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IBM Tivoli NetCool vs OpenText Network Node Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Tivoli NetCool
Ranking in Network Management Applications
14th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
OpenText Network Node Manager
Ranking in Network Management Applications
12th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.4
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of IBM Tivoli NetCool is 2.2%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Network Node Manager is 3.8%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
OpenText Network Node Manager3.8%
IBM Tivoli NetCool2.2%
Other94.0%
Network Management Applications
 

Q&A Highlights

DK
Dec 23, 2014
 

Featured Reviews

Petar Ganev - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable for enterprise monitoring but no longer actively developed
There are problems with the latest security requirements because many things have changed in recent years, and now the security audits are very strict. And we need to switch to something else. We need to patch it constantly. Moreover, it is a very old tool and a little bit difficult to support. Otherwise, they work okay.
Ahmed-Salman - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable network monitoring and proactive analytics enhance decision-making with areas for configuration improvement
NNMi is an OpenText product and serves as the OpenText Network Node Manager monitoring tool. OpenText Network Node Manager is used for network monitoring of switches, routers, firewalls, load balancers, and all network devices. It can support any SNMP protocol. The advantages of OpenText Network Node Manager stand out because it can build the topology, Layer 2 topology, and Layer 3 automatically once devices are added, connecting them together, such as device one, for interface one, connected with interface one on another device. The integration capability of OpenText Network Node Manager is excellent because it integrates directly, and I can configure the integration to feed the CMDB, from where I can get all information from network monitoring into the CMDB, linking it with the infrastructure and correlating events. I use advanced fault monitoring and management features in OpenText Network Node Manager for topology and fault monitoring, as it can alert or generate an event if the value exceeds or falls below a predefined threshold for SNMP traps. The predictive analytics impact planning and optimization strategies because the product can be linked with another product for analytic analysis, allowing me to see the interface utilization trend and proactively take action if the utilization increases. The automated network discovery features and topology mapping in OpenText Network Node Manager have a positive impact. It supports a bundle with another product for NetFlow to monitor traffic, ports, protocols, and SLAs, and I can build compliance reports to address security vulnerabilities, such as identifying all devices using outdated protocols.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The solution has very good integration capabilities."
"The feature I have found most valuable with NetCool is how it collaborates all the alarms, and then it does a predictive analysis, providing a consolidated alarm view and management."
"The tool is much easier to manage than running scripts and figuring out how many endpoints have been exceeded."
"The scalability of monitoring, the breadth of supported network components, the scale of the number of monitoring events, and the flexibility in customization make this a well-rounded product."
"Tivoli NetCool allows us to grasp a lot of data that can be applied toward predictive analytics and auto-remediation."
"Support is one of the best aspects of this solution. NetCool is a good product that has good flexibility. There are a lot of documents available online which is one of the best features of IBM Tivoli Suite. Whenever an issue happens, rather than going to technical support, if you find the exact issue in Google, you can get tech notes for that particular issue."
"It's very easy to use."
"Anything is possible with Tivoli. It's quite a robust system."
"Topology creation is the most valuable feature."
"It is a scalable product."
"If you install one node on Network Node Manager and want to scale it up, it's pretty easy to create more nodes."
"You can utilize the main file from various vendors for integration."
"Our monitoring and network teams of less than 100 people use this solution. The availability and fault monitoring are good."
"The best feature is the solution's entire credibility with all vendors."
"It's quite a mature solution."
"The platform has good stability."
 

Cons

"The solution is too expensive."
"Tivoli NetCool's has medium scalability - there are some problems with its replications not being mature."
"Tivoli NetCool is based on a Linux platform, it would be beneficial if they moved it to Windows because not everyone is acquainted with Linux."
"The installation could be simplified, and technical support could be faster."
"Customization and integration that you need to do to make the product fit your needs is very complex. It is not a product that somebody could easily pick up without any prior training or experience."
"In terms of improvement, I would like to see more AIOps, Artificial Intelligent Operations in the next release. IBM develops new features for Power BI or Cognos Analytics, which is good. As of now, we use Cognos Analytics, we are not using Power BI. They have the Insight concept but we don't like that."
"The installation could be simplified, and technical support could be faster."
"The solution does not have any AI capabilities."
"Reporting. Even though this is available in separate software (iSPI) there is potential in making the reporting more SLA-aware and more intuitive."
"We have not had a good experience with technical support from OpenText. Many cases take a month to be resolved."
"The deployment architecture and installation part needs improvement."
"They should add AI options in the product's next release."
"The main issue with OpenText Network Node Manager is not its scalability but its network topology capability limitations, while installation and deployment types are supported across various platforms."
"Micro Focus Network Node Manager is not the best when it comes to drilling down for more visibility, especially regarding traffic."
"The resources utilized could be a bit higher, and that is one of the challenges that isn't optimized"
"The solution should integrate with NAC servers."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It costs around 100k for every ten servers, which is lower than similar products from other vendors."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"Customers are required to pay a licensing fee."
"The price of the product is too expensive."
"The solution is quite expensive."
"I wasn't involved in the pricing, but I think it's quite expensive."
"It is more inexpensive than other products in the market."
"It's an expensive solution."
"The solution is priced mid-range compared to the competition."
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Answers from the Community

DK
Dec 23, 2014
Dec 23, 2014
We had Netcool for a few years and we droped it in favor of CA Spectrum. Overall deployment of Netcool was considered a failure. Even What's Up Gold was better as a transition solution to CA. Unfortunately I cannot recommend Spectrum either because it's a hardware resources hog and it performs slow. Also the cost of Spectrum is per network interface polled and Support costs a fortune.
2 out of 7 answers
it_user167895 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 23, 2014
If you have not heared from SevOne and have been in contact with them. Please do, It will save you a lot of money and you will be the champ forever. You can compare it as riding a bike (you have to paddle) versus a solar driven car that works If you do so, send me a credit for buying a cake. That will do for me :) THX, Ronald Jansen
it_user76911 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 23, 2014
Based on my experience I would suggest you for Entuity - EYE which got perfect features required for a Network monitoring tool requirement. Feature like In-Depth Real time monitoring, Flows, Network Maps, Inventory Management, Event Management, easy to integrate.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
32%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
14%
Performing Arts
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise15
 

Questions from the Community

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?
I have worked from 1973 with all kind of systems in large enterprises across the world. And have experience with all kind of software in monitoring from infra to end to end, it depends on the funct...
What do you like most about IBM Tivoli NetCool?
The tool had many built-in automation capabilities.
What needs improvement with IBM Tivoli NetCool?
The main challenge is its licensing model, which is very complicated.
What needs improvement with Micro Focus Network Node Manager?
The disadvantage of OpenText Network Node Manager is related to configuration, which is straightforward since it is agentless and solely relies on SNMP protocol, and although it requires some effor...
What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Network Node Manager?
I remember working with OpenText Network Node Manager at my previous company. I am now working at a different company focusing on data center migrations and DR preparation. In my current role, I ha...
 

Also Known As

Tivoli NetCool
Micro Focus Network Node Manager, Network Node Manager, HPE Network Node Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Claranet, Consolidated Communications, Telus, €sterreichische Bundesbahnen (€BB), Telekom Srbija, Bendigo Community Telco, Capgemini, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB)
IPC, Exelon, VivaCom, 
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Tivoli NetCool vs. OpenText Network Node Manager and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
872,008 professionals have used our research since 2012.