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IBM Tivoli NetCool vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper comparison

IBM and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. IBM is ranked #16 with an average rating of 7.7, while SolarWinds is ranked #18 with an average rating of 9.0. IBM holds a 1.9% mindshare in NMA, compared to SolarWinds’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.
IBM Tivoli NetCool
Read 13 IBM Tivoli NetCool reviews
  • 669 Views
  • 189 Comparison Views
83% willing to recommend
SolarWinds Network Topology...
Read 1 SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper review
  • 288 Views
  • 210 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between IBM Tivoli NetCool and SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fortinet and others in Network Management Applications.

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To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: March 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Network Management Applications
March 2025
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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
16th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SolarWinds Network Topology...
Ranking in Network Management Applications
18th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of IBM Tivoli NetCool is 1.9%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is 1.4%, down from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications
 

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.
Read full review
SS
Very user-friendly and stable
I'm still learning how the solution works, figuring out how to check reports and system information. I'm a student and customer of SolarWinds The tool seems to be widely used and I find it user-friendly The Network Topology Mapper is on the expensive side - it would be helpful if it were less…
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Anything is possible with Tivoli. It's quite a robust system."
"The tool is much easier to manage than running scripts and figuring out how many endpoints have been exceeded."
"It's very easy to use."
"Tivoli NetCool allows us to grasp a lot of data that can be applied toward predictive analytics and auto-remediation."
"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."
"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."
"The tool had many built-in automation capabilities."
"It's very easy to use."
More IBM Tivoli NetCool pros
"It's user-friendly."
 

Cons

"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 solution is too expensive."
"UI is outdated, very old legacy."
"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."
"The installation could be simplified, and technical support could be faster."
"The solution is not user-friendly."
"The installation could be simplified, and technical support could be faster."
"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."
More IBM Tivoli NetCool cons
"This is a relatively expensive product."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It costs around 100k for every ten servers, which is lower than similar products from other vendors."
"The price of the product is too expensive."
"Customers are required to pay a licensing fee."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
30%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Government
20%
Computer Software Company
11%
Educational Organization
11%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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...
See all answers
What do you like most about IBM Tivoli NetCool?
The tool had many built-in automation capabilities.
See all answers
What needs improvement with IBM Tivoli NetCool?
The main challenge is its licensing model, which is very complicated.
See all answers
What do you like most about SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?
It's user-friendly.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?
Licensing costs are on the expensive side.
See all answers
What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?
The Network Topology Mapper is on the expensive side - it would be helpful if it were less so.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs IBM Tivoli NetCool Logo
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs IBM Tivoli NetCool
Compared 73% of the time
HPE Intelligent Management Center vs IBM Tivoli NetCool Logo
HPE Intelligent Management Center vs IBM Tivoli NetCool
Compared 27% of the time
More IBM Tivoli NetCool Competitors
Aruba Airwave vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Logo
Aruba Airwave vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper
Compared 100% of the time
More SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM Tivoli NetCool
March 2025
IBM Tivoli NetCool reportDownload IBM Tivoli NetCool product report
Buyer's Guide
Network Management Applications
March 2025
SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper reportDownload SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper product report
 

Also Known As

Tivoli NetCool
SolarWinds NTM
 

Overview

IBM Tivoli Netcool delivers near real-time, consolidated event management across business infrastructure, data centers, complex networks and IT domains. The software provides full management and automation to help you deliver continuous uptime of business services and applications.
IBM

Automate device discovery and mapping
Build multiple maps from a single scan
Export network diagrams to Visio
Auto-detect changes to network topology
Perform multi-level network discovery
Address regulatory PCI compliance

SolarWinds
 

Sample Customers

Claranet, Consolidated Communications, Telus, €sterreichische Bundesbahnen (€BB), Telekom Srbija, Bendigo Community Telco, Capgemini, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB)
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
Network Management Applications
March 2025
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