Cisco Prime [EOL] vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager comparison

"As a large organization, it is difficult to individually monitor every device. Instead, we use Cisco Prime to keep an eye on the network and services. We do not use it as a node tool, as we have other tools for network operation centers. When services go down, it can cause issues, we rely on Cisco Prime to monitor and notify us of any service disruptions. We mainly use Cisco Prime Infrastructure for configuration-level tasks."

"We use Cisco Prime for network mapping and surveys."

"Enables oversight in order to tweak and tune."

"Cisco Prime allows us to manage all the wireless controllers and access points."

"The solution's configuration management tool is amazing because it centralizes and pushes configurations which saves a lot of volume and effort."

"The solution helps with the management and support of the enterprise network."

"Cisco Prime is a good tool for inventory monitoring and wireless management."

"The solution provides data that allows us to time travel through logs and perform remote operations or troubleshooting."

"The feature that I really enjoy is the ability to script changes across all of your devices."

"The solution's view is very nice, and they have a great customized dashboard."

"It allows us to manage backups in big companies. It is also useful in managing the configuration changes."

"NCM also helps with vulnerability assessment and remediation."

"We push all our configurations to the servers with ease and the logs capture almost all the transactions needed for an internal audit."

"SolarWinds NCM provides updates on the status of your network infrastructure. If any issues arise, such as a link failure or a device going offline, you will receive notifications and alerts. Additionally, if someone unplugs a cable, SolarWinds NCM will detect it. It also features a Topology Mapper that displays the connectivity of your network devices, giving you a visual representation of the network's structure. With SolarWinds NCM, you have a clear understanding of what's happening within your network and can generate comprehensive reports."

"Configuration pushing, upgrade capabilities, job backup, configuration backup, and real-time configuration change monitoring are highly beneficial features of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager."

"The most valuable Real-time fault detection is beneficial as it enables the identification of changes made to a device's configuration through the SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. This makes it easy to pinpoint which configurations were added or removed, potentially causing network issues. Such changes are saved in logs for future reference."

"The solution can be slow at times."

"Lacking in integration with a SIEM tool."

"Cisco Prime's initial setup is complex."

"The product's pricing can be cheaper."

"The user interface of Cisco Prime could be more user-friendly and increase its performance."

"I rate Cisco Prime seven out of 10 for affordability. All Cisco solutions are expensive."

"The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."

"I would love for Cisco Prime to show bandwidth usage and consumption, but I can't monitor bandwidth usage at a given time."

"For each device, when you open the network performance monitor, it will give you all of the information about the device, but many of the natural configuration management features are not on that page."

"Further improvements in automation are needed. Currently, there are limitations in performing tasks without logging into routers directly, and we expect more comprehensive device control."

"The solution could improve by being more secure."

"On NCM, reporting could be a bit better. It's completely become just one report. When I try to create a custom report, the solution just commits old server data."

"Our experience has shown that most of the problems we've had with SolarWinds NCM are related to software issues."

"Its look and feel can be improved. They can also put in more effort into building the THWACK community and use the information about various customer issues and requests to build the new releases."

"When we run the SolarWinds NCM jobs at the cellular line, it runs in the morning. They're just not finishing. We're getting false processing."

"Releasing a product compatible with operating systems other than Windows would be advantageous."

"I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."

"We update the license every five years."

"I would rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."

"The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."

"If we have a license for Cisco DNA, we can use the same license for Cisco Prime."

"The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."

"The price of Cisco Prime was reasonable because we purchased it as part of a Cisco One package. The package was a bundle of Cisco solutions together, such as Cisco ISE and CMX. The price is reasonable com compared to other solutions."

"The solution is not inexpensive but is worth it for large-scale environments."

"Available at a moderate price"

"Additional costs beyond the standard licensing fee are inevitable."

"We have to pay additionally for its support and maintenance."

"I have a yearly subscription."

"Pricing is reasonable and competitive."

"With a minimal bundle, we pay about $3000 a year in licensing costs. If you have multiple devices in your network, you must buy the bundle, which is 100% identical for your infrastructure. If you have 15 devices, you need 15 licenses, for example. That's one bundle. You don't pay for anything over and above that."

"There is a license needed to use SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager."

"There is a license for the use of this solution and it is priced well, there is a lot of value for the money."