this tool a elite candidate.

CA APM is the go-to tool for any performance-related issues. It is always there monitoring the non-production and production environment. It is becoming part of the DevOps stack and becoming a key support tool for Performance testing.

The tool has supported many times in identifying slow transactions and the bottlenecks in applications.

APM 10 has jumped leaps in feature improvement over the last few releases which in itself is an achievement.

The UI still feels a little outdated (though there is change) especially for Dashboards. New widgets and dynamic actions needs to be in place for this part of CA APM.

Integration with other DevOps toolsets. CA APM needs to provide easy integration capability with CI/CD and ALM tools which will provide strong value to all stages in an SDLC.